He grinned. “What about until then?”

“It’s been a while, but I thought I’d hit the waves with some of my favorite guys.”

Mark grinned, the boys cheered, and then we were running for the water, boards at the ready. And as Mark and I paddled out to catch the first wave of the morning, I knew that whatever it had taken to get right here, right now, in this one perfect moment, had been worth it.

I thought back to that day on the beach, when I’d known what I wanted—Mark and Coral Straits and being merQueen. Back then, I’d never thought I’d be able to have it all. Now … now I knew better. But that didn’t mean I would ever forget how lucky I was.