Ethan climbed onto my lap, peering at the photos. “Mom, can we go to the beach this summer? Please?”

“Yeah!” Ben said, looking up from his Lego project on the floor. “Like, a real beach. Not just the lake. Uncle Tim told me Hawaii has black sand!”

I smiled and kissed Ethan’s hair. “We’ll see.”

“Why don’t we ever go, Mom?” Ben asked, his voice careful. “Dad says vacations are just for grown-ups.”

“That’s not true,” I said softly, my chest tightening.

“But he always says no when we ask,” Ethan added.

“He just…” I hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “Dad’s not a big fan of traveling. But we’ll figure something out.”

“It’s too expensive.”

“You don’t need to take the boys. They’re too young to remember it anyway.”

“It’s better if they stay here with me.”

Eventually, I stopped asking. Arguing about it never got us anywhere.

When my mom called a few weeks later, her voice was both excited and uncertain.

“Lauren, I’ve been thinking… I want to take the whole family to the Virgin Islands this summer. One last big trip while I can still do it. The kids should come too.”

The Virgin Islands. Her favorite place in the world. She and Dad had gone there every other year until he passed. I knew this wasn’t just a vacation for her, it was a way to create memories with her grandchildren while she still could.

“Mom, that sounds perfect,” I said. “I’ll talk to Mike.”

That evening, I brought it up while Mike and I were cleaning up after dinner.

“Mom wants us to go to the Virgin Islands this summer,” I said.

He didn’t look up from the plate he was drying. “That’s far.”

“It’s her favorite place. She’s been talking about taking the boys there for years. This might be her last chance to go with them.”

He sighed. “And what happens when the boys get bored or tired? Who’s dealing with that?”

“Then take them.”

I blinked, unsure I’d heard him right. “You’re okay with me taking the boys?”

“Sure,” he said with a shrug. “Maybe, I’ll think about going myself.”

For a week, I held onto a little bit of hope. Maybe, just maybe, Mike would surprise me and decide to join us. But when I mentioned the flights, he shut down completely.

“Mike, it’s the Virgin Islands. Of course, we have to fly.”

“I’m not comfortable with that,” he muttered, his hands gripping the edge of the counter.

“It’s one flight,” I said, exasperated. “You’ll be fine.”

“I said no, Lauren,” he snapped, turning away.

This time, I refused to let him hold us back. I booked the tickets for myself and the boys.

When I told them, they couldn’t believe it.

“Really?” Ethan squealed, bouncing on the couch.

“Yes,” I said, smiling. “We’re really going.”

The flight was a new experience for the boys, and they were full of questions. “How high are we going?” Ben asked. “Do the pilots ever get lost?” Ethan wanted to know. I answered as best as I could, their excitement making me laugh.

“I’m so glad you brought them,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“I am too,” I admitted, watching the boys chase each other along the shore.

The days were packed with building sandcastles, snorkeling, and family dinners filled with stories and laughter. But at night, when the boys were asleep, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

Mike’s calls were short, his tone distracted.

“Everything okay at home?” I asked one evening.

“Yeah,” he said. “Just busy.”

“Busy with what?”

“Work. Stuff.”

His clipped answers made my stomach twist. After we hung up, I stared at the moonlit ocean, the weight of our growing distance pressing down on me.

“I think I need to head back early,” I said, staring into the dark water.

Mom was silent for a moment. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Mike’s been acting… strange. Distant. And the phone calls aren’t helping.”

“You’ve done the right thing bringing the boys,” she said gently. “They’re having the time of their lives. You can trust me to keep an eye on them. Go do what you need to do.”

Had I missed something? Was there a deeper reason for the way he acted? Or had we simply drifted too far apart?

The knot in my chest tightened as the plane landed. I couldn’t shake the fear that I was about to face something I wasn’t ready to confront.

I walked through the front door and froze.

Mike was sitting on the couch with a woman I didn’t recognize. She looked up, startled, but didn’t say a word.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

Mike stood up, his face pale. “Lauren, this isn’t —”

I held up my hand. “Don’t. Just don’t.” My chest was heaving, and my hands were shaking. “I leave for a week, and this is what I come home to?”

“Then what is it?” I shot back. “Because it sure looks like you’ve been having a grand old time while I was gone.”

The woman stood. “I think I should go,” she said softly.

“No,” Mike said firmly. “Stay. Lauren, this is Dr. Keller. She’s my therapist.”

I blinked, completely thrown. “Your… therapist?”

“Yes,” he said. “I know this looks bad, but please, let me explain.”

I crossed my arms, my heart still pounding. “Start talking.”

“Embarrassed about what?” I asked, the anger giving way to confusion.

“I’ve been hiding it from you,” he continued. “Every time you brought up a trip that involved flying, I panicked. But instead of admitting it, I just fought with you. It was easier to make excuses than to face the fear.”

Dr. Keller spoke up. “Mike asked me to come here today because he’s been working on overcoming his phobia. He wanted to show you how far he’s come and share this with you.”

I looked at him. “Why now?”

I felt a lump in my throat as I sat down. “You should’ve told me,” I said softly.

“I know,” he said. “I just… didn’t want you to think I was weak.”

I shook my head. “Mike, this doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.”

We sat in silence for a moment before I reached for his hand.

“What happens now?” I asked.

“I keep going to therapy,” he said. “And I work on it. So maybe, by next summer, I can be on that plane with you and the boys.”

My heart softened. “We’ll do it together,” I said.

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This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.