“Don’t lose it,” Zalea whispers, half laughing through her tears.
“I won’t,” I promise, because in this envelope is our future.
Back in Zalea’shospital room, I stand next to her bed for a long moment watching her sleep with her hand resting protectively over her stomach. She’s been so tired since waking up from the accident, but Doctor Ricci reassures me that it’s because her body is still healing from the accident, and because the pregnancy is beginning to tire her out faster—all normal.
Zale leans against the window, arms folded, staring out over the streets of Florence below. He hasn’t said much since this morning, and I think it’s because the reality that his sister is pregnant again is finally hitting him.
I walk up to the opposite side of the window, facing him. “She told me how excited you were to be an uncle to Gabriella.”
His jaw tightens almost immediately as he continues staring out the window, but I see the way his throat works.
“I had a list of surfboards I was going to buy her,” he finally says. “Even though she wouldn’t have been able to stand on one for years.”
A small smile tugs at my mouth. “I’m sure it meant everything to Zalea that you were that excited.” I pause, then lower my voice. “It would mean a lot to her, and to me, if you organized the gender reveal.”
His eyes snap up to mine, searching. “Me?”
I nod. “I want it to be a special moment, a happy memory she’ll be able to look back on when she’s finally out of this place.” I glance at Zalea, making sure she’s still asleep. “She’d want you to do it, and I think…maybe you’d want to, too.”
Zale goes completely still, his eyes glossing over as he quickly blinks it away before anything spills. “Yeah,” he says roughly. “Yeah. I’ll do it.”
Relieved, I reach into my pocket where the envelope Erika gave me is and hand it over to Zale. “Make sure your parents can join over video,” I tell him. “I want them there to celebrate with us all, as a family.”
He nods again, more firmly. “I’ll handle it.”
Before I can say anything else, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I frown, pulling it out, and see Maliah’s name flashing across the screen. A cold feeling slides down my spine because Maliah has never, not once, not ever, called me, and if she’s doing it now it must be because something bad happened.
I excuse myself and step into the hallway before answering. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me,” she says, voice shaking. “Koa got hurt at the competition.”
My stomach drops as she tells me what happened and guilt slams into me. As their coach, I should be there. I should have been there to prepare them for the conditions they’d be facing. I had a bad feeling about this competition from the morning, and I still ignored my gut feeling, blindly trusting that they’d be fine.
I apologize to her. I know she’s probably freaking out inside way more than she’s showing because as much as she likes to deny it, she’s in love with that guy.
“Don’t worry,” I say reassuringly. “I’m going to use a wildcard to bring in someone from the team for the next competition. Koa needs time to heal.”
My first choice would have been Zale, but with everything going on over here with his sister, I’d have to be a cruel mother fucker to send him off for work. Not to mention, his head wouldn’t be in the right place, and there’s nothing more dangerous than a distracted surfer facing giant waves.
I decide I’ll call on Griffin because he has the experience of a wipeout mid-surf. He’ll know the right things to say to Koa to get his head back in the game. Plus, he can bring Eliana along with him to cheer up Maliah.
Once I’ve arranged everything, I stand in the hospital staring at nothing. Inside the room behind me is my future wife, carrying twins in a high risk pregnancy. And across the ocean, one of my athletes, who I’m supposed to be taking care of, is hurt.
I feel split in two, like I’m failing everyone on the Saltwater Shredders at once. Pushing off the wall, I walk back into the room until I’m sitting by her side, threading my fingers through hers and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
I can’t be in two places at once, so I choose this one, and I pray it’s enough.
THIRTY-SIX
GABRIEL | FLORENCE
“Oh, sweetie. You’re okay, right?”Zalea’s mom asks through the video call, her whole face filling the screen. “Are you sure you don’t want us to fly over there?”
It’s been a week since our ultrasound with Erika, and today—thanks to Zale—we’re finally finding out whether our twins are boys or girls.
Zalea nods, her smile soft but worn out. She looks better than she did last week, but she’s still not fully recovered, still fragile.
“I’m okay, mom. I promise,” her grip on the phone tightens. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner. I wanted to tell you about the babies myself, but everything was happening so fast. It was just a lot to take in.”
