...are you ready?

Caught In A Riptide

Chapter Twenty-two

Arlo

Everything is kind of in slow motion when my head breaks the surface.

Shaking my head to get rid of the water in my ears, my hair sends droplets flying everywhere.

It's only when I open my eyes and a jolt of panic shoots through me because holy fuck I must be bleeding that I realize…

The water is turning pink.

The remnants of the popped black balloons float in front of me, and I feel a rush of joy and something like responsibility flooding my body.

Girls. Two girls.

Turning in the water to face Lakely, a grin stretches wide across my face, her hands over her mouth as fat tears gather on her lashes, soft butterscotch eyes staring at the dye spreading around me in wonder.

"Two little Lakelys," I mouth as Rylee screeches about 'finally getting another girl' as she cannonballs into the pool with her clothes on. The rest of the sixers and our little cousins are quick to follow, and it doesn't take long before Charlotte and Heidi are tugging Lakely toward the pool steps. My eyes trail over her as she finally caves and pulls her 'Donut' shirt over her head, then drops her shorts in the pile of clothes on the grass.

Her body is changing, the twins pushing her bump further and further out by the day, it seems. She popped a couple of weeks back, and now it's like she's just getting bigger every second.

That's not something you're supposed to say out loud though, apparently. Uncle Sullivan clued me in on that after I made an innocent comment and got myself thrown out of Lakely's apartment above Burger Co.

Collecting back slaps and congratulations, I make my way over to Lakely, scooping her up and spinning us both around in the water.

"Two girls, Lakers."

"Two girls," she breathes with a giggle, her smile as wide as mine when she puts her hands on my shoulders and pulls back to flip my world upside-down with those gorgeous golden brown eyes. "You're going to be the best girl dad, Arlo."

My heart thumps like I'm running a sprint, and I'm suddenly way too interested in her lips, the sugar-sweet smell of her breath, and the way she feels against me.

Swallowing hard, I reach up to cradle her face in my palm, my other hand on her hip, holding her to me. Her breath fans over my face; a gasp that makes her chest brush mine. My senses are flooded by our surroundings even as it all dims, relegated to the back of my mind.

The salty sea breeze, the warmth of the sun, the smells…

Meat on the grill, cotton candy clinging to Lakely's breath, the faint scent of her shampoo. She's obsessed with all things citrus at the moment, the soft strands of her hair floating on the surface of the water smelling of oranges and lemons.

"Arlo…"

My name is a whisper and a plea all rolled into one. I feel my stomach flip-flopping as she exhales slowly, softly, eyes warm but unsure as she leans closer, her gaze dipping down when I wet my lips with my tongue.

"Can I—"

"It's two girls! Whoot, two girls, two girls!" Rylee hits my back with a wet splat, her high-pitched voice in my ear breaking the spell.

Lakely's smile is sheepish as I release her and mouth "sorry," twisting my sister around to my chest so I can blow a raspberry right on her cheek, my mind caught between wondering if Lakely was about to kiss me and imagining myself in ten years, splashing in a pool with my daughters instead of my little sister.

~ oOo ~

"Two cokes, one TFC with chilli fries, and one Flamethrower, no cheese, extra hot mayo, and Pad Thai fries, comin' up." Smiling, I slide my pen behind my ear. "Can I get y'all anythin' else?"

The couple shake their heads, so I head back behind the bar and ring up their order. It's the off-season, Jackson Bay always so much quieter in the winter than the summer. The vacationers are gone, the big houses up in The Bluffs mostly sitting empty until next spring. I ran along the beach this morning and it's still weird seeing it so empty after months of out-of-towners flooding into the Bay.

The lack of tourists means Burger Co. is less hectic. Luckily, Kelly has been wanting to cut her hours to spend more time with Maggie and Miley, so Dad let me take some of those. It's hard work and late nights on top of practice, making sure Lakely is good, and keeping up with schoolwork.

Mom and Dad have been super supportive and I know they'd help me buy the stuff we need for the babies, but I want to be able to do it myself. I want to support my kids and their mom—as much as I can at seventeen while in school full-time, anyway. It's even more difficult now Lakely doesn't have her job at the bakery. That extra money would have been helpful.

As I pour the sodas for table six, my mind wanders to the list me and Lakely wrote out last weekend.

Diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, clothes, cribs, binkies, toys, burp cloths, car seats, a stroller…

And so much other shit all the baby mommas on Instagram say we'll need; Lakely has become obsessed with following them for the low-down on how to handle this parenting thing.

