Spring Tide (Coastal University Book 1)

5 years later

“Juney, come on, sweetie,” I say as I attempt to wrangle my daughter out of her car seat. “We’re gonna be late.”

“Mama, nooo,” she whines, putting up quite the fight. Her little legs kick against the back of the seat, lips turning down in an exaggerated pout. Normally, I’d be swayed by those sweet, puppy-dog eyes, but we don’t have time to compromise today.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

She grabs my face, pulling at my cheeks. “We go Nonna’s house?”

“No, Juney.” I check my phone screen, anxiously noting the time. “Your dada’s playing today, remember?”

She blinks up at me. “But Geegee?”

“We’ll go see Geegee another time, okay?” I laugh, tugging at a tiny curl of her dark brown hair. “Today, we have to watch Dada’s game.”

“Noo.” Her eyes go wide, head frantically shaking back and forth.

“Yes, sweetie,” I say softly. “Don’t worry, we’ll have fun. Uncle Elio’s already inside waiting for us.”

Her little frown melts into a smile, blue-gray eyes sparking with interest. She lifts her arms, finally allowing me to unbuckle her belt and pull her out of the car.

“Are you excited to see your uncle?”

“Uh-huh.” She nods, slipping her hand into mine.

It’s the first game of the regular season for Luca’s team, the Carolina Bobcats, but we’re the last people to park in the reserved section at the stadium. Of course, due to the chaos of toddlerhood, we’re running late as usual.

“Okay, good.” I carefully shut the door with my free hand, quickly double-checking that we have everything we need. “Today, we’ll watch the football game, and then next week, we’ll go to Nonna’s house. Sound good?”

She gazes up at me, her smile stretching a mile wide. “Okay, Mama.”

By the time we make it into the stadium, the family box is already packed to the brim. I stop along the way to chat with a few girls—some spouses and partners I’ve befriended over the last four seasons—before we spot Elio seated near the front. His legs are kicked out, a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes.

Elio’s not interested in big crowds these days, but he’s still been making an effort to come to the games. At least, ever since he reconciled with Luca, that is. Unfortunately, it took him a while to get clean and sober after that fateful night back in high school. Almost an entire year went by before he even so much as spoke to his brother again.

Eventually, their parents were able to help him get into rehab, earn his high school diploma, and accept a spot in Coastal U’s electrical engineering program. After all, it only makes sense that he’d follow in his eldest sister’s footsteps.

“Hey, El.” I clap a heavy hand on his shoulder, smiling as he jolts out of his seat.

“Hey, you two.” He wraps me into a quick hug before squatting down to June’s level. “How’s my little Junebug?”

“Hewo, Ewo.” June giggles at her own rhyme, stretching her arms up and out toward her uncle.

Elio grins wide, lifting her without question and perching her onto the side of his body. He wraps one arm underneath her legs to hold her up, lifting a brow in my direction.

“We’re great,” I murmur, ruffling my daughter’s hair. “Somebody was really excited to see you today.”

“Is that right?” He taps his niece on the end of her nose. “Was it you, Juney?”

“Mhmm.”

“I’m excited to see you, too. You’re growing so much!”

She beams up at him. “Mama said I a big girl.”

“You are a big girl. You still want to sit up on my shoulders, though, right?”

“Yes, p-ease!”

“You got it.” He flips June so she’s facing forward, swinging her body up and over his shoulders. His hands wrap around the front of her ankles to secure her into place.

“So, how’s school going so far?” I ask, reaching into my bag for a snack pouch and passing it up to June. I’m sure she’s a little peckish by now. Besides, it serves as a good distraction while we wait for the game to start.

“Fine, as usual,” he mutters. “But God, I’m so ready to graduate already.”

“I know the feeling.”

“How’s the team treating you?”

“Pretty good,” I say earnestly. Once I earned my Master’s in Applied Neuromechanics and Sports Medicine, I secured a position working with my alma mater’s hockey team. This is officially my second year as their athletic trainer, and it’s been a blast so far. “Our regular season doesn’t start until October, so it’s a pretty tame schedule for me right now.”

“That’s good.” He taps June’s ankles, earning himself another quiet giggle. “You know, I’ve actually got one of your guys in my calculus class.” His voice drops to a whisper, protecting the innocent ears above him. “He’s a total dick, though.”

“Sounds about right. Who is it?”

“Holden Becker.”

My brows shoot up. “Does he know you’re my brother-in-law?”

“Doubt it.” He scoffs, lips downturned with frustration. “The only time he looks in my direction is to roll his eyes.”

A pang of disappointment shoots through me. “Hmm, I guess I’ll have to whip him into shape in the weight room.”

