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“Hey man, she just wanted to surf.”
I step away from the boards and steel myself for what seems to be an impending argument. “I’m back here,” I say.
I hear his flip-flops slap against the ground and almost laugh. If he’s trying to be threatening, he’ll maybe need to get a pair of boots.
But when I see his face, my amusement fades. His face is dark red, hair sticking up every which way. If I’m not mistaken, he’s been crying too, judging by the puffiness of his eyes. “What the hell were you thinking, Til?”
“That I wanted a break,” I say, my arms crossing. He doesn’t look impressed with my answer. I knew he wouldn’t. It might be asking too much for him to understand, but I needed this. It wasn’t just my unwanted sabbatical from surfing; it was about a freedom I haven’t had. Controlling where I am is one thing, but I’ve been denying this huge part of myself for months. It might not be my identity, but it is as much a piece of me as my arms and legs.
His head jerks back, his face paling. “From me?”
I scoff. “Seriously? No, Tommy, not from you. From everything else.”
He puts a hand on his forehead. “Jesus, Tilly. Don’t scare me like this!”
“You said last night I could go surfing first thing in the morning,” I say defensively.
“With me!” He waves his arms around. “You can’t just leave like that, Tilly. I thought…fuck!” His hand slaps down. “I thought they found you already. That they took you and little man!”
Oops. Yeah, that shuts me up. There’s no more defense to that. I see the panic in his eyes, the fear. He was terrified that something happened to me and our baby.
“I didn’t th-think about that.”
“Well, I sure as shit did! We’ve got half the fucking city looking for you! You can’t be alone out here. What if they did show up? What the hell would you do?”
As he’s yelling, I hear the bell ding again. Another set of stomping sandals comes down the hall. Sam is a mess too, with Greg trailing behind her wearing a baby sling with TJ inside. “What the hell were you thinking? Surfing alone, Tilly? Really?”
I don’t have an excuse. “Ron was—”
“Ron doesn’t know his head from his asshole!” Sam yells.
“Hey!” I hear Ron counter from the front. Sam ignores him.
“You… I—” Sam can’t seem to get another sentence out, but her face is scrunching up like she’s holding in gas. Oh shit, that’s her about to cry look.
Greg puts a hand on her shoulder and clears his throat. “I think what my beautiful wife is trying to say is that we were all very worried about you. You can’t leave without telling someone where you’re going. Better yet, take one of us with you.”
Sam is nodding. Oddly enough, Tommy has calmed down while someone else let me have it. He takes a breath and holds his hands up. “You’re here, and you’re fine. We should all just chill.”
Sam’s hand flies out. “No! She can’t disappear like that. We just got her back, Tommy.” Sam’s crying now, and my stomach sinks. I really put them all through the wringer with my little surf session. Without any further argument, I walk up to my best friend and wrap her in a hug.
“I’m sorry, Sammy girl,” I say with as much emotion as I can muster. With a sigh, she melts into my embrace.
“I don’t want to live without you, Tilly.”
“I know, babe. I don’t want to live without you either.” We’re both freely crying now as our men watch uncomfortably behind us.
“God, they’re fucked up,” Greg says.
“Totally codependent,” Tommy adds.
“Oh, blow it out your ass. I love her more than either of you,” I say. TJ starts fussing, and I walk over to him. Grabbing his little hand, I wiggle it a bit. “But not you, Teej. You’re my first true love.”
That makes everyone chuckle a bit as TJ coos back at me. “So, burgers?” I ask.
Tommy is still eyeing me like I might disappear into thin air, so I walk to his side. His arms are around me as he inhales my scent. It’s nice to hold him after our little spat. The way he was glaring at me, I truly thought I might be a single mom for a second. “Babe, I’ll get you whatever you want if you promise not to ever do that to me again.”
“I won’t, I swear.” He lets go and offers me a sad smile. I point at his chest and narrow my eyes. “But I was serious about a burger.”
