Page 27 of Moonlight Feels Right
"Did you see me, Emmalyn?"
"I did," she said. "That was amazing."
"Let's do it again," Olivia said to Hunter as she ran back into the water where he was waiting.
Emmalyn smiled at Olivia's excitement, but it wasn't just Olivia who was having fun; it was Hunter, too. He looked younger, lighter, the weight of his grief momentarily lifted. It was like he was a different person. He and Olivia were paddling side by side now, and when they finally came in together, she caught her breath at the look of pure joy on both their faces. The grief was still there, just underneath—but so was life. And it was beautiful.
Fifteen minutes later, the class wound down. Olivia and Henry began building a sandcastle under Paige's watchful gaze.
Hunter walked over. "Your turn."
"I’m good. Watching was fun."
"Come on. Body surfing’s better."
She hesitated. "I didn’t learn to swim until I was a teenager. The ocean… scares me."
"It should," he said. "But it can also make you feel invincible. I promise I’ll keep you safe."
She raised a brow. "Stronger than the ocean, are you?"
He grinned. "This shallow and calm part of the ocean—I'm going to say yes." He held out his hand.
She reluctantly took it, and they waded into the water. When they got waist-deep, Hunter said, "Lie down on the board."
"What about you?" she asked, realizing he'd left his board on the sand.
"This is your ride," He kept a hand on the board as she stretched out. Then he pushed her board a little deeper into the water, and her nerves tightened.
"I think this is good," she said, looking over her shoulder at the waves gathering behind her.
"I've got you, Emmalyn," he said. "Are you ready?"
She looked into his dark eyes and saw the promise there. "I'm ready."
"We're going to wait for the right wave."
She tried to focus on the ocean, but her awareness kept shifting to Hunter—to the droplets of water clinging to his shoulders, the way the sunlight caught in his dark hair, and the unexpected gentleness in his eyes when he looked at her.
"This one," he said, nodding toward an approaching swell. "Get ready to paddle when I tell you."
She turned to face the shore, arms extended as Liam had demonstrated. She could feel the swell building behind her, water drawing back slightly in that telltale sign of a wave gathering force.
"Now!" Hunter called, and she pushed off with all her strength, kicking her legs as the wave caught her.
The sensation was indescribable. She was probably barely moving, but she felt like she was flying, carried by a force so much greater than herself, momentarily part of something powerful. She could hear Hunter shouting encouragement, then his deep laugh carrying over the rush of water as her board hit the sand. She rolled off into the water, breathless and smiling, and then got to her feet.
"That was amazing!" she gasped as Hunter waded out of the ocean. "I know I wasn't very deep, but it was more fun than I thought."
"Told you," he said with a smug smile. "Want to do it again?"
"So much," she said with a laugh. "But you should get your board, too."
He looked over at Olivia, who was content working on the sandcastle. "Let's do it."
For the next fifteen minutes, they rode the small waves, and she loved every minute. When they finally called a halt and sprawled on the sand next to the sandcastle under construction, Paige gave her a speculative smile, but didn't say anything until Hunter took the kids down to the water's edge to fill their buckets with wet sand.
Then Paige said, "So you know what you told me about no sparks last night with your date…"