One of the benefits to having such a big family is that Mom says we can expect to get a lot of that stuff at our baby shower in a couple of months. I hate expecting stuff from people, but she's right. She's already said she and Dad will get the cribs just like my grandparents got the sixers', so that's one thing—or two, I guess—off our list.

I'm so distracted wondering how the hell we're going to get all the rest that I don't realize I've way overfilled the glass until Garrett claps his hand on my shoulder.

"Whoa, pal."

"Shit, sorry," I huff through my nose, releasing the button on the hose. "I'll clean it up."

He flashes me a curious grin, then waves me off. "I got it. Take those to your table."

Once I've dropped off the drinks and returned to the bar, Garrett eyes me for a second before checking that Oliver can handle the floor for a few minutes. Oliver shrugs and nods, then heads over to seat a walk-in.

"C'mon, Lo."

Following him back to Dad's office, I take off my cap, grimacing as I rake my hand through my hair. Gross. Sweaty.

"Sit."

"Yes, Sir," I tease, flopping in Dad's chair before he can. He just shakes his head at me with a grin, pulling his leg up so he can rest his ankle on his knee.

"What's goin' on with you, pal?"

Raising my eyebrows, I smirk. "You were at the party the other day, right?"

Garrett snorts. "I was. Still can't fuckin' believe I'm watchin' you have kids."

"Neither can I."

His eyes crinkle with his grin. "How're you feelin' about it? Two girls...you're gonna be outnumbered."

"It can't be all that bad," I point out. "If it was, you wouldn't have had five of 'em."

"That's a fair point," Garrett chuckles. "I wasn't seventeen when we had our girls, though. I also wasn't months out from getting a soccer scholarship across the country."

My eyes widen, stomach twisting. "Dad told you what the scout said?"

"Uh-huh." His gaze softens with sympathy. "Tough break, son. It's a big decision you've gotta make."

Leaning back in the chair, I stare up at the fan spinning slowly over our heads. "Is it? I mean, I don't think I really have a choice."

"Sure you do. Stanford was always the plan, right? I remember you runnin' around wearing their colors years back. Has that changed?"

"Yeah, when I knocked Lakers up," I drawl teasingly, then shake my head because it's not even a little bit funny. "I can't just shoot across the country and leave her here with the babies, but it's not fair to drag her all the way over there where she'll have no support except me. I'll be so busy with school and soccer...it would be such an asshole move."

After a fuck-awesome game yesterday during which I scored a hat-trick, the Stanford coach appeared out of thin air to promise me a spot on the team next fall.

It's everything I've worked toward, the goal I set myself back in middle school.

It was crushing to have to fake a grin and tell him I'll think about it.

"Wasn't she planning to go with you?"

"I mean, yeah, when we were in fifth grade." Exhaling toward the ceiling, I remember being in elementary school with Lakely and Jake before he moved out of town. We were gonna get an apartment and skip the dorms, but that was before Lakely developed a weird aversion to Jake—and obviously before we threw a huge spanner in the works and got pregnant with twins.

"I get the feeling she'd prefer to stick closer to home," I admit, saying the words out loud for the first time. "I've suspected it for a long time now, but I guess I've just been too chicken to bring it up."

"Well, now would be the time," Garrett points out. "You've got two babies on the way, son. That's important. But so is your happiness."

Cocking my head, I watch him think about his words for a few seconds.

"Look, the easy out here would be to quit soccer and college and stay in the Bay."

Swallowing hard, I choke out, "That's the easy way?"

He smirks. "Sure it is. The hard way would be hauling your baby momma clear across the country with two newborns and a soccer scholarship to keep up with."

"I mean...okay, yeah. Both sound pretty hard to me."

"That's fair. You've been playin' soccer as long as I've known you. Have you spoken to Lakely about all this?"

I feel my ears heating up as I reach back to rub my neck. "Naw. I'm…"

Garrett's grin widens. "You're scared to bring it up because then you'll have to figure out what you really want?"

"You hit the nail on the head." A familiar voice says from the doorway. My head snaps over, my shoulders slumping as Dad offers me a wink. "Talk to her, bud. She's probably worryin' about all the same things you are."

Nodding, I blow out a big breath. "Aight. I'll talk to her."

"Make sure you do," Dad warns, eyebrow cocked. "She's five months pregnant. The last thing she needs is to be stressin' about decisions you may or not make without her input. Trust me, leaving your girl out of that process will only bite you on the ass."

As Dad and Garrett exchange fist-bumps and haunted "Amen's," I head back out on the floor and start trying to figure out how I'm going to bring up the future with Lakely when, really, I have no idea what I even want it to look like.

