Page 35 of Tides of Love

“Then I have some calls to make.” Lucky grinned, swinging his feet under the table.

It started with Jack. His brother showed up an hour later with an overnight bag for Lucky, brimming with clothes and toiletries. “Anyone want to help pull groceries out of dad’s truck? I’m pretty sure we’re expecting an army.” Jack batted his lashes and had Antonio hauling bags while Lucky finally changed into a real outfit.

Second to join them was Serena. Her blond hair was hiked into a ponytail and wearing a bikini top with shorts. She showed up with art supplies and three printers she borrowed from friends and family. “So, you’re the boyfriend I’ve been waiting to meet!” She looked Antonio up and down before hip-checking Lucky, “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”

“I didn’t know Lucky was friends with professional surfers.” Antonio smiled, helping with moving the heavy printers.

Serena’s smile was impossibly wide, “And you have good taste in sports? Well, I’m sold.”

Lucky just rolled his eyes and continued his texting campaign as the couch began to fill up with all his favorite people.

When the bell rang for a third time, Lucky was positively bouncing with excitement. “Antonio, come meet my favorite people!” He shouted.

Aurora Keel pulled him into a hug as soon as the door opened. Lucky smiled, laughing as she squeezed him and practically lifted him off his feet. “Sounds like we’re getting ready for a fight. You sure you’re ready, Lucky?” She asked as soon as she released him, sweeping a waterfall of electric blue braids over her shoulder.

“Always.” Lucky grinned. “Aurora, meet Antonio Saavedra, my partner.” His cheeks burned, still ridiculously happy.

“We’ve met.” Aurora folded her arms, giving Antonio a once over. She was almost as tall as the alpha with rich sepia skin and deep brown eyes that gave nothing away. Her poker face was legendary, and Lucky could tell she was using every bit of it to make Antonio sweat.

“We have.” Antonio squeezed Lucky’s shoulder.

“Really?” Lucky looked between them, curious.

Behind Aurora came a beanpole of a man, taller than all of them with long limbs and a slim frame. “Aurora did some mechanic work for the SAR team. She knows the captain. But… Knowing him and approving are two different things.”

“Joe!” Lucky smiled wide, “I thought you’d be busy helping dad.”

Joe tilted his head. “As if Aurora wouldn’t drag me along. Besides, Teague is off snorkeling. Something about wanting to observe bull sharks hunting.”

“Teague was happy to give Joe the day off once he heard we’d be crafting a petition.” Aurora shrugged. “You have great timing anyway, I was just thinking it was time to take these braids down. Do we want red or green for the town hall?”

Lucky led the way to them into the living room. “Could do half and half? Show our anger and represent the turtles.”

“That would make it seem more Christmasy than protesty.” Jack waved at Aurora.

“I think the green would look great, and we could coordinate outfits.” Joe tacked on, “Showing a united front and utilizing the Marine Center’s branded t-shirts can’t hurt. We want them to take us seriously.”

“We could just go full swashbuckling and go with swords.” Serena chimed in, “But I second the green. Maybe I should get some temporary dye…”

“If we’re doing this, we should do it all the way. Coordinated petition sheets, digital and physical copies, hit all the major thorough fares—there isn’t a lot of time and there’s a lot to get done.” Aurora sat cross-legged on the couch, toying with the sapphire pendant around her neck.

“That’s why I brought printers.” Serena nodded, “Not just the petitions, but we want fliers. We want people to show up for the town hall, not just their names but bodies.”

“Yeah, we need to be able to post things, hand them out when people sign. The university can be our starting point. Local libraries, the marinas, restaurants, cafes…” Lucky ran through locations in his head, places they could split up and tackle.

“I’ll get this added to the Marine Center website, and I’ll reach out to a few contacts at the museums and art galleries.” Jack jumped in.

Antonio raised his hand, drawing attention, “The SAR squad is having our quarterly BBQ next week. I’m sure the team would love to sign, and we’ll all show up of course. We can even join the green theme.”

Lucky smiled, reaching out to squeeze Antonio’s hand. “Green it is, Aurora. And I think we’ll put that on the flier, too. Try to encourage everyone on the island to match.”

“We should finalize the fliers as soon as possible.” Jack chimed in, “We want to make sure all the handouts are ready once we get people to sign. I’ll do a blast on socials, too, cute graphics and the like. We’ve got a little less than two weeks, we’ve got this.”

It was funny how easily they banished his fears. Everyone was talking, pulling out laptops, and breaking into the snacks. They came together for him. A bubble of excitement and determination rose within him. It nestled in his chest, pressing against his ribs until a pleasant ache pulsed through him. He pinched his own thigh just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Lucky, can I speak with you for a moment?” Antonio asked softly, smiling.

The words could bloom anxiety, but when Antonio curled an arm around his shoulders, it was hard to be worried. He let Antonio guide him through the kitchen and out into the back yard. There was a covered deck with a grill, comfortable seating, and stairs that led to the pool area. And what a pool it was.