She smiles. Radiance streams from her eyes and her lips curve up her cheeks. Reaching down, she takes up her skirts and runs with gay abandon towards the sea edge, after her small daughter, who is shrieking excitedly. At the sight of the two beautiful women in his life acting with such joy and frivolity, Robert capitulates to chaos and dashes after them, allowing the hem of his trousers to soak in the salty waves. Grasping his daughter lightly beneath her armpits he picks her up and throws her into the air; a scream of delight mingled with fear fills the air. Seconds later she comes crashing down into the choppy water. Time stills and they exchange a quick, worried glance. Then, like a cork, she bobs up, laughing, spraying salt, cheering for more.
They spend an hour in the ocean, playing and smiling and laughing.
"Cora?" He turns to her, propping himself up on his elbows. She rolls over, and seeing his face, her eyes widen with worry. "Robert, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. In fact, the opposite. I wanted to say...I love you."
"I know you do, my darling –"
"No, I do, I love you, and I believe it is not incompatible with the office of a gentleman to state the perfectly obvious. I have always loved you."
"Robert, wha – "
"I have loved you since the moment you caught my eye and made me blink desperately for fear I was dreaming."
"Oh Robert." She reaches up, stroking his cheek, and letting her hand fall onto the covers. Neither have fallen asleep yet, the house cloaked in silence. "I love you, too."
He kisses her, sweet and salty. Her eyes snap up to his own and she wells up with the sight of his brimming lids, ready to fall in a cascade of emotion. Not unlike the waves of the ocean, forever falling, yet forever buoying them, carrying the lovers to the shores of contentment.
