Page 51 of Tides Of Your Love (Riviera Shores #3)

Rio

“I TRIED CALLING, MAN ,” Simon said the moment he opened the front door.

“Texted you back. We were busy—with Walter and all,” Owen replied.

“He’s fine now, right?” Nicole appeared beside him. “Come on in. The girls are still up.”

“He is,” I said, stepping inside with Owen behind me.

“Wio!” Emma launched herself from somewhere down the hall and straight into my arms. I bent to scoop her up.

I kissed her cheek. “Yes, sweetie, and Owen is here, too.”

She beamed at him and waved like a little Miss America contestant. He returned it with a high-five and a grin. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Simon, can we talk to you?” I heard Owen say quietly while Nicole and I listened to Emma’s enthusiastic report about a birthday party at preschool.

Catching Simon’s sharp glance, I handed Emma to Nicole. “I have to ...” I gestured toward the two men already headed out to the yard.

“I heard,” Nicole said, eyebrows raised in a I don’t know if this is a good idea kind of way.

I pressed my lips together. “I love him,” I said.

“Heard he loves you, too. Which is a first for him, so ...” Nicole tilted her head as if reversing how she’d reacted before. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” I smiled at her, genuinely grateful that she was the first in the family to say something nice about this. I then hurried to follow the two.

“I already know,” Simon said once we stepped outside. He tapped his phone and turned the screen to us.

A headline blared: Wonder Wheaton Shocks Fans and Management Alike.

He swiped left to another. America Gets Them All: Wheaton to Join Messi, Giroud, and Beckham?

“Yes. About that,” Owen began. “I was going to tell you. I rejected their offer. I want to be here. You guys are my family. And Walter’s not getting any younger. But most importantly,” he pulled me to his side, “Rio.”

“Simon—” I tried, but my brother cut me off.

“Listen, I wish you two the best. I mean it. You love each other—it’s obvious just looking at you. I never imagined you together, but ... if you don’t fuck it up, I’m okay with it.” He locked eyes with Owen.

“It’s the real thing, Simon,” Owen said.

Simon gave a dry laugh. “I had this whole speech prepared when I saw the articles about the team wanting you back. Then you went offline, and then I figured you arrived because of Walter. ”

“Nope. Because of her.” Owen’s arm looped tighter around me and he pressed a kiss to my temple. “But fate got me here in time for Walter, too.”

“Fate,” Simon said, like he was still processing.

“What was in that speech?” I asked, sliding my arm around Owen’s waist. We stood there as a unit—me and him—together.

“I was going to tell Owen no one can have it all. You try to get everything, you end up with nothing. Life’s about choosing.”

“Good speech,” I said, smiling even as the G lingered. I didn’t have to avoid hard consonants with these two.

“I have it all now. Nothing has ever made me feel like I do when I’m standing right here, like this,” Owen said, reeling me closer against his side.

Simon studied him for a second. Then nodded once, like it passed whatever test he’d set.

“Shall we toast to you being back? It’s not a funeral. It’s a good thing,” he said, shaking himself out of the mood he was stuck in.

“Deal,” Owen said.

As we headed back inside, Simon fell into step beside me. “So ... you’re sure? I don’t need to worry?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life,” I said, holding his gaze.

“Then congratulations, Rio. He’s a good man.” A beat passed. “Just ... wasn’t good at ... He’s a good man.”

“I know.” Then, right as we entered, I quickly added, “Do me a favor and tell Mom.”

“Rio!” I managed to hear him say as I picked up my pace .

“Please,” I tossed back over my shoulder without looking.

Nicole was descending the stairs as we reached the kitchen. “Emma’s in bed. I promised you two would come say goodnight later.”

Chloe stood near the counter, wearing earphones. She quickly tugged them out and blushed when she saw us. God, I remembered being at that awkward age. I was only a year older than her when I first met Owen.

“Hey, Chloe. Heard you joined the soccer team at your school,” Owen said.

Chloe nodded. “Yeah.”

Gotta love the monosyllabic responses .

“What position?” Owen asked while Simon and Nicole moved around the kitchen, pulling out glasses and uncorking a bottle of wine.

“I’m trying for goalie and back fielder. I’m kinda good at defense.”