“Could you?” One corner of his mouth ticks up. “Torture him a little for me?”

“I can make it happen.”

He laughs, nudging me with his elbow. “I knew there was a reason I always liked you.”

“Sure you did.” I shake my head, lips pursing into a playful smirk. “Speaking of, I promised Juney we’d go to your parents’ house next week. Do you want to join us?”

“Is Luc coming?”

“I’m sure he’ll come along.” I wrinkle my nose. “Well, unless he has a last-minute conflict with the team or something.”

“I’ll be there, then.” He gives me a sympathetic smile. “I know once the season picks up, he’ll barely have enough time for you and June, let alone anyone else.”

“I know, it’s always tough. Can you believe this will be his fifth season with the Bobcats already?”

“Not at all.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “I also can’t believe June’s gonna be two years old in a few months.”

“I know, it’s honestly so sad. I thought she’d be my baby forever, but now she just wants me to call her big girl,” I pout, reaching for my daughter’s tiny hand. “Isn’t that right, Junebug?”

“I a big girl, Mama.”

“I know, sweetie.” I tap my fingers against her palm, glancing up to give her a watery smile. “I know.”

It’s been a little over an hour since the game ended—the Bobcats winning by a landslide—and June’s practically passed out on Elio’s shoulders. We had a nice afternoon of snacking, napping, and cheering along with the rest of the crowd. Now, the three of us are waiting patiently as the players file into the family box.

Towering over the group, June is able to spot Luca before anyone else. “Dada! Dada!” she shouts, kicking and flailing her legs against Elio’s chest.

He crouches down, lifting her up and over his shoulders. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she runs full force in Luca’s direction. I watch, captivated by the sight of my handsome husband as he picks her up and twirls her around, popping a big, sloppy kiss onto her forehead.

“Hi, baby girl. I missed you.” Luca’s grin widens as I approach. “And I missed your mama, too.”

“You played so great today,” I say, wrapping my fingers halfway around his upper arm.

“I did, didn’t I?” He leans down, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. “Did you see that last tackle at the six-yard line?”

“Of course I did.” I squeeze his bicep. “Amazing, as always.”

“Thanks, baby.” Luca acknowledges his brother with a nod, smiling faintly in his direction. “Hey, E. Thanks for coming to watch the game.”

“Sure, man, of course.” Elio taps his wrist, flashing us an apologetic smile. “I actually have to head out, though. I’ve got loads of studying to do for my calc pre-exam, but I’ll see you at Mom and Dad’s next week, right?”

Luca turns toward me, lifting a questioning brow. “Is that right?”

“Yeah, I promised Juney earlier. She wants to go see your mom and Giorgie.”

“Of course she does.” Luca shakes his brother’s hand. “Guess I’ll see you then, bro. Good luck with your test.”

“Thanks.”

We all take turns waving Elio off. Once we’re finished, he tips his chin and adjusts the bill of his hat, pulling it lower over his face before heading out of the box.

“So, what do my gorgeous girls want to do when we get home tonight?” Luca asks, pressing a series of kisses all over June’s cheeks. She giggles, twisting around in his arms, her little legs tucked up against his side.

“Park, park, park,” she happily chants.

“You want to go to the park, Junebug?” He taps his chin in thought. “You know, it’s pretty late for that tonight, but maybe we can go in the morning. We’ll call Taylor and see if she wants to bring Bentley along.”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Puppy!” June shouts, her sweet laughter echoing around the box.

“Are you sure, Luca?” I ask, brows dipping with concern. “You don’t want to sleep in tomorrow?”

“Nah, I’m about to crash hard tonight, so I’ll be good to go bright and early.” He grabs my hand, bringing it up to press a kiss against my palm—right at the base of my thumb—in our lucky spot. “Plus, I want to spend as much time with my girls as possible.”

I kiss him back in the same place, pressing the pad of my thumb against the cursive H and the loopy, little heart I drew on this morning. Per Luca’s adamant request, it’s become part of our pregame tradition.

“Sounds perfect to me.”

“You know, I don’t think I’ll ever get over seeing you both up here, wearing my jersey and cheering me on.”

“It is pretty great, isn’t it?”

He dips his chin, resting it against our daughter’s head. “Definitely one of my favorite things.”

“Ours, too, even though I had to bribe Juney to come into the stadium today.”

“Oh, I don’t blame her.” He swipes some hair out of June’s eyes. “I’d get bored watching me play, too.”

“Well, I hope you know I never get bored of you.”

“Of course you don’t.” He steps forward, looping one arm around my shoulders and nearly crushing June between us. “You love me too much.”

“I do love you,” I say. “So, so much.”

“Just as I love you—both of you—always.”