Maggie nodded her okay.
Carlos cleared his throat. “If it’s all right with you, boss, I’m gonna head back.”
Luke gave him a fist bump. “Thanks, man. You were awesome. I owe you big.”
“Nah. They’re safe now, so I got my reward.”
When they were left there in the silence punctuated only by the call of birds and stray children, Luke stared at Maggie. Last night, he had planned to tell her how he felt about her, that he loved her—and that he always had. But now? He wanted the truth, and he wasn’t going to leave here without it.
“She’s mine, isn’t she? Eva is … mine.”
Maggie shrank back, her eyes big, wide. Finally, she whispered, “Yes.”
He sucked on his top lip, shaking his head. “And you were just going to leave here today with that little secret, weren’t you?”
“I was going to tell you last night.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
She paused. “I don’t know.”
“You’ve had years to tell me this, Maggie. Years!”
She shook her head. “It’s more complicated than that, Luke.”
“Enlighten me. You owe me that, at least.”
Maggie hugged herself around the middle and lowered herself into the sand. She burrowed her feet down deep. When she looked up at him, her eyes were like gray clouds. “I found out I was pregnant after moving home. By then, I was dating Mick. I mean, he’d wanted me to date him all through high school, but I never did because”—she shrugged—“well, because I loved you, Luke.”
She continued, “After you dumped me, he helped to tape up my heart as best he could. And when I found out I was pregnant, he said he wanted to marry me. So we got married.”
Luke’s jaw was set. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The rising sun settled on her face. “My mother asked me not to. She said you were happily married already and that it wouldn’t be right to do that to you, to be a home wrecker. Plus, there was Mick to consider. He knew the baby was yours.”
“How?”
She swallowed before saying, “I hadn’t been with anyone else, Luke. Only you.”
Luke sucked in a breath.
“Mick made me promise not to tell anyone. He said he would be Eva’s dad as long as I didn’t tell anybody about you. I think he didn’t want anyone to think of him as second best.”
“I see.”
“I never meant to hurt you, Luke. Or Eva. I did what I thought was best at the time. But hindsight is, well, at least twenty-forty.”
The corner of his mouth quirked upward. He thought about her story and about his. If only she had been honest with him, maybe things could have been different.
“When I came back here, I hoped to keep our distance. I didn’t know about CeCe’s problems. For all I knew, you were still a happily married guy and I was just here to fulfill my parents’ wishes. In, out, and keep my distance—that’s what I had planned.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Not on purpose, and I think you know that.” Maggie released a small groan. “I’d forgotten how small this town was, Luke.”
He shrugged. “It’s not all bad. People around here know about CeCe and they’ve stayed quiet for Siena’s sake.”
“Did you love her?”
He hesitated. “She gave me Siena.”
Maggie nodded her understanding.
“Marrying her was a mistake, but I was committed to making it work.”
“Yes. Of course.” She lifted her chin, her eyes wide as she searched his face. In them he saw pools of regret. “Can you ever forgive me, Luke?”
Luke stepped back, overwhelmed by the conflicting thoughts in his head. His heart pleaded with him, but his head would not back down. “You kept her from me, Maggie. I’m not sure that I ever can.”
Eleven
I did what I thought was best at the time.
For the past four days, Luke had been living in a fog. He’d slept, awakened, gone to work, and parented Siena in one of those gray haze-like moods that left zero room for light. Maggie’s revelation had sent him into a spiral that he hadn’t yet been able to spit himself out of, and he was beginning to wonder if he ever could. Except for Maggie’s thin explanation—and the truth that Eva was his daughter—he had not thought about much else.
Luke rubbed the scar above his lip, remembering. He still didn’t speak about the day that had ended his brief run at championship surfing, but yesterday’s water rescue had brought it back to him in colorful clarity. He never thought he would have the desire again to get back into that water, but seeing Siena and Eva caught in a riptide?
He would jump into that sea all over again to save them.
Tension rippled through his chest. What if he had lost Siena? He couldn’t bear to consider it. And Eva? He had already lost her once—he knew that now. The realization that he could have lost her a second time was more than he could fathom.
Luke’s stomach churned. Would he ever get past the news and happenings of the past day?
“Hey, Dad? Did I get my shipment?”
Luke lifted his chin. He looked at Siena, but didn’t truly see her. “Sorry?”
“You know, my hair stuff?”
Luke pursed his lips. Finally, he said, “You’re going to have to give me more than that.”
Siena let out a drama-filled sigh and put her hands on her hips. “Daddy, didn’t you order me some smoothing cream and a wet brush? And the elastics?”
“Right. Yes.” He rummaged through a stack of packages and plucked a large envelope from the bunch. “Forgot all about that.”
Siena squealed and took the package from him. She ripped it open and emptied the contents onto the counter. “I’m so happy! This is gonna help me with my flyaway hair so I can do stuff after surfing.”
Luke’s chin jerked up. She wanted to get back into the water? He looked over at the products on the counter, noting the freebie samples that had been included. “You know how to use all this?”
“Dad,” she said, her tone admonishing, “haven’t you noticed the way I’ve been braiding my hair and stuff?”
