Page 81 of Below the Barrel

I can’t even react at first. The title we’ve dreamed of, worked so hard for—it’s ours. Koa squeezes my hand, pulling me back to reality, and suddenly I’m laughing, tears welling up in my eyes. I can’t stop smiling.

We actually did it.

As the noise swells around us, the next announcement hits like a shockwave.

“Along with the title, a prize of two-hundred thousand, to be split between the two.”

My jaw drops. I stare at Koa, wide-eyed. Two hundred thousand dollars is enough to change everything. I knew there would be a cash prize, but I never expected it to be that much.

Koa, in his excitement, bends down and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder as he holds the back of my thighs. I twist my body so I can see him as he grins at me with that infectious energy he always has.

“Hey, princess,” he says softly, the warmth in his eyes making my heart flutter. “When the house is fixed up…will you move in with me?”

A giggle escapes me, shaking my head as a playful grin spreads across my face. “What makes you thinkyou’regetting that house? I have a bakery to open,” I tease, my heart light.

Koa grins back, his eyes sparkling in that way that always makes me weak in the knees. “I guess we’re still going to have that bidding war then, huh?”

I laugh, the sound coming out brighter than I expect, and shake my head. “How about…we just buy it together?”

There’s a pause, but then that grin softens into something deeper, something more tender. He nods, giving my thighs a gentle squeeze.

“Together,” he says, his voice low and full of promise before he parades me towards his family who have been cheering us on this whole time.

It feels like everything has come full circle.

For so long, it felt like I was below the barrel of life, sinking further into the weight of everything I had lost when Koa andI fell apart. I wasn’t just heartbroken; I was fading. Fading into this nothingness that swallowed me whole.

It was like I’d forgotten how to breathe without him, without the love and fire we shared. Every day without him chipped away at me, leaving me feeling like a shell of who I used to be and just angry all the time.

But somehow, we found our way back to each other. It wasn’t easy, not the fairytale story I had always planned for myself. It was messy and hard, with moments I thought I’d never recover from. Yet, coming back to him felt like breaking through the surface of drowning for so long. The world doesn’t feel dark anymore—it’s alive, vibrant, and more beautiful than I remember. And I can finallyfeelagain.

Maybe that’s why I was so scared of Pipeline; to experience that drowning feeling again.

I look down at the beautiful ring on my finger and I can’t help but smile. I’m not just excited for what’s ahead, I’m ready for it. For every sunrise we’ll share in our new home, for every wave we’ll ride, for every moment that makes us laugh or cry.

Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together. And that, right there, is everything I’ve ever wanted. Everything I’ve ever needed.

Just us.

Just Koa and Maliah.

The End.

EPILOGUE

KOA | SALTWATER SPRINGS

My hammer hitsthe final nail in place. I step down the ladder, and watch Maliah’s reaction as she stares at the wooden sign I just finished hanging over the front door of our newly renovated house:Salty Sweets Bakery.The letters curve softly, carved and painted in a way that makes them stand out, familiar yet new. She traces the edges with her eyes, her lips parting in a silent gasp, and when she turns to me, her eyes are glistening.

“Thank you,” she says softly, her voice full of awe, and I feel her hands slide up to rest on my chest as she leans in and kisses me softly.

When she pulls back, she takes a deep breath, and looks around with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I ask her, genuinely wanting to make sure this is what she wants. “It’s a big step, taking a break from The Saltwater Shredders.”

Part of me can’t help but worry that she’s stepping away from the team just because I did, but I need to know this decision is hers.

She gives me a reassuring smile. “Surfing…it was always my father’s dream for me. I used to think it was mine too, but maybeit’s time I find out what my own dream looks like,” she says, her gaze drifting back to the sign. “I want to try something new and see how it feels after a few months.”

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