The Coast is Clear (Breakaway Shores #1)

Izzy

Fireworks

“Can we do them now?” Christian asked, holding the box of Pop-Its. I was unsure who invented these pesky little faux fireworks, but I’m glad they did. That and sparklers. They had always been Christian’s favorite. Luke brought the box of fireworks into the street, where the boys and I sat. We put out some camping chairs that were in the garage and were prepared to have our show.

This had always been Jack’s thing. I didn’t love fire or things that exploded. I’d tried the last two years, but our fireworks were lackluster. Luke was about to solve that issue because he was a pit of a pyromaniac. When we were kids, he melted my beloved Teletubbies while hiding underneath my bed. It was a somber day for me as an eight-year-old, but now it made me laugh because it was just so Luke.

The boys and I had napped, and I’d woken up feeling less terrible. The weight of what I had finally admitted felt less heavy on my chest. I wasn’t married anymore. I said it in the mirror a few times, and it felt less foreign each time.

“Go ahead, buddy. Pop it up,” Luke told Christian, and he threw down a handful of them. The pop was loud, and Kingston jumped, twirling around to watch his brother.

I held out a box of them. A stack sat in the empty chair next to me. “Babes, here’s a box. Do you want to try?” I asked Kingston.

His eyes widened, and a smile filled his tiny little face. His hair was wild today and messed up in the back from his nap. “Thanks!”

I watched the two of them throw down the tiny little paper balls like they were powerful bombs, laughing themselves silly. Luke placed a large firework with a ridiculous name: Flirting with Greatness . I rolled my eyes. The sun had set about fifteen minutes ago, and the warmth was being sucked from the air. “Boys, go sit by your mom,” he said, and he had his serious voice on. It was not significantly different from his usual voice, but I could tell he was focused.

The boys shuffled over to me, their little legs sticking straight out as they sat in the adult-sized chairs. Luke used the lighter to set the fuse and ran back toward us. The boys were still watching the fireworks erupt in showers of light. It made a loud screeching sound as purple and green sparks shot out. Christian’s face was glowing, his eyes so excited, and Kingston held his hands over his mouth as he watched. I loved seeing them so excited, so enthralled by something.

Luke’s expression was the same, just an older version. He was itching to get back out there once that one was done. Kingston hopped out of his chair and grabbed another firework from the box, a bag of tiny cylinders. “Can we do these?”

“Yes, these are ground blooms. You’ll love these!” Luke said, taking them out of his hands. Kingston stayed where he was, watching his uncle very intently. Luke lit one, and it jumped off the ground, spinning around and buzzing.

“Do another one?” Kingston said as Christian threw down another handful of Pop-Its.

I sat back, enjoying this moment of normalcy. The boys were present, not missing anything in their lives, and I was glad about it. Christian was watching Luke and Kingston set out more of the ground blooms when he said, “Hey, look, it’s Zander.”

My stomach twisted, and I followed his finger. He pointed down the street toward Zander’s, and there he was. The girl wasn’t with him, and I was embarrassingly glad for that. He held a plastic bag in his right hand. Luke stood, “Hey buddy, you came.”

Zander smiled and set his bag down next to Luke’s big box of fireworks. I gave Zander a quick nod before looking back to the street. There was a group of people gathering a few houses down, and soon, we’d have even more fireworks to watch. They also did a show out on the coastline, which was always fantastic. It wasn’t for a couple more hours, though. Maybe I could sneak out and watch it if Luke could stay at the house. “Just in time,” Zander said, and they went to work.

The fireworks were fun, and the boys were in heaven. Christian eventually got up, jumping away each time Zander or Luke lit something. I pulled my phone out and took candid photos of them, trying not to get Zander in the frame. I failed when he helped Kingston hold a sparkler, and it was a great photo. The sparkler was shining so brightly that their faces lit up perfectly.

Luke was setting up three fireworks in a row, and Christian turned to me, “Mom, it’s getting cold. Could you get my coat?” He turned back around before I could answer.

It was chilly. The light leached from the sky. “Sure, buddy,” I told him, even though he wasn’t listening. I made my way toward the house when footsteps joined me. Zander smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. “You cold, too? Cause I don’t think I’ve got any coats that’ll fit you.”

He chuckled, “No, I just wanted to apologize for earlier today.” The front door squeaked as we went inside.

“Apologize for what exactly?” I didn’t think he owed me an apology. “You weren’t the one who had a panic attack at your party.”

Zander put a hand on my shoulder, and I twisted, his green eyes on my face. “No, I should have just given you space. I’m unsure what happened or what you felt, but I was just concerned. But I’m sorry.”

I placed a hand on top of his, squeezing it. “Zander, I appreciate the apology, but it’s not needed. I was just, your neighbor asked me if I was married, and I told him I wasn’t. I know this sounds ridiculous, but for a long time, even though Jack was gone, I still felt like his wife. I still felt like I was his, but I guess I don’t anymore, and that was just a hard thing to swallow.” His grip on my shoulder softened, but we somehow moved closer together. “I’m pretty sure I scarred your neighbor, though.” I forced a laugh, trying to downplay my words.

“.” He pulled me into a hug, his arms tight around my shoulders. I tentatively put my hands on his back, the hard slope of his muscles comforting me, and I let myself soften into him. When was the last time someone held me? I always held my kids, comforted them, picked them up, or snuggled them to sleep. But no one had held me in a very long time. I moved my face, resting it on his chest, the roughness of the stubble on his chin scratching against my forehead. Zander exhaled, his chest moving against my body. “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” I said to him, and I didn't want to move.

He pulled away from me, one of his hands running along my back, neck, and onto my cheek. His touch left sparks along every inch of my skin he traced. “Can I—” but the sound of Christian and Kingston yelling excitedly stopped us both.

I smiled at Zander and put my hand on his again, “I should get him his coat.”

Zander nodded and moved toward me, kissing my forehead softly. I let out a gasp, the crackle of fireworks outside mimicking the shock rolling through my body. I wanted to hold onto him, not let him go, but instead, I turned and grabbed both boys’ coats off the stairs. Zander’s eyes watched me, and he smiled as we went back outside.

Luke and the boys were watching the fireworks sparkle in the air. Zander’s hand brushed mine, and I glanced at him. But he was looking right at me, fireworks shining in his eyes.

Oh, man.