Chapter Twenty-Nine
The knock on the door startled her. It was early and Rowan was still sipping coffee. Bagel hopped over to see who’d decided to visit.
“I need to talk to you.”
Everett stood before her with an odd intensity beating from his aura. Dressed in his black suit and red tie—today looked like Michael Kors—he seemed to vibrate with energy. “Of course,” she said, stepping aside.
Bagel gave him a judgy, unblinking stare, then hopped away.
Last night, he’d called to let her know he had a long talk with Kelsey and they were spending the evening together.
Relief was sweet. She’d been worried about the girl and afraid she wouldn’t tell Everett, putting Rowan in a tough position.
It was like they were all approaching a ticking time bomb with the opening and things were falling apart.
Or together. Depended on the perspective.
“How did things go with Kelsey?” she asked, heading to the kitchen. She poured him a mug, which he took gratefully. “I’m glad you both had time together.”
“It was overdue.” He sipped the brew. “I’m glad she opened up with you. Not sure what would’ve happened without your support.”
Rowan touched his arm and smiled. “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to another woman, or a nonfamily member. I’m so happy she told you everything. It must’ve been hard for both of you.”
He gave a sharp nod. “It was, but I feel like we had a breakthrough. I had no idea she was getting bullied and didn’t want to go to that private school.
I just kept trekking along, thinking everything was fine and it was simple teen drama.
I have to learn to get better at listening, Rowan.
But meeting you this summer changed me.”
She blinked. His words were strong but held the odd feeling of an announcement rather than a quiet admission. “You did the same for me,” she murmured.
He put down his mug and grasped her shoulders. Tilting her head back, Rowan gazed into his dark eyes, gripped with a firm intention and deliberate action. She wondered why she suddenly felt like a goal to conquer, but pushed the weird thought from her mind.
“I love you. So does Kelsey. I don’t want to do this without you.”
A sigh spilled from her lips. “I love you, too, both of you, and—”
“Come to New York with me.”
Shock barreled through her. Since they confessed their feelings, there hadn’t been time to discuss the mechanics of their situation, or what would come next. His question was more a demand, laced with an implacable focus that reminded her of the man she’d first met on the beach.
“You want me to live with you in New York?” she asked faintly, trying to get her bearings.
“Yes. Can you picture it, Rowan? The three of us together and starting a new life? I’m sure I’ll get the promotion and I’ll be making a ton of money, so you don’t have to work.
We’ll get Kelsey into a new school that better fits her and you can take the time to figure out what you’d like to do.
No restrictions. I know you’ll miss everyone here but we can visit on vacation. What do you think?”
Her head spun. In a way, it was a dream come true.
Everett saw a future with her, one that included a permanent love story.
Wasn’t this the magical glass slipper fantasy?
Some rich guy who loved her wanted to sweep her away, spoil her rotten, and make her his queen?
She’d never been to New York but had seen pictures and heard stories painting it as a dynamic, thriving cultural center.
Yet . . .
Something felt off. Rowan tried to catch up and sift through his words. “It sounds amazing,” she finally answered. “But, Everett, there’s a lot to think about. I can’t just leave my life here and fly back with you and Kelsey.”
“Why not?” His grin was wide and encouraging.
“Sweetheart, I was up all night going over our options, and it kept coming back to one thing. You. You’re the missing piece and I don’t want to be without you.
Neither does Kelsey. And I know it seems fast, but it also feels right. I want it all with you.”
Rowan stepped back, suddenly needing space.
He was right. She didn’t want to be without him, either.
He continued, voice deeply persuasive. “Think about it. You’ve finally healed.
You’re back in the water and got on a board.
You’re back with Lea and your friends. It’s almost as if you needed to tie up all these loose ends so you can be free to come home with me. ”
She wondered why she wasn’t jumping up and down. Wasn’t this what she wanted? “What about if you get this new job? You’ll be traveling a lot, right?”
“Yes, but you and Kelsey can be together! And on breaks, you can come with me.”
“But I won’t be living near the ocean. Or be able to surf regularly.”
“No, but I’ll make sure we take enough vacations so we can all surf. And if you don’t like my place, we’ll get a new one. Anything you want, and you can decorate it and make it what you want.”
“My house . . .”
“It’s a part of your dad’s memory, so you’ll keep it. We’ll stay here when we visit.”
