Page 58 of The Tides Between Us

This wasn't where I belonged.

I belonged with Giana Cirone.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

GIANA

When I got to the marina, Crew and Miranda were loading up the boat, along with a few other people who worked at the rehabilitation facility. Today was the day we were officially releasing Pop-Tart and it was a bittersweet moment. I paused when I reached the dock, my eyes scanning the horizon as the sun began to lift higher into the sky.

I moved out of the way as two guys came walking past with a container that had Pop-Tart inside. A sigh escaped me and my footsteps were light on the wooden dock as I followed behind them, making my way to the boat. There was a twinge of sadness sliding through me. Declan was supposed to be here for this.

He had prior agreements he couldn’t dismiss. I told him it was okay, and I meant it. I promised myself I wouldn’t dwell on his absence. There was no one at fault, it was just a matter of bad timing. This day was supposed to be about releasing an animal back into its wild habitat… not about me and my feelings.

I stepped onto the boat and signed good morning to the crew and my coworkers before walking over to Pop-Tart. They transferred her into an almost tank-like container that was built into the boat, most likely where they housed fish. There was enough water inside to keep her comfortable, but there was a touch of fright in her eyes as she stilled.

“I know you’re scared,” I whispered to her, my voice most likely inaudible to anyone within close proximity. Pop-Tart stared up at me with a watchful gaze, almost like she could understand me. “I’m scared too, but it will all be okay. It’s time for you to go home now and this will all be over soon.”

We were only supposed to be going a few miles offshore to release her, so it wasn’t going to be that long of a ride out there. The preparation was taking more time than it would for us to reach our drop-off point. I glanced around, watching everyone as they were getting things into place. Miranda approached me with a soft smile on her face.

“We should be ready to go in about five minutes,”she signed to me.“How is she doing?”

“She seems frightened, which is to be expected. They usually are when they’re moved around like this.”

Miranda nodded in understanding.“I’ll tell them to hurry things along. Find somewhere to sit, so you’re ready to go when it’s time.”

“Okay,”I responded with a smile and watched her as she headed off in the direction of Crew and the two other guys. After giving Pop-Tart one last glance and making sure she was okay, I walked around the boat and over to the side by the dock. The captain stepped into the helm of the boat and the engine roared to life. Even though I couldn’t hear it, I could feel the vibration of it under my feet. The sound moved through my entire body and I turned back to walk to the bow of the boat.

The sun was hanging higher in the sky and the light it cast down shimmered across the surface of the water. I watched, mesmerized by the way it shifted in a slow, methodical way. The ocean was painstakingly beautiful. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, letting the salty air tantalize my senses.

My heart clenched. It smelled exactly likehim.Like sunshine and sea. His golden brown eyes drifted into my thoughts and I hung on to the memory of him. I was afraid for our future. There was a part of me that was sure this wouldn’t last. Even though I tended to be more independent, being away from him was really taking a toll on me. I loved him, and the last thing I wanted was for things to end between us, but I wasn’t sure how much more I could take of this.

It was weighing heavily on my heart.

The last I heard from him was when he texted me on Thursday when his plane touched down in Hawaii. This was the longest we had gone without talking, except he had texted me a few times. There was a strange feeling of disconnect, like the space between us was growing. We were living two separate lives now. I tried to not focus on it too much but when I allowed my thoughts to drift in that direction, it nearly split my heart in two.

Soft fingers touched my shoulder and I turned around to see Miranda standing behind me. Her expression was unreadable and I tilted my head to the side as I raised my eyebrows in question.

“There’s something you might want to see,”she signed to me before abruptly turning away.

My eyebrows dropped and tugged together as she began to walk in the opposite direction. My heart clenched as a million worst-case scenarios raced through my brain. Was there something wrong with Pop-Tart? I was terrified something had happened that would prevent us from releasing her. It wasn’t a done deal until that turtle was safely in the water.

Racing after her, I rounded the helm and almost ran directly into her back as she stopped along the dockside of the boat. I let out a ragged breath and stared at the back of her head. Miranda glanced over her shoulder at me, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips as she raised her hand and pointed out to the end of the dock that was touching solid ground. My gaze followed in the direction she was pointing and the air left my lungs in a rush.

I blinked twice in an effort to chase away the illusion, but he didn’t dissipate. He didn’t vanish into the salty air like a mirage. Declan Parks was standing at the end of the dock, staring directly at me.

I couldn’t move. I was frozen in place. My heart clenched, my throat constricted. I couldn’t fathom a single coherent thought and before I knew it, my body was moving involuntarily as I climbed over the side of the boat and onto the dock.

Miranda didn’t try to stop me and I wouldn’t have let her if she had. Declan was jogging toward me, his footsteps rattling the wooden planks beneath his feet. I broke out into a sprint, racing to him. The ocean air whipped my hair around my head. He was all I could see. I couldn’t get to him fast enough. We connected and crashed into one another.

His hands gripped the sides of my face and our mouths collided. He tasted likehim. He had to be real. My hands grabbed his biceps and I held on to him. Tilting my head back, the kiss deepened. His tongue slid against mine, soft like silk. God, I missed him so badly it was fucking ripping me apart.

Abruptly, I broke apart from him. My eyes desperately searched his. He blinked. He was here. He was real. I wasn’t dreaming. This wasn’t an illusion.

“Declan,” I whispered his name, my voice shaking around the syllables.

His expression was soft and warm and I watched the wave of emotion as the sound of my voice entered his ears. “Fuck. I missed you, princess.”

“What are you doing here?”

---