“She was always lonely,” I said. “We both were.”

Maren reached out and placed her hand over mine on the railing.

Her touch was warm, and for the first time in years, I didn’t feel the weight of my family’s expectations crushing my chest.

“We aren’t lonely anymore,” she said.

I looked down at her hand, then out at the water where Noah and Lila were skipping stones.

The sun was beginning to set, casting a long, golden light across the cove.

We stood there together, watching the tide slowly come in, filling the empty spaces between the rocks.