Chapter 18: Jersey Shore
Summary: It's family vacation time!
Notes: Thank you for the review and kudos! I really appreciate it.
"Are we there yet, Momma?" Noah whined from the back seat of the rental car. They were stuck in traffic on the Garden State Parkway enroute to Manasquan, New Jersey. Their departure was delayed until mid-afternoon due to Olivia's work and they hit the road just in time to catch the late afternoon rush hour on the dreaded toll road.
"Just a bit longer, sweetie," Olivia replied, turning to smile at her son from the front passenger seat. Turning back around, she glanced at Rafael. "What do you think? About a half hour?"
Rafael drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. "I think so. We're only a few miles from our exit, then we head east toward the beach." He reached over and caressed Olivia's hand to ease his anxiety about the traffic. This was exactly why he preferred to hire cars and merely be a passenger along for the ride.
It was almost 30 minutes later as he turned onto Main Street and rolled through the small downtown area of the quaint beach town that came alive in the summer. The section of street was lined with small shops and restaurants. Olivia catalogued the shops she wanted to check out later. Once their car crossed over the railroad tracks, it was a short journey through a residential area to the humpback bridge over Watson Creek before they turned left onto 1st Avenue. Their beach house rental was a few hundred yards down the road on the right.
"Wow, Rafa," Olivia breathed as Rafael pulled into the driveway of a four-story stilt house adorned with blue-gray cedar shake siding. Her gaze took in the west-facing balconies on the second, third, and fourth floors. If it was this nice on the street side, she imagined it was gorgeous on the beach side.
"This is where we're staying?" Noah asked from the back seat. "It's huge, like a mansion!"
"Just wait until you see inside," Rafael replied with a chuckle, handing Olivia the keys. "Why don't you and Noah go explore while I unload the car."
Once they were out of the car, Noah eagerly dragged Olivia up the front steps to the first landing. He bounced on his feet waiting for his mom to unlock the door and shot into the house the moment the door opened.
"Woah!" Noah exclaimed as he gazed around the first floor of the house. He could see clear through to the ocean from where he stood, there were so many windows. "Look at the waves, Momma!"
"I see them, baby. So cool!" She trailed behind Noah as he moved up the stairs and explored the next floor, smiling at his excitement.
"Can this be my room?" Noah asked as he entered a bedroom with bunk beds that overlooked the beach. "Jesse can share with me when she gets here."
"Sure, sweet boy. This room is perfect for you." She moved on to the next floor to see the expansive master bedroom, gasping at the large windows overlooking the beach. Double glass doors opened onto a balcony set with teak Adirondack chairs. She was already looking forward to watching the sun rise from one of those chairs every morning.
Olivia was breathing in the salty air when Rafael entered the room and joined her on the balcony. He wrapped an arm around her, and she cuddled into his embrace. "This is a beautiful place, Rafa. Rita really came through for us."
"She sure did. I'm looking forward to spending two weeks here with you and Noah." Rafael tilted his head down and kissed her. "I'm going to see about ordering dinner in tonight so we can settle in and relax."
"Good plan. We should probably hit the grocery store tomorrow to stock up on food and stuff we'll need during our stay."
He smiled, kissing her again. "No need. Rita made sure the kitchen was fully stocked, along with anything else we might need. We may need to restock some things next week, but we'll worry about that later."
Olivia smiled brightly. "Rita really outdid herself. I don't give that woman nearly enough credit."
They spent the next hour unpacking and settling in. Rafael ordered pizza, which was delivered before sunset. They sat on the third-floor balcony on the front side of the house watching the sun dip below the horizon as they ate their pizza. They had an early night knowing that tomorrow would be a long day of beach time and exploring the town.
…
Rafael woke before dawn to the sound of waves crashing on the sand with Olivia curled into his side. It was such a soothing sound, so different from the bustling and blaring noise of the city. He could easily get used to this kind of lifestyle. Detaching himself from Olivia, he crawled from the bed and padded down to the first floor to make some coffee for the two of them.
