Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
COLTON
“Too slow on the pop-up!” Gabriel yells from the shore as I push to my feet on my board.
I bite back a curse and adjust instinctively, dropping into the wave anyway. The face is clean and I drive hard into a deep bottom turn, loading my weight through my back foot before snapping off the lip and causing spray to kick up into the wind.
I land heavier than I want to, the board chattering under my feet as the wave starts to flatten out under me, but I still ride it through, letting what’s left of the energy carry me toward the shore before stepping off into the shallows as cold water rushes around my calves.
“You were too wide on that bottom turn!” Gabriel calls, closing the distance. “Tighten it up! And that snap was also too flat. Get it more vertical!”
“Got it, Coach,” I reply, already turning away.
I swing back onto my board and paddle out hard, ducking under the next incoming wave and pushing through the break. By the time I make it back to the lineup, the team’s already spread out. And of course, the only open space left is right beside Zale.
He looks over, a smug grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I take it Gabriel is still not impressed with your mediocre technique?” he asks.
I exhale through my nose and keep my eyes forward, scanning the sets rolling in as Kairi paddles for the next one.
“I’m working on it,” I mutter.
“Don’t work too hard,” Zale says, still watching me. “Wouldn’t want you running off again when it gets too tough for you to handle.”
My grip tightens on the rails of my board, and for a second I consider letting it go—letting him keep talking until he gets bored. But I already know how that’ll end.
“You done,” I say flatly, “or do you have more recycled lines?”
He lets out a humourless laugh. “I’m just stating the facts, Colton. You’ve already proved yourself to be a flight risk.”
I force my shoulders to stay loose, even as hot anger twists in my chest.
“If I was going to run, I wouldn’t have come back,” I say, turning to meet his gaze, “and I sure as hell wouldn’t have stuck around for the last year as a sub. So, how about you focus on your own shitty problems.”
His eyes narrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I glance past him, tracking Kairi as she pops up clean and drives down the line effortlessly.
“Come on, Zale,” I say, a faint smirk tugging at my mouth. “It’s obvious you’re bothered she moved on from the schoolgirl crush she had on you.”
“I’m not bothered” he snaps. “I could care less. I’m busy with Alessia.”
“Yeah?” I tilt my head slightly, still watching Kairi perfectly carve through the section. “Where is Alessia, anyway?”
I’m met with silence, and my smirk widens just a fraction before I finally glance at him again.
“You should worry less about me leaving the team,” I say, voice dropping low, “and worry more about why people don’t want to stay around you.”
A dark expression flashes on his face and his jaw tightens as the corner of my mouth twitches with a faint smile.
“You ladies done chatting back there,” Gabriel calls from the shore, arms crossed, “or do I need to split you up?”
“You’re up,” I say, jerking my chin toward the incoming set.
He bares his teeth at me before dropping flat onto his board and paddling out hard just as Kairi glides past him. Her brow quirks as she comes to a stop next to me.
“Why does he look like he’s about to do something dangerously stupid?”
I shrug. “Doesn’t he always?”
She huffs a quiet laugh, pushing damp curls out of her face.
“Nice ride by the way,” I add, nodding toward where she came from. “Gabriel looked impressed.”
“Thanks,” she says, but it’s softer than usual. “I just…hope it’s enough for the comp.”
I study her, catching the slight hesitation. “You’re one of the best surfers on this coast, Kai,” I say, holding her gaze. “That gold is already yours.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t quite stick. “Yeah,” she says lightly. “We’ll see.”
Something about the way she says it doesn’t sit right with me, and then I remember what she told me all those days ago, about the comments and different treatment she gets at competitions. My jaw tightens as I think about what she must go through, and I swear to myself I’ll be watching this time.
“Zale! You’re muscling it!” Gabriel shouts. “Smooth it out!”
We both look in Zale’s direction just as he wipes out on his landing and doesn’t even try to recover. Once he’s back on his board, he turns and paddles straight for shore until he’s out of the water, planting his board in the sand and dropping down beside it.
Gabriel watches him for a beat, then looks toward me. “Colton, you’re up!”