His eyes connected with hers and he shifted a glance to her hair. He had noticed something was different …
Siena rolled her eyes. “Men!”
“Hey.” Luke reached over the counter and hooked his arm around the back of Siena’s neck. Then he kissed her on the head. “I love your hair no matter what you do with it.”
“Da-ad!”
He chuckled, glad for the break in his otherwise surly mood.
Siena scooped up all the hair stuff and climbed off the stool. “Is it okay if I go show Maggie and Eva?”
He shut his eyes, trying to calm the cacophony in his brain.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Siena.” His eyes were open now and he was taking her in. Siena was growing up, and for the first time ever, he saw glimpses of the young woman she was becoming. He put on a smile. “Sure. But don’t stay long—and don’t go near the water today, you hear me?”
Siena skipped out of the surf shop with that bag of stuff under her arm just as Zach came buzzing into the shop. “Hey, bossman!”
“Hey yourself, bud. What’s up?”
“Ringer Surf Classic, that’s what.” The kid dumped a stack of fliers on the counter. “These are leftovers. Can I leave ’em?”
Luke lifted a brow. “I don’t know. Are you telling your boss that you’ve spread them all over town?”
“Hey, I ain’t lyin’. Dude, these are seriously leftovers. I’ve put ’em up on all the stores around here except that old real estate place.”
“She shut you down, huh?”
“Yeah. She said Colibri oughta be hosting more dignified events, like upscale car shows and wine tastin’s.”
Luke snorted. “Of course she did.”
“She has these super sharp claws.”
>
“Change of subject. How’s the talent shaping up for the contest? All levels filled?”
Zack shrugged. “Guess so. Did I tell you I saw her pick her nose with one of her claws?”
Luke scrunched up his forehead. “You still talking about Ms. Madsen?”
Zack’s face split into a huge grin. “Yeah.”
Luke grabbed the stack of fliers and knocked Zack on the head with them. “Stop it. Be respectful.”
“’K.” Zack cracked up on the way out of the shop.
A sharp whistle caught Luke’s attention. He looked toward Carlos. “Yo!”
“Dude wants a longer leash for his board. You have any left?”
Luke ducked down and rummaged through a box under the counter. One of these days he was going to take some time and reorganize the place. He put his hands on one and then called out across the shop, “Catch it!”
It landed in Carlos’s outstretched hand just as Siena wandered back into the shop, her expression downcast. Luke watched her snake through the busy shop, her brow furrowed. She climbed up on a stool, set her stuff on the counter, and leaned her cheek into her hand.
“What’s up? Eva not home?” He still had so much to unpack there, but for the moment, he kept his focus on Siena.
“Nope. They left.”
A rod of ice shoved its way down his back. “Left? You mean, they’re not at the house right now?”
Siena shrugged both shoulders. “Eva’s aunt said they went back home.”
“Home?”
“Yeah. Back to Arizona, Dad.”
The last time Luke stood on this porch, things didn’t go very well. He knocked again and a tall brunette answered the door to the Morelli home. She wore her hair pulled back into a severe ponytail and lasered her dark eyes on him, her ruby red lips twisted into a salacious grin.
“My,” she said. “It looks like I might enjoy this one-horse town more than I had imagined.”
“I’m looking for Maggie.”
The woman huffed a laugh. “Won’t I do?”
“Lacy?”
“Guilty.”
He stuck his tongue hard against his cheek. “Luke Hunter.”
She pushed open the screen door and looked him over from head to toe. “Hi, Stringbean.”
Luke tried to hold his rising anger, not to mention anxiety, in check. He planted both feet wide, arms crossed. “Where’d she go?”
Lacy shrugged, her eyes dancing, that mouth of hers playing games. “Her month was up, so she left. Back to the desert and all her hair products and drudgery. Can I help you with something?”
He began to back away, then stopped. “Yes. You can tell me where to find her.”
Twelve
“Eva! C’mon, honey. I have to meet the owner of the salon in a few minutes. Don’t make me late!”
Eva stomped into the living room of their sparse apartment. There hadn’t been time to empty the storage unit nor hire a moving truck to bring in the heavy things. It would be awhile before Maggie could afford all that, so for now, they were making do with a shared bed, a coffee table for meals—and that’s about it.
But, seriously, it was summer. What more did they need but their clothes and somewhere to rest at night?
Eva stood with a frown and her arms folded in front of her. “Why can’t I just stay here?”
Maggie washed a gaze over her. Her daughter was nearly eleven, going on twenty-five. So much had happened in the last month that she’d barely had time to download it all, let alone explain it to her child. The past few days had been a particular whirlwind and she almost couldn’t believe that they were here already and living their new life. Well, almost living it.
“I want your opinion of the salon,” Maggie lied. It wasn’t a complete lie. She did hope that Eva would feel comfortable coming to the new salon after school, and that the others would welcome her there. Like they had in the old place.
A knock on her door startled her. Grrr! The new landlord had already shown up three times to fix things that should have been taken care of before they had moved in. She didn’t have time for this!