Five minutes later, he padded back up the stairs, coffee mugs in hand, to find Liv already seated on the balcony, legs bent, and feet curled up under her. The air was slightly crisp but warming up already.
"Here you are, mi amor," he said, handing his girlfriend a mug and placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
"Thanks, Rafa," she said with a soft smile. "Join me, the sun is about to rise."
Moving the other chair closer so he could hold her hand, Rafa sat and sipped his coffee contentedly. "I haven't watched the sunrise in a very long time."
"Me either, at least not by choice," Liv responded, "but I've always loved it. Just something about it brightens my day."
The sky lightened shade by shade as the sun approached the horizon until, finally, the sky lit up in vibrancy. The pair watched entranced; it was definitely worth the early wakeup. Knowing that Noah would sleep for another hour, they moved back to the bed once their mugs were empty. Rafa made slow, tender love to Liv with the balcony doors open, allowing the salty air to wash over them in a gentle breeze as he timed his rhythm to the crash of the waves on the shore.
Afterward, they laid there, sated and happy, both thinking that they never wanted to leave this little piece of paradise. The tranquility lasted until Noah woke up and bounded into the room, hungry and excited for the day ahead.
"Can I have pancakes for breakfast? When are we going to the beach? Do I have to wear swimmies?" Noah rambled off rapid-fire questions to which Olivia and Rafa laughed.
"Yes, in a while, probably," Rafa answered in amusement, pulling the young boy toward him for a hug. "Let's go get breakfast started, mijo. We'll let Mami relax a little while longer." Lifting the boy up, Rafael carried him down the stairs to the kitchen. They set about making pancakes and bacon as Liv got ready upstairs.
Breakfast was served on the beachside patio, where the family of three watched the waves. "Can we go swimming after breakfast?" Noah mumbled through a mouthful of pancake.
"Noah, honey, don't speak with your mouth full," Liv chided softly. "I think we can make today a beach day. What do you think, Rafa?"
Rafa made a big show of swallowing the food in his mouth prior to answering. He wanted to set a good example for his amiguito. "I think that sounds like the best idea I've heard all day," he said, sharing a conspiratorial smile with Noah.
An hour later, everyone was sporting their beachwear, sun protection had been applied, and they stood in front of a pile of stuff to bring down the beach. Rafa grabbed the beach umbrella, two chairs, and cooler to lug across the boardwalk onto the beach. Liv carried a bag of beach towels and a plastic bucket full of toys for Noah. That left a boogie board and swimmies for Noah to carry. Liv chose a spot just beyond the high tide line where Rafa immediately setup the umbrella, placing both beach chairs beneath its limited shade.
"Let's go check out the water, mijo," Rafa said once he finished. He adjusted the flotation devices – the things Noah called his "swimmies" – on the little boy's arms and grasped his small hand, leading him toward the water.
It was low tide, and the waves were gently breaking on the shore. It was perfect for Noah's first time in the Atlantic Ocean. Liv followed behind them, her phone in hand to take pictures. She couldn't help her gaze as it lingered on the sight of Rafa shirtless in swim trunks. He looked absolutely delectable. She particularly enjoyed the way the swim trunks encased his ass.
Noah's excited shriek as the remnants of a wave washed over his feet drew her attention and she smiled broadly when Rafa glanced over his shoulder at her. She grabbed some great candid shots of her boys while they worked their way into the water.
Rafa taught Noah how to jump with the waves as they ventured out a little deeper. The boy laughed gleefully when the waves washed over them. Soon enough, Liv stripped out of her cover up and walked down to join the boys in the salty water. She did not miss the widening of Rafa's eyes when he caught sight of her in the skimpy one-piece swimsuit with a delightful plunging neckline. He was immeasurably thankful that he was chest deep in the water so his fitted swim trunks could not give away how very much he enjoyed that swimsuit.
