Luna
SIX
My legs drift beneath the water as I study the horizon. The gentle rocking motion of the waves puts me in a trance-like state as my body moves with each inhale and exhale of the ocean. Usually, the water calms me, but today I can’t quite shake off an unsettling feeling.
All last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about Scarlett and how this little girl had lost her mom. My heart aches all over again at the thought.
And Cayden…
It’s clear his daughter is his entire world.
So many questions keep flooding my head.
Did he love Scarlett’s mom?
Were they married?
How long ago did this happen?
God, the pain he must have gone through…
“You’re awfully quiet this morning. Everything okay?”
I turn to my brother’s voice and see the concerned look on his handsome face. Running a hand through his wet hair, he tames his brown locks from falling back into his eyes as he studies me.
“Just taking it all in,” I put on a smile, looking back at the breathtaking sunrise we just witnessed moments ago. “It never gets old, you know?”
“No, it doesn’t,” he says softly, following my line of sight. “No matter how many times I see one out here, it always feels like I’m seeing it for the first time.”
I watch the colors deepen as the sun fully rises, casting tiny diamonds across the water. The waves reach higher as if tethered to the light before they roll underneath us.
Scarlett will never get to see a sunrise with her mom.
I push the intrusive thought out of the way and try to shake off the sadness.
“You two going to surf or just sit on your boards all day?” I smile when I hear Maverick’s voice appear behind me.
Turning my head, a playful grin stretches across his face as he sits upright on his surfboard, looking like a model who just stepped out of Surf Magazine with his sun-kissed streaks woven into his hair and striking green eyes.
He’s been like a brother to me long before he married my sister, even giving me my very first job at his surf shop so I could save up to buy my first board.
Growing up, I was either dancing or in the water. They both gave me a freedom I couldn’t explain, and I craved that high like no other. I used to beg them when I was younger to take me surfing whenever they would go before school.
Florida is not like Hawaii, where the waves are plentiful. When a cold front or storm comes in, you have to take advantage of it while you can. The waves might not be perfect, but they are still a hell of a lot of fun.
“You old men think you can still keep up with me?” I grin, feeling his infectious energy seep through me before moving onto my stomach. Laughter rolls out around me as I start to paddle.
“Oh, now it’s on,” Mav chuckles as his strong arms easily push his surfboard forward.
“I should never have left her unsupervised with you all those years she worked for you,” Noah shakes his head as he catches up with us. “Her sassy mouth comes from you,” he nods at Mav.
“Taught her everything I know,” he grins.
“That’s what scares me,” my brother chuckles.
We stop when we see a set forming off in the distance.
“This one is yours, Lunabug. Do us proud,” Mav grins as he holds back with Noah, giving me the right to claim it.
Adrenaline shoots through my veins as I push my arms harder to get in position.
“I will,” I beam back at them before I pick up speed, my heart racing with anticipation as I remember everything they taught me.
Turning at just the right moment, I easily hop up on my board and do a couple of cutbacks, feeling the movement of the ocean as if I’m dancing within it.
When I feel the shift in the water beneath my feet, I do an aerial, and for those few seconds, I’m flying free before my board lands in the grasp of the ocean once again.
Grinning, I ride the wave out before hopping off my board and paddling back over to Noah and Maverick, who are now cheering loudly for me.
“I taught her that, too,” Mav boasts like a proud parent.
“Perfect landing, sis,” Noah grins. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“I had the best teachers,” I smile, feeling the excitement I always get after a perfect landing, no matter if it’s in the water or on land with my feet touching the wooden dance floor.
I watch Noah and Mav take the next sets before I catch a few leftover waves that come in.
Tired and happy, we make our way in an hour later.
“Have a lot of classes today?” Noah secures his board with mine in the back of his truck before running a towel over his head.
“I have a few private yoga sessions this afternoon before dance classes start. One is coming from Bayside.”
“That’s great,” Mav grins, throwing a hoodie on with his board shorts. “Who’s the new client?”
Unzipping my zipper on my wetsuit, I strip down to my black one-piece and squeeze the water out of my hair before running my fingers through it.
“Not sure. Mom set up the appointment. All I know is that he is an athlete and needs some help with recurring hip pain. I guess she went to high school with his coach, and he’s the one who set it up.”
“Well, if anyone can help him, you can. You’ve got a magic touch. My back hasn’t bothered me since you taught me those techniques.” Noah hands me my sweatshirt from the cab of his truck.
“Thanks.” Pulling on my hoodie, I throw my hands in the front pocket to ward off the cold from the water. “I’m glad it’s helping.”
The unsettling feeling from before returns, and I shiver as goosebumps suddenly appear.
“I need to head out. I told Maven I would take her to school today.” Maverick pulls me in for a hug and kisses the top of my head.
“Give my niece a hug and tell my precious nephew, Holden, that Auntie Luna will be at his next beach day.”
While Maven couldn’t be more like my sister if she tried, Holden is every bit his dad. With dimples and hair touched by the sun, he’s been on a surfboard since he could walk.
At only four, he lives and breathes the ocean just like Maverick does. When he gives him lessons, I try to be there when my schedule aligns.
Mav’s green eyes light up as his dimpled smile grows wider. “He would have come today if I had let him. He’s so much like me it’s scary,” he laughs.
