“Yeah. He did,” Bailey admits, his voice soft. I know I don’t know the full story, but all I can think is thank god Hunter didn’t hear him. “It’ll be okay, Javi. That’s between me and Hunter, I promise.”
“So I can still surf with you?” he asks, shuffling his feet in the warm sand.
“If you wear your lifejacket, but you can’t play with it. It’s to keep you safe.”
I can feel my smile slipping, and I need a second to regroup. Mirabelle looks like she needs a minute too, but her eyes never leave Bailey. “I’ll grab a life jacket for him,” I say, my voice tight from the feeling of being strangled by whatever secrets the twins are keeping. I retreat into the shed to find a lifejacket small enough to fit Javi.
Soft footsteps follow me through the door, but it’s the silence that gives Bailey away. We don’t have enough time for me to ask questions, so I do the next best thing and ignore him.
I stall longer than I should, not wanting to turn around toface him. Unless I plan on walking backward out of here, without bumping into anything, I can’t avoid him.
Still, it rocks me to my core to see Bailey staring at his board, the orange, yellow, and red hues as vibrant as he used to be. He brushes his fingers over the deck of the board, but he seems like he’s a million miles away.
“Are you going to carry it, or stare at it all day?” I ask, harsher than I intended, but I’m not going to apologize. If he’s not willing to explain to help me understand, then I don’t think it’s needed.
He turns toward me, and it was easy before to avoid noticing the differences between the twins, but now my mind is cataloging every deviation.
Where Hunter is all hard lines and muscle, Bailey is leaner, and not for the better. I want to know what scars he bears in addition to the one running across his temple.
“Who took care of my board?” he asks, his voice hoarse, and now I feel like my heart’s been thrown into a blender.
“Hunter. Once a month, he’d drive back from Oceanside to clean and re-wax it in case . . .”In case you came back, is what I don’t say.
His eyes widen for a brief moment, and he takes a half-step toward me. “Kait—” Bailey starts to say, and I feel tears prick my eyes like tiny shards of glass because the last thing I want to do right now is hear him say he can’t explain it to me.
“No. I do not want to talk about this right now. We’re both going to put smiles on our faces and join everyone because I’m not letting how mad I am at you right now affect Javi’s first time surfing,” I say, forcing the brightest smile that’s never felt more fake.
The air in here is suffocating, and I don’t bother waiting for Bailey before I walk out of the shed with the life jacket in hand. I feel a little better once the breeze and sunshine hit my face, and I trudge through the sand with my board tuckedunder my arm. Hunter is walking my way, and it’s a relief to see he’s smiling now.
“You grabbing your board?”
He nods, his eyes scanning over me. “Yeah. You want me to grab your rash guard?”
I stop, adjusting my grip around my board. “No, but I thought you could help me with my sunscreen,” I say, sweetening the deal for Hunter, giving him the same once-over he gave me.
“Hell yeah,” he says, moving closer to me. My breath catches when Hunter’s calloused hand slides over the curve of my neck to pull me in for a kiss. Sometimes it still feels surreal to be kissing him, even after all this time. It promises safety and comfort, like a warm blanket being tucked around you as a little kid.
A short cough sounds behind us, and I pull away, craning my neck to see Bailey standing there with his board in hand. His sharp features are void of any emotion, and I shouldn’t feel embarrassed he walked up on us, but I am. “Sorry, just trying to walk past.”
“No biggie,” I say, clearing my throat.
Hunter’s emerald eyes are trained on me when I turn back toward him, but the board starts to slip, and he catches it. “I’ll carry it for you,” Hunter says, reaching to pull it from my grip as Bailey slips by us on the path.
“You sure? I have no problem carrying it, you just distracted me,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
“Sorry.” His face softens into a smile, and Hunter turns back toward the beach with my board tucked under his arm.
Sorry, my ass.
Javi ends up on Mirabelle’s board, and my plan to get the twins to talk is failing miserably, but I’m not helping much either. I haven’t even looked at Bailey since we went out on the water, and it’s taking more effort than it should.
I keep hearing him say Hunter was one of the people who hurt him, then I’m mad at myself for thinking about it instead of enjoying the warmth of the sun and the steady waves rolling in.
Mirabelle’s next to me with Javi while I adjust the strap of my bikini when Hunter pops up on the peak of the chest-high swell coming in on the offshore breeze. “You okay?” she asks, keeping her voice low.
“Just peachy,” I say, and she nods, staring at Javi’s scars. “Are you?”
She blinks, wiping her nose on the back of her hand, giving me a tear-filled smile. “I’m good. Dumb hormones.” She motions to her belly.
