Page 92 of Reckless Hearts

When the horn sounds, letting me and my competitor know our round is over, we head back to the beach and wait.

It’s all a waiting game. The next several heats will determine my ranking and if I get to move on. I continue to scan the board, checking each time a new heat hits the water.

I continue to move on, round after round, and with each one, I grow more confident, more at ease out on the water.

It’s my home, my sanctuary and the love of my life. It keeps me sane, and even with all the added stress of it being a competition, I find myself drifting off, my mind focusing on what Mitch taught me.

Looking over my shoulder, and it feels like a dream, but in comes the biggest set of the day. I look over at the girl who’s in my heat with me, and she looks scared as hell.

I want to tell her to go for it. That’s the part of me that I sometimes hate, the part that puts other people first. But this is my wave. It’s the start of the heat, and priority hasn’t been set yet, so I take it. Finally putting myself first, something Mitch would have loved, and I swear I can almost hear his loud whistle, his fingers in his mouth, the sound echoing above everything else.

And here, on the beautiful waters of my home, I catch the most amazing barrel wave of my life.

I look out at Alana,straddling her board, her eyes on the horizon as she waits. She doesn’t look nervous anymore. Even from here, I can see that. She just looks calm and at peace. At home.

She isn’t going to win Pipe. That part’s already been decided. But I already know she’s a winner. So does she. So does everyone standing here with me on the beach, waiting for her, supporting her.

They’re all here too. Nate and Sage, Tanner, Miles, Kai, Daisy and Sloane, Owen and even Matt from that food truck we ate at. All of them are watching her, waiting.

This is the heat to see who gets third. Bronze. A place. And for Alana, that also means a shot at turning pro, at getting invites to more comps.

I see the swell lift, watch as she turns her head slightly, her gaze watching, reading the water, seeing what’s about to come. She isn’t just a natural talent on her board, she’s one off it too. Her sense of timing and her ability to pick the perfect wave are like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

And fuck me if all of it doesn’t make me fall even more in love with her than I already am.

“Is this it?” Sage asks beside me.

I can hear the nervous edge in her voice, and I smile. “This is it,” I say, my eyes never leaving Alana as she lies down on her board, her hands already in the water as she turns and starts to paddle.

The water swells, and I know it’s going to be a big one. Beside me, Sage gasps, and I hear Nate laugh as he says, “She’s got this, babe, don’t worry.”

And does she ever.

Alana charges toward the wave, a huge bomb that surges beneath her into the most perfect A-frame I have ever seen. She pops up on her board, dropping in and riding it like it was made for her. And when the barrel forms, she carves in on it, surfing the wave as it increases, the crest now high above her. When she bottoms out, she doesn’t stop, simply charges back into the wave again, this time riding it into the shore.

Beside me, everyone erupts in cheers, the noise practically deafening because everyone, even Sage, knows that was a hell of a ride. A winning ride.

I can’t tear my eyes away from Alana though, watching as she glances over her shoulder, a smile on her face and her hand up as she briefly flips everyone off, the pose identical to the one Nate created for her board before it changes to the hang loose sign.

It was there though, impossible to miss, her silent fuck you to everyone who ever doubted her, and I burst out laughing.

When she reaches the shore, Alana hops off her board, tucking it under her arm as she strides through the surf toward me, our eyes locked. The second she’s within reach, I pull her into my arms, crashing my mouth against hers in a hard kiss, hoping the whole fucking world sees it.

“Holy fuck, babe, that was epic!” I murmur against her mouth.

Alana is laughing and crying and handing her board off to whoever stands closest, the leash still tied around her ankle as she throws her arms around me and hugs me tight, not saying anything.

I bury my face in her neck as all around us, I can hear her friends congratulating her. I know I should let her go, let them have their time with her, but right now I can’t. So I just hold her as she shakes in my arms, her whole body trembling with adrenaline and shock and raw excitement.

I know what this feels like, know exactly what she’s feeling right now, as I turn my mouth to her ear and whisper, “I love you.”

Alana huffs out a laugh, her whispered, “I love you too,” sending my heart into a free fall in my chest.

When I eventually pull back, I cup her face in my hands, staring into her beautiful blue eyes. “That was one of the best rides I have ever seen,” I whisper. “I am so fucking proud of you.”

She smiles, pushing up on her toes to kiss me as Nate now says, “Alright, come on.”

Alana laughs again, and I reluctantly let her go as Nate pulls her into his arms, whispering something that makes her sob out a laugh. Sage is next, and I know with their connection to Mitch, the man who started this but who is no longer here to see it, this moment is important.

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