40. Epilogue
CHAPTER 40
EPILOGUE
KAYLA
I ’m sprawled out on the beach in freaking Oahu, Hawaii! It’s beautiful here with soft cream-colored sand and perfect blue water. The air is warm, a gentle breeze ruffling my hair, and Dane’s hands are rubbing another coating of sunscreen on my back. His touch is slow, deliberate, and it makes me wish this was a private beach.
Still, it’s not crowded, which is nice. There’s a few families scattered around and a group of kids building sand castles. The sun is overhead in a bright blue sky with a few fluffy white clouds that make the whole setting look like a painting.
“Hey, beach bum! Ever rode a wave?” Liam pipes up behind me.
I look over, and there he is with Ryker, both of them carrying surfboards and looking like they’re auditioning for a calendar. Not gonna lie, it’s a pretty good view.
“Surfing? Me? Ha! I’ve barely mastered walking on land,” I joke, sitting up and trying to look cool while brushing off sand from my legs.
Liam’s got this grin that screams ‘trouble,’ but like, the fun kind. “I’ll teach you,” he says, eyeing me like I’m a challenge he can’t wait to take on. Same look he has whenever he’s fixing to fight a big boss on a game.
“What’s the prize if I do?” I tease.
Ryker grins. “Try this, and I might even let you loose on my motorcycle.”
I laugh. “Whoa there, Evil Knievel! Let’s see if I can even stay on a surfboard without wiping out first, yeah?” But the idea of riding a motorcycle on my own has me wanting to do this.
“I’ll grab drinks and a snack for all of us.” Dane kisses me before he stands up to leave. “What’s your poison, Kayla?”
“Hit me with the biggest, baddest Mai Tai they’ve got.”
As Dane heads off to fetch our liquid happiness, I’m left facing down the ocean with Ryker and Liam as my guides.
“All right. Time to see if you can turn this beach babe into a surf queen. Bring it on, waves!”
After we grab a third board for me, we haul out into the water and when it’s deep enough, I follow their lead and lay down on my surfboard. Instantly, it’s wobbling like crazy, and I’m pretty sure it’s trying to buck me off for funsies.
Meanwhile, Liam and Ryker are gliding through the water like sexy sea otters. Show-offs.
Liam’s board cuts through the water next to me, steady as a rock. His arms slice into the ocean with practiced ease, and I try to mimic the motion, splashing more than paddling.
“Easy does it,” he calls over the sound of the waves. “Flow with the waves, not against them.”
“Flow, right,” I mutter, feeling about as graceful as a cat in a bathtub. But his words click something inside me, and my strokes begin to smooth out. It’s not perfect, but hey, I’m moving, and that’s something.
“See? You’re getting it!” Liam flashes me a thumbs-up, and I grin back. The sun is warm on my back, the saltwater splashes my face, and there’s this buzz in my chest that feels a lot like excitement—or maybe just the thrill of doing something new.
Both Liam and Ryker keep glancing over at me, giving me encouraging smiles.
We reach deeper water, and the swells lift us gently.
I paddle, arms burning, and the wave catches me, propelling me forward.
“Relax. Pretend you’re part of the water,” Ryker says.
“Oh sure, I’ll just turn into a mermaid. No biggie,” I mutter, but weirdly, it helps. As I start to move smoother, like maybe the ocean and I have reached a truce.
“There you go!” Ryker cheers, and I swear I can hear the grin in his voice. “You’re a natural!”
“A natural disaster, maybe,” I laugh, but I’m kinda proud of myself. Who knew I had hidden fish genes? I mean, I stayed on, even though it was on my stomach and clinging to the board with all the strength I have.
We paddle out deeper, and suddenly I’m bobbing up and down like a cork in a storm. Liam points to an incoming wave that looks huge and I swallow the lump in my throat.
“That one’s all yours, champ.” Ryker winks and it does funny things to my insides.
“Great. No pressure or anything,” I gulp.
Liam helps me turn my board, while Ryker positions himself nearby. “When we say ‘now,’ paddle like your life depends on it,” Liam instructs.
The wave approaches, looking less like water and more like a moving wall of ‘oh crap.’
“NOW!” they both shout.
I paddle like I’m being chased by sharks, and suddenly I’m shaking. For a glorious second, I’m coasting on the wave. Sure I’m flat on my stomach, fingers digging into the board—then the world goes topsy-turvy, and I’m pretty sure I just did an involuntary audition for the underwater Olympics.
Two pairs of strong hands haul me up. Liam and Ryker are there, looking equal parts worried and impressed.
“You okay there, Tsunami?” Ryker asks, his hand on my back.
I spit out what feels like half the Pacific. “Nailed it, right?”
They both burst out laughing, and I join in. The wipeout should be terrifying, but instead, it feels... freeing.
“Ready to go again?” Liam asks.
“Hell yeah!” I surprise myself with my enthusiasm.
For the next hour, I spend more time eating saltwater than riding waves, but I’m having a blast.
By the time we call it quits, I’m exhausted, sore, and probably half-fish. But I’m also grinning like an idiot. Because for a few hours, I’m just Kayla, surf disaster extraordinaire, hanging with two ridiculously hot guys and the entire ocean.
