Chapter 41
Was I really going to do this?
It was a quick trip over to the marina. Vacillating between terror and exhilaration, I was in no condition to drive. So, I let Drew take the wheel of my Kia again while I sat in the back seat, behind him and Garth, watching the Jersey Shore slip past me for what could very well be the last time.
Probably, it was madness to even attempt this.
So much could go wrong. For all I knew, Xander might have already sealed the portal, sealing me out.
Even if he hadn’t, there was no guarantee I could survive the swim to its watery depth.
Hell, I wasn’t even sure what the damn portal looked like. If I saw it, I might not recognize it.
So…was I really going to do this?
“Hannah?” said Drew.
I blinked. Somehow, we’d already arrived at the harbor. Rita had parked next to us, and the rest of our sailing party was piling out of her SUV.
Drew and Garth exchanged one of those looks of theirs, having an entire conversation with their eyes alone.
“If you’re having second thoughts,” said Garth, “you don’t have to do this.”
“It’s up to you,” said Drew. “Your choice.”
I thought about that. Of course, what I’d done in my life had always been my choice. But lately, I’d come to see how I’d been making those choices from a place a fear. And fear could only get you so far.
Despite my fear, I’d managed to get here. To this point. But as that fire in my gut raged out of control, I realized I wanted more. So much more.
And so…was I really going to do this?
Yes. Yes, I was.
Now, I was able to choose from a place of strength. Because love had made me strong.
“I choose love,” I said, getting out of the car. “I choose Xander.”
* * *
I’d always known the name of Drew’s father’s boat, but it had slipped my mind until I saw it again now in big, gold letters on the side of the vessel.
“The Sea Princess,” I read aloud as I climbed on board.
Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I couldn’t help thinking this was meant to be.
This watercraft was meant to transport me from my old life to my new one.
Once everyone was aboard, Drew backed us out of the dock, setting a course based on the photos of the maps from my phone.
“Uh-oh,” said Rita. “This could be trouble.”
We all turned to see Joey D’s mail truck driving very, very slowly toward us. While the vehicle was still moving, the hunters started jumping out and running toward their boat slip.
“Asshole!” shouted one of the men back at Joey.
“Neither rain nor snow, my dudes, but definitely the speed limit,” Joey called back. It warmed my heart to see that, despite giving them a lift, he’d clearly done his best to delay them.
“Hurry if you can,” I told Drew. I didn’t want to endanger my friends, but the hunters wouldn’t be far behind us.
Xander and his homeland were now in imminent danger.
This wasn’t just about the two of us anymore.
If Xander hadn’t sealed the portal yet, I needed to get to him and warn him to do so. Immediately.
We reached open water, and the boat picked up speed. So did the beating of my heart.
This was it.
As the boat rose and fell with the tide and the wind whipped my hair out behind me, I looked around at these people who were so incredibly dear to me. If I was able to reunite safely with Xander, it would be mostly due to them.
“I love you,” I said. “All of you.”
“Back at you,” said Rita with a wink.
There were, of course, two other people I loved. Two other people I’d be leaving behind.
“Drew,” I shouted. “Do you still need my phone?”
He shook his head. “All good,” he said, passing over my iPhone. “Our course is already plotted.”
It was still early in Phoenix, but that couldn’t be helped. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to my folks. So, before I thought too much about it and changed my mind, I opened my FaceTime app and dialed.
It rang once. Twice. Then, my mother’s sleepy face appeared on-screen. “Hannah,” she said, her expression a mix of surprise and concern. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” I said, although my voice cracked on “fine.” Suddenly, I felt overcome with emotion.
“I can barely hear you, dear,” said Mom.
Just then, my father appeared behind her, his head above hers, the two of them filling my vertical screen. “Hannah,” said Dad. “Are you on a boat?”
“I am,” I said. “Drew’s dad’s boat. A bunch of us are here.” I turned my phone to show my folks the familiar faces who were also on board.
“I don’t know. Sounds a little fishy to me,” said Dad. “Get it?”
I laughed. If he only knew.
“Honey,” said Mom. “If you’re out boating, then who’s taking care of the Sunny Side?”
“I wanted to talk to you about that,” I said. “The thing is, uh… Do you remember Xander?”
My parents shared a knowing look. “Yes, of course,” said Mom.
“Well, I know it probably sounds sudden,” I said. “But…I love him.”
Dad shrugged. “When you know, you know.”
“And I want to be with him,” I said. “I’m sorry, but my future is at his side. Not at the Sunny Side.”
“Why would you be sorry?” asked Mom. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. All we’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy.”
“Hannah,” called Drew. “We’re almost there.”
We were almost there. I had to think fast and wrap this up.
“So, if you wanted to sell,” I said, “the B and B would probably be in better hands with Jack Lee.”
“Different hands,” said Dad. “Not better.”
“We never doubted you could run the place,” said Mom. “But it always seemed like you were built for something different.”
“You’re not disappointed?” I asked.
“In you?” asked Dad. “Never.”
So, maybe they’d believed in me all along. Maybe I just couldn’t see it because I didn’t believe in myself.
Drew had downshifted the motor, and the boat was coming to a stop.
“I have to go,” I said.
“Okay,” said Mom. “Talk later?”
I shook my head. “No, I mean…I have to go. To be with Xander. It’s complicated, but…I love you.”
My folks looked at me, confused.
“Well, we love you too, dear,” said Mom.
“Of course we do,” said Dad.
Drew dropped anchor.
Could I do this? Could I really do this?
“Don’t look now, but we have company,” said Garth.
Another boat was approaching in the distance. The hunters’ boat.
Shit!
If Xander hadn’t sealed the portal yet, he was in danger. His whole world was in danger.
If I left, my parents would be fine. My friends would see to that.
But if I didn’t leave…
I had to go. And warn Xander.
“Goodbye,” I said to my folks. And before any of us could say anything else, I hung up.
The hunters’ boat was getting closer.
“It’s time, Han,” said Drew.
Nodding, I got to my feet. It was cold out—even colder out here on the water—but cold was the least of my worries. Quickly, I shed my coat. Then—fuck it—I stripped down to my underthings. Shivering, I peered down into the water.
“If the map is accurate, we should be right above the portal,” I heard Drew say. “We’ll stay here a while, after you go. In case you change your mind. Or need help.”
I turned to my BFF.
“You can do it, Hannah Banana,” he said. He’d used his nickname for me from our childhood, but he wasn’t looking at me like I was some scared little girl who needed to be protected. Like my parents, he believed in me.
I let my gaze take in the rest of the crew. They were looking at me with the same faith.
Now, I just had to believe too.
I climbed up onto the boat’s built-in bench seating. The other vessel, I saw, had almost caught up with us. It was now. Or never.
Before I could reason myself out of it, I took a deep breath. And then I dove headfirst over the side and into the water.