Page 35 of Broken Hearts (Hibiscus Hearts #1)

The heaviness of the tears brim in my eyes and begin to spill over. I thought it would be hard leaving New York, a place I grew up and where I started my life, but standing here with Nate, and knowing I’m about to do something my dad can’t do, it feels like home.

It’s interesting though, with my mom’s travel schedule and all my friends starting to graduate college, things had been pretty slow and quiet in New York.

My best friend finished school before me, moved out of our apartment, and took a job in London, so starting over in Hawaii doesn’t feel all that strange, even if it worried me initially.

Being back here, the sun shining, the smell of the hibiscus floating in the air, being surrounded by all the lush greenery, I don’t know how anyone ever leaves here.

As much as it pains me to think it, if my father hadn’t passed away, I wouldn’t be here with these people. I may never have met them, and now I can’t imagine my life without them. They’re my family, a family I chose, a family my father chose when I failed him, and I’m grateful for them every single day.

“Did you do this?”

I ask Nate, my words soft, my smile so wide my cheeks ache.

All these people are here to welcome me home, and it means so much. I can’t even begin to thank all of them for being here for me.

“Kinda,”

Nate says, slinging an arm around my shoulders as he guides me over to where everyone is gathered. “Mostly it was Alana. You know how she is.”

He winks at her from where we’re standing, and she’s absolutely beaming.

She has no idea what’s about to happen, obviously thinking she’s just here to welcome me back. It’s been hard for her since losing my dad, and from what Nate has said, she hasn’t surfed to train for the upcoming competition either. Something that used to be her passion, something my dad supported and trained her for.

I hate that it’s something she’s given up, and I hope the board helps and is a reminder of why she loves surfing and why she shouldn’t give up on it.

There will come a time when the pain recedes, and surfing will remind her of my dad in the best possible way. The same way his truck does for me and the smell of blueberry surf wax and the hibiscus that grow on his land. All of it reminds me of him, and it makes me smile.

Alana comes skipping over to us. A smile is on her beautiful, tanned face, her dark hair piled on top of her head in a perfect messy bun. She’s wearing a bikini top and a pair of cutoff shorts, her flip flops slapping as she greets us.

“Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re back!”

she squeals, throwing her arms around me. Hugging her back, her arms hold me tightly. “You have no idea how much it means to me.”

“You have no idea how much it means to me to be so accepted by you, and really everyone,”

I tell her, letting out a hard sigh.

“You’re not getting rid of me now,”

Alana jokes, letting out a sweet little chuckle. “We’re going to do everything together.”

“Take it easy, Alana. You trying to scare her away?”

Nate says, jabbing Alana in the side with his elbow, but he smiles at her.

He puts his arms around both of us, and then Nate leans over, his mouth next to my ear. He whispers, “Meet me in the garage in ten minutes.”

I look over at him, reading his expression, and as much as I hope he’s propositioning me, I know this is about Alana’s board.

“Later, I promise,”

he now whispers, and even though I wasn’t gone that long, my body missed him too. Missed the way he touches me, the way my body responds to him, missed the way I feel like I can’t be without him.

“Come on!”

Alana says, grabbing my hand. She pulls me over to where there is a cooler full of drinks, motioning for me to take one. “Let’s get drunk and do stupid shit. We can have a sleepover!”

she now shrieks, and this sends Nate scrambling over to us.

“Whoa, no sleepovers,”

Nate hisses, hitting Alana with a bothered look. “She just got back and she’s staying with me.”

Alana looks over at me, and I shrug. “He’s right. Another time, okay?”

“Fine,”

Alana concedes, and as fun as it sounds to get drunk and have a girls’ night, it’s going to have to wait. “I’m holding you to it though.”

Daisy and Sloane, Alana’s roommates walk up. Both of them smile as they hug me, welcoming me home. Nate slips away as I chat with the girls, all of us laughing and talking about all the things we want to do now that I’m here permanently. It all sounds amazing and fun, and sometimes it feels like a dream that this is now my home.

Sloane and I talk about where she’s going to school, and it will probably be where I’ll end up too. I need to do a little research on places to finish my degree, but Sloane seems to love where she’s going to school, and it would be nice to already know someone on campus.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Nate heading toward the garage, and that’s my cue. I’m just not sure I’m going to be able to get away from the girls without a ton of questions.

