Page 31 of Tides of Love

“You would get along well with my mother.” Antonio snorted, raising his own glass. Lucky curled into the alpha’s side, resting his head on his shoulder. “She loves red wine, especially when she’s in a sour mood.” It was the first time Antonio had really spoken about his family since they met.

“Mom wasn’t big on wine, but dad let me taste it and I took a liking to it. Well… Dad’ll drink anything, honestly. He’s a casual drinker. Beers on the boat, rum on weekends, that sort of thing.” Lucky shrugged, “Jack’s fancy about his drinks. Martinis and the like. And I do love a fruity thing where I can’t taste the liquor. But sometimes you just want a nice glass of wine and a quiet evening.” He melted into Antonio’s side, smiling a little when Antonio pulled him even closer with an arm around his shoulders.

“Maybe I should go drinking with your brother then.” Antonio teased, “Mateo, my best friend, likes to tease me about my expensive habits.”

Lucky could see why. Not that he could judge, their father made good money. But Antonio’s home was a mansion in a wealthy district full of old money families descended from pirate captains.

“I think mom would have liked you.” He whispered, wistful. The fingers of his free hand curled in the familiar blanket as he tipped his head up to look at the swath of stars overhead.

Antonio pressed a kiss to the top of his head again. “Will you tell me more about her, about what happened?” Will he. Not an order, not even a demanding question. Just a gentle coaxing that made him want to spill every aching fear.

“She made this blanket. I don’t know when she finished it… Dad said it was her pregnancy project. Maybe she finished it before Jackie was born, before she knew there would be two of us. But when we were little, she’d bundle us in it and tuck us into one bed for stories.” Lucky poked a finger through one of the holes in the blanket from years of them worrying the threads bare between their fingers.

“We shared a bed, Jack and I, for years. One nest… we still share a room. And mom made sure we never felt different from each other. I have never doubted that I was loved.” Lucky sniffled, “I feel like she loved me so well that a part of me is missing now that she’s gone… I’ve never even told Jack about that.”

Though, knowing his family, Jack and Teague probably already knew.

“You love your mother, it makes sense you would miss her. There is nothing strange about that.” Antonio reassured.

“I know but…” He sighed, “I feel like I failed her. I should have been keeping track of the paperwork. I should have done a five-year check-in. I should have double checked everything was in order when I took over the project.”

Frustration stuck in his throat. It choked him, cloying and sticky until he took several long gulps of wine. Antonio was quick to refill his glass. “You haven’t failed her.”

“You don’t—” Antonio cut him off with a shake of his head.

“You have not failed, Lucky Wilde. This is a setback. One you need some time to recover from, one that hits where you are sensitive, but it is not a failure. What comes next, that is what is important.” Antonio spoke with conviction, with a confidence Lucky longed to believe in.

“If they sell the land…” He was still hesitating, even now.

“We’ll stop them.” It sounded like a done thing when Antonio said it.

“You don’t know that. You can’t possibly know that!” Lucky huffed, “I’m not magic! I can’t just wave my hands and make things fall in my favor.”

“Lucky.” Antonio cupped his cheek, making Lucky look at him. Lucky lost himself for a moment in Antonio’s honey brown eyes.

“…What if I really do fail?” Lucky’s voice shrank to something small, uncertain, fragile.

Antonio was quiet for a moment. Lucky watched as those captivating eyes roamed his face. “Maybe you will.” Antonio’s voice was soft, “But that’s the thing about doing what we love… There is always a chance we’ll fail, that something will go wrong, that the things we aspire to will slip through our fingers. Paradise was built on dreams made of sand. If you fail, you’re in good company.”

Lucky was used to assurances that he wouldn’t fail. And he had heard middling responses from his dad about how losses didn’t define people. This was the first time he was offered a chance to wear the prospect of failure like a badge of honor.

“…Are you comparing me to the pirates that built Paradise?” Lucky snorted, “I’m hardly that strong.”

“I disagree. I think you have the exact same drive and dedication to your goals that they must have had. And for the record, I truly do think you’ll succeed.” Antonio hummed, taking a sip of wine.

“No one was able to stop the Melody Resort from being built.” Lucky pointed out, “My grandpa and dad tried. They protested, they shouted, they threatened and nothing worked.”

“…Melody Resort and Lyrica Beach were the byproduct of a different issue.” Antonio looked away, expression suddenly so melancholy that Lucky almost apologized for bringing up the topic.

“Corruption, right?” Lucky tilted his head. His dad talked about it sometimes, how government corruption almost destroyed the island.

“Yes.” Antonio sighed, “You’ve told me your fears and yet I…”

It was hard to imagine Antonio being afraid of anything. But when Lucky forced himself to really feel the alpha beside him, the tension was unmistakable. Stiff shoulders, twitching fingers, furrowed brow. Antonio looked so utterly uncomfortable that Lucky wanted to kiss away his worries. “I want to know what’s bothering you, too, Antonio. Please?”

18

Antonio