On the Morning Tide

Mya's POV:

The middle of the night:

His fingertips grazed the sensitive skin just behind my ear. I shuddered as he whispered sweet words against my neck. His voice was a gentle caress to calm my beating heart.

"So beautiful." he whispers, weaving his hands through my hair. My face comes into focus, though I couldn't see his. Rough lips claim mine. A soft gasp as pulls my bottom lip between his teeth.

"Tell me why you've come here?" I say hoarsely. "I want to know you. Know who you are..." He replies softly.

I awake suddenly from an awkward dream. My face and neck flushed, sweat beading on my forehead. "Wow." I say to myself as I sit up on the side of the bed. The entire time I was pregnant I couldn't recall ever having such a dream. It was mysterious and sexy all at once. In a strange way it excited me. It was the voice, deep and sexy. I knew that voice, yet I couldn't place it.

~~~~~

My alarm went off, telling me it was 8:00; as I wiped my face off with my hands. Today would be my last doctor's visit before the baby was born. I couldn't believe it had been almost nine months. Time seemed to fly by since I had moved back home. I turned sideways to look at myself in the big bathroom mirror, running a hand across the swollen stomach. "It wont be long sweet girl. I cant wait to meet you." I tell my child.

I was so thankful to be here right now, living next door to Leland. I wouldn't have thought that when I was thirteen, but that had been so long ago. More than anything I was thankful that he was driving me to my appointment today. I had gotten so big, it was hard to drive comfortably.

I laughed at the thought and picked up the phone to tell Leland I would be over after I took a shower. I started to dial and as he answered I gasped. "Mya? Are you there.. Hello...Are you okay?" he asks frantically. "I... Leland...my water broke." I say with a scared laugh. He tells me he'll be right over.

He makes it over in record time, unlocking my front door with the spare key I had given him. "I called the paramedics before I left." He says almost out of breath. I thank him and we make our way down the stairs "You know, I'm not really as freaked out as I thought I would be...its kinda weird." I say calmly. "Give it time." he says with a laugh. A few minutes later the paramedics are there and we're in route to the hospital to have a baby.

"Can you call my dad?" I ask before being hooked up to oxygen in the ambulance.

Mya's POV:

You know when you get pregnant, no one ever tells you what its like. They all say its wonderful and beautiful. Were they ever in labor for sixteen hours, I wondered? "What are you laughing about?" Leland asks as wipes the sweat from my forehead. Thankfully he was at my side, not once leaving in sixteen hours. I really had no one else but him that I would trust to be in here.

"I was just amused because some people think this is beautiful. Do I look f**king beautiful right now?" I say sarcastically. "Never better baby girl." He says reassuringly. "Is my dad still alive out there...because we've been at this for like... ever." I say to him. "Can I get this baby out of me sometime in the next ...oh I don't know... year?"

The nurse chuckles. "Her medicine is kicking in." she tells Leland. "No...she's always like this." he says laughing quietly. I try to raise an arm to hit him, but they feel heavy and solid. "I'm not deaf...bastard" I say closing my eyes.

"Are you ready Mya? I'm almost there." he says gently.

"Its him." I say jerking and trying to sit up. Leland turns quickly. "Huh..him who. You alright babe?" he says, placing the back of his cool hand on my warm cheek. I blink a few times, but my eyes are so blurry and heavy. "She's alright, its just the medicine talking." the nurse says.

Two hours later my beautiful daughter Kai makes her entrance into the world. "Mya, She's so beautiful." Leland says handing her to me. I catch him wiping a few tears from his eyes, and smile. "She is beautiful." I say staring at her. I run a gentle finger across her pink cheeks. "I cant believe she's part of me." I say looking up at him. "Its amazing isn't it." He says as we both stare at her. Later he turns to walk away. "I'm going to get your dad. I'll be right back."

Over the next few hours I had a steady stream of visitors. Finally things were starting to quiet down. "We'll I think thats everyone." Leland says sitting down in the chair next to my hospital bed. "I'm exhausted." I tell him, yawning and lying back in the bed.

Mya's POV

"Kai" Leland says sweetly as he helps me get my newborn out of the car two days later. "The sea." He says very matter of fact. "You would be correct. Kai means sea." I tell him as I open the front door, allowing him to walk through with the car seat. I had just been released from the hospital and was finally able to come home to sleep in my own bed.

"Whats the strange obsession with the ocean? Every morning I see you standing on your deck staring at the water. And every night its a sure bet I can find you there as well." He asks, sitting my daughter's car seat down on the couch.