~ oOo ~

With the winter come the best surfing conditions.

When news breaks about a tropical storm rolling in off the coast one Saturday morning in the middle of November, it takes less than an hour to fill two cars with bodies, boards, and wetsuits.

"C'mon, brah!" Liam yells, hanging out of the window as we roll to a stop outside Burger Co.

Lakely waves at Uncle Sullivan serving in the restaurant as she steps out onto the sidewalk, murmuring her thanks when I hop out to carry her bag for her. Eyeing Liam, she asks, "How much coffee has he had?"

"Too much," I tell her with a grin, jerking my chin at him. "Out. You're in the back."

Liam rolls his eyes but does as he's told, climbing from the front seat into the back with Demetri so Lakely can awkwardly take his spot riding shotgun.

"I preferred it when you two weren't hooking up. I got to ride in the front sometimes."

Lakely's cheeks flame as I shake my head and tell him to wind it in—belatedly realizing that I sound more like my mom every day. She's always telling the sixers to 'wind it in' when they get too rowdy. I think it's a British saying she's picked up from Nanny Jude.

"We're not hookin' up, Liam," I remind him for maybe the millionth time. Not that I don't want to.

This situation is complicated enough. For now, make-out sessions and getting handsy when we're alone are getting me through.

"Yeah, sure," Demetri snorts under his breath, not the least bit guilty when I catch his eye in the rearview. "What? You two have been dancin' around each other forever and it's not like you can get any more knocked up, right, Lakely?"

"Shut up, Dee," Lakely sighs, grumbling under her breath as she tries to get her belt in a comfy position around her bump. "You're just sore because Char is bringing that guy she met."

Demetri settles down, doing some grumbling of his own because she's right on the money. Shooting her a proud grin, I start the engine and pull away from the restaurant, heading toward Heidi's house. When we get there, Charlotte is out front sitting on the hood of Heidi's car with some guy I don't recognize. I'm guessing it's the guy she met at a cheer event last week.

"What's this kid's name?" I ask Lakely, struggling to contain my laughter when Demetri scathingly mutters "Randall" in the backseat. Twisting around to face him as I brake behind Heidi's car, I smirk. "Somethin' to say, bro?"

He shakes his head and flips me the bird, much to Liam and Lakely's amusement. Their laughter catches Charlotte's attention. She grins and waves, slipping off the hood to jog over as Heidi makes her way outside with a huge beach bag and her hot pink board.

"A little help, somebody!"

Once her board is strapped in the back with the rest, and Charlotte has introduced Randall around, we all pile into the cars and set off. I take the lead in the Jeep, laughing when I glance in the rearview in time to catch Randall pointing as we cruise right by the end of The Boardwalk.

I can imagine him asking why we just bypassed the beach parking lot, but I can also hear Heidi singing "We'll see."

And he will, he does, when we finally make it to the cove that belongs to Papa's hotel, In The Bay.

"Holy shit," he breathes, shaking his head as we start hauling boards and bags out of the cars, dumping them on the sand and grinning at the gorgeous waves I can see breaking on the rocks. "What is this place?"

"Arlo's grandpa owns it," Heidi explains, all of us laughing at the slack-jawed look Randall shoots me.

"Technically, it belongs to his hotel," I tell him, pointing at the top of the building. We can just make it out from our low vantage point. "There's a small stretch of beach, too. That's where we're going. This is kind of a secret spot where we can leave all our stuff, though. The hotel is never busy this time of year and Papa doesn't really advertise the cove, anyway."

"Right." He still looks kind of shocked, but his smile is back when Charlotte starts pulling off clothes so she can slip into her wetsuit.

Looking around, I take it in objectively, trying to look at it all as if I haven't spent thirteen years coming here with my family—and, later, my friends. The cliff face keeps it shielded, and the small opening is just wide enough for the boat Papa keeps tucked away under camo tarp. It takes me, Demetri, Liam, and Randall to haul it out and get it in the water, but there's plenty room in there for all of us and our stuff.

"I might wait here," Lakely says, pulling my focus away from the guys easing it into the water. She has her lip between her teeth and her hands on her bump. "What if I get seasick?"

"You've never gotten seasick before," I remind her, draping my arm around her shoulders. My eyes dip down without my permission and I feel a stir in my stomach. She's wearing the swimsuit Mom helped her pick out, the one that hugs her bump and her tits just enough to be classy but also tempting as fuck to stare at.

As her best friend, I know I shouldn't be gawping at her.

As someone who's noticing more and more things to gawp at recently, I can't freaking help it.