Luckily, I’m saved by Owen and Miles coming over, and I can tell by the looks on Sloane’s and Daisy’s faces that they aren’t happy. But it only takes a couple of seconds before Kai has them engaged in conversation, and I slip away unnoticed.

Looking over my shoulder, I make sure Alana isn’t watching me as I enter the garage, my dad’s SUV still parked out front, Nate and Tanner standing in the empty space.

The board is covered by a tarp, and I realize I’ve never actually seen the finished product. I’ve seen the design Nate created for it and some of his other work, but never the finished product. He isn’t the kind of guy who brags about himself, let alone even talks about what he does.

“You wanna see it?”

Nate asks, like I’m going to say no. He’s hesitant and a little nervous, and it’s so damn cute.

“Of course I do,”

I say, stepping closer to him. I press a kiss to his cheek, encouraging him on.

He takes a deep breath, his hand now on the tarp. He pauses and then removes it. The gasp that falls from my mouth practically echoes in the garage. I hope everyone outside didn’t hear me, giving it away that we’re in here working on something.

“Nate,”

I breathe out, shaking my head, my eyes wide. “It’s…oh my god…I don’t even know what to say. It’s incredible. It’s perfect. It’s just so…”

I can’t come up with the words to describe what I see in front of me, but I know my dad would have loved it. And Alana will too.

His cheeks flush a soft shade of pink, a loose smile on his lips, and I pull him close, kissing him. With my lips barely touching his, I whisper, “Alana is going to love it. You are amazing.”

I pull back, taking in the board as it stands in front of us. At the top end is the logo for The Pipe Dream, something I learned Nate designed when my dad decided to do a little rebranding. It’s this great shade of yellow with a blue outline, and it matches the building that houses the shop perfectly.

But there, right in the middle of the board, is a surfer who is Alana. It’s the back of her, but it’s her, complete with the dark hair piled on top of her head, the bikini, the sunkissed skin, and the middle finger that is being held up.

Everything about it embodies Alana, and I hope she loves it.

“You ready?”

I ask Nate and he nods, but I can tell he’s nervous. He wants Alana to be happy, he wants her to return to surfing and carry on the dream my dad had for her. Like Nate’s talent for art and design, Alana has it for surfing.

Tanner picks up the board, and Nate and I follow him out of the garage. My heart is racing, excited for how Alana will feel about the board, but more than that, I’m excited about Nate putting himself out there, designing something meaningful and special for her.

“Alana,”

Nate calls out, and she turns toward him, a beer in her hand, a smile on her face. “Come here.”

We’re standing in front of Tanner, trying to block the fact that he’s holding this surfboard, but there’s no way it’s working.

“Nate, you better not be—”

Alana starts, but stops, her head tilted to the side, taking in the three of us standing here.

“So,”

I say, smiling, “I know my dad isn’t here to give this to you, but I’m honored to be able to do it in his place. Alana, Mitch worked with Nate and Tanner to design this board for you. He wanted you to have something special for Maui Pipe.”

I can see the tears shining in Alana’s eyes before she begins to shake her head. She’s overwhelmed, and she closes her eyes. That’s when Nate walks over to her, pulling her into his arms.

I don’t know what he says to her, but she cries into his T-shirt, holding him tightly. It’s sweet, and the comfort these two find in each other is unmatched. Their friendship is the kind that people dream about, and I’m so glad they have each other.

“Oh my god,”

Alana croaks out, pulling away from Nate as Tanner props the board up for her to see. She wipes at her eyes, smiling a little now.

“Make him proud,”

Nate says to her, an arm wrapped around her shoulders, as he kisses her temple. “Mitch believed in you, Alana. And now we’re all here to pick up where he left off.”

“Well, I can’t help much with the surfing part of it,”

I joke. “But I will be your biggest cheerleader.”

Joining Nate, I give Alana a big hug, and I hear her sniffle in my ear, letting out a ragged breath.

“Go check out your board,”

Nate now prompts, and Tanner echoes Nate’s sentiment, calling her over to where he’s standing.

I’m so happy I’ve gotten to be a part of this and I just hope this reminds Alana that she kicks ass and Mitch would have wanted her to compete.

What an amazing group of people I’ve found myself in the company of, and it’s only going to get better.