The air on Isle Esme was warm, scented with salt and orchids. Waves lapped at the shore as you stood barefoot in the sand, your hand in Edward’s.

“You’re quiet,” you said, glancing up at him.

He smiled softly, golden eyes shining in the moonlight. “I’m just… memorizing this. You. Us. Right now.”

You leaned into him, heart fluttering. “We have forever, you know.”

“I know,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “But forever still starts with this moment. And I don’t want to miss a second.”

With the ocean whispering behind you and his lips pressing gently to yours, you felt it—your forever had already begun.