Page 36 of Free Wind (Lifeguards of Barking Beach #2)

Damo’s smile twisted, and he seemed unbearably sad for a moment. “I try. At least with the stuff I can’t control.”

Blake forced himself not to check the mileage. Instead, he asked, “Like what?”

Damo looked out his window, twirling his ponytail around his finger. “Lots of stuff.” He glanced back with a cheeky grin. “Like, right now? I can’t control that my boofhead boyfriend didn’t fill up the tank.”

Blake had to laugh—before his stomach fluttered. “I like hearing that. ‘Boyfriend’ I mean. I definitely do not like hearing that I didn’t fill up with petrol.”

“We’re going to laugh about this later.”

“If we’re still alive, yeah.”

Damo laughed, shaking with it, his cheeks pink. “The drama!”

“Look, the backpacker murderer killed men as well as women. I’m just saying.”

“Mate! That got dark fast. You sound like my Auntie Shirl. She’s obsessed with true crime. To hear her tell it, it’s a miracle she hasn’t been murdered yet and it’s bound to happen any minute.”

Blake snorted and dissolved into slightly unhinged giggles. “I suppose the odds of us encountering a serial killer are low.”

“Probably have better odds of a shark attack out here.” Damo’s gaze caught on something ahead. “Do we turn up there?”

Blake slowed and turned right, heading south. They approached a town called Borden, though when Blake turned off and drove down the main street, it was a ghost town.

Damo whistled softly. “Nothing left. Bet this place used to be hopping.”

It gave Blake chills. There were still a handful of houses that seemed occupied, although no one was about. They passed the husk of an old petrol station and looped back toward the main road.

“There!” Damo sat bolt up. “A pump!”

A single gas pump stood in the middle of a lot with an automated payment machine next to it. Blake’s relief vanished as he pulled up and read the sign.

“Diesel only.”

Damo threw his head back and laughed, and after a moment, Blake joined in. It felt good to laugh, and Damo was right—either they’d run out, or they wouldn’t. The fuel estimate said they’d make it by the skin of their teeth, so here was hoping.

They continued south before turning east on the optimistically named Borden-Bremer Bay Road.

They even passed another vehicle. The difference between the car’s estimated mileage and the GPS shifted ten kilometers in their favor, and an hour and fifteen long minutes later, they drove into Bremer Bay, allegedly with eighteen kilometers of fuel to spare.

Blake drove directly to the gas pump outside the general store. Before he climbed out, he leaned over and kissed Damo breathless.

When they climbed out of the SUV in the hotel car park, Cooper appeared at the edge of a grassy playground. Blake waved, his stomach tightening as he waited for Cooper to respond.

Which he did—waving with a beaming grin and running over. Blake wasn’t sure if he was just happy to see Damo, but he’d take it as a win.

“Hey, buddy,” Blake said, suddenly frozen. Was it too soon to give Cooper a hug? Surely. Wave again? Handshake would be ridiculous.

“Mate!” Damo lifted his hand for a high five, which Cooper gave enthusiastically.

“You came!” Cooper exclaimed. He was clearly thrilled to see Damo again, and Blake could relate. “You didn’t have to work?”

“Nah, I switched a few shifts around. I cover for other guys all the time, so they owed me.”

“Cool.” Cooper was still smiling, and he said shyly to Blake, “Hi.” He fiddled with the hem of his T-shirt, which had a bright orange stain splotched on it.

“Hi. It’s great to see you again. How—” Blake’s mind went blank. “Uh, how was the drive?”

“Boring.”

“Coulda done with a boring drive ourselves,” Damo said, giving Blake a wink. “But we’re here now.” He jerked his thumb toward reception. “Why don’t you two hang out while I get us checked in?” He didn’t wait for an answer, and briefly snagged Blake’s hand, squeezing his fingers.

Blake watched him go, then turned to find Cooper watching him with an expression he couldn’t read. “What?” Blake asked hesitantly.

“So, Mum said he’s your boyfriend?”

“He is.” He braced for a negative reaction.

But Cooper only nodded as if impressed and said, “Cool.”

“How’s the playground?” Blake motioned toward the empty jungle gym.

“Boring. No other kids around right now. But I had too much screen time in the car, so Mum and D—” Cooper scrunched up his freckled face, peering up at Blake hesitantly.

A wave of tenderness washed through Blake, along with an undeniable pang of longing. Would he ever be called “dad”? He said, “Your mum and dad said you have to get some fresh air?”

Cooper exhaled in clear relief that Blake wasn’t upset. “Yeah. There were some girls here before, but they had to go.” He nodded toward the adjacent caravan park. A family were grilling snags on a barbecue, and the fatty, salty, delicious smell drifted on the warm breeze.

“Come on, let’s play.”

