Page 38 of Tides of Change (Seacliff Cove #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Ethan

The late afternoon sky was a dull gray when Garrett pulled up to the medical clinic to pick me up.

The storm had passed, leaving the world damp and cold, the kind of chill that settled deep into my bones and refused to leave.

I shifted in the chair in the waiting area, the fluorescent lights overhead too bright, and my head pounded with every movement.

The soft sweatshirt and sweatpants Garrett had brought from my house were a comfort against my skin, itchy from the salt water, but nothing could fully erase the exhaustion clinging to me.

The door swung open, and Garrett strode in.

His gaze swept over the bruise on my temple and the abrasions on my wrists. I sat slumped in my seat, too drained to pretend I was okay.

Guilt flickered across his face as he stepped forward, his voice rough with apology. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier,” he murmured and crouched beside my chair. “I had reports to file.”

I shook my head, regretting the motion instantly as dizziness washed over me. “You caught him,” I said simply. “That’s what matters.”

“No, you’re alive. That’s what matters.” His jaw clenched, his hand hovering near mine as if he wanted to touch me but wasn’t sure if I could handle it. I wanted him to. I grasped his hand.

“Come on,” he murmured. “Let’s get you home.”

The drive to Garrett’s house was quiet, but not uncomfortable.

The sound of the air blowing out of the heater vents filled the silence.

I pressed my hands to the warm louvers and tried to chase away the lingering cold that clung to me like a second skin.

My head throbbed with each bump in the road, but I focused on Garrett’s presence beside me, on the steady way he drove, on the way he kept glancing at me, like he needed to reassure himself I was still there.

I glanced at him, taking in the tense line of his jaw. He was holding something back.

“So,” I started, my voice a little hoarse. “How’d it go with Sergeant Rodriguez?”

He let out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “Suspended,” he admitted, glancing at me before turning his attention back to the road. “A week. But at least it’s with pay.”

I winced. “Garrett?—”

“Before you say anything,” he cut in, throwing me a quick look, “I’d do it all over again. No hesitation.”

My chest tightened, and I swallowed hard. Damn him for saying things like that. Things that made me feel too much. I sighed. “Still. I don’t like that you got in trouble because of me.”

He smirked, but there was something sheepish about it. “Well, if it helps, I might not be in trouble for long.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How’s that?”

Garrett exhaled and shook his head. “Reporters picked up the story. Turns out, the kidnapping and rescue of a famous author makes for a pretty darn good headline.”

My stomach twisted. “Wait—what?” I straightened in my seat despite the dull ache in my skull. “Are you telling me the whole world knows about this?”

Garrett chuckled. “More like the whole country, at least. News outlets got wind of it, and now I’m being hailed as some kind of hero.

They’re even calling me a real-life Jake Slate, can you believe it?

” He shot me a wry look. “And get this—bowing to public pressure, the sheriff’s talking about a commendation. ”

I chuckled, despite it all. “You’re getting a commendation? For breaking department protocol and getting suspended?”

His grin turned downright smug. “Apparently, saving a well-known author from certain death outweighs a little insubordination. My suspension won’t stick as much if they slap a shiny medal on my chest.”

I eyed him and suppressed a grin. “That’s really why you did it, huh? For the commendation?”

Garrett smirked. “Oh, totally. That, and maybe…I didn’t want to lose you.”

Warmth spread through my gut, settling somewhere deep. Despite being an author, I didn’t have the words for what I felt. But I knew one thing—Garrett Whitlock wasn’t just some deputy who’d saved my life. He was my safe place.

When we pulled into his driveway, the porch light was already on, casting a warm glow against the damp pavement. Harper opened the door when we reached the porch, concern in her gaze.

Inside, Noah’s face lit up when he saw me, but there was hesitation in his step as he took in the bruise. “Mr. Ethan?” His small voice wavered, his blue eyes wide with concern.

Garrett squatted beside him, his voice gentle. “Hey, buddy. Remember how we talked about bad guys?”

Noah nodded slowly.

“A bad man hurt Mr. Ethan,” Garrett explained carefully, “but he’s safe now. He’s going to stay here for a few days while I take care of him. We’re going to have a sleepover.”

Noah’s lower lip trembled, and my stomach twisted at the sight of his worry.

“Did you catch the bad guy?” He glanced between his dad and me.

Garrett nodded, firm and certain. “I did. He’s in jail.”

Noah let out a small breath, and relief settled onto his narrow shoulders.

Then, without hesitation, he turned and ran down the hall.

I blinked, caught off guard, until he returned seconds later, clutching a stuffed animal—a well-loved, slightly floppy sea lion. He held it out to me with serious eyes.

“This is Flippy. He helps when you’re sick. You can borrow him.”

A lump formed in my throat as my fingers closed around the plush fabric. “Thanks, kiddo.”

Noah nodded, seemingly satisfied, and ran off to play with his cars.

Harper stepped forward then, worry etched in every line of her face. “How are you feeling?” She reached out as if she wanted to touch my arm, then seemed to think better of it.

I forced a small smile. “Like I got hit with an oar and almost drowned.”

Her lips pressed together, and Garrett shot me a look. “Not funny,” he muttered.

“A little funny,” I countered, but my voice was raw.

Harper exhaled, then gestured toward the kitchen. “I made chicken noodle soup. Thought it might help warm you up.”

Warm. Would I ever be warm again?

Still, I nodded gratefully, and Garrett led me to the table with his hand on the small of my back.

