Sound of the Tide Read Free Page B

disinterested “negotiation faces” we had agreed upon beforehand and smiled at one another.
    “It’s perfect, isn’t it?” I whispered, barely able to contain my glee.
    Daniel nodded. “The sofa goes here, and the big dining room table there. You know, the one we saw at the store the other day. Over there”—he hurried to the other side—“the secretary, and when we bring in the mail, this is where we’ll put it down. The armchair and floor lamp go there. And here, in front of the fireplace”—with a grin, he returned to me—“is where I make love to you during the wintertime, in front of the fire. How does that sound?”
    He wrapped me in his arms, and I could see the picture he was painting so vividly. Yes, that’s what I wanted our life to be!
    “Hmm, sounds pretty good. But Daniel—”
    “But what?”
    “But where are you making love to me during the summer months?”
    Daniel chuckled quietly. “All over the rest of the house and down on the beach, of course! Besides, we’re building a dock!”
    “Where we’ll be making love?”
    “Whatever you want, babe!”
    He opened the door to the back porch and pulled me outside with him. The wind was carrying the song of the breaking waves up to us, and the way the sun reflected off the frothy crests below was blinding me. It was lovely, wonderful, and I could almost taste our future life together. Our children would chase each other across the large backyard or play on the beach. Daniel would have a small boat down by our future dock, and on weekends we would take it out for a spin. And in the wintertime we would all snuggle up together in front of the fireplace.
    “Do you hear that?” Daniel whispered into my ear.
    “The real estate agent?”
    “No, silly!” His breath on my skin sent pleasant shivers down my spine. “The sound of the tide, of course.”
    I listened to the waves breaking, and frowned.
    “Sounds like water,” I noted matter-of-factly.
    “Then you’re not listening, babe.”
    “Is that so? And what exactly are you hearing?”
    “The change. Listen!” He kissed my ear, and all I could hear was his quiet breathing against my neck.
    “During low tide, the waves washing ashore sound like a quiet murmur. But during high tide they crash against the rocks and break, and so they’re much louder than they are now. And for the tiniest moment, when the waters reach their peak and start retreating again, that’s when you can hear the change—like now.”
    I listened again, with a little more attention this time, and he was right. It did not sound like strong, breaking waves or like a quiet murmur, but more like a sad, gurgling stream whose river bed was studded with pebbles. As if the water needed to fight to keep its current moving, as if it didn’t know where exactly it wanted to run.
    “I think I can hear it.”
    “Once we live here, I’m sure you’ll hear it no problem.”
    “So we’ll take it?” I looked at him, full of hopeful anticipation, with my heart dancing a rumba from all the excitement. This decision would change everything.
    Daniel smiled a satisfied smile.
    “Babe, if you want to make me the happiest man alive, then you’ll let the two of us raise our son together in this house.”
    “You’re not accidentally proposing, are you?”
    I tried not to let him see how choked up I was getting. Daniel was not someone who made sweeping gestures. He didn’t buy flowers or write love letters glowing with passion. But he was always there for me and he made me happy, even if he never saw the point of marriage.
    “No, Piper. It’s just my way of showing you how much I want to share my life with you. We don’t need a piece of paper to prove that.”
    He was right. We didn’t. His kiss meant more to me than any wedding band ever could, and so I snuggled up to his chest happily. Our hearts were beating as one, and the sound of the tide seemed to synchronize its rhythm to our heartbeats.
    “The change,” Daniel had