I softened my voice as I said, “You told me the truth, Sydney. Whether it took an hour or a day or a few months is insignificant. Time isn’t always the deciding factor.”
She gazed back and forth between my eyes. “Why are you so forgiving?”
Why?
Fuck, there were so many reasons for that.
Reasons I wasn’t getting into now.
Since I knew we were both done with dessert, unable to fit in another bite, I lifted her off my lap and set her on the deck.
I linked our hands and said, “Come with me.”
I brought her down the long stairway to the beach, where we left our shoes at the very bottom and sank our bare feet into the sand.
We were only a few paces into the waves when I heard the softness of her voice.
“This is so pretty.”
I had known the feel of the water would help change her mood. Th
