Page 33 of Hidden Harbor (Evergreen Rescue #1)
C ool wind caressed my cheeks through the open windows as Drew drove us out to Jackson Beach.
After weeks without a hint of Owen, I finally felt like I could breathe.
There’d been no word from my parents, making me wonder if Owen had revealed my location to them or squirreled that away for leverage later.
It would be just like him to use it as currency.
Every time I asked Clay for any news about Agent Harris, he just gave me a tight-lipped shake of his head. They wouldn’t jeopardize an investigation by sharing details, even if I had been the one to bring them their lead.
That left me in limbo, using the studio, my friends, and Drew to keep me anchored in the present. And with Drew’s open affection, it was easier than I’d ever imagined.
Anne-Marie Genter was gone.
Tonight, Drew and I would make it official.
I clutched the envelope of documents from my old life to my chest. Maybe burning it was symbolic.
It was probably silly to destroy the proof, but I didn’t care.
Part of yoga philosophy included the practice of letting go to create space for becoming more engaged and connected with your present, your inner wisdom, and truth.
Everything that mattered was in my present. The past had no hold on me now.
Drew parked the truck, and we picked our way toward the picnic shelter and firepit. The park usually closed at dusk, but he’d called in a favor with his uncle to get us access.
Drew crouched over the iron ring, carefully placing the bundle of kindling he’d brought. Touching a match to the dry wood. It smoked, crackling as the tinder caught fire.
The flickering light bloomed in the darkness, highlighting the hollows of Drew’s cheeks, his strong jaw and firm chin. Slowly, he extended to his full height, wrapping one arm around my shoulders as we stared down into the flames.
“You sure about this?” he asked.
I dipped my chin. “I want to be free of the past.”
“I’ll never let it touch you.”
His soft words were a promise, reaching into my chest and squeezing. Drew had already proven he’d stand by me. It was why I could let go.
“I know.” I leaned into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. “I’m choosing to swim with the tide of my life. The one that brought me to you. I’m not Anne-Marie Genter anymore.”
He dropped a kiss on my forehead, his lips lingering for a moment in a gentle blessing. “Then the fire is ready when you are, Sunny Girl.”
I extracted the last vestiges of my old life, my driver’s license and birth certificate, from the envelope and dropped them one by one into the fire.
Flames licked at my birth certificate, turning it to ash.
My ID took longer, the plastic slowly melting and withering as it turned brown, melting into a blob of blackened trash.
“Goodbye, Anne-Marie.”
Drew stepped behind me, drawing me into his arms, his chin on my shoulder as we watched the last bits of my old life turn to cinders.
I thought I’d feel vindicated. Powerful. But all I really felt was peace. And I let it be enough.
We stood like that for what felt like an hour but was likely only a few minutes as the fire burned down.
“Ready for me to put the coals out?” he murmured when the blackened mess in the pit was unrecognizable.
“Yes.”
The coals sizzled as he doused them in saltwater, ensuring the fire was cold before we went home.
I was quiet on the drive back to the house. Drew kept the windows down, the brackish air cleansing the lingering stench of my burning driver’s license from our nostrils.
Clay’s truck was in the driveway at the house, so Drew parked on the street.
“Clay’s here?” I asked.
“The entire gang should be inside. I hope that’s okay.
They wanted to celebrate with you.” Drew grimaced comically, the big contortion of his handsome face night and day from the stoic man who first offered me his jacket at the bluffs.
“Well, maybe Zach just wants cake. But also, probably the celebration bit.”
“And we’re celebrating because…”
“It’s a birthday of sorts.” He grinned like a pleased little boy.
It was adorable.
“Drew, you shouldn’t have.”
“We wanted to.” He drifted closer, brushing his mouth against mine. I tilted into the kiss. “Let’s go inside. Everyone’s waiting.”
Hand in hand, we approached the back door.
“Happy birthday to you…” Clay belted out as we slid the door open and toed off our shoes. “Happy birthday—"
Lucy clapped her hands over her ears. “Please, for the love of god, stop.”
Vi popped off the couch and approached me with open arms. I stepped into her embrace, letting her wrap me close.
My throat tightened with emotion. She’d always been like a sister to me, supportive and encouraging.
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that she and Drew conspired to make today special and celebratory instead of just a ritual for closure.
“Hey, Anya,” Zach called from his spot on the couch next to Rae. He grinned, his dimples flashing. “I hope you don’t like chocolate.”
I narrowed my eyes. Heathen .
Rae smacked him on the shoulder. “Fenwick, who doesn’t like chocolate?”
“Lots of people.”
“We bought dessert for her, fool. Why don’t you want her to like it?”
“Duh, more cake for me.” He smiled.
Rae shook her head, mouthing “sorry” to me across the living room. I chuckled, loving my friends more than I thought possible in that moment.
“I love chocolate.” My gaze settled on each of my friends in turn, trying to communicate without words how deeply I appreciated the gesture.
“Thank you all.” I sniffed, on the edge of losing it.
They’d never know how much their support meant to me.
Drew squeezed my shoulders, the silent show of support helping me stay in control.
Lee emerged from the kitchen, a decadent-looking chocolate cake balanced carefully on his palms. Vi brought out plates, forks, and napkins, and Lee offered me a knife.
“To new names and new beginnings,” Vi said.
For a moment, I hesitated, knife hovering. Cutting the cake meant saying yes to all of it, to them, to Drew, to the life I never thought I’d have.
I sliced down into the chocolate frosting and let the sweetness be my answer. There wasn’t a birth certificate in the world that could prove it, but I was home.