“If he gets into even half the trouble you were as a kid, you are so screwed,” Noah laughs.
“Says the guy who was right there with me every step of the way. Our sons are besties, so you don’t get off that easy,” Mav grins, getting in his Jeep.
“It’s like I get a second chance to watch the two of you grow up all over again since I wasn’t here for it the first time.” I look at both of them and smile at the irony.
Laughing, Noah walks to the driver’s side door and opens it. “Our moms always said we would get payback once we had kids of our own.” He slides into the seat as I get in on the passenger side.
“Let’s just hope they are a lot smarter than we were,” Mav shakes his head with a chuckle. Sticking his hand out the window, he waves goodbye as Noah starts the truck and pulls out behind him.
Keeping the window down, I let the cool wind filter through my hair, enjoying the fresh, salty air. Noah and I make small talk on the short drive to my apartment, and I’m waving goodbye just a few minutes later as I watch his truck pull out onto the main road.
Slinging my beach bag over my shoulder, I walk to the back of the complex and head up the flight of steps to my one-bedroom apartment. I moved here two years ago, right around the time I started my dance studio.
I know my parents would have let me stay with them forever, but if I was going to build a business on my own, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it in all areas of my life.
Putting the key in the lock, my sandals touch the dark wood floors as I step inside.
The place is light and airy with plants and neutral-colored walls.
A small L-shaped sofa and wooden coffee table sit in the living room across from a TV mounted on the wall, framed with two white bookcases and a console at the bottom.
The shelves are lined with various family pictures and shells I’ve collected throughout the years, along with a scatter of books placed on each shelf, featuring some of my favorite authors.
I don’t have much downtime, but when I do, I love to get lost in a good book. If I’m not surfing in the water, I’m usually stretched out on the beach with my nose in my Kindle.
Setting my bag down on the small table by the front door, I toe off my sandals and head straight for the coffeemaker, needing something to warm my body up from being in the cool water.
The kitchen is open to the living room, and although it’s small, it’s the perfect setup and has all I need.
I was sold on the updated stainless steel appliances and white granite countertops.
I’ve always felt the kitchen and bathrooms can make or break a place, and luckily, this place has done both beautifully.
I grew up with big family dinners and everyone cooking together in the kitchen. It was the center of everything and where we would spend the most time sitting at the table or propped up on the island barstools.
Even though I don’t host a lot of family dinners here due to the size of our big family, I still love to cook and spend a lot of my time in here.
Taking my freshly brewed coffee, I add a touch of cinnamon and some oat milk before walking over to the glass door leading out to the small balcony.
There is just enough room out here for two chairs and some plants as I take a seat like I do every morning before work to enjoy the view.
This apartment complex was the first one I went to when I started looking for a place. Both my brother and Maverick shared their first apartment here, and a couple of years later, my sister and Sophia moved in a few buildings down until they moved out and bought homes of their own.
I used to come here all the time growing up to visit them and still remember all the days we would grill out down by the water and end up in the pool later, sunburned and happy.
The pond is large enough to provide a nice water view to the tenants who live on the backside of the building. More apartments are spread out around it with small docks and gazebos to give you better access to enjoy the water and nature it brings.
My eyes scan the glossy water that sits below before I spot what I’m looking for.
I smile softly as I see the mama duck swimming with her six little ducklings in a row, doing their best to keep up as they learn to swim. I’ve been watching the mama duck in the mornings and was surprised when she showed up a few weeks ago, proudly showing off her new babies.
Taking a sip of my coffee, I watch them for a few more minutes, fascinated by how she keeps them in line and doesn’t lose a single one. She swims gracefully in the water, and the little crew mimics her movements, reminding me of my youngest dance class.
This must be what I look like when I’m teaching.
I smile at the thought of my little ducks following me around the room. I guess I am like a mama duck for that hour we are together, as I lead them single file around the room.
Blue eyes and blonde curls enter my mind briefly as Scarlett flashes through my head, but are quickly taken over by intense greens and a face I haven’t been able to get out of my mind.
There’s just something so beautifully broken about him that has me wanting to understand what he’s hiding beneath the surface. The way he made me feel in those brief moments is something I’ve never felt before and can’t stop thinking about.
Until now, only dance has ever made me this alive.
The rush of adrenaline…
The feeling of being surrounded by something much bigger than you can ever imagine…
Teetering on the edge of safety and leaping into the unknown.
The flutter of a thousand butterfly wings as my body comes alive.
The desire…
God, did it burn.
My fingertips drift to my neck as I close my eyes, briefly remembering the way his gaze drifted over me.
Never had I felt such a need…such a longing.
But I also sensed his turmoil…the desperation to make it all go away, even though it felt impossible to break the bonds that were pulling us together.
My lips part on a sigh as my hand moves to my heart. The steady thump under my palm increases as a deep ache I can’t explain forms inside.
How is it possible that a stranger I just met can have this effect on me?
But he’s also the dad of one of my students, I remind myself as I blink my eyes open, forcing myself to face reality.
A single dad who looks every bit guarded, with a strong, protective force that feels impenetrable.
If his rigid body language and daunting, piercing eyes are any indication, his daughter isn’t the only thing he’s protecting.