Page 62 of Riding the Waves

“I had no idea he’d take me up on it,” he said to Amy when they were alone. “Am I seriously supposed to give your husband a surf lesson now?”

“Sorry.” Amy stepped closer, hooking her little finger around his, the tiny gesture unbelievably reassuring. “He just wants to have a try. He won’t stay long.”

“Okay.” Damian studied her face, noticing how red her eyes were. “How did it go, by the way? Have you been crying?”

“It was all quite emotional, but it was fine.”

“So does he want you two to work things out?”

“No.” Her eyes were full of sympathy. “I already told you that. And it turns out he’s already seeing someone else.”

Damian’s mouth lifted to a slow smile as relief flooded his body.

“Do you believe me now that things really are over?” Amy asked.

He looked lovingly into her eyes, trying to believe the previous evening hadn’t merely been a heat of the moment, one-off occurrence. “I’m starting to,” he said, wishing he could kiss her but aware of Anthony in his peripheral vision, wandering back over to them.

Suddenly, he felt much better about giving Anthony a surf lesson. The boys would no doubt love having both the men in their life doing something with them.

And, with any luck, there’d be time for kissing Amy later.

CHAPTER 31

Sitting on the sand watching Damian and Anthony play around in the sea with Billy and Marty was a surreal experience. Surreal but incredibly heart-warming.

Amy still wasn’t sure how she felt about Anthony seeing someone else. The thought of him spending time with his new girlfriend before they’d even split up didn’t sit well with her, but she also knew it was so out of character for Anthony that he really must have been miserable.

Billy’s loud cheers broke her thoughts. Anthony was standing up on the board, riding a small and fairly slow wave. He wobbled and crashed feet first into the water, laughing as he went.

“I think I’ll call it a day after that show-stopper,” he said, walking up the beach to Amy. “End on a high and all that.”

“You did well.” She brushed sand from her hands and threw him his towel.

“Thanks. I don’t think I have any natural surfing talent, but it was fun to give it a go.” He rubbed the towel across his face. “I’ll take the board back and get showered and changed. I’ll come back and say goodbye after that.”

Amy watched him go, then turned her attention to the water, returning Damian’s smile when she caught his eye from where he sat bobbing on his surfboard. He’d just got out of the water when Anthony returned. Marty and Billy stood shivering in their towels when Anthony gave them big hugs. Then he reached for Damian’s hand and thanked him for the surf lesson as he shook it.

“Look after them, won’t you?” he added.

“We’ll see you in a few weeks,” Amy told him, wrapping him in a hug. “No need to get all sentimental. There’s also this thing called a phone.”

He kissed her cheek, smiling. Amy smiled too. Their farewell felt exactly right – a kiss on the cheek as though they were old friends, which was all they should ever have been. Watching him go, she only hoped he’d found someone who would love him the way he deserved, and a relationship which would make him truly happy.

Billy and Marty stood and waved to Anthony until he was out of sight, then they spotted a friend from their surf lessons and ran off to play with him.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Amy asked, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at Damian.

“No.” He sat down beside her on the sand. “It was actually very entertaining. He has no sense of balance.”

“No need to look so pleased about the fact that Anthony can’t surf. He was hardly going to show you up out there, was he?”

“I don’t know, you hadn’t been on a surfboard for years but you gave me a run for my money.”

“Now you’re just trying to flatter me.”

“Maybe.” He cast a furtive glance in the direction of the boys before catching her lips in a soft kiss that made her thoughts flick back to the previous night, and caused butterflies to take flight in her stomach.

“What else did you and he talk about this morning?” he asked.

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