Page 107 of Tide Over

Liam’s hand slides onto my thigh and he gives me a gentle squeeze. He smiles softly when I look at him, and immediately some of the anxiety eases, just knowing he’s here with me.

I just hope tonight won’t be the moment where everything crumbles, and my truth hurts my family.

Liam parks in front of Mom’s house, and I feel like I’m moving on autopilot, just floating through the air as I walk to the front door. But as I stand before it, looking into Liam’s eyes, I take a deep breath and know there’s no turning back now.

The scent of dinner cooking greets us as we enter the house, and Grandpa smiles widely as we step into the living room. Heather, Chris, and the kids aren’t here yet, so it’s quiet as Mom bustles around the kitchen.

But the second she sees us, she rushes forward to wrap Liam in a tight hug. “Welcome home!”

“Thank you,” he says, hugging her back as his eyes meet mine over her shoulder.

A smile forms on my lips as I watch them, and the usual feeling of comfort I have with my family slowly pushes away the uncertainty.

“Come in, come in,” Mom ushers us into the living room.

Grandpa steps forward, offering Liam a firm handshake and a smile. “How was the rig this time?”

Liam takes his hand with a nod. “Good. Long as always.”

“I’d imagine.”

“Hey!” Heather’s voice sounds from the front door, and Mason zooms into the room, breathless and wide-eyed as he stops in front of Liam.

“Did you see the shark again?” Mason asks, excitement literally oozing from him.

Liam chuckles. “I don’t think I saw that one, but I did see some other cool animals.”

Mason’s eyes somehow widen even more. “Tell me!”

Heather grins as she enters the room and reaches out to squeeze Liam’s arm. “Welcome home!” She then turns to me, her smile still impossibly wide. “Hi, Theo.”

I cock an eyebrow at her. “Why are you so happy?”

She shrugs, moving into the kitchen. “Just am.”

Mom brings Liam and I each a beer, and as we sit on the couch opposite Grandpa and I take a sip, I almost groan with delight. I’m finally off my pain meds, and haven’t been able to have a beer in almost a month… it tastes like fucking heaven.

Mason immediately plops down next to Liam, stuck to his side like glue. “Did you see a stingray?”

Liam pulls out his phone with a smile. “I saw a manta ray, actually. Want to see a picture?”

Mason’s jaw drops and he looks at Chris as he sits next to Grandpa. “Dad! Did you hear that? Amanta ray!”

“I did,” Chris laughs, taking a sip of his beer. “Careful, Liam, you may have just made a new best friend. Little dude loves sea life.”

Liam smiles at Chris, then pulls up a photo of the manta ray floating in the water below the rig. Mason, as expected, loses his mind and demands to see every picture of every animal Liam saw. As they flip through the pictures and Mason asks a million questions, Grandpa pulls my attention back to him.

“So, Theo,” he starts. “Are you doing the end-of-season dinner with your crew this week?” Then he adds carefully, “Or, do you want me to?”

I nod thoughtfully, having been thinking of this. Every year, I take the crew out to thank them for the season, which is something my grandpa and dad have done ever since they started this business. And even though my season was cut short with them, I still need to celebrate the success we did have, and thank them for being the best crew I could ever ask for.

“I’ll take them,” I say, and Grandpa nods with a smile. Then I lean back on the couch and cock an eyebrow at him. “You’re retired anyway, and it’s time you get back to the porch withyourcrew. Your tales are getting a little too far-fetched.”

He smirks at me. “You’re just upset you didn’t take in the biggest haul of the season.”

I roll my eyes. “Conveniently, I’ve yet to actually see that slip. So I’ll believe it when I see it, old man.”

A chuckle escapes him as he shakes his head. “You’re just going to have to bring it harder next season.”

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