Page 89 of Tide Over

“Let’s get to work,” I tell her.

I take my coffee into the sunroom where I’ve already stacked the baseboards. But before I start, I take a slow sip of my coffee, looking out the bay window as the sun shimmers over the ocean like millions of tiny crystals.

I can’t wait to share these mornings with Theo.

As I set my mug down and kneel on the floor to line up the first baseboard, Miss Bobber rolls onto her back in front of me and grabs at my hands. I laugh and rub her belly as she wriggles around, trying to catch my fingers.

Then, there’s a sudden, loud knock on the door and she jumps to her feet, frozen as she looks out into the living room.

“Who the hell is that?” I mutter as I push to my feet, and make my way through the living room and kitchen towards the door.

When I pull it open, Heather is on the other side, wide-eyed and frantic.

“I’m sorry,” she says on a breath. “I don’t have your number…”

My heart thumps and my stomach twists as I take in her worried expression. “What’s wrong…”

She meets my eyes as emotion swirls in hers. “There was an accident on the boat this morning.”

Her words hit like a punch right to the gut.

I can’t move as I stare back at her, my entire body feeling frozen as my heart tries to beat right out of my chest.

“They took Theo to Halifax,” Heather continues, her voice sounding like it’s miles away. She runs a shaky hand through her hair and draws in a deep breath. “They’re taking him into surgery now.”

Panic takes hold of me as my vision goes fuzzy and my chest tightens. The only thing I can hear is my pulse in my ears as the world fades away, and the familiar wave pulls me under, hard and fast.

No… no, please, no…

“Liam?” Heather’s voice breaks through the haze as her hand grips my arm.

I pull in a sharp breath, and shake my head, trying to pull myself together. My hand trembles as I push it through my hair. “I’m sorry… I…” I trail off, unable to latch onto any thoughts or words.

It’s all happening again.

And this time, it’s the man I’ve fallen in love with.

I feel paralyzed with fear as Heather stands before me and places her hand on my shoulder, her brow furrowed as she peers into my eyes. Then she tugs my arm, leading me through the house. And before I know it, I’m sitting on the couch next to her.

“Liam,” she says, pulling me back to reality. “Liam?”

I blink as my gaze focuses on her.

And guilt hits me hard.

I’m a fucking asshole. This is her brother. She’s been through this before with their father, and here I am, crumbling whenIshould be there forher.

“I’m sorry,” I breathe out, trying to find my voice. “What… what happened?”

“A line snapped,” she says quietly. “It hit Theo and wrapped around his arm and hand. I think… I think it’s pretty bad.” Her voice cracks as her eyes fill with tears.

My breath hitches as emotion swells in my chest and I do everything I can not to break down right here in front of her. But I don’t trust my voice, so I just give a small nod.

“Mitch called from the boat,” she says, wiping her eyes. “Mom is with him in Halifax, and they took him right intosurgery.” She blows out a breath and shakes her head. “It could have been a lot worse…”

My mind races as panic settles in again, threatening to drown me.

“I need to grab some things for him,” Heather says, pushing to her feet with a sniff.

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