Chapter 23

Haisley couldn’t believe they were headed to the beach. There had to have been at least a thousand questions she’d asked Peach. Living in the middle of Georgia and being pregnant meant she didn’t have a bathing suit, but Mel was bringing her one that should fit. Peach said they wouldn’t go in deeper than her ankles because the currents were strong. She wasn’t sure what that meant, but she guessed she would find out.

Her excitement kept her from eating a big breakfast, and she ended up wrapping the egg sandwich in a napkin to eat on the way. Peach loaded up the back of the SUV, and they were on their way.

“What are you most excited about?” Peach asked.

“I don’t know. Will I see a shark?”

“Maybe. It’s not guaranteed. There may be sharks out there, but maybe not. If the waves are high, the sharks will stay out a bit so they don’t get crushed in the surf.”

“How many people are at the beach?”

"Sometimes it's packed. But it's early and not a holiday weekend. Schools aren't out on Monday, so fewer people will be here for a long weekend."

“Does that happen often?” Haisley asked as she looked around, taking in everything. Not much changed, and then she could see blue at the end of the street. “Wait, is that the beach?”

Peach glanced over and shot her a dazzling smile. “Yeah, it’s the beach.”

“That took no time. I could have walked here?”

He shrugged. "There wasn't any traffic this morning, and it would have been a long walk."

She sat forward, her eyes staying on the water even when he turned the car to park. The blue expanse looked like an extension of the sky, as if someone had hung a curtain but left half the material puddled on the ground.

Peach was beside her door, opening it for her. She hadn't even noticed Peach getting out of the car. His hand was out for her to take. When her palm touched his, a zing shot up her arm then went straight down her back to her core. It had to be the excitement of seeing the ocean. The lie slid through her mind like melted butter but dripped away, leaving her with the truth that her attraction to Peach had nothing to do with being excited about the beach. The two types of excitement were separate.

“What do you think?” Peach asked.

“It’s amazing.”

“There you two are,” Mel called out from a bench in the shade.

Haisley took in the crowd, worry spinning up. “Wow, that’s a lot of people.”

“They’re nice though. None of them bite,” Peach said.

Haisley laughed with him. She was making too much out of meeting his friends. So far, everyone she'd met here had been good to her. These people would be nice. At least, she hoped they would.

The list of names she was given was overwhelming. There were so many people, and her gaze kept being drawn to the ocean.

“Let’s go out to the water,” Ava said.

“It looks so angry,” Haisley said.

"It's not the worst I've seen it, but the winds are high right now, and the waves are big. Some days, it's not too rough," Wild said.

She made it to the sand and paused. “Is it weird that I’ve never stepped on sand like this? You know, at the ocean.”

"No, not at all," one of the guys said. She didn't know if it was Bear or Jax. Later, she would get Peach to print out a photo and mark down who everyone was.

“You’ve never been to the beach. It’s awesome to witness this,” Harry said.

"Yeah, it's great," Rory said. "It's like Christmas morning when you have nieces or nephews, and you get to see the wonder, and it reminds you that something you've grown to think is commonplace really is wonderful."

“I love the ocean,” Wild said. “I would love to have a house on the water. It’s too expensive, but I love this.”

“It really is beautiful,” Jessica said.

The kids had been playing nearby, and they came over. “Are we going to the water?” the little boy asked.

“Yeah, let’s go,” the man she thought might be Bear said.

The kids whooped and hollered as a few of the men ran out onto the sand. Ava came over and put her arm around Haisley’s shoulder.

“I know the names can be overwhelming.”

"Oh man. It's bad. I think I have all the women, but it's only because I've already met Mel and Rory, plus you. Then Jessica and Ingrid."

"I'm with Bear," Ingrid said. "And the two kids who aren't Ava's girls are mine. Ethan is the boy, and Mia is the girl."

Haisley nodded. "So Ava, you and Ingrid have kids."

Ingrid smiled. “Yes, and Mel is having her first.”

She felt bad because she didn’t know their names. “I’ll eventually know everyone.”

Rory nodded. “It takes time.”

Ava turned to her. “Have Peach get a photo of us. Then he can write down our names.”

“I was thinking I would have to do that,” she said.

“Hey, Haisley,” Peach called out as they approached the water. The guys were watching the kids, which she thought was wonderful.

