And he makes me feel so goddamn weightless. But if I don’t respect my body’s limits, he’s going to—and my chest rises because I know this is it.
This is the end of my fight. Of all the physical pain that I’ve withstood in fear of disappointing her and myself.
“You’re human,” Farrow says toughly, clutching my face with so much love and care. “You’re human. Step back, wolf scout.”
Step back.
Maybe if I had more time. Maybe if I didn’t need surgery. So many maybes could’ve changed this, but maybe this is what I really needed all along. The hardest things are usually the right things, and pushing my body to extremes is too easy for me.
I hang onto Farrow’s shoulder for support. “Sulli!” I shout.
She races down the steps. “Moffy, what happened?” Once she stops on the step above mine, I let it out.
“I can’t do it.” My eyes sear. “I can’t do the ultra.”
She expels a giant breath, hands on her thighs hunched forward. “Thank fucking God.”
I’ve known that she’s been afraid I’d hurt myself, but I thought if I could do it for her—it’d mean something in the end.
I was wrong. I think quitting meant more.
37
FARROW KEENE
Beach parties with the Hales, Meadows, and Cobalts consist of one massive sandcastle competition, and since I’m with Maximoff, I’ve been recruited onto Team Hale.
And if I look at the water’s edge—which I try not to do all that much—SFO are on-duty and placing bets on this contest.
“Wait, I’m confused,” Xander says. “How do we make the towers pointed?”
“Just pack it in,” Lily replies. “Pack that sand in.” She pats at the base of the structure. Being brutally honest here: it looks like nothing.
We’ve been at this shit for ten minutes, and the furthest we’ve reached is a huge mound of sand that’s supposed to be the mountain beneath the castle. Maximoff shaves the “sculpture” flat with a shovel, and I lean back on my hands. More or less watching.
His movements are tensed like his entire body is sore. Muscles shot. The source: the stair climb from this morning. It’s hard to believe he’s even out here and not resting.
But that’s classic Maximoff Hale. At least he listened to his doctor and soaked in an ice bath before the beach party.
I’m his doctor, by the way.
I catch myself unconsciously smiling before I focus back on my boyfriend.
Maximoff takes a quick glance at the competition, then turns back to the mound of sand. “You know,” he tells us, “we still have time to build something other than Hogwarts.”
My smile widens as Xander, Kinney, Luna, and their parents look at Maximoff like he’s spoken blasphemy.
“Because I love you,” his dad says, “I’m going to forget you said that, bud.”
Maximoff wipes sand off his hands and onto his bathing suit trunks. He’s eagle-eyeing the two other sandcastles-in-the-making.
“Someone’s competitive,” I tease him.
He fixates on my upturning lips and my piercing. “I’m compensating for your slacking,” he rebuts.
“That’s cute.” I just stop there.
His neck almost flushes, and he’s trying to stay on course. But I’m definitely distracting him. When he gets a better look at the competition, he says, “Christ.”
“What?” Lily pops up. “Are we losing?”
“We’re definitely losing,” I answer, not needing to look. Bodyguard Facts: if you’re looking to win a wager, you don’t bet on the Hales. I was the only one who ever did. And right about now, the radio in my ear would be full of nonsensical shit.
I almost roll my eyes at myself. Fuck, I really, really don’t want to reflect on that. Because at the end of the day, I would never trade being a concierge doctor for security. Medicine is a part of me, and I can’t shake that need and that hunger. Being able to help these families with my medical skillset, it’s invaluable to me.
And my father would say, I told you so.
But at least he never gave me a hard time when I quit my residency and decided not to be board-certified. He was just proud I’m still working as a doctor. Because using my talent matters more to him than any prestige.
On top of that, he texted me this morning.
I’m sorry about Rowin. We should have enough hands on the med team with you and me, and Trip may end his sabbatical. I wanted to let you know there’s no plan to hire. We’re keeping it in the family. – Dad
I sleep easy knowing that I chose the Keene legacy the second time around, and my father never forced my hand.
Back on the beach, Loren Hale scours the competition like his son just did. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Lo says.
I turn my head and try to peer around all the famous ones and distinguish the sand structures. The Cobalts are going the traditional route and building a huge castle. Complete with four turrets and the structure has motherfucking windows.
“Is that a moat?” Luna asks.
Sure enough, Eliot and Tom dig a hole towards the ocean, and Team Hale watches as the water fills up the tunnel that surrounds the Cobalt’s castle.
“We’re screwed,” Kinney deadpans.
Next to Team Cobalt, the Meadows family compacts sand in the shape of a mermaid. Since they only have four team members, they were given a head start. Winona uses a twig to draw scales on the tail, and Sulli places seaweed as a bikini top. Their parents, Ryke and Daisy, make the mermaid’s hair with seashells.
All the Hales look back at our sandcastle. The mound of sand resembles a mound of sand.
“I kinda like our sand thingie,” Luna muses.
Xander nods. “It’s more like the mountain of Hogwarts without the castle.”
“Hogwarts Mountain,” Kinney says flatly.
Maximoff pats the sand mound. “Better than their muggle castle.” He looks over at me like he knows a word that I don’t know.
He’s always such a fucking dork. And I actually skimmed a few Harry Potter books after his mom gave them to me when I was on her security detail.
I’m about to tell him that he doesn’t know more than me, but his gaze suddenly shifts towards his dad. Lo just stood up, and his attention is cemented onto me.
“Farrow, walk with me.” Lo brushes sand off his hands. “The rest of Team Hale can build Hogwarts Mountain.”
I look to my boyfriend, and Maximoff shakes his head like he’s unsure of what this is about. I roll onto my knees, and seamlessly rise to my feet.
Maximoff is about to stand, but his dad quickly tells his son, “I’ll bring him back in one piece. Sit. Relax. Eat a sandwich, you look pale.”
He’s not pale at all.
“Thanks, Dad,” Maximoff says, sarcasm thick, and his brows scrunch at me like, see you later, and you’ll tell me every damn thing?
I will.
But let’s be honest, he’s going to be agonizing over every second when I’m gone. Wondering what the hell his dad is talking to me about.
And truthfully, I don’t have a good guess.
I follow Lo, step-for-step with him, and I rub my palms together, trying to scrape off the wet sand. We pass Team Cobalt, and their ridiculously large castle. Nine people are building this thing.
Lo edges closer and purposefully steps on one of the turrets. Demolishing it flat to the ground.
“Cheater!” most of the Cobalts boo and yell.
“Loren!” Rose yells above her seven kids. “You’ve reached a new level of low. Ruining the children’s sandcastle.”
“So now they’re children?!” he yells back. “Because for two decades, I thought you’ve been calling them gremlins.” She does call her kids gremlins.
It’s widely known.
Rose curses at him, and he walks off, smiling.
At first glance it might look like Rose and Lo hate each other, but they’ve teamed up for most of the yacht trip. They raided the teenagers’ ca
bins for cigarettes, and they’re planning to toss all that shit into the beach bonfire tonight.
As we pass the sand mermaid, Ryke gives Lo a hard stare. “Don’t even fucking think about it,” Ryke warns his brother.
Lo touches his chest, and we move beyond the mermaid completely. He ends up walking backwards to add, “I’d never.” He flashes a half-smile.
Ryke flips him off with two hands.
Based on Lo’s current mood, I’d say he’s most likely not delivering shit news to me. And if he is, he’s being strangely coy.