Page 127 of The Road to Ruined

"It was a whole thing," my mom says. "The boat's captain was furious. We'll text you when we get back, okay?"

She waves me off, going back to her conversation.

"Good night, Mom," I say, surprising her when I pull her into a hug. I don't breathe; I don't want to choke on the words again. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you, too," she says, then adds much quieter, "You did good today."

My dad doesn't even know what to do when I hug him next; I don't think he's hugged me in over a decade. "Bye, Dad. I love you."

He just kind of awkwardly pats me on the back before backing away. "Good night, Teagan."

"Night."

I look for Blakely next, but I don't see her at first. My gaze lands on Sebastian instead, leaning against the railing of the gazebo. He points to his watch, and I shrug, mouthing the wordsI can't find Blakely.

He points down toward the beach where she and Austin are lying in the sand, still fully clothed in their wedding attire, letting the surf wash over them. I head in their direction, stepping out of my heels once I get to the sand.

"You okay?" I ask once I'm standing over her.

They're both soaked.

"Yeah," she laughs. "We're good. We're just tired of it. This is the culmination of all of the fucking stress and anxiety I've had over this damn day for the past few months boiling over. I'm setting it free."

"It was nice, though," I tell her. "I'm glad you guys re-invited me. We're going to head upstairs now; I'm tired."

"Lie down with me first," she says. "The water is warm."

I shake my head. "I'll ruin my dress."

"So? You're never going to wear that dress again. I won't wear this one again, either." Blakely screams a little as another wave comes up high enough to wash over them and my feet. Itiswarm, like she said. "Austin—leg sweep her."

"Okay."

He pushes himself up and leans over her, reaching for me, and I jump back. "That's unnecessary," I tell him and lie in wet sand on the other side of Blakely. "Happy?"

"I am," she says. "I'm really happy, Teagan."

"Good. You deserve it."

I hear another wave crash near my feet before the sea comes for us—even higher this time, washing over our faces.

"Oh, shit," Austin says. "All right, Blake. If you still want to do this, we need to move further back."

"Nice, right?" Blakely asks just as the sky opens up and it starts to pour. "See?" she shouts above the sound of the heavy rain. "It doesn't even matter now."

"Yeah, I guess not," I say as we both pull ourselves to our feet. "I heard rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck."

"It is," she says. "I told you, Austin."

He shrugs. "We don't need it."

"I gotta go," I say, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you, Blakely. I'm really happy for you."

"I love you, too, Teagan," Blakely says. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," I lie. "Congrats, guys. Bye, Austin."

Instead of heading toward the same staircase I walk to, Austin and Blake run to the one on the other side of the building, likely trying to sneak back inside the hotel without any of their guests seeing them or demanding more of their attention.

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