‘The O.C.’ Alum Rachel Bilson Sizzles in Red Bikini During Summer Vacation: ‘I Live Here Now’

Soaking up the sun on summer vacation is right where Rachel Bilson wants to be.

“I live here now,” the O.C. and Hart of Dixie alum, 44, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, August 9, alongside a photo of herself in a red bikini paired with denim cut-offs.

Capturing herself lazing against a railing aboard a sleek vessel, Bilson, who is mom to daughter Briar Rose, 11, with ex-fiancé Hayden Christensen, flashed a warm smile as idyllic weather blissfully bathed the frame.

Fans were quick to praise the star’s photo, taking to her post’s comments section. “Basically Summer Roberts on the summer breeze in summer,” wrote one fan, referencing Bilson’s former O.C. character, while another wrote, “An icon just doing iconic things!”

Last month, Bilson shared further insight into her summer activities through an Instagram carousel captioned, “Sum of summer for far.” Photos showed time spent at a beach, plucking strawberries and making strawberry muffins from them, sunsets overlooking still waters, multiple books, several selfies of her tousled beach hair and one shot of her daughter fishing off a boat.

Bilson has largely kept her child out of the spotlight, however recently opened up about her coparenting relationship with Christensen, 45. During the January 20 episode of Kristin Cavallari’s “Let’s Be Honest” podcast, Bilson revealed that she and her ex have found a harmonious way to navigate their family roles. “Ours is, like, a unique version of it,” she said of her and the Star Wars actor’s coparenting journey. “We do a lot of stuff together — a lot.”

Bilson continued at the time, “We have been able to keep it very copacetic and nice for [Briar]. We weren’t ever married so we … figured out our own way. [My advice for other coparents] is communication and sometimes you have to compromise a lot.”

The candid interview also touched on Bilson’s past romance with her former O.C. costar Adam Brody, 46. “[Brody and I] were a couple on the show and a couple in real life, [and fans are] like, ‘Oh, it’s Seth and Summer’ and they really relate it to that,” she explained. “They think that’s what you are [and] who you are.”

The episode also discussed her current dating life, of which remains mostly quiet. “I’ve never been on [a dating] app, but if I’m around someone who’s on it, I look with them ‘cause it’s fun,” she told Cavallari, 39. “I’ve never done the apps. I’m a hardcore, like, ‘bedtime before 9’ kind of person, so if I’m going to go out, it has to be something I really want to do.”