Chapter Thirty-Five: The Second Honeymoon
The idea came from Victoria.
"You two need a break," she said one Sunday afternoon, watching Lina and Ethan chase the twins around the living room. "A real break. No children. No work. Just the two of you."
Lina collapsed onto the couch, out of breath. "We can't just leave the twins."
"Yes, you can. I'll watch them. Victor can help. Katherine can help. You have an entire village, Lina. Use it."
Lina looked at Ethan. He was standing by the window, his shirt untucked, his hair disheveled, a toddler in each arm.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Ethan's eyes lit up. "I think Victoria is a genius."
"I think Victoria is meddling."
"Same thing, sometimes."
Lina laughed.
And the planning began.
---
The destination was a small beach town on the coast, five hours from the city. Lina had been there once, before the coma, before the twins, before everything. She remembered white sand and turquoise water and the particular peace of a place where no one knew her name.
"We'll stay for a week," Ethan said, looking at hotels on his phone.
"A week? We can't leave the twins for a week."
"We can leave the twins for a week. They'll be fine. Victoria will be fine. We'll be fine."
Lina bit her lip. "What if something happens?"
"Then we come home. That's what phones are for."
Lina took a breath.
"Okay," she said. "One week."
Ethan kissed her.
"One week," he agreed.
---
The twins took the news surprisingly well.
"You're going on a trip?" Lily asked.
"A second honeymoon," Lina explained.
"What's a honeymoon?"
"A trip that married people take to celebrate being married."
Lily considered this. "You're already married."
"Yes. But we want to celebrate again."
Lily nodded slowly. "Can we come?"
"No, sweetheart. This trip is just for Mama and Daddy."
Lily's face crumpled. "But I want to see the beach."
"You'll see the beach another time. This time, you'll stay with Grandma Victoria. And Grandpa Victor. And Aunt Katherine."
Lily's eyes widened. "All of them?"
"All of them."
Lily looked at Leo. Leo looked at Lily.
"Can we have ice cream for breakfast?" Leo asked.
Lina laughed. "You can ask Grandma Victoria."
The twins exchanged a look of pure mischief.
Lina was already regretting this.
---
The night before the trip, Lina could not sleep.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind racing. What if the twins got sick? What if Victoria couldn't handle them? What if something happened and she wasn't there?
Ethan rolled over and put his arm around her.
"You're thinking too loud," he said.
"I'm worried."
"I know. But you don't have to be. The twins will be fine. Victoria will be fine. We will be fine."
Lina turned to face him. "How do you know?"
Ethan brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"Because we've survived worse," he said. "Because we're stronger than we think. Because we deserve this."
Lina's eyes stung.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay."
She closed her eyes.
She dreamed of white sand and turquoise water and a man who loved her.
---
The drive to the beach was long but beautiful.
Lina watched the city disappear in the rearview mirror, replaced by rolling hills and open fields and the particular peace of the open road. Ethan drove with one hand on the wheel and the other on her knee.
"Are you relaxed yet?" he asked.
"Almost."
"What will it take?"
Lina thought about it. "A beach. A book. A drink with a tiny umbrella."
Ethan smiled. "I can arrange that."
They drove in silence, holding hands.
And Lina felt the tension begin to melt away.
---
The beach was everything she remembered.
White sand. Turquoise water. The particular peace of a place where no one knew her name. Their hotel was small and quiet, with a balcony overlooking the ocean and a bed that felt like a cloud.
Lina stood on the balcony, watching the sun set, and felt something she had not expected.
Peace.
Not the loud, dramatic peace of victory. Not the relief of survival. Just the quiet, steady peace of a moment with nothing to do and nowhere to be.
Ethan came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.
"Happy?" he asked.
"Happy," she said.
They watched the sun set together.
---
The week was a blur of sun and sand and slow, lazy days.
They slept late. They ate too much. They walked along the beach and swam in the ocean and made love in the afternoon because there was no one to hear them and nowhere to be.
Lina read three books. Ethan learned to surf. They talked about everything and nothing—their childhoods, their dreams, their fears for the future.
On the third night, they sat on the balcony, watching the stars.
"I forgot what this was like," Lina said. "Being alone with you. Not being Mama. Not being Mrs. Blackwood. Just being Lina."
Ethan took her hand. "I never forgot."
"What do you mean?"
"I see you, Lina. Not the mother. Not the wife. You. The woman who survived a coma. The woman who fought for her family. The woman who makes me laugh when I don't want to."
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"I see you too," she said. "The man who waited. The man who never gave up. The man who loves me even when I'm difficult."
"You're not difficult."
"I'm extremely difficult."
Ethan laughed. "Okay. You're extremely difficult. But you're worth it."
They sat in silence, watching the stars.
And Lina thought about all the years she had spent searching for something she could not name.
She had finally found it.
Not in a place. Not in a person.
In a moment.
---
The call came on the fifth day.
Lina's phone buzzed with a text from Victoria: Everything is fine. The twins miss you. We miss you. Enjoy your last two days.
Lina showed the text to Ethan.
"They're fine," she said.
"Of course they're fine."
"I was worried for nothing."
"You were worried because you're a mother. That's what mothers do."
Lina leaned against him.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too."
They sat on the beach, watching the waves, and did not move for a very long time.
---
The drive home was bittersweet.
Lina watched the beach disappear in the rearview mirror, replaced by rolling hills and open fields and the familiar chaos of the city. She was sad to leave but happy to return.
"Ready to see the twins?" Ethan asked.
"Ready."
"Ready to be Mama again?"
Lina thought about the question.
"I'm always Mama," she said. "Even when I'm not."
Ethan reached over and took her hand.
"That's true," he said. "That's very true."
---
The twins ran to them when they walked through the door.
"Mama! Daddy! We missed you!"
Lina knelt down and hugged them both.
"I missed you too," she said. "More than anything."
"We had fun," Lily said. "Grandma let us have ice cream for breakfast."
Lina looked at Victoria, who shrugged.
"It was one time."
"It was three times," Leo said.
"Three times," Victoria admitted.
Lina laughed.
She hugged Victoria, then Victor, then Katherine.
"Thank you," she said. "For everything."
Victoria hugged her back.
"Welcome home," she said.
---
That Night
The penthouse was loud and chaotic and wonderful.
The twins talked nonstop, telling Lina and Ethan about every detail of their week. The ice cream. The movies. The games. The stories. The stars they had seen through Victor's telescope.
Lina listened to all of it.
She held Lily on her lap and Leo by her side and felt her heart overflow with love.
She was home.
She was finally home.
---
End of Chapter Thirty-Five