Page 23 of The Best I Never Had

He grabs the side sliding off my shoulder and tugs it back into place. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not, you have to be cold, too, and I—”

“Keep the towel, Thea.” His voice is low. Commanding. A shiver moves through me for a whole different reason than the cold water.

We find a spot at the edge of the deck with the most direct sunlight. The weather’s warmed up since this morning, but it’s still chilly in the shade, and I need every bit of warmth possible.

“I’m guessing you came out here every summer growing up?” I ask, shifting my body so I can look at him.

He mirrors my position, running a hand across the back of his neck as he smiles. “Yeah, a few times. Aunt Dawn has this giant bus to shuttle people back and forth to town for wedding events, but during the week, she’d let us take it out. The cousins would pile in and head out here to cool off.”

I shudder. “Cool off.”

He reaches out and nudges my hip. “Come on, it wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“No, but once is enough. I can’t imagine choosing to do this every single year.”

He tilts his head. “How did you spend your summers?”

I pause at the question. My summers were nothing like his. There was no giant family waiting to welcome me back with open arms. I never went on fancy trips or had a change of scene. Our foster parents didn’t have the money, and if they did, I doubt they’d have spent it on us. My summers were spent walking around town for an excuse to get away from the house.

There was one time when our eighth foster mother took us all to the beach for the day. Of all our parents, she was my favorite. Kind, but she also didn’t push me. Most of my foster parents were either so authoritarian that I felt like I had to rebel, or they desperately tried to connect with me and ended up mad when their techniques didn’t work, like I must be broken. Soledad gave me space, let me come to her like the wild animal I was.

One day, she loaded all five of her foster kids in her Suburban and took us out to New Smyrna Beach for the day. It wasn’t fancy—we didn’t have any boogie boards or toys to make sandcastles—but we spent the day splashing in the waves, and before we left, she bought us all one-dollar soft serve ice cream from the stand down the beach. It was one of my happiest memories.

But Soledad wasn’t looking to adopt, and by the end of summer, Addy and I had been moved to another home.

I haven’t thought about her, or that magical day, in years. I never talk about my past, but with Owen’s earnest eyes on me, I want to share it. To tell him about the bad days so he can understand how special those good days were.

“My summers were—”

I’m cut off when Harrison, soaking wet and beaming, jumps on Owen, shaking his hair like a dog and sprinkling us both with water. “How’re we doing on time?”

“We need to head out in ten if we’re going to make it back.”

“Perfect,” Harrison says, grabbing Addy’s hand and tugging her away. “Time for one more.”

“Only one more, Harrison,” Owen calls at his back. His tone is stern, but the half smile on his face is indulgent.

“You’ve got that dad voice down,” I say.

His smile drops a bit, and I wonder what I said wrong. “Yeah, but you were telling me about your summers.”

I was, but the moment’s passed. Laying out all my trauma while surrounded by joy and happy families feels like too much.

“Oh, you know. Typical Florida kid. Summers at New Smyrna Beach. Not as exciting as all this.”

Owen’s lips tip up. “Oh, I don’t know. Shark bite capital of the world sounds pretty exciting to me.”

“Excellent point. You should never underestimate the excitement of having to fight for your life.”

He eyes my arms, pursing his lips. “I don’t know if you could take on a shark.”

I jab him in the chest, ignoring the fact that it is as hard as I imagined. “Hey! I’m scrappy.”

He chuckles, looking out over the waterfall. “Now, that I do believe.”

I’m not sure if he means it as a compliment, but I take it as one, preening under the praise. “Thank you.”