“Excellent. If you need any tips, I’m here. I’d be happy to help you train.”

Chloe sucked in her lips, like she wasn’t sure if what she wanted to say was okay. “But aren’t you going back to England soon?”

“Nope,” Owen said, his voice easy, certain. “I’m here. So anytime.”

She nodded emphatically, her whole face lighting up.

Simon handed us glasses. “Chloe, pour yourself some juice,” he said, passing her an empty one.

“To having Owen back here—and to Rio and Owen,” Simon said, raising his glass .

“To Walter getting better,” I added.

“To family,” Owen said, clinking all our glasses together.

Later, in the car, I told Owen about Simon’s little side whisper to me.

He shot me a surprised glance. “He asked me the same.”

“What did you say?”

“That I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

I grinned. “Then he heard the same sentence twice tonight.”

Owen weaved his fingers through mine over the console. His firm grasp and the feel of his large palm grounded me even more to the warmth spreading inside me, knowing we were driving home.

Together.

As if reading my thoughts, he lifted our entwined hands and kissed my knuckles, giving me a quick smile.

WE brOUGHT WALTER HOME the next day, and he immediately stepped into the yard to make sure I’d kept his flowerbeds watered.

I helped him settle—or so I thought—until he said, “Stop fussing around me, Rio. I feel fine.”

“Thought you were old and fragile,” I reminded him of his own words, from when he’d tried to guilt me and Owen.

The familiar dismissive hand wave told me he was all right .

I returned to work the next day, while Owen scheduled a few video meetings with his agent and the team’s management.

“Thanks for covering for me. And for everything,” I said, placing a box of candles I’d made the previous afternoon on the counter.

“No worries,” June said. “Dharma took a double shift in Wayford and managed to flirt Adam into next year.” She laughed, already opening the box and peeking inside.

“Better Adam than your husband,” I said, remembering how Dharma had tried to flirt with Angelo before realizing he was with June.

“Speaking of ...” June said. “When were you going to tell me?” She looked up, holding two candle jars.

“About what?”

“Angelo’s the one who told me Owen turned down offers in England.”

I smiled. “He did. And ... he’s here not just for Walter. We even told Simon.”

“You two? Oh, I’m so happy for you!” June pulled me into a hug, still holding the candles. She’d become a warm hugger since Angelo.

“He’ll be glad to have a new local pal,” she said, nodding toward the back, where Angelo’s guitar studio was.

“We’ll have to get them together. Double date maybe?”

“I’m forty and I’ve never double-dated. Well, we did with January and Oliver, but they’re family, so it doesn’t really count.”

“Another first for you. Thanks to Angelo.”

Her face turned suddenly serious. “What’s a first for you?”

I took a second to think about it. “The depth of feeling. I’ve never had that. I was on the cusp of it back when we ... but nothing like this. It’s overwhelming.”

She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Scary, right?”

“Yeah. A bit. But amazing.”

She gave a knowing nod.

As if by some weird twist of fate—like when you lose something, buy a new one, only to then find the one you lost—my phone buzzed not long after with a message from the real estate agency.

“We have a new property that fits your budget. It’s in excellent condition, though a bit out of your radius—it’s in Sunset Beach.”

“I’m off the market. But thank you,” I texted back, a grin I couldn’t wipe off spreading across my lips.

TO MY SURPRISE, OWEN ended up buying the monstrous car he’d rented, so our lane was clogged daily now. But coming back home, passing by the home gym he’d built, and hearing his grunt was something I could get used to.

Now, I could walk in, watch the little smile spread across his face, wait for him to return the bar with the heavy thingies to its place, and pull me to lie on top of him—right there on the bench .

He was salty and tasty, and we made out like two teenagers.

“You have to move your stuff into my room,” he mumbled into my neck. “Bring the strawberries.”

I chuckled. “I don’t have strawberries anything. You have to tell me more about this.”

“I will—when you move your stuff into mine.” He angled his head so we were looking at each other.

“Why don’t you move into mine?” I asked.

“Better idea. The third bedroom shares a wall with mine. We can knock it down and make one big room. Yours can be a nursery later or something.”

“A nursery?” My brows lifted on their own volition.

“Yeah. We need more people who appreciate football here.” He lifted his head and pressed his lips to mine.