"Hi Momma!" Noah called with a wave as Liv worked her way to them.
"Hi, sweet boy. Are you having fun?"
"Yes! This is the best day of my life!" Noah declared with a splash, much to the amusement of the adults.
Olivia never would have imagined it, but both her boys were water bugs. They spent the whole morning swimming and floating, occasionally trying out the boogie board. Never liking the way her skin would prune up after too long in the water, Olivia took occasional breaks to relax on the beach and get some sun. She didn't have much time for sunbathing, so she wanted to take advantage of every moment.
By early afternoon, Noah came running out of the water. "Momma, I'm hungry!"
"Me, too," Rafa called from behind him causing Olivia to smile.
"Okaaaay, what would my boys like to eat for lunch?"
"Tacos!" Noah and Rafa exclaimed. Shaking her head in amusement, Olivia smiled. Those two were always in sync when it came to their stomachs.
"Tacos it is, then. Let's head back to the house and figure out where the nearest taco place is."
….
That evening, after they showered and recovered from hours of sun exposure, Liv and Rafa took Noah to the Point Pleasant boardwalk to check out the rides and arcade games. To say Noah's mind was blown was an understatement.
Taking in the vibrant lights of each ride, the excited screams and shouts of people on those rides, and all of the delicious smells from the food stands, Noah had no idea where to start first. He just gazed in wonder at everything.
Just as Liv and Rafa were going to lead him across a track into the ride area, a small train blared its horn and a crossing arm descended in front of them. Noah's eyes grew impossibly wider as he watched a kiddie train roll by, filled with children and families. His gaze tracked the train as it circled the perimeter of the ride area.
Noting Noah's interest in the train, Rafa glanced at Liv and smiled. At her nod, he shook the boy's hand to get his attention. "How about we take a ride on that train first so we can get the lay of the land?"
The little boy nodded enthusiastically and pulled the adults toward the mini train station to get in line for the next trip. Noah chose to sit with Rafa on the train, for which Rafa glanced at Liv chagrined. He didn't want her to feel unwanted, but he needn't have worried. She beamed at her boys as they pointed out all of the rides and games they wanted to try as the train moved along slowly.
By the time the train returned to the station, and they debarked, Noah settled on what ride to try next. Since he was still only a little boy, half of the boardwalk rides were off limits due to height restrictions. That did not stop the curly haired boy from choosing the only roller coaster allowing kids his height as the next ride. Liv, not a fan of sharp, jerky movements in metal contraptions, deferred to Rafa as Noah's chaperone on the rides.
Standing on the sidelines, Liv made certain that her boys had plenty of tickets for the rides and took copious amounts of pictures to document the experience. She beamed at the exhilarated expressions on Noah's and Rafa's faces as they sped by on a ride called The Tornado, the wind whipping their hair around.
"That was so amazing!" Noah shrieked excitedly, racing back to his mom after the ride ended. "Can we do that one again?"
Rafa laughed along with Liv, both loving the sheer joy on the little boy's face. "We can, mijo. But let's try some other rides first before we come back to this one."
Noah dragged the ADA off to the next ride, a contraption that spun them in wild circles and nearly made Rafa sick. The next series of rides were much tamer, geared for toddlers and young children to ride with their parents, giving Rafa's stomach time to settle once again.
Once the other rides were suitably explored, Noah insisted on riding The Tornado three more times before their tickets ran out. Rafa hid his relief skillfully when Liv informed Noah they would not be buying more tickets that evening. His old bones couldn't take much more thrashing around on those old machines.
"Come on, Noah. How about we get some ice cream and head back to the house," Rafa suggested. The little boy delightfully agreed and led the adults back toward the boardwalk to Kohr's ice cream booth.
Leaning into her boyfriend's side as they walked, Liv whispered, "Thank you for this, Rafa. This is the best family vacation I've ever been on."