47. Sam

I'm in the cold water up to my knees, pushing another large foam board into a wave. Three kids, two from our surf camp and my niece Annie, are on top of it.

I cup my hands to my mouth and shout, "Pop up!" Each of the kids rise to their feet as I wobble toward them as fast as my tired legs can carry me. But the kids are tangled around each other in their attempts to rise, and the board tilts right before each child falls into the shallow ocean.

They're all wearing life jackets and the water was only a foot deep along the shore. I can already hear their laughter as I hurry to their side. Just as I arrive, every one of their wet faces turns to me with giant smiles.

"Again!" They all squeal in unison. Annie is the first to start sprinting back into the whitewash. The kid is fucking fearless, and I can't help the giant grin on my face. Teaching Annie to surf has been one of the highlights of my life. She is spending the weekend at our home, excited to finally try surfing like me.

Bending over at my waist, I try to catch my breath, but it is getting more and more difficult every day. I stand back up and wave a hand in the air. Greg sees the motion and is immediately on the move, sprinting toward me. He doesn't slow as his feet crash through the water to be at my side in an instant.

"Ready to tag out?" he asks, panting. I nod, and he grabs my hand, pulling us both toward the beach. With a loud wolf whistle, Greg hollers for my backup. Tilly's head turned our way. She had been leaning over the bar on the beach, flirting with one of the bartenders.

As Tilly looks my way, I shrug both shoulders in a gesture of embarrassed surrender. Tilly walks our way, brushing chip crumbs off her hands as she does. "What now? I'm on my break."

"She's winded. Can you take over?" Greg asks. Without hesitation, Tilly hustles to the kids, grabbing the back of the board as all the children jump around in the water.

"Come on turds! Let's shred." The group followed her into the small waves as Greg grabs my arm.

I snatch it back in an instant. "I'm not broken. I can walk."

He laughs. "You're right. Sorry."

"Don't apologize!" I snap. He holds both hands up in surrender, a smile on his lips.

My folding chair was left near the water's edge, placed there by my annoyingly doting husband. He seemed to know I would run out of steam halfway through the lesson, but that bugged me even more.

As soon as I take a seat, Greg wraps my legs with a towel and places his hand on her giant stomach. With a feigned expression of concentration, he glances up at me. "Ope, little man's telling me something." He reached behind the chair into our beach bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a package of cashews. "Eat momma."

It was a demand, and my scowl deepened. "I'm not hungry." Theatrically, Greg blinked rapidly.

"Really?" He then put his ear to my stomach. "Little man is." He starts to shake the package of nuts in front of my face.

I yank it free, still giving him my most dangerous look. If he didn't lay off, I was going to be the size of a house by the time the baby is born.

We were still in California, though Monterey had been too gloomy. Instead, Greg and I had settled in San Diego, just a few hours south. Tilly had joined us soon after our move. She said she needed a change, but I knew there were a lot of reasons for her move. Not the least was her silent feud with Tommy and a desire to be closer to me.

The conditions of my deal with the prosecutors meant that I was on probation for two years. That meant no leaving the state of California and definitely no going to Costa Rica. My decision on where to live had been made for me, but at the time, it was a relief.

Our surfing school had been Greg's idea. The tiny shop along Mission Beach was a work in progress, but with Penny's business sense, we had managed to earn a profit over the last six months.

Greg handed me some water. "Please drink all this."

I frowned at him but took the drink and guzzled it down. The baby in my belly jumped at the cold temperature invading my stomach, and I winced. Greg froze. "You good?"

"Yes, damn it. Now go help Tilly before she throws one of the kids to the sharks."

Laughing, Greg got to his feet. "She's great with them. They love her dark humor."

"If you say so," I say. I watch his perfect body as he jogs down to the water and dives in right when a wave crashes. When he pops back up out of the water, he looks right at me and smiles.

All my grumpiness fades in that moment. Seeing him and Tilly in the waves with the kids is a dream come true. He smooths his wet hair into place, then shifts his attention to their group.

For a while, I'm content to simply watch. Things are going well for all of us, something we all needed after our chaotic year of running and trials.

The baby kicks me again, hitting that spot on my bladder that makes me want to evict the kid like he's ninety days past due on his rent. Instead, I place a soothing hand on the mound his little foot is creating. "Soon little man. We'll be back surfing soon."

I tilt my head back and close my eyes, a smile on my lips. Everything was as it should be. For a while, I had been worried about where I would call home. Costa Rica, Monterey, or even Oregon. What I didn't realize is that the location doesn't matter. As long as I am around the people I love, I am home.

Penny's quick grand jury trial had come and gone. Not one member had voted to move forward with the conviction. There was too much evidence to show it was self-defense, and the state didn't want to bother with a trial. Greg helped with the surf school and had a semi-successful private detective business. We weren't rich by any means, but we were comfortable, and most importantly, we were together.

As I feel the sand beneath my toes and the sunshine baking my exposed swollen belly, I know I couldn't be happier.