The smell of fresh rolls and steaming broth filled the air and wrapped around me like an embrace.

It felt like it had been so long since we’d first sat down for dinner weeks ago. The simple family supper comforted me.

Garrett pulled out a chair for me. Harper ladled soup into a bowl and set it at my place. Noah climbed onto his chair across the table. He watched me closely, as if to make sure I was okay.

I wrapped my hands around the warm ceramic and let the heat seep into my fingers. For the first time since the cave, I felt something like safety.

The night pressed against the windows, the storm long gone, but its echoes still lived inside me.

My body remained tense, my mind unwilling to let go of the past night and day.

Curled up against Garrett in his king-sized bed, wrapped in the safety of his arms, I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I closed my eyes, I’d wake up drowning.

My head rested against his chest, and I listened to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart. The warmth of his body was a stark contrast to the icy grip of the sea from earlier. I knew I should sleep—I was beyond exhausted, physically wrecked, emotionally drained—but fear had me in its hold.

I swallowed hard and stared at the darkened room. “I think I’ll have nightmares for years,” I whispered.

Garrett’s arms tightened around me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, emotion thick in my throat.

Relief crashed over me again—the same overwhelming, suffocating relief that I was still here, still breathing, still alive.

I had thought, more than once, that I wouldn’t make it out of that cave.

That the tide would take me under before Garrett could reach me.

“I shouldn’t be here,” I murmured, and guilt settled heavily in my chest. “You’re a single dad. You had Noah to think about. You shouldn’t have?—”

Garrett cut me off by tilting my chin up and forcing me to meet his gaze in the low light. His touch was firm but gentle. “Don’t. Don’t you dare blame yourself. Finch did this. Not you. And I’d do it all again to protect you. Save you.”

His conviction made my breath hitch. I wanted to believe him. But deep down, the fear lingered.

I turned my face into his chest and inhaled familiar scents—warm skin, fresh body wash, and fabric softener. His presence, his steadiness, was the only thing keeping me tethered to the present instead of spiraling.

“I’m glad I’m here with you,” I admitted quietly. “I don’t think I could be alone in my house. Not yet.”

Garrett exhaled softly and his finger traced soothing patterns over my back. “You don’t have to be. Stay as long as you need.”

The words settled something deep inside me. I wasn’t a burden to him. I wasn’t an obligation. He wanted me here.

Garrett’s hand slid up to tangle gently in my hair, as if he needed the reassurance just as much as I did. He held me closer, and his lips brushed over the top of my head in a quiet, unspoken promise.

But safety wasn’t the only thing keeping me in his arms. The warmth between us, the way he held me like I was something he didn’t want to lose—it wasn’t just comfort. It was something more. Something real.

At least, it was for me.

I hesitated before whispering, “Garrett, do you still want this? Us? Now that the danger is over?”

He pulled back just enough to look at me, his expression unreadable. “Is that what you think? That I only wanted you because I needed to protect you?”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t know. I just… I keep wondering if you only see me as someone who needs saving.”

Garrett’s jaw tightened, and he let out a slow breath. He tenderly cradled my cheek, his fingers rasping against my stubble.

“Ethan, I wanted you before any of this. Before I knew about Finch. Maybe from that first awful sip of your pumpkin spice latte. I wanted you when you gave Noah your undivided attention and made him laugh. I wanted you when we were just figuring this out, when I didn’t know there was a darn thing to protect you from.

And I want you now. Not because I saved you.

Because you’re you . I know it’s fast, and maybe too soon for me to say this. But you’re…the man I love.”

My breath caught. Warmth spread through my chest and mitigated the steady ache in my head.

My fingers curled into the fabric of Garrett’s T-shirt, as if holding on to something tangible would make this moment more real.

“I love you too,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

“And I think I have for some time. I just hadn’t admitted it to you—or even myself. ”

The words tumbled free, and with them, so did the weight of hesitation I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying. This was home. Sanctuary. Not just the town. Not just the safety of Garrett’s arms. Us.

I took a steadying breath and forced my tired limbs to shift just enough so I could see his face. “I want to stay in Seacliff Cove. With you.”

Garrett froze, and his grip on me tightened.

Had I misread the situation? “If…if you want me to.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his expression unreadable for a long beat. “But what about your family? Your niece?”

I shook my head, wincing as pain pulsed behind my temple. “That’s what airplanes are for—I can see my family whenever I want to. And it’s time my parents stepped up for my niece. I’ve been putting everyone else first. Don’t I deserve a little happiness, too?”

He searched my face, and his eyes flickered with vulnerability. “You’d really do that? You’d stay?”

My lips curved into a slow smile. “I think I was always meant to end up here.”

Garrett exhaled, the breath shaky, his relief palpable. Then, without hesitation, he kissed me.

It wasn’t desperate. It wasn’t urgent. It was steady, deep, grounding—a promise, a beginning, a homecoming all at once.

When we finally pulled apart, his forehead rested against mine. “Then stay,” he murmured. “Stay with me.”

I nodded and my heart hammered, no doubt in my mind. “I’m staying.”

Outside, the waves gently washed to shore in the distance, no longer violent, no longer a threat—just a part of the town I now knew I would never leave. The storm had passed, the tide had settled, and with Garrett’s arms around me, I knew I’d found something unshakable.

The final chapter of my old life had ended, and in its place, a new story had begun—with Garrett as my favorite plot twist.