Excitement filled her. “I took my shoes off so I can get my feet wet.”

Peach waved her to him. “Come on over.”

She set her shoes down and moved to stand closer to him. The sand was cool, and the waves washed up close to her. She squealed and ran backward. The kids all laughed and then encouraged her to get into the water.

Hesitantly, she stepped forward, moving one inch at a time, until she was standing so close that when the next wave hit, cold water washed over her feet.

“Oh my God!” she yelled before a shiver snaked through her. “It’s so cold.”

“It is cool this time of year,” Peach said.

“Do you get into that water and swim?” The water being so cold shocked her. She’d seen so many beach scenes that looked like fun in movies, but it being this cold wasn’t fun .

“We have wet suits,” Peach said. “But yes, we get in and swim. It’s part of being a SEAL.”

“That’s crazy. I don’t think it would be fun to play in the water like the movies show it is.”

A few people laughed, and Haisley backed up and stood beside Ava, who bumped her shoulder. "This is why we use Harry's pool instead of spending a lot of time here. The guys do play volleyball sometimes, and we'll do some beach days, but it can be cold."

Haisley looked around. “It is beautiful.”

“It is,” Peach said as he moved to stand beside her.

“I love the beach!” one of the kids yelled.

“Let’s build sandcastles,” Harry said.

The kids and a few of the men ran back to grab their buckets and shovels, then started building in the sand. She joined in for a while, enjoying sitting in the sand and playing with the kids. This was probably the most fun she'd had in ages.

Being free like this made her wonder why life had been so difficult when she’d been in Georgia. She needed to get a job and earn money, but being able to have fun and hang out with these people was amazing.

While they played, she watched how the men interacted not only with each other but also with the kids and their women. Not one of the men was sharp or short with the kids. They all seemed to speak kindly. Just the idea of the men hanging out and playing with the kids was wild, but they stopped arguments and redirected the children instead of barking at them when problems arose.

While they were eating the snack the women had brought, no one was rude. The men didn't say demeaning things to their women, and they didn't act lustfully toward their buddies' wives or even random strangers.

When four women in very revealing bikinis walked by, none of the guys paid any attention to the women, even Peach. He didn't turn to stare at their almost bare bottoms or make any comments about their hardly covered breasts.

These guys were so different from what she'd experienced in the past. There were plenty of other men out on the beach who were watching the mostly uncovered women, some of them whistling and calling out to them, so it wasn't a California thing. Peach and his friends were just good men. She was sure they'd spent time picking up women when they were single, but now that they were attached—well, all except Peach—they seemed to honor their wives.

After a few hours, the guys picked up and packed up their gear, getting the kids to help, and she was alone with the women.

“So these guys are different,” Haisley said.

“How so?” Ingrid asked.

“Not once when I lived in Georgia, even with married men, have I ever seen guys who don’t ogle every hot babe that walks past.”

The women all laughed, and Jessica even snorted.

“We all know they look at times, but yeah, if they’re with us, they keep their eyes on us or the ground,” Ava said.

"I mean, we look, too," Rory said. "You know, when we're out on our own, but we don't shove it in the guys’ faces."

Mel snorted. "I love my guy, and our relationship is new, but even I'm amazed that when we're out and a gorgeous woman walks past, he doesn't pay attention to her."

“It’s sweet,” Haisley said.

“Yeah. They can be sweet,” Ava said .

“Who’s sweet?” Wild asked as he came up behind them.

Ava threw back her head, laughing. “Certainly not you. You’re tough as rawhide.”

Ava shrieked as Wild picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. “Come on, women, time to go.”

Ava’s laughter filled the air, and though people looked, no one came over to stop Wild. Andy was there and scooped up Mel but didn’t toss her over his shoulder.

She laughed but demanded he put her down. “I’m too big,” Mel said as his laughter spilled out.

“Please, even with that baby in you, you’re tiny. Come on, let’s go to Harry’s place.”

Haisley followed and met up with Peach. His broad smile made her smile, too. The day had been perfect so far. She liked these people. They were nice, not only to her but to each other. It was easy to understand why they were all friends. No one was a jerk. They didn't yell and scream at each other. It would be easy to just hang out with their crew and feel at peace. She could get used to this, and that worried her.