"Woah!" Luke says, trying to point to the beautiful blue water beneath us but bumps his finger into the glass window. I nod my head, agreeing with the fact that the water is a sight for sore eyes. I catch a few glimpses of the view every time Jack pulls back from the mirror. I hear his family suck in a few gasps as we get closer and closer to land.
Once the plane lands we wait patiently before grabbing our bags and head off the plane. I led the Hughes to a dock near the airport, waiting for Atlas to pull in. As his boat got closer and closer- and I'm talking two feet away- he pulls out some binoculars and put them up to his eyes to get a good look at me. "My, my! Do my eyes deceive me or could it be Beatrice Jae?" He yells as he lets everyone off the boat, wishing them a good day.
"Atlas!" I throw my arms around the older man who picked up a late-night shift just to take me to the airport for a late-night flight. The Hughes get on the boat, loading their luggage onto the boat as he quickly catches up with me. When Jack walks past me I grab his arm, pulling him to my side to introduce him to Atlas. Jack's cheeks turn pink from how I pulled him, but he brushes it off to greet Atlas.
I take the seat closest to him as he tells me everything new with him and his daughters. He asks Jack about himself and almost snaps his head when Jack tells him he's a professional athlete. "Beatrice, you got a good one." He says, winking at Jack. I introduce the rest of his family to Atlas, letting them all get to know one another. They need to start somewhere, soon they'll know the whole town.
After our lovely boat ride to the shore of the island where my Mom's house and hotel are, I get my bags and Ringo ready to hop off the boat and onto the sand. I start looking for my Mom's green Volkswagen van. I hear a loud slam coming from a car door and look towards the noise. I hear screams coming from the three loudest women I know and then follow blonde curls that resemble Devon's.
"Bea honey!" My mom says, running up to me to wrap me up in her arms. Even though I saw her a month ago it doesn't mean this reunion is any less dramatic. My aunts take their turns smothering me in kisses and complimenting the slight tan on my skin. "Jack, darling!" They forget about me once they see my handsome boyfriend. He embraces them as the rest of the Hughes family greets mine.
We get into the van, loading everyone into the space, making it a tight fit but we make it work. Everyone's eyes are stuck on the trees, the ocean, the life blooming out of Greece. I don't want to speak in case it distracts them from the nature and they miss something.
Instead of taking them to the hotel like I did last year, Mom takes them to her house. My Mom and Aunts' life savings went into buying this beautiful house. They bought it to make every teenage dream they had come true. They want to pass it down to me and my future family once they're long gone, but I refuse to think about that.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