Cooper’s sandy eyebrows rose. “Yeah?”

“Absolutely! I’m not too old to have a play.”

Sure, he did feel a twinge in his lower back as he stooped to get into the tube slide, but for the next twenty minutes, Blake and his son—his son!

—ran around and played Coop’s game of pirates.

There was a whole story involving buried treasure, an invisible talking parrot, and a battle with another pirate ship, and Blake loved every second.

He’d spotted Damo unloading the car, and his phone buzzed in his pocket with a text telling him their room number. In the sand around the jungle gym, Coop pretended to dig, and Blake got on his knees to help. He hadn’t playacted for so many years, and it was fun.

When Coop declared that they’d found the treasure and won, they high-fived.

“Hey, how about an ice cream?” Blake nodded toward the little kiosk near reception selling treats and drinks.

“So close to dinner?” Coop asked.

That tenderness returned, filling Blake with warmth. “I won’t tell if you won’t,” he whispered conspiratorially. He was sure Tasha and Tony would understand. It wasn’t a bribe, but Blake was eager to do everything possible to make Cooper like him.

When they were both licking chocolate Paddle Pops, they wandered on a path toward picnic tables where an older couple ate sandwiches and sipped plastic glasses of white wine.

Sitting on the top of an empty table, Blake and Cooper licked in silence. Perhaps not an easy silence, but not fraught. He’d take it.

“It doesn’t bug you?” Cooper asked, chocolate smeared on the side of his mouth.

Blake passed him one of the napkins he’d grabbed. “What doesn’t?”

“That… I call someone else ‘Dad’ and not you.”

“No.” He was grateful he could answer completely honestly. “Tony’s raising you. He’s been your dad. He deserves the title. I haven’t earned it.”

Cooper hummed, licking the ice cream with a serious expression. “Were you happy when Mum told you about me?”

“Of course!”

Cooper raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Clearly he’d overdone it. Blake took a moment to find the right words. “Can we make a pact? No matter the question, no matter what—we’ll tell each other the truth.”

Nodding seriously, Cooper extended his hand, and Blake shook it. Coop’s hand was small and sweaty, and it was wild to think that Blake and Tasha had created this whole human. He cleared his throat.

“Okay, totally honest: I was shocked when your mum told me. It wasn’t something I’d ever considered for a second. That she might have gotten pregnant, I mean.”

Coop wasn’t too young for that word, was he? No. It wasn’t as if it was a dirty word. Blake had so much he needed to discuss with Tash and Tony. He had no idea what was appropriate for eight-year-olds.

“That makes sense. She said she never even talked to you after.”

“Right. It was just a one-time…thing.”

Cooper rolled his eyes. “I know all about sex.”

“Okay. Good. Er… Anyway, I was shocked when she reached out. But yes, I was happy. I felt all sorts of things. I was only sad to realize I missed out on you being a baby. I wish I could go back and watch you grow up.”

With earnest seriousness, Coop said, “Don’t worry. I’m not finished yet.”

Affection filled Blake so completely he could barely breathe. “Lucky for me. So, yes, I’m thrilled you’re here in this world. That you’re…you. And that I’m your father.” He quickly added, “I meant what I said about Tony. He’s your dad, and I completely respect that. But I’m really, really happy.”

Cooper seemed satisfied with this answer. After another lick of ice cream, he said, “Me too. It was weird. Not knowing who you were. Like, Mum told me who you were, but…”

Blake nodded. “I get it.”

“Honestly?” Coop scrunched up his freckled nose again, and it was the cutest thing ever. “I was nervous to meet you, but you’re nice.”

I’m nice! He wanted to run a victory lap with his fists in the air.

“And Damo’s really cool.”

Blake grinned. He would take any and all bonus points his cool boyfriend provided. “He is.”

“You’re cool too!”

His heart swelled. “Thanks, mate.” He winked. “But I know Damo’s way cooler than I am.”

Cooper laughed. “So, it’s okay if I just call you Blake?”

“Absolutely! Whatever you’re comfortable with. I haven’t earned anything else—but I want to. I know you live on the other side of the country, but I want to visit, and we can video chat, and talk on the phone if that’s something kids even do anymore?”

“You can talk on phones?” Cooper frowned, but couldn’t quite resist laughing at his own joke.

Blake kept his expression blank. “Yeah, instead of texting on the screen, you hold it up to your ear, and you can actually hear human voices through it.”

“Whoa.” With chocolate still staining the corner of his mouth, Cooper grinned. Then his eyes widened, and he jammed the rest of the ice cream in his mouth, sucking it down to the stick and mumbling, “Mum’s coming!”

Blake motioned to Cooper to wipe his mouth as he thrust his own half-eaten ice cream behind his back. Coop giggled, and Blake couldn’t stop smiling.