“Right.” She thought about waking up at sunrise to tall buildings and concrete. Thought about having strict structure to her days based on Everett’s and Kelsey’s needs. Thought about not needing to hold a job or have a purpose because he’d take care of all her needs.
“This is going to be perfect. God, I love you,” he said, closing the distance between them and gently taking her in his embrace.
The familiar warmth and strength of him soaked into her tense muscles.
He kissed her and his taste swamped her, the scent of musk and the man she loved with her whole heart.
When he eased away, his face practically beamed with excitement.
“I know this is a lot and you need to process. But I think you’ll realize it’s everything we both want. ”
With one last kiss, he pulled away. “I gotta go. See you later.”
He left.
Rowan stared at the closed door. As her brain ticked back on after her body’s weakness, she replayed the conversation.
Then realized there hadn’t been any.
No discussion or argument. Nothing. Just him telling her everything he’d decided and how great it would all be. Had Everett assumed she’d pack up her shit and leave Hawaii just because they’d decided they loved each other?
She paced back and forth, frantically going over the scene. Okay, in a weird way it was romantic. He wanted to sweep her away and spend their future together. But in true Everett fashion, he hadn’t listened to her response, and figured he’d simply push forward and fix everything.
And that was when the anger hit.
How dare he act with such arrogant smugness! Yes, she loved him and Kelsey. Yes, she wanted this relationship to work. But he’d just assumed she’d be thrilled for him to take her away from all of this and into his life, where he didn’t have to change a thing.
Her head spun. The pressure inside felt like an explosion ready to happen.
Rowan didn’t take long to decide what she needed.
Within the hour, her feet were on the dirt path leading to Cliffs, her new board planted beside her. Studying the line of surfers, Rowan let the feel of the waves and the direction of the breeze settle in. Down below, the break was already alive, sets marching in clean, steady lines.
Perfect for clearing a head full of static.
Lea was already there, as if called by a higher power.
Emotion pricked the back of her throat as her friend stood beside her, not looking surprised she’d suddenly shown up.
“You picked a good day,” Lea said, nodding toward the water.
“Light trades, mid-tide pushing in. Sets are shoulder-high, maybe a few overhead on the outside. Nothing too wild. Enough to remind you you’re alive. ”
Rowan looked down at the reef shelf and the familiar funnel of the inside bowl. Her pulse picked up, but not with fear. Something like anticipation. Something she’d shoved down so long it had grown stiff and unused.
“You scared?” Lea asked lightly.
“Of you? Always,” Rowan said.
“Of the ocean.”
Rowan ran her hand over the rail of her board. “No. I’m scared of remembering how much I missed this.”
Lea’s expression softened. “Then let’s remind you. Come on.”
The water wrapped around Rowan’s ankles like a greeting she wasn’t sure she deserved. She paddled out beside Lea, muscles warming, breath syncing with the rhythm she used to live by. Halfway to the lineup, Lea said, “Sets are looking clean. When you’re ready, pick one. Don’t overthink it.”
As if Rowan ever could outthink this place.
The next set rolled in. Three waves, the first two workable, the third heaving over the far reef. Lea whistled. “That third one’s yours.”
Rowan’s chest tightened in an old, familiar way. Lea paddled to the shoulder and grinned. “Go get your joy back.”
Rowan turned, stroked hard, let the wave lift her.
The drop wasn’t fast. It was honest—steady, powerful, the kind of wave that didn’t demand perfection.
The board connected like it remembered her.
She carved down the line, rail biting into the face, spray catching sunlight and scattering into the air.
And for the first time in months—maybe a year—she wasn’t broken or afraid or stuck between who she’d been and who she was supposed to become.
She was just . . . free.
When she kicked out and paddled back to the lineup, Lea slapped the water. “There she is! Damn, Rowan, I felt that one.”
Rowan laughed, breathless. “I did, too.”
They sat out there awhile, legs dangling over their boards, the gentle rise and fall beneath them steady as a heartbeat. Lea nudged her shoulder with her own. “Whatever’s going on in that head of yours? Bring it out here. The ocean can take it.”
Rowan looked out at the horizon, at the next set forming—clean, certain, coming straight for her.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I think it already has.”
After a few good sets, they collapsed on the sand and watched the other surfers. “Are Everett and Kelsey coming to the board blessing later?”