“Man, Cork is talented as hell. Here on the water and inside the studio.”
“You see him for who he is, and who he could potentially be. He’s blossomed around you. I have too. You see me in a way no one else does too,” she whispered. “I wish I’d met you before Saber.”
I looked back at Lotus with a wry smile. “I wish that too.”
While I’d been watching her brother, I’d felt her watching me. Her brow was creased, and I wanted to smooth it.
“You’re with me now,” I said. “That’s what counts. And who knows, maybe things had to unfold in the order they did. Your dad would have said things happen for a reason.”
“How would you know what my dad would say?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.
I went completely still, the ocean continuing to roar around us. Cork splashed as he paddled closer, done with his wave. But my focus was on Lotus. It was always her.
“You told me you didn’t want to know my secret,” I said carefully.
“Conditions have changed because of you, and I see things more clearly after talking to my current best friend, who cares about me as much as the one I once had. Neither Storm then, nor Sophia now, seem to want to let me get away with being anything but the best version of myself.” Her gaze steady, Lotus stared deeply into my eyes without blinking. “So, try me.”
“This isn’t the way I wanted to do this.” I removed my hand from her thigh and raked my hair out of my eyes. “I had a speech planned, a really good one, to tell you that I love you.”
“That’s all that I need,” she said firmly, her eyes blazing. “Just those words. Just your love. Just you.”
Perplexed, I said, “How can it be when you don’t even know who I am?”
She shrugged. “You’re kind, considerate, gentle, and caring. I know exactly who you are.”
“It’s easy to be those things when it involves you.”
“Not for everyone. It wasn’t easy for Saber, but I love that you think it’s easy to care for me.”
When her smile reappeared, I felt like I had nearly a million dollars in my bank account. Well, I did have that much with my signing bonus, plus all the cash I’d saved over the years before I’d put earnest money down today.
But I’d give away every dollar I’d earned for just one of her smiles. Lotus’s happiness was all the currency I ever needed.
“And you aren’t just caring with me. You’ve taken an interest in all our lives, Cork, Shield, Ivy, even Saber.”
“I guess occasionally I have some good moments,” I muttered.
“I think occasionally is the only time you don’t have any. So, tell me.” This time she grabbed the rails of my board and tugged me close.
Her pretty eyes locked on mine. I had nowhere to hide, nowhere to run.
But I didn’t want to. I was right where I most wanted to be.
“I’m Storm, Lotus. Journey’s just a name I’ve used since I left the rest of me behind.”
“Why didn’t you want to be Storm anymore?” she asked softly.
“I didn’t want to be a Hardy anymore because I hated my dad. But I didn’t want to be Storm anymore because he belongs to you.”
Nodding as if she expected that answer, she floated closer, placed her hand on my cheek, and touched her mouth to mine.
“Thank you,” she said and started to pull back, but I plucked her off her board and put her on mine where she belonged.
“You knew,” I said. “How long have you known?”
“Since the night I got fired. Tess told me about the photo, and I put it all together after that.”
Her board drifted away, but it was attached by a cord and a Velcro strap to her slender ankle, so it didn’t get far. I think I was attached to her like a cord, but in deeper ways than I’d ever imagined. No leash necessary—I didn’t want to drift away.
“Just so there are no more secrets, you should know that I fell in love with you a long time before that.”
“I love you, Lilly. I always have. I always will.” I framed her pretty face. Water was a well between us as my board with both of us on it sank deeper into the sea. “Say the words, the actual ones. Please.”
She covered my hands with hers. “I love you, Storm Journey Hardy.”
I’d asked for something but she gave me more, knowing the exact right