He kissed my bare shoulder, and I rolled over to face him with my heart fluttering. The sandy stretch of beach and rolling ocean beyond the windows framed him, and when he smiled at me … well, I knew it was a moment I wouldn’t forget.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice rough from disuse.

“Morning.” He was so warm, and I nestled into his chest. “I don’t want to leave.”

“Then let’s stay.”

I sighed. “I wish we could.”

“There’s not much that could stop us.”

The ache in my chest was deep, but I smiled, making light. “But I’ll never prove my worth to your mom if I quit showing up.”

He chuckled. “Oh, your work there is done.”

“Why does that terrify me to think that you’ve been talking to your mother about me?”

Cooper backed up so he could see me. “She brought you up the other night at dinner. She kind of went on about you.”

“So she likes me?”

“She definitely likes you.”

“I hope she didn’t think I was weird the other day. I was just so surprised your mother was our benefactor. And also super pissed at you for interfering.”

“I know what it’s like to be controlled. I’d never do that to you.”

I curled back into his chest, and his arms squeezed a little tighter. “What are we going to do about West?”

Cooper’s chest rose and fell as he sighed. “I don’t know. He’s not going to take it well, but I have to believe that if he knows I won’t hurt you, he’ll be all right.”

Worry over their friendship wriggled through my brain. “I hope so.”

He stretched to look at the clock and sighed again. “We should probably get going.”

I groaned.

“Hungry?”

I piped down. “Actually, yes.”

“Let’s go get breakfast and get back on the water.”

I let out a breath. “Food and sailing. Those are maybe the only two things that could drag me out of bed, besides you. But you’re here, so …”

He laughed, squeezing me once more before we rolled out of bed, got dressed, and packed up our things. The car service sent a driver to take us back to the harbor. I watched the Hampton house disappear behind us and I sighed, missing the magic of the place within seconds.

The diner was somehow cozy and upper crust all at once, and my omelet was incredible, stuffed with bacon, tomatoes, avocados, and buttery crab meat. And an hour later, we were climbing back onto Midnight Caller.

We readied the ship, cast off the lines, pulled in the fenders, and then we rode out of the harbor, back to the ocean and down the coast. The day passed too quickly, and every minute took us closer to the real world. Our reality was so much more complicated than the last twenty-four hours had been. All I could do was hope that if we just held onto each other, we’d be all right.

It was almost dusk by the time we made it back into the marina in Manhattan, the sun dropping down in the sky too quickly. He pulled the boat into the slip and hopped onto the dock to tie us up.

He smiled at me as he climbed back in and stepped into the cockpit. “Come home with me.”

I stood. “I wish I could, but I should get back and get cleaned up. I have some work to do before tomorrow. It’s my first day with the kids.”

He wrapped his arms around me. “Well, I’ve got about an hour’s worth of closing down the boat to do. Did you want to hang out? Bobby’s here. He can give you a ride if you don’t want to wait.”

“Nah, that’s all right. I’ll just take the subway.”

“You sure?”

I smiled up at him. “I’m sure. Thank you, Cooper. For everything.”

“Don’t thank me. This won’t be the last time. Maybe we can take a week or two this summer, just you and me and the Hamptons.”

I sighed, imagining we were back there already. “That sounds glorious.”

He smiled. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely. I’ll come by after work.”

“Seems like a million years from now, after having you all to myself.” He kissed me sweetly.

A big part of me didn’t want to leave his side for even a minute. “I know. I’ll text you, okay? And I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“All right.” Cooper helped me out of the boat and handed me my bag, then stepped onto the pier. He threaded his fingers through mine before kissing me once more. “Be careful. I’ll talk to you later.”

I hesitated, almost afraid to leave. Like the minute I walked off the dock, the magic would disappear. But I tried to have faith. As scared as I was, I had to trust that we would be all right. That everything would work out.

I smiled, looking forward to that time as I stretched up on my tiptoes to wind my arms around Cooper’s neck and kiss him deep. He picked me up, and my sneakers dangled off the ground.

I broke away, smiling at his lips.

“Tomorrow.”

His lips brushed mine once more. “Tomorrow.”

He set me down, and I turned to leave, looking back over my shoulder at him. He stood on the dock with his hands in his pockets and the most brilliant smile on his face, watching me as I walked away.

My heart skipped as I walked out of the marina and toward the train station. But when I turned on my phone and it connected for the first time since the morning before, my notifications went nuts. Texts rolled in, piled on top of each other, and I pulled them open, wondering what the hell was going on.

West: Hope your date is nice and that you have a good reason from hiding him from me. Text me if he turns into a creep.

Lily: Dude, a package came for you like five seconds after you left.

There was a picture of a box sitting on our kitchen table. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk when I saw the hand addressed label.

It was from Jimmy. I held my breath as I scrolled through her texts.

Lily: WTF could Jimmy have sent you? Rose and I are dying. Tell me I can open it.

Lily: Just kidding, that was really forward, but text me and freak out with me.

Lily: Okay, you’re obviously super busy getting your junk rocked, but Rose and I have been staring at this for twelve hours and we’re dying.

Lily: Do you guys really have zero service? This is balls!

Jimmy: Hey. I sent you something, my tracking says it was delivered yesterday. Let me know if you got it and call me, if you want. I’m around.

I felt like hurling as I picked up my feet and pulled up Lily’s messages. Just got back. On my way.

My phone dinged within seconds. THANK GOD. I hope it was amazing. Hurry up.

My mind spun around in circles, and I headed down the stairs of the subway station, through the turnstile, and stepped onto the train. The tables had turned, tilting my world sideways. New Maggie was nowhere to be found — Old Maggie had taken her place and found herself sitting scared and alone on the train, wondering how she’d gotten there.

I barreled out of the 86th St. station and to our building, up the stairs and into the apartment. The door opened with a whoosh that sucked all of the air out of the room. Lily and Rose sat at the table, their faces turned to mine. No one spoke.

All I saw was that box.

Inside that box was everything I was trying to forget.

I dropped my bag and stepped toward the table in slow motion, picked up the scissors and sliced through the seam, through my name on the label, splitting it in half. My eyes locked on the dark crack, not wanting to know what was inside and knowing I couldn’t avoid it. Not anymore.

I took a breath and opened the box with trembling hands.

It was like a time capsule straight out of my past. Jimmy had assembled the package with care, choosing things that he knew I would understand, that would remind me. Our prom picture. A photo of us at a football game, me in my cheerleader uniform and him a sweaty, smiling, hulking mess, football helmet in hand, our smiles bright and carefree. Movie ticket stubs. A velvet box full of dried rose petals. A picture of us in the Bahamas after he asked me to marry him. And when I picked that up, what lay beneath stopped my heart.