Page 68

Nick is beside her almost instantly, sitting behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. She melts into him, resting her head on his shoulder while he murmurs quietly into her ear.

“We’ve got two nights left, but if you want, we can fly home today,” he says after a moment, his voice completely serious.

“What happened?” Zayn appears out of nowhere, concern already written across his face, with Noah and Liam right behind him.

“Why are you crying, Ser?” Liam asks, tension threading through his voice.

I’ve never known what it’s like to grow up with brothers, but ever since meeting them, there’s been a part of me that can’t help wondering how different everything might have been if I had. Maybe my childhood—maybe my entire life—would’ve taken another shape if I’d had someone looking out for me the way they always look out for her.

“It’s nothing serious,” Sierra rushes to reassure them, pushing herself up and wrapping her arms around Zayn. “I just miss Serena, that’s all.”

“God, for a moment I thought something happened,” Zayn exhales, holding her tight.

“Fuck, I hate it when you cry, Ser,” Liam mutters, stepping in to pull her into another hug.

“We really can go home today if you want, baby,” Nick insists, his tone softening even further. “The others can stay, and the jet will come back after dropping us in London.”

“No, Nick, really, there’s no need,” she says, her voice lighter now, a small smile breaking through. “It’s just two more nights. And she’s perfectly fine with our parents. But I promise you—next time, we’re not leaving her for this long,” she adds, laughter slipping into her words.

“I miss her too, baby. I’ve gone through every picture of her on my phone—twice, actually.”

That earns a round of laughter, the tension dissolving into the steady rhythm of the waves and the low hum of the yacht. One by one, the others drift closer, settling around us, and for a while, everything feels exactly the way it should—sunlight, sea, laughter, and the quiet unshakable feeling of family.

We’re anchored out in the open sea for about an hour now. The guys are already in the water, Sierra is on her second jump straight off the deck, and I’m sitting on the edge, letting my gaze wander across the endless stretch of blue.

A flicker of movement catches my attention off to the right, not too far from where the others are.

“Hey, there’s something over there,” I call out, pointing toward it.

Right then, a dolphin breaks through the surface launching into the air in a clean, powerful arc before disappearing beneath the water again.

“Holy fuck,” someone—probably Kai—mutters, just as five, maybe six more dolphins follow, rising and diving in near-perfect synchronicity.

“No way!” Sierra shouts, her voice bursting with excitement.

“They’re coming toward us,” Chase says, narrowing his eyes. “I wonder if they’ll get closer or get scared.”

“Come into the water, Thalia,” Sierra calls, her tone softer this time, careful not to startle them.

“Climb down slowly on the ladder, don’t jump,” Ryan adds. “We don’t want to scare them off.”

I glance toward the dolphins again—they’re still there, still moving in our direction.

I make my way to the ladder, descending carefully, each step measured. The moment my feet touch the water, I notice someone stepping closer.

“Come on,” Ethan says, extending his hand toward me.

It’s the first time he’s initiated contact with me since we got here.

And in these five days… I haven’t exactly made it easy for him. Every chance I got, I pushed—sharp remarks, lingering looks, provocations that I knew crossed lines I shouldn’t even be approaching. I told myself I was just playing, that it didn’t mean anything, even though I was fully aware of his boundaries… of his rules.

And still, that hasn’t stopped the sting from burning deep, persistent—the awareness that no matter how he looks at me, no matter the tension that snaps tight between us, there is someone else who actually belongs in his life.

I take his hand anyway.

His skin is warm, grounding in a way I shouldn’t notice as much as I do, his grip firm as he helps me sink fully into the water.

“Let’s move toward them slowly,” Colt suggests, diving in with effortless precision, the others following, their movements unusually restrained.