Left alone with her thoughts, Laura couldn’t seem to stop the tears from flowing freely. With her hormones all out of whack, the tears had been almost as annoying as the nausea. Dehydration was the last thing they needed with so many other worries to contend with, but she couldn’t deny that she felt awful. Hopefully, Victoria and David could get her patched up enough to travel.

Whatever it took to be able to go with Owen. Staying home was not an option.

In need of some peace and looking for something else to think about besides the trial, Owen had taken to the waves. His grandfather had taught him to surf when he was eleven, and it was something the two of them had done together for years until his grandfather reached the point where the risk of injury was no longer worth the thrill of the ride.

Surfing with his grandfather had been among the highlights of a childhood short on happy memories. He and his siblings had lived for their summers on Gansett, the only time all year they were able to escape the horror of their home life. So many times he’d been tempted to tell his grandfather the truth about his father, but he’d always feared what would become of his mother, who had no annual vacation from her hellish marriage. Worries about her safety coupled with his father’s threats of what would happen if they blabbed about their family’s “personal business” to anyone resulted in Owen keeping his mouth shut.

With hindsight, he regretted that now. If only he’d trusted his grandparents, how different everything might’ve been for all of them. Of course he had no way to know if that was actually true, but he liked to think he might’ve changed the outcome somehow.

Watching the horizon, he gauged the swells and bided his time, waiting for the perfect curl. His grandfather had taught him how to tell the difference between a wave that would break too soon and one that would carry him all the way to the beach. With his eye on one such wave, he waited patiently, holding his position as the wave grew and gathered steam.

He paddled into position to grab the wave as it crested exactly where he expected it to, sending him on a wild ride to the beach that ended only when he bailed out. With adrenaline zipping through his veins, Owen reveled in the rush that was second only to the thrill of making love to Laura. Nothing was better than that.

Standing, he pushed his wet hair back from his face and saw Evan standing on the beach, gesturing to him. Carrying his board under his arm, Owen walked out of the water and onto the beach. “Hey, man. What’s up? Can you surf?”

“Not today.”

“What’re you doing here then?”

“Your mom called me.”