Page 30 of Suddenly Yours

The warmth of the touch lingered a little too long. Or maybe I just wanted it to.

We fell quiet for a moment as the boat picked up speed. The mainland shrank behind us, and ahead, rising from the misty blue horizon, the island came into view.

My breath caught. I’d forgotten how wonderful the resort was. East Haven wasn’t just beautiful, it was storybook beautiful.

A sprawling white colonial manor sat perched above the rocky shoreline, as crisp and pristine as fresh icing. Beyond it stretched manicured lawns, gardens as big as football fields, and glimpses of golf greens rolling toward the far cliffs.

To the left, I spotted shimmering flashes of the swimming pool. To the right, soft golden sand curved around a private beach that was dotted with white umbrellas and lounge chairs.

A handful of guests were out enjoying the waters or soaking up what little sun was peeking through the clouds.

The whole island felt untouched by time, like someone had captured the best parts of a classic New England postcard and built a paradise from it.

“Wow,” I breathed.

Cade glanced over, a half smile tugging at his mouth. “Yeah, I always forget how impressive it is.”

“It looks like a place where royalty vacations,” I mumbled.

JT added, “The rich like their privacy. And their lobster rolls.”

The boat slowed as we approached the long wooden dock stretching out from the island. Staff in crisp uniforms waited with a gold cart, ready to help unload supplies and guests, which happened to only be us.

Cade stood and reached for my bag, pausing just a second too long as our fingers brushed.

“You good?” he asked softly.

I nodded, even though something fluttered wildly in my chest. Excitement? Nerves? Or something more dangerous? Like knowing that I would be spending so much time around Cade.

But despite my wobbly internal battle, I followed him off the ferry and onto the island. We were welcomed and escorted into a waiting golf cart, which then headed up the smooth, winding path toward the resort. As we rode under a canopy of ancient oaks strung with soft white lights, I knew, deep down in that quiet place where denial couldn’t reach, that this was going to be a weekend I’d never forget.

The last time I’d stayed here, I’d spent my lonely days lounging by the pool, eating room-service macarons and pretending my problems didn’t exist. Cora had arranged for my and Max’s stay at the resort shortly after my graduation and breakup with Levi.

I’d been in a bad spot back then, having just broken things off. My parents had been pissed at me.

They didn’t care that I’d caught him cheating.

They’d never say it out loud, but they liked him. They liked his family. His future career. His connections. His spotless reputation.

I wasn’t supposed to ruin the picture they’d painted for me for their friends.

The minute I broke up with him for good, my parents’ purse strings had closed, even after I’d proved he’d cheated. According to my father, it was permanent unless I got back in line. In his mind that meant getting back with Levi and forgetting all about my own dreams.

If that was how love worked in their world, I didn’t want it.

It had taken me months to realize the truth: I wasn’t disappointed in their lack of support… I was disappointed in their kind of love. Performative. Convenient. Conditional.

I wanted loyalty.

I wanted someone who chose me because I was me, not because I made a good addition to their holiday newsletter.

And deep down, I wanted something I’d only ever glimpsed in the way Cade looked at people he cared about.

Not just me, everyone.

Steady. Quiet. Unflinching.

For the first time in my life, I was fully self-reliant. My bakery, my home, my choices. I didn’t owe anyone an explanation.