Exhaustion claws at my muscles like I’ve been running a marathon, not just wrestling with the ocean. But the fatigue feels damn good—earned. And hey, I managed to stay on for like ten whole seconds, a new record for me. My legs wobble as I trudge back to shore, saltwater slicking off my skin.
“Here, let me.” Liam hoists both our surfboards under his arm, muscles flexing effortlessly. I can’t help but admire the way his body moves, all strength and confidence.
“Thanks,” I murmur, too wiped out to even pretend I could carry anything more substantial than my own weight right now.
Dane greets us with a tray of pineapple slices so fresh they practically glisten against the backdrop of the setting sun. He hands me one, the juice sweet and sharp on my tongue, a vivid contrast to the lingering taste of seawater.
“Caught some of those waves you rode, Kayla. Impressive for a first-timer,” Dane says, and there’s no mistaking the respect threading through his words. It’s the kind of praise that fills those little hollow spaces, the ones left by doubts and dark nights.
“She did fantastic,” Ryker chimes in, smoke and leather mixing with the tropical breeze.
“Thanks, guys.” I beam at them, pride puffing up my chest until I’m nearly floating on air. “Couldn’t have done it without either of you, though.” The massive Mai Tai Dane hands me has a comically large, pink straw. I take a long pull, the sweetness hitting me with a rush, but I don’t taste any alcohol and look up at Dane.
“It’s a virgin….no drinking allowed on the beach.”
“Ah,” I say, but the drink is really good and I take another sip.
“Ready to go again?” Dane asks Liam, nodding toward the waves that are turning molten gold in the dying light.
“Try and stop me,” Liam grins, bounding to his feet with that infectious energy of his.
“Show-off,” I mumble fondly, watching them jog to the water’s edge.
Ryker’s gaze lingers on me, intense enough to raise goosebumps despite the remaining heat of the day. “How about snorkeling? You up for it?”
“Sure,” I reply, feeling the corner of my lip tug upward. “Never been one to turn down a new challenge.”
“Good.” His lips find mine, a brief but searing kiss that leaves me breathless. “Be right back.”
As I catch my breath, I squint at the glare on my phone screen, thumbing away a notification. I swipe to my messages and there’s Mom, blaring excitement in caps about her Greece cruise next month. I’m so happy for her.
“Take all the pics,” I type back, a grin blooming across my face. She needs this; hell, we both do—a slice of freedom, an escape from the usual grind.
With my phone still in hand, I angle it towards the ocean, catching Dane and Liam carving up waves like they’re showing off for a crowd. Click. Click. The shots freeze them in a moment where everything’s perfect, sun kissing the water, muscles taut with thrill. Surfing snapshots for keeps.
The ringtone shatters the calm, a sharp sound that makes me fumble the phone nearly into the sand. My heart does a little skip-beat dance before I swipe to answer not even looking at the caller ID because I’m sure it’s Mom.
“Hi,” I say. “Now tell me about this cruise.”
“Hey, Kayla, it’s Casey.”
“Casey!” I nearly drop the phone, my heart doing a little happy dance. “Oh my freaking god! Are you okay? What happened? I’ve been worried about you.”
A chuckle escapes her. “Well, I’m not dead yet, but I’ve definitely seen some shit since that whole bus fiasco.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay. Have you heard from Dancia and Jess? I miss you guys so much. I’ve got a ton to tell you.” I’m smiling so hard that my sunburned cheeks are starting to ache.
“Listen, I’ve gotta run, but are you free to meet in the next week or so?”
“Of course. What’s up?”
“I’ll tell you about it later. You’ve got my number and I’ll message you the details. We’ll catch up soon, promise. Miss and love you, Kayla.”
Before I can answer, she ends the call, leaving me staring at the screen, half relieved, half wondering what the hell is going on. But mostly, I’m just happy she’s okay. If something had happened to Dancia and Jess, Casey would have said something, right?
Ryker jogs up, and I’m admiring his chiseled chest. “Hanauma Bay has snorkeling. But even though they say we can go at night, it’s better in the morning.”
“Bummer.” I glance over at the sun that’s already so much lower on the horizon than when we got here.
“No worries. I booked us for 9 am sharp tomorrow. And tonight, there’s a luau complete with Hulu-hula dancers that teach anyone who wants to learn.”
“That’s amazing. Sign me up.” I’d always wanted to learn how to shake my hips like that.
Dane and Liam stride up, saltwater glistening off their bodies.
“Ready to head to the hotel?” Ryker asks. “We’ve got about an hour before we need to leave to catch the luau.”
“Yes,” I stand up, popping my phone in the beach bag. That nagging voice in my head is still worrying about Casey and the gang, but I’m doing my best not to be a total Debbie Downer. I mean, I’ve got Liam, the sunshine on a cloudy day; Ryker, my steady rock; and Dane, the quiet, brooding hottie. It’s like having my own personal superhero squad.
I have no clue what tomorrow will bring, but with these amazing hunks by my side, I say bring it on. Yeah, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
As I look around at the loving gazes of Liam, Ryker, and Dane, I realize something: this right here, this moment of belonging and unconditional love - it’s not just a happy ending. It’s my new beginning.