Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Chapter 104

Sarah pov.

I'll never forget the look on Richard's face when I told him he was in for a "casual" night.

He'd just come back from the beach with hair full of sand, and I'd told him to go rinse off and get ready for a surprise dinner. He'd arched an eyebrow, squinting at me in that way he does when he's trying to figure out if I'm joking.

"You? Planning a dinner? Who's helping you?" he teased, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, pretending to be annoyed. "I can plan a romantic dinner, Richard," I shot back, trying to look as serious as possible.

His laughter echoed through the room. "Alright, I'm trusting you! But if this involves takeout from that burger place down the road..." "Oh, you just wait," I said, shooing him off to get dressed.

Once he was gone, I took a deep breath and gave everything a last look.

I'd spent hours setting up this sunset dinner-just the two of us, on the beach, with candles and fairy lights strung up around a small table, and a local chef prepping fresh seafood nearby. I wanted this night to be special, to show him how much he really meant to me.

By the time Richard came down, the sun was just starting to set, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. He looked around, a little stunned, and then his eyes landed on me. "Wow," he said, his voice soft. "You really did all this?"

I nodded, feeling my cheeks warm. "Surprised?"

He pulled me in for a hug. "More than surprised, Sarah. This is... perfect."

I smiled, breathing in the ocean air, feeling the warmth of his arms around me. I wanted to hold onto this moment, this feeling of peace and love.

with a bottle of sparkling water chilling in an ice bucket. "Look at you, going all out," he said,

eyes. "I told

he tried to cook his mom breakfast in bed and set off the smoke alarm. "So there I was," he said, gesturing with his fork, "holding a burnt frying pan, the alarm blaring, and my

so hard I nearly choked on my water. "I can't believe you tried

chuckling. "Back

as he spoke, his face glowing in the candlelight. There was something different about him here, something softer, more open. "Can I

reached across the table,

"I don't know, it's just... I feel like we've been through so much. And sometimes, I'm scared that... that we're going

my hand, grounding me. "Sarah," he began, his voice steady, "we're here because we both chose to be here. I know things haven't always been easy. But I love you, and

the sounds of the waves and the flickering of

a beat, breaking

I repeated, a little

do we go from

horizon. "I don't know. I mean, I want us to

serious. "Me too. I want

surge of confidence. "That we'll always make time for each other. No matter how busy things get, or how complicated life

glass. "To always

over me.

our feet.

has been the best night," I said, glancing up

thanks to

teased, giving him a playful nudge. "Not everyone gets a candlelit dinner on the beach,

laughed, pulling me closer. "Oh, I