"I just hate throwing up," she finally sighs, leaning her head against me. "It's embarrassing."

Eyeing the calm water in the cove, and the more unsettled ocean beyond, I purse my lips. "I mean, it looks pretty chill in here, at least. Why don't you give it a shot and if you feel bad, I'll come back and hang in the cove with you." Waggling my brows, I duck down so she can see my grin. "We could make sandcastles."

Slapping at my chest without any real force, she laughs and nods. "All right, you've got yourself a deal. But if your daughters make me throw up in front of everyone, it's on your conscience, got it?"

Your daughters.

My daughters.

Our daughters.

Resting my hand over hers, over our baby girls, I feel my grin widening as hers grows, too.

Her butterscotch eyes glow almost gold in the sun, the air sucked from my lungs when they dip quickly down to my mouth and then back up again. Her lips part, just a little, and I feel a now-familiar tug in the back of my mind.

I want.

Licking my lips, I breathe in the ocean air, Lakely's citrus scent, and wonder if this is a good idea—if complicating our already complicated situation is the best thing to do. These last few weeks, the last few months, I've been...realizing some things, I guess I can say.

This girl has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. She's been by my side through so much, and I've only recently realized just how much I've taken her for granted.

Her soft smile, the warmth in her eyes, and that blush.

As I reach up to walk my fingertips over her cheek, the sun catching the water I leave behind, her cheeks flame. We've made out some, and when I can sneak out to stay with her above the restaurant, I do, but we haven't really had 'the serious talk' about our relationship and what's going to happen. We haven't done anything PDA-ish in front of our friends or my family, either. I'm not sure either of us have been ready for that with everything else going on, but I can't shake the idea that she's been feeling some kinda way for a while now.

I was just too dumb, too blind, to see it.

She's like the butterfly that swoops in front of your face but you're too slow to react and it's gone before you think to reach out. That's Lakely. She's my butterfly.

But now she's here, in my arms with the afternoon sun lighting her up, and I've got a chance to catch her before it's too late.

Except maybe I'm not the only one reaching out.

Lakely closes the gap with a soft "please," pressing her lips against mine before I can tell her anything she wants is hers.

I'm hers.

She tastes like toothpaste and smells like sunshine, her tentative hands fluttering to rest on my abs almost maddeningly gentle. My muscles bunch under her touch, a shiver rippling down my spine. Vaguely, I register hooting and hollering behind me, but I couldn't care less.

Sliding a hand around the back of her neck and up into her soft hair, I hum into her mouth and then groan when she opens up, the first brush of her tongue against mine wiping every thought but one from my mind.

Why haven't we been doing this all along?

My pulse shoots through the roof as I cradle her head and lose my mind to the sensations.

I only pull away when it occurs to me that my lightheadedness isn't just because Lakely's rocking my world.

I need to breathe, dammit. This girl...

"Fuck," I pant, dropping my head against her collarbone, breathless and aching. "Lakers…"

"Was that...okay?"

Lifting my head, I can't help but grin like the goofy, lovesick fool I'm realizing I am. She's got her lip between her teeth again, her brows just a little furrowed, like she's nervous.

"You're adorable, Lakers," I murmur, running my fingers through her hair. "And that was very okay. Feel free to do that whenever, wherever, you want, aight?"

Giggling, she palms her rosy cheek and nods, leaning into me as I wrap my arms around her and wait for my thundering heart to chill out. "Aight," she mimics me, snorting when I blow a raspberry on top of her head and lightly tickle her side.

It doesn't take long before reality takes over and voices break through my bubble.

"Finally, brah!" Liam crows, slapping my back, planting a loud kiss on Lakely's cheek when she pulls back so the girls can squeal all over her. He grins wickedly at me. "I'm allowed to do that, right? You're not gonna pound on me?"

Cocking a brow, too happy to be mad and well aware he's just being a dick anyway, I tell him I have no worries about him stealing my girl.

Fuck. She's my girl, right? She knows that?

Eyeing her as Charlotte and Heidi whisper to her, the three of them in a giddy huddle, I make a mental note to take the confusion out of the situation stat. I've wasted too much time acting like an idiot, being blind to what was right in front of me.

"She's way outta your league, brah," I tease, an arm around Liam's shoulders as Randall chuckles and Demetri hisses a laugh. "C'mon, who's up for a little boatin'?"

~ oOo ~

We spend hours on the water—in the cove, where it's calm and the ocean is gentle enough that Lakely doesn't get sick. We take it in turns diving off the bow, then anchor up right in the center and swim or float around it.

