They were yet another family she’d gained in Maui.

The canoe moved smooth and silent through the water, and no one spoke. At first it felt strangely awkward, but then the sounds of Liam playing his ukulele floated over the sea, finding its way to Quinn and calming her nerves.

He played the same thing he’d played that night on the beach when she’d been so taken with the emotional words he sang. Mentally, she’d titled it “Liam’s Love Song,” and that was how she always thought of it.

When Quinn turned back to look, they were too far to make out his face, but it was mesmerizing the way everyone on the beach swayed back and forth, quietly paying their respects.

Once they were out far enough, the lead paddler lay his paddle over his lap and lifted his face to the sky. He balled up a fist and brought it over his chest, then loudly chanted a prayer in the soothing old Hawaiian language.

On either side of them, the surfers sent up their own whistles and chants, then, almost perfectly synchronized, they raised clasped hands and then lowered them to make a huge splash.

Quinn said her own prayer, then picked up the urn.

She held it to her heart, not sure if she was ready to let go. Her mother—and, yes, Quinn would always give Elizabeth the honor of thinking of her that way—was all she’d had in the world for half of her life. Saying goodbye permanently was going to hurt.

She felt a hand on her back and turned to find Mrs. Makena watching her, tears streaming down her face. “Let me help you,” she said.

Quinn unscrewed the top and handed her the vase, feeling as though she were handing over a part of her soul.

Mrs. Makena took a handful of ashes and threw them out over the ocean. “We love you, Beth.” She sobbed quietly as she handed the vase to her husband. He poured some ashes into his hand and let them trickle through his fingers on the other side of the canoe, slowly, as though he didn’t want them to float away.

“Forgive us,” he said, his voice thick with unshed tears. “Rest soundly, daughter.”

They passed the vase back to Quinn, and she held it once again. There was only a little of her mother left. She considered putting the lid back on and taking the rest of her back to her bedside table.

But her mother wouldn’t want that.

As much as she had tried to deny it, Quinn knew now that her mother loved Hawaii: the people, the land, and, yes, even the sea. It was where she needed to be set free. It was where she’d asked to be returned to.

No more hiding. No more fear.