Maggie swung open the door, prepared to be firm but kind. She had an interview to get to and nobody was going to stop her.
“Hello, Maggie.”
Luke?
“May I come in?”
She hesitated. Yes, they had something to discuss, but when it came to the two of them, he had made himself clear: he would not forgive her. Maggie leaned her bum against the doorframe and crossed her arms at her middle. “I have a job interview in ten minutes, Luke. This is not a good time.”
Eva squeezed in between the frame and the open door. “Hi, Luke! Is Siena here too?”
Luke broke away from Maggie’s gaze to take in Eva, who stood there gaping at him. “Sorry, kiddo, she’s not. But hopefully we’ll all be together again soon.”
Maggie gave her head a tight shake. “Really, Luke. I can’t right now.”
“I can’t believe you just left.”
Maggie slid a glance to Eva. “We, uh, our month was up and I have to get back to work. Besides, I thought we had said all that needed saying.”
“Sorry. Nope.”
Eva shook her head. “Yeah, Mom. Sorry. Nope.”
Maggie gave her daughter “the look” before directing a sobering expression at Luke. “You came a long way for nothing.”
He broke out into a smile, his eyes never losing hers. “Just the opposite. I came a long way for everything.”
Maggie stared at him for a good, long while. When she was done staring at him, she nodded at Eva. “Go to your room, please.”
Eva’s mouth opened in protest, but Luke winked at her. “Probably a good idea. Don’t worry. I won’t leave without you.” He slid his gaze to Maggie. “Right?”
Eva yelped and scampered off.
Luke quirked a confident smile at Maggie. He took a step forward and put one hand on the door. “May I?” He barely waited for an answer and stepped inside.
Maggie continued to hug her middle as she stepped back. “Listen, Luke, I know—”
“You don’t know anything.” He stepped so close that she could feel his warm breath on her face. Luke’s hands found her cheeks, his fingers nestled in her hair, stopping her retreat. “Mags,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you.”
Warning flags shot up in her brain, but she ignored them. His gentle touch sent shocking waves of longing through her. She dared to wonder if this moment could possibly last. With effort, she lifted her chin and her eyes searched his. “Why are you here?”
“I want Eva to know who I am.”
Her momentary high lessened some. “Of course. I-I didn’t intend to hide her away from you, Luke. As I told you the other day, I fully intended to tell you the truth.”
Luke held two fingers to her lips. “Sshh. I wasn’t finished. I want you, Maggie. I need you.”
A silent beat fell between them and Maggie lowered her gaze.
He pulled her closer, slowly tipping her chin up.
She searched his eyes. “What changed?”
“Nothing. Everything.” Luke enveloped her with his arms. His lips grazed her cheek as she let her eyes fall closed again. “Siena started doing her hair. She had me buy all kinds of things I’ve never heard of—all because a woman named Maggie cared enough to show her what to do.”
Maggie could feel the tears pushing through and she forced herself to let him see her. “She’s a precious girl, Luke.”
He pulled back, his eyes searching her face. “Here’s the thing: She’s CeCe’s daughter as much as mine. And yet, you cared for her the way her own mother never would. Even when it was her birth that broke us up, you didn’t treat her any differently than your own daughter.” His gaze continued to wash over her, sending chills throughout her body. “I’ve been a dolt.”
“A dolt?”
He grinned. “My mother used to say that about my dad when he wouldn’t listen to her.”
Maggie laughed
in spite of herself. Her own parents’ relationship stood the test of decades, even though they, too, called each other out now and again.
“I want to be honest with you, Maggie.” He tapped his upper lip with his fingertip. “You see this scar? This little beauty ended my surfing career.”
“I’ve wondered about it.”
“Happened one unhappy day when I’d tackled waves I had no business going after. Did it anyway and the board got away from me. Came down on the front face of a wave and the corner caught me on the lip. Stunned me and I went under. Swallowed a bunch of water and became disoriented. A couple of guys had to lead me back to the beach. I remembered my fear then, Mags, for the first time in years.”
She nodded, remembering. When they were kids, he would barely get himself wet up to the knees.
“You were the one who got me out there in the first place, remember?”
She nodded. She’d pushed him to try even when he had that great fear. After a while, it seemed as if he had chosen the surf over her. Actually, he had.
He continued, “I hung it up after that accident, my fear of the water greater than my need to be out there making a name for myself. CeCe was furious.”
“Is that what you meant the other day?”
He nodded once. “To her I was a big shot one day and just a guy who couldn’t deliver the next.”
“But surfing was your … future.”
“Not true. Not really. When I lost you, I lost everything—my reputation, my career … you. I lost my most enthusiastic cheerleader the day you walked out of my life.”
Maggie lowered her voice. “I was pushed out, Luke.”
He nodded quickly. “Yes, I know. What I’m trying to say here, Mags, is I’m sorry. For everything I put you through and how my actions pushed you into a marriage as devoid of love as mine. I hope you can find a way to forgive me.”
A sob escaped her. He was asking her to forgive him? After she had kept a secret from him all of these years? Every wall that she had been built over the last ten years suddenly began to crumble.
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