Lazily kicking toward Lakely drifting in a rubber ring, I flash her a grin on the surface of the water and wink when she spots me, her cheeks already flushing pink before I tug her face down to plant a kiss right on her smile, careful not to tip her over.

"Hey."

"Hey. Havin' fun?"

"Yeah," she breathes, looking around at our friends splashing on the other side of the boat, at the sun rising over the cliffs, the gulls swooping through a clear sky.

Clouds are building out in the distance, but they're not close enough to worry us. Not yet, at least.

Instead of the storm on the horizon, I stare at Lakely; at her soft smile and warm golden eyes as she brushes my wet hair away from my forehead before chewing her lip.

"What?"

"I just...I know it's all kind of a mess at the moment, but I've really enjoyed these last few weeks with you."

Grinning, I feel warmth curling in my stomach. "Me, too."

We've always spent a lot of time together, but it's been...different, recently.

Instead of hanging out with our friends at the bakery or the beach, we've been hanging out in the apartment above Burger Co. or at my place with my parents. Instead of making plans for parties and our last year of high school, we've been adjusting to the idea of becoming parents—together—and what that all entails.

My view of her has shifted.

I'm noticing things like the way her hair falls around her face, the way her lips shape around her words, the way she smiles when she first wakes up in the morning and how my stomach always flips at the sight.

I remember when Mom was pregnant with the sixers and Dad always had his hands on her.

It's kind of weird that I feel that same urge now with Lakely, but I do. It's always there and I can't ignore it. Honestly, I don't even really try.

Even now, I thread our fingers together and wrap my legs around hers so she and her donut ring are keeping me afloat.

"Yo, Arlo! We're gonna head around to the beach and see if we can catch some waves. You in?" Demetri yells, the others all climbing the little ladder into the boat.

My first instinct is to say "Hell, yeah" but I don't know what Lakely wants. Eyeing her, I grin when she purses her lips in a smile and nods.

"Come on, surfer boy. Let's go get you some waves. I can't keep you bobbing around here all day."

"I mean, you can, if you want…"

She laughs and ruffles my hair, twisting her body to start kicking her way back to the boat. "It's fine, Arlo. I brought some homework with me. I can do that while you're all doing your thing."

For the first time in weeks, we haul our boards around to the beach and a different kind of buzz shoots through me when I catch sight of the waves crashing against the shore.

"Dude…" Liam breathes, staring at them as we bump fists.

"Perfect surfin' weather," Randall agrees, and I know from chatting with him today that he used to compete in some small local competitions before he got into cheer. Needless to say, Demetri was hella glad to hear that Randall's reason for joining initially was to get closer to the guy he liked who was already on the cheer team. Hopefully, it's the kick up the ass he needs to just ask Charlotte out already, but God knows I'm not the expert on that.

After getting Lakely comfy on the sand with books, the cooler full of drinks and snacks, and her headphones, I switch my swim shorts for my wetsuit—and grin like a fool when I catch Lakely not-so-sneakily trying to catch a glimpse of me changing behind a big rock—and follow the rest of the gang into the water.

Just like Randall said, it's perfect surfing weather, and I get the same old rush when I catch a gnarly barrel. Bursting out into the sunshine to the cheers of my friends, I almost miss the group picking their way down the beach toward Lakely.

The excited grin slips right off my face as I head for the shore as quickly as I can, motioning for the guys to follow me. Ripping the velcro from around my ankle, I drag my board far enough up the sand that I know it won't get washed out before jogging toward the gatecrashers.

"Holy crap, you're fat," Vicky giggles, leaning into the side of someone I only vaguely recognize, but would know anywhere, as Lakely scrambles to her feet.

Hunter James.

Raking a hand through my hair, I try to catch my breath and swallow the words on the tip of my tongue.

I thought you were still in prison.

"What's going on?" Liam asks, finally catching up. His eyes dart between me, the Russos, and the James' before he sniffs and jerks his head at Alec. "S'up, man?"

Alec normally greets Liam like the loyal customer he is. Not today, though. He barely manages a smile, fidgeting behind his taller cousin with Renata messing with her phone disinterestedly at his side.

Hunter looks a lot like his sister with matching red hair and a wicked smile, like he knows a secret you don't. He's about my height, but leaner, with tattoos that peek out from the neck and sleeves of his tee. He looks like the ex-con he is.

As Lakely tucks herself into my side, my stomach sinks.

He hasn't been back here in years. Not since he got shipped off to juvie for beating someone up so bad they spent seven months in hospital and had to have reconstructive surgery.

It seems awfully coincidental that he's showing up now, just a few months after I broke up with his little sister.

Fuck.