Page 127 of The Version You Hide

“I know you do, son.” He pulls me into a half hug, slapping me on the back with his other palm. “I’ll let you get on with your day. I’m sure you have a lot to do.”

“Okay,” I say. “Thanks, Dad.”

He clamps his lips together to form a thin line as he turns on his heel and begins to walk back down the dock.

“Hey, Dad,” I call out.

He spins around slowly, his hands still in his pockets. “What are you doing right now? Would you like to come aboard?” I point to the newly refurbished diving boat moored in front of me.

He smiles and his face lights up. “Yeah. Sure, son. I’d like that.”

Epilogue

(Continued)

MACKENZIE

Dylan glances back at me from his position at the boat’s steering wheel. I don’t think anything could wipe the smile from his face. When he stands behind that wheel, it’s as though nothing can touch him. This is his happy place.

Now that the boat is finally finished, he has been looking into starting up his own dive charters and I can’t wait to see him living his dream.

Chance bounds from one end of the boat to the other, barking furiously, his attention on the pod of dolphins that emerge beside us. This is only his second voyage on Dylan’s boat, and he hasn’t become accustomed to marine life yet. I tug gently at his collar, pulling him in to give him a scratch behind the ears and it seems to settle him. For a moment, at least.

I move across the deck to Dylan, curling an arm around his neck. He reaches for me, tucking me into his side.

“This isn’t so bad, is it?” he asks me.

A reluctant smile forms on my lips. I know that he’s referring to the fact that I hadn’t wanted to celebrate my birthday today. I hadn’t needed to explain to him why all my other birthdays sucked. As usual, he just understood.

But I have to admit that he’s right. This isn’t so bad. In fact, if this was to be how all my future birthdays would go, I wouldn’t have a single thing to complain about.

“Yeah. It’s not so bad.”

“I love you, Kenz,” he says as his chocolate eyes bore into mine, their golden flecks made all the more prominent under the pink-orange sunset.

“I know,” I say. Because I do. He doesn’t even have to say it. The way he cares for me and puts me first every time speaks louder than any of his words ever could. “I love you, too.”

His fingers drag along the small of my back as his grip tightens around me. “You ready to head back in?”

“No,” I say. “I could stay out here forever.”

He laughs. “I’m sure you could, but we’re losing daylight, and I don’t want to be out here alone with you when you start getting hangry.”

“Fine,” I say. “But I’m not cooking.”

“Of course, you’re not. It’s your birthday,” he says as he turns the wheel and steers us towards the marina. “I was thinking we could grab something at the tavern.”

I ponder his suggestion. Honestly, I can’t wait to get back to his place. Our place. Especially knowing I have free rein of the remote control now. Who am I kidding? I always have.

But on the other hand, dinner at the tavern sounds good too. “Okay.”

Within minutes, Dylan has navigated us back to the dock. He climbs out first, then holds his hand out to me. Chance waits for neither of us, energetically bounding over the side of the boat and racing up the jetty.

“Chance!” I call out. I chase him as Dylan secures the boat, clipping his leash to his collar once I’ve reached him. “Good boy.”

I lead him to a park bench, where we wait for Dylan, then a few minutes later, all three of us are piling into the old RAV4.

We cruise down the boulevard, where we find a parking spot on the curb outside the Tavern. Chance isn’t allowed inside so we opt to sit in the outdoor courtyard around the back.

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