I slide forward on my board, then glance back at Kairi. “Duty calls, beautiful.”
A subtle but pretty blush crawls along her cheeks, and she tries to hide it with an eye roll as a small smile tugs at her lips. “Go get ‘em, cowboy.”
“We could’ve just driven over together,” Zale says when he steps onto Griffin’s boat.
The deck rocks slightly under his weight, the low hum of the engine vibrating through the soles of my feet.
“I had more fun driving past you on your little tricycle,” I shoot back.
“It’s a bicycle,” he snaps.
“I don’t know about that,” I murmur, loud enough for him to hear. “I saw training wheels.”
Koa snorts from where he sits, one arm slung over the backrest. “You two are still at it?”
“Not even a question,” Zale mutters, cracking open a beer. “This is a permanent feud.”
“Seems that way,” I say under my breath, crouching to grab a can from the cooler. It hisses as I pop it open, condensation already slick against my fingers. “Any idea why Fin wanted us out here?”
Koa shrugs. “Figured he just needed a break from everything going on with his parents, he probably just wants a distraction.”
I nod and take a seat, stretching my legs out in front of me. I almost didn’t come tonight, especially after I saw that Zale confirmed in the group chat that he’d be here, because every instinct in my body told me to stay the hell home.
But Griffin needs us, and that was enough to override everything else—so here I am.
“Hey, boys.”
We all look up as Griffin steps aboard, tossing his keys into the console. His smile is thinner than usual.
“Sorry I’m late. Got stuck in traffic on the way back from the care home.”
“Traffic in this town?” Koa asks.
“Mountain goats,” Griffin deadpans. “The whole damn herd decided to cross at once.”
“Sounds like they planned it ahead of time,” I say, huffing out a laugh. “I’ve always thought those animals looked freaky.”
“Not as freaky as you do,” Zale mutters into his drink.
My jaw tightens and I take a slow sip instead of responding. Koa glances between us, his easy expression fading.
“You two are worse than usual tonight,” he says. “What’s going on?”
Griffin leans back in the seat next to Koa, a hint of a smirk tugging at his mouth. “According to Eliana…Colton and Kairi are dating now.”
Koa’s brows shoot up. “Oh.” He turns to Zale. “So you’re jealous?”
Zale scoffs. “I’m not jealous.” His gaze cuts to me. “I just don’t want my friend getting hurt when he takes off again.”
I stiffen. “What are you talking about?”
“You think relationships are easy?” he says, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. “As soon as things stop being fun, and everything gets real, you’ll bail. That’s your thing.”
Each word lands harder than the last and I have to tighten my grip around the can, aluminum bending slighting under my fingers, to stop from lunging at him.
“That’s what you do,” he continues. “And she’s the one who’s going to have a broken heart when it happens.”
I hate the way he says it like it’s an inevitable fact, and I hate that I don’t know how to argue with it because a part of me thinks he’s right, I’ve always been like this.
When my parents tried to lock me into the family business—I left.
When everything fell apart after Griffin got hurt—I left again.
I tried to start over in Bluewater Bluffs by joining the Rip Raiders. I tried to pretend that I didn’t miss this place, or the people in it. And when that blew up in my face? I came running back.
So no, he’s not wrong, and that’s the worst part.
“And I bet you’ll be right there waiting,” I say quietly, lifting my gaze to meet him, “ready to pick up the pieces.”
The tension radiates between us so palpable you can almost taste it, and I have no doubt in my mind that Griffin and Koa will have to separate us any second.
“Alright,” Griffin cuts in, holding up a hand. “That’s enough. We’re not getting carried away on my boat.”
Koa exhales and leans forward, grabbing another beer. “Yeah. Let’s not ruin this. Fin, talk to us. What’s going on?”
Griffin runs a hand over the back of his neck before taking the can Koa offers him. He stares at it for a second before taking a long drink.
“Their dementia’s progressing,” he says, voice quieter now. “Faster than we expected.”
The air shifts around me as Griffin stares at the floor with a distant look in his eyes.
“The care home said they’ll still try to accommodate them for the wedding,” he adds, “but the doctor doesn’t think they’ll even make it that far.”
