Page 1 of Riptide

Prologue

Finn

Four months ago

My feet won’t stay still. It’s not the kind of restlessness that can be solved by pacing or stretching, though. This is deeper, more insistent. It’s the kind that only goes quiet when I’m back on the waves. When my body is weightless, the wind slicing past me, the cold rush of water licking at my fingertips.

But that’s gone now.

Somewhere between winning and flying halfway around the world, I forgot how to breathe. I used to think the ocean was the only place I belonged, and now it seems foreign and cruel. Now, every crash of the waves echoes in my mind with memories I’m desperate to bury. Each breath feels stolen, shallow, as if I’m still underwater, waiting to surface.

Sometimes, if I close my eyes, I can almost see him disappearing beneath the foam. The salt stings my throat, grief choking me tighter than fear ever could. I’d thought coming home would silence it, soothe it, but the loss of him and the ocean lives inside me, relentless and restless, refusing to let me go.

Chapter one

Finn

“Sshh,it’sokay,Ro,”I soothe my niece as she exercises her lungs, wailing while we wait for her milk to cool. She’s so tiny in my arms. I mean, she’s only about five months old, so that checks out. I’ve spent almost every other day with her and my twin sister—oh, and her boyfriend—since I’ve been back from Australia.

Don’t think about that.

I focus on the baby girl in my arms instead of the career that I once loved. I focus on the scent that Daphne and Hudson swear is the best smell in the world, and it grounds me. I get it, the whole baby thing. I never considered myself that paternal, but Rosie has stolen my heart in a big way, and I’m not even pretending I’m not head over heels for this little one. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t ask questions. She doesn’t care what I left behind. And right now, I need that more than I want to admit.

Hence why I’m the one heating up breast milk for her instead of her mom. I’m their self-appointed nanny when Hudson and Daphne are in class, like right now. The hours aren’t bad, thecompany is cute, and it’s perfect for avoiding the shit I’d rather not deal with.

My phone blares an obnoxious ringtone that I can’t be bothered to change. Rosie has stopped crying just long enough for me to put her in the bassinet, grab her bottle, test it, pick her back up, and swipe my phone to answer my sister. Multitasking is absolutely getting added to my resume after this.

Daphne’s face fills the screen, so much like mine, light eyes, blonde hair, except I’m obviously better looking. Her brow furrows as she searches for the person she really called to see.

“Oh good, she’s having her milk. I was calling to—”

“Check on me. Again.” I roll my eyes. “Daph, you need to chill. I’ve got this shit down. Rosie and I have been hanging out all summer.”

“Yeah, I know, I just… I miss her.” Her eyes well up, and I know this has been a tough decision—going back to school, leaving Rosie even for a few hours, but she had too much to return for. She landed a regular spot running social media for the school’s sports teams, and she’s got a TA position now. No way was she going to miss out.

“Aw, Daph, don’t cry.” I sigh. “You’re out there being a badass. Rosie’s cheering you on. Go do it.”

She sniffs, wipes her cheeks, and steels herself. “You’re right. Give her extra cuddles from me? I’ll be back at lunch.”

“I will.” I glance down at Rosie’s tiny button nose, her impossibly soft, rosy cheeks. “You made the cutest kid, Daph.”

“DAPHNE!” a male voice calls out from her end of the call.

She spins around, her whole face lighting up before going all gooey. Yeah. I know exactly who that is. Two seconds later, Rosie and I are getting a front-row seat to her parents making out on-screen.

“Uh, guys? PG content, please. There’s a baby here,” I remind them.

“Oh, shit,” Hudson curses, eyes wide, then immediately slaps a hand over his mouth. “Sorry, uh, not shit. Rosie, don’t listen to Daddy.”

Daphne rolls her eyes right before Hudson snatches the phone completely.

“How’s my favorite person?”

“I’m kinda hungry. Your healthy snacks suck ass. I’m also a little tired, but mostly good.”

Hudson laughs. “Yeah, yeah. I meanther,dumbass.”

“Rude,” I mutter, shifting Rosie a little as she greedily sucks down her bottle. “She’s good. Ate, cried, passed judgment on the world with those big, beautiful eyes. Just another day being the most powerful person in this household.”

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