Page 36 of Taming Waves

Maybe he’s right.The thought scares the shit out of me.

Audrey

Amiya squeezes my hand. “I’m so glad you came.”

“Me too.”

I truly mean it. Although I was initially apprehensive, I’ve enjoyed myself immensely. The people here are so easy to be with; they welcome you into their fold and treat you as if you belong, as if you have always been a part of their group.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay and help clean?” I ask.

“I’m sure. There’s not much left to do. Lennon and I will load the dishwasher before we go to bed.”

Heather and Anson each give her a quick hug while Parker says goodbye to the others. He ruffles Dillon’s hair and tells him to be careful on his way back to his mother’s house. He then tells Wade that he’ll see him tomorrow when they start work at the condo.

I freeze when he stops at Eden, places his hands on either side of her stomach, and bends to whisper to her bump.

Heather sees my expression, and her eyes follow mine. “Shit,” she mumbles.

“What?” Amiya asks, glancing over her shoulder.

“Nothing. Thanks again,” Heather says before taking my hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”

She guides me out the door and down the steps, just out of sight, before the tears begin to fall. We cross the street quickly, and she pulls me behind the truck.

She lifts her sleeve and wipes my cheeks. “Take a deep breath.”

I follow her instructions and try to compose myself as I hear Parker’s voice calling out to us and the sound of the truck’s door locks releasing.

It’s not an easy task in my inebriated state.

She leans back and gives me a quick inspection. “There. You look fine. Your mascara was already fucked up from the hot tub. No one will know the difference.”

That makes me laugh, and she wraps her arms around me.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m good now. Thank you for getting me out of there before I embarrassed myself.”

She presses her forehead to mine. “You know I’ve always got your back.”

“Everything all right?”

I look up to see Parker staring at us.

“Yep. Miss Head Bartender over here is sloppy. She’s used to getting everyone else drunk, but she can’t hold her liquor for shit,” Heather says.

“Hey!” I quip.

“It’s okay. We’ll get you home, and I’ll tuck you in,” she says as she grasps my hand and tugs me past Parker.

“Here, you sit up front, Audrey,” Anson says as he opens the front passenger door.

“No. I’m fine in the back seat,” I say.

“I don’t want you getting carsick,” he insists.

Not wanting to cause a bigger scene, I take the offered seat, and Parker slides in behind the wheel.

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