“So you want to make your own people?”

He huffed a little laugh. “With you? I want to make everything.”

“Don’t you want to shower this sweat off in the ocean first?” I asked.

He kissed me again and pushed us both up.

We ended up in the water, close to the shore, just up to our waists in the afternoon tide. Standing in my panties and bra in the cold water, kissing, and being wrapped in Owen was the best appetizer ever.

“HE SAID what ?” Ruby nearly jumped out of her chair .

Daphne looked at Evangeline. “Calm her down, you’re closer,” she said drily.

The three of us laughed, all eyes on Ruby.

“I wanted to meet and break the news to her alone, but she insisted you should all hear it,” I said, glancing at the other two.

“I’m happy for you,” Evangeline said. “Finally, some good news.”

She had a heart of gold, that one—as my mom would say if she ever met her.

“Same,” Daphne said in her dry-as-dust way. “And Ruby will behave as soon as she breathes. Yes, she said nursery. Babies. Get used to it, Ruby. Your friends are on the other side of thirty-five. You’ll have more of that, if you haven’t already.”

“Sex, falling in love, river tattoos, babies. What’s next?”

“Didn’t your mother tell you sex might lead to falling in love?” Evangeline quipped.

“When’s Sebastian next in town?” I asked.

“Eleven days, but what has that got to do with anything?” Ruby said defensively.

“Nothing. Just that you know the exact number of days,” I replied, to the laughter of the other two.

“Oh, come on. I’m happy for you, Rio,” Ruby said. “It’s just going so fast.”

“Sixteen years isn’t fast,” Evangeline cut in. “Sixteen, right?” She looked at me. “If my math’s correct.”

“Your math is always correct,” Ruby said with a huff. “And you’re right. I’m just surprised that they’re already talking about this, that’s all. But I’m happy. Genuinely. You deserve whatever you want, Rio. And I know you want him. Always have, kind of.”

We were sitting at a round table at her inn’s bar and grill, the scent of grilled shrimp and rosemary fries mingling with the sea breeze drifting in from the open patio doors.

Just beyond them, the deck stretched out over the sand, dotted with string lights and weathered wooden tables.

The ocean shimmered in the distance, and somewhere in the background, a slow, jazzy cover of The Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris played.

I put my arm around her shoulder and leaned my head against her. “Yeah. Kind of.”

“What about his job?” Daphne asked, always the practical one.

“He’s in touch with a few local and national teams. They’re basically fighting over him, but he wants to stay close to home most of the time, so he’ll probably sign with a California team. They travel enough nationwide once the league starts.”

“We have to buy jerseys and come see him play,” Evangeline said. She then tilted her head, brow furrowing. “Wait. Is it called a jersey in soccer, too?”

“It is.” I chuckled.

Here are more soccer people for you, Owen.

I CAME HOME TO FIND Owen lying in bed, one arm sprawled over my side like he’d been reaching for me in his sleep. But as I stepped closer, his eyes blinked open—soft and warm. Like they’d always been for me .

“Hey,” he murmured, voice rough. “You’re late.”

“I stayed a bit longer at the inn, ” I whispered, tugging off my clothes quietly and slipping under the covers. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

He reached for me, pulling me in close until my body was tucked against his. “Wasn’t asleep. Couldn’t sleep without you.”

The moonlight filtered in through the curtains, painting silver across the lines of his chest—over the river tattoo where my name lived now, healed and permanent.

I ran my fingers over it.

The rhythm of his breathing, the beat of his heart, the strength of his presence felt like a tide, drawing me in deeper, reassuring me that I was exactly where I had always meant to be.

“You smell like the ocean,” he said, his lips brushing my temple.

“Not strawberries?” I kissed his shoulder, then the line of his jaw.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead, then lower, his mouth lingering at my lips. “You smell like home, Rio.”

His words landed deep in my heart, the home where my love for him lived.

“I love you, Owen,” I whispered, my voice a breath between us.

“I love you, Mio. Always have,” he said, kissing me again, slow and sweet. “Always will.”

I smiled into the kiss, heart full, body aching for him in a way that never faded—steady and deep, like a river that had always known its way to the ocean. And now that I was here, in his arms, wrapped in this love that pulled and carried and held—I knew I’d never leave its tide.