Page 16 of Scarred

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.