Page 85 of Ebbing Tides
“Lovely to meet you in person,” he responded, accepting her gesture with a light shake.
His eyes met mine with a wink. “Lucky bastard.”
I shoved playfully against his shoulder. “You're married to my sister, asshole,” I chided as I brushed past him to head up the walkway with a hand on Luke's shoulder to guide him toward the porch.
“Doesn't mean I can't appreciate a beautiful woman,” Sid protested.
“That's exactly what it means,” I threw over my shoulder.
Sid snorted, then asked Melanie, “Accompany me up the stairs, m'lady?”
She was giggling, absolutely delighted by his charm, as she replied, “I would love to.”
Luke and Danny walked ahead of me while CJ held back with Melanie, simply to ask Sid, “Where did your leg go?”
“CJ, honey,” Melanie said gently, though the exasperation in her tone was clear. “It isn’t polite—”
“What? What do you mean, where did my leg go?” Sid interjected, horrified, and a chuckle began in my chest, low and steady. “Are you telling me my leg is gone?”
CJ’s giggles were immediate. “Yeah! You leg looks like a Transformer.”
Sid feigned a gasp. “Awhat?!”
I glanced over my shoulder in time to watch my friend look down at his new prosthesis—a robotic limb that did, in fact, resemble something a Transformer might use.
“Oh my God,” he cried in terror. “Serg, did you see this?! What the hell did they do to my leg?!”
“Can’t believe you haven’t won your Oscar yet,” I muttered as I headed up the porch steps, where Grace was poking her head out the door.
She looked up at me and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Your husband is auditioning for the remake ofSaving Private Ryan,” I replied before kissing her forehead. “Hi, by the way.”
“Grace! Oh my God, Grace, where’s my leg?!” Sid continued to cry, and CJ continued to laugh, his giggles now silent and breathless as he held a hand to his belly.
Melanie met me at the top of the porch steps, her cheeks pink with laughter. The boys wandered inside on their own, already acquainting themselves with my nieces and nephews. My eyes met hers, her grin so infectious that I couldn’t help but smile with her.
“I love your family already,” she said quietly.
“You’ve only met my father and my best friend,” I said. “And since my father is an absolute piece of shit, I can only assume you’re referring to the best friend. Save the declarations for later, after you’ve spent time with all of them, and then we’ll talk.”
She slowly shook her head. “No. I can already tell. I love them. I love it here. I—”
I placed a finger over her lips. “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I warned softly, even as my mind wondered what she would’ve said next if I’d let her.
I lowered my finger from her lips, and she pressed them together with a slow exhale. And I realized, as I looked deeply into her eyes, I didn’t have to wonder at all.
I knew.
I knew without the words uttered aloud because her soul whispered to mine and my soul whispered back.
I love you.
I love you too.
But that confession between souls, passed between an endless stare, was as far as I could let this go. Because she was leaving, dammit, and how cruel would it be to hear her voice say those words, only to rip them away hours later?
Finally, I turned away from her stare, suddenly aware of where we were and what we were doing, and there was Sid. Leaning against his open doorway, his hands tucked into his shorts pockets and a soft look in his eyes to accompany the smile he wore on his lips.
