A new love was born.

h The streets of the charming coastal town of Cedar Bay were always filled with the scent of salty air and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Cedar Bay was the place where childhood friendships developed and memories were made, and it was renowned for its close-knit community as well as its serene beauty. That enchantment had once been a part of Emma Sullivan. Growing up next door to Jack Matthews, she had spent her summers at the bay, swimming and laughing with him. Many believed they would grow up to marry and live happily ever after because of their unbreakable bond. But life, as it often does, pulled them in different directions.

After high school, Emma moved to New York City to follow her dreams of becoming an artist. She had ambition, was determined, and was ready to leave the small-town life that she had always felt was too small. In contrast, Jack remained behind. He took over his family's marina, continuing the work his father had started. Jack was content with the steady pace of life in Cedar Bay even though he never forgot about Emma as she entered the art world. Emma developed a successful artistic career over the course of many years. She had an apartment in a bustling part of the city, an agent who believed in her work, and an exhibition at the Met that was just around the corner. However, something was lacking. Despite all her success, there was an emptiness that lingered within her—a longing for something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She had built a life in the city, but every now and then, she would think back to those days by the bay, those simple moments spent with Jack.

Emma made the decision to make one more trip to Cedar Bay when she got a call about the sale of her childhood home. It was time to put an end to that part of her life and maybe even find some closure. The moment she set foot in Cedar Bay again, memories flooded back—the way the town square looked during Christmas, the sound of the waves at night, and the smell of her father’s fresh-baked bread. Everything felt familiar, but different. It wasn’t the town that had changed, it was her. She was no longer the wide-eyed girl she had been when she left.

Emma walked to the marina on the second day of her visit, a place she hadn't been to since her previous summer there. She had spent countless hours as a child watching Jack work, talking about their future, dreaming of what they would do when they grew up. She saw him standing by a boat, effortlessly repairing the ropes while conversing with a customer, as she got closer to the docks. Jack Matthews hadn’t changed much. Although his face was more weathered and his hair was shorter, his presence was still as calming as she remembered. The world around them seemed to stop for a moment as he looked up and locked eyes with her. “Emma?” The tone of Jack's voice was a delicate blend of surprise and warmth. "Hello, Jack." Emma tried to suppress her emotions with a smile. She had thought about this moment a thousand times, but now that it was happening, she didn’t know what to say.

Jack moved toward her after wiping his hands on his jeans. “It’s been a while. Why are you returning? “I… I’m just here to visit. I had to tie up some loose ends, so I didn't expect to stay long, Emma said, her voice trailing off. Unreadable was Jack's expression as he nodded. "Well, Emma, you're always welcome here. Always.”

She was hit harder than she expected by the words. It was more than just a friendly greeting. There was a deeper, unspoken connection between them. As the day turned to evening, Jack invited Emma to join him for a walk along the beach. The same beach they had spent so many summer nights on as kids. The sand crunched beneath their feet as they walked in silence, the sun setting behind the cliffs in a blaze of orange and pink.

“You know, when you left,” Jack began, his voice soft but steady, “I thought about you a lot. I never understood why you left so suddenly. I guess I always assumed that you would return. Emma slowed down, her pulse racing. “I didn’t want to leave. But I thought… I thought I needed to do something for myself, you know? I needed to build a life, a career.” She paused, her gaze dropping to the sand. “I was chasing a dream, but I wasn’t ready for the reality of it. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice.”

Jack smiled faintly. You went with your gut. That can never be regretted. Emma looked at him then, really looked at him. The years hadn’t erased the connection between them. If anything, it had only strengthened it.

Emma acknowledged, "I guess I never realized how much I missed this place." "And you," Jack’s smile grew. “You’re not the only one who missed something.”

The following days were a blur. Emma found herself spending more time with Jack—helping him at the marina, going for long walks, talking about everything and nothing. Emma came to the realization that she was unable to fill the sense of emptiness she had experienced in the city with art or success as time went on. It was something that had always been here in Cedar Bay—in Jack.

On Christmas Eve, as the town gathered to celebrate, Emma made a decision. She wasn’t going back to the city. She wasn’t ready to leave Cedar Bay again.

“I think I’ve found what I was looking for,” she said to Jack, standing beside the marina, the soft glow of Christmas lights reflected on the water.

Jack grasped her hand. “And what’s that?”

Emma whispered, her heart full, "a home." “With you.”

And for the first time in years, Emma realized that love, when it’s true, never really fades. It only waits for the right moment to be rekindled.