Page 59 of The Tides Between Us

I didn’t even bother stopping myself. The words tumbled from my lips. The vibration in my throat felt foreign and I pushed away the self-conscious thoughts of not being able to hear my own voice. My brain wasn’t functioning properly and I simply spoke without any inhibition.

“Don’t ever hide your voice from me,” he said before his face dipped down to mine. His lips met mine in a gentle caress before pulling away again. “I could listen to the sound of you and nothing else for the rest of my life.”

My throat welled with emotion so thick it felt like it was going to close. “You’re here.”

He smiled brightly. “Yes, I am, princess. I’m here for good.”

I tilted my head to the side in question as I tightened my grip on his arms. “How?”

“I’m done, Giana. I got to Hawaii and realized I couldn’t do it anymore. I’m tired of the distance between us, I’m tired of missing time with you.” He paused for a moment, a ragged breath escaping him. “I pulled out of the competition and told them I’m done.”

His words penetrated my soul. I shook my head at him, my brow furrowing. “What do you mean you’re done?” I whispered.

“You didn’t want me to give everything up for you, so I didn’t.” He stopped for a beat and the smile never fell from his lips. “I gave it up for me because I can’t live without you, Giana. I refuse to live a life where I can’t see you every day, where I can’t touch you whenever I want to. Where I can’t smell the lavender and vanilla scent of your shampoo. Where I can’t hear that sweet fucking voice of yours.”

The sun cast its light across his face, illuminating his gold-tinged eyes.

“I’m home, princess.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

DECLAN

Giana stared back at me like I had hung the sun in the sky. Her eyes grew misty and she let out a soft laugh as she shook her head in disbelief. She practically jumped onto me, wrapping her arms around the back of my neck as she pressed her body flush against mine. Her lips brushed my ear.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

Jesus. The sound of her voice. It was literally everything. I could die right here on this dock and I would die the happiest man in the universe. The way she spoke, it did things to me I could never explain. You never knew how badly you were missing something until you had your first taste of it. I had a taste of her voice and I wanted every single sound she would give me.

“Me too, princess.”

My heart clenched in my chest while warmth flooded my veins. I was overcome with emotion—so much more than I anticipated. I never wanted to be apart from her again.

Giana released me and took a step back as she slid her hand into mine.

“I suppose we should probably get on the boat, huh?”

She smiled brightly and it reached her eyes. They glimmered like the ocean beyond us. She led me along with her until we reached the side of the boat. Everyone on board was waiting for us and I didn’t miss the grins they were all fighting to conceal. I helped Giana on before hopping on after her. We found a spot to sit on one of the bench seats and the captain pulled the boat away from the dock.

Releasing Giana’s hand, I wrapped my arm around the tops of her shoulders and pulled her against my side. She settled against me, resting her head against the side of my chest. Leaning into her, I buried my face in her hair. My eyelids fluttered shut and I inhaled deeply. Her scent invaded my senses and soothed my soul.

Lifting my head, I propped my chin on the top of her head and stared out at the ocean as we coasted out into the open waters. Giana was right where she belonged, tucked against me and under my arm. This was exactly where I was supposed to be.

I struggled with the urge to fly here instead of Hawaii, but I tried. I went there for the competition, but as soon as I boarded the plane, I wanted off. I knew I had made a mistake but at that point, I was stuck. As soon as the plane landed, I texted Giana to let her know I made it there safely, but I couldn’t get the feeling to go away.

It didn’t take much for me to cave. I never made it to my hotel. I never even left the damn airport. I reached out to my agent and sponsors immediately and told them I couldn’t do it. Not a single one of them were happy with me and I was sure I was now on the top of their shit lists, but it didn’t matter. I waited for hours in that damn airport until I could get the next flight to Florida, which wasn’t easy to find, considering the layovers I had.

I didn’t bother stopping back in California before flying straight here. And I didn’t let Giana know because I knew she would try to talk me out of it. There was something about her that I wasn’t able to refuse and if she would have insisted I stayed for the competition, I would have just to appease her.

She wanted me here. It was written all over her face. I could read it in her body language. She just didn’t want to be the reason I gave everything up, so that was why I made the choice to do it for me. For what I wanted. And it just so happened to be her that I wanted.

I still needed to make arrangements to put my house on the market. I needed to pack and move my stuff as well. Hell, I wasn’t even sure about where I was going to stay, but I was sure my brother would let me stay at his place if Giana didn’t want me with her. I knew it was a lot happening at once, but sometimes I didn’t think things through before I did something.

My dream had always been to start a surfing academy. I loved teaching others and seeing the joy on kids’ faces when they first found their balance and could master standing upright on a board. It felt like this was my destiny. Leaving my surfing career to start a new one was the best move I could have made, even if I didn't have the plans mapped out.

I had time.

Wefinally had time.

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