Silence settles over us and we each look shocked with the news.
“Damn, Fin,” I murmur. “I’m sorry.”
I remember when he first told me about their diagnoses, and how hard he took it. Something inside him had cracked that day.
Losing them once was bad enough, but this? This is like losing them for a second time.
Griffin exhales slowly. “Honestly…I think it’s hitting Eli even harder.”
Koa frowns. “Yeah?”
She doesn’t have her parents,” he says. “She was the one pushing for mine to be there because she wanted those memories and pictures to look back on.”
My chest tightens. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to deal with all of this when it’s supposed to be the most exciting and happiest time of their lives.
“She looked upset this morning,” Zale says. “Gabriel was comforting her during practice.”
Griffin’s head snaps up. “Tell your brother-in-law to keep his hands to himself.”
Zale rolls his eyes. “Relax. He’s perfectly happy with my sister, and way too busy raising their two kids.”
Koa leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “How is your sister doing, by the way? I saw her at the cemetery the other day.”
Zale leans back, tapping his thumbs against his can.
“She’s okay…most days.” He shrugs. “But there are days where everything hits her at once. The loss, the pregnancy, the twins labour…it’s a lot for anyone to come to terms with.”
Last year, we found out about Gabriella—Zalea and Gabriel’s angel baby. It came to a shock for all of us, especially considering how shit Zale is at keeping secrets, but it was helped us finally understand why everything blew up between those two.
“And how’s uncle life?” Griffin asks.
Zale cracks a smile, and I realize this might be the first time I’ve seen a real one from him in years.
“They’re little goofballs,” he says with a chuckle. “Fighting each other over toys, drooling all over themselves, and putting their sticky fingers on everything they possibly can.”
“Sounds chaotic,” Griffin says, smiling faintly.
“Yeah,” Zale nods. “But the best part is after a day playing with them, I get to hand them back to their parents when they start screaming. That life isn’t not for me.”
They all laugh, except for me. “You don’t want kids?” I ask, breaking my silence.
“Nope.”
“What about a wife?”
He shoots me an annoyed look. “I’m perfectly happy being a single uncle for the rest of my life, and spoiling my sister's kids.”
I nod slowly, but my mind is racing. Kids and a spouse are two things Kairi has always talked about having one day, and if those aren’t part of Zale’s life plan then surely Kairi should know.
Someone should tell her.
I should tell her.
“Alright,” Griffin says suddenly, pushing to his feet. “Now for the real reason you’re all here.”
He places his beer can on the bench and disappears below deck for a minute before coming back up with three black boxes.
He hands one to each of us, dropping back into his seat with a grin that actually reaches his eyes this time. “Open them.”
Koa goes first, lifting the lid of his box and letting out a laugh. “No way.”
Zale follows, pulling a custom grooming kit from the box, his grin spreading as he reads the stitched text on the kit. “Groomsman?”
“Is this your way of asking us?” Koa laughs, zipping open the kit and pulling out a nose trimmer. “I’d be happy to.”
“Same,” Zale adds. “We’ll make sure your bachelor party goes down in history.”
I look down at my box and slowly open it, expecting to see an identical grooming kit to theirs, but instead mine says ‘best man’.
My chest tightens and my head snaps up to find Griffin already watching me with a hopeful glint in his eyes.
“Well?” he asks, holding out his hand. “You in?”
For a second, I can’t speak. Out of everyone here, he’s the one who had the most reason not to trust me, and he’s still choosing me. I stand and pull him into a hug instead, gripping the back of his shirt.
“Of course,” I say, voice rough. “I’ve got you.”
He laughs, clapping me on the back. “Good. Because now you’re in charge of planning the bachelor party.”
I pull back, shaking my head. “It’ll be the best one you’ve ever seen.”
“Damn right it will.”
I sit back down, staring at the box in my hands as the others start throwing out ideas for the party, but my mind’s somewhere else.
If Griffin can forgive me enough to trust me like this, then maybe I’m not as stuck as I thought. Maybe I can fix things with Gabriel and the team.
I just have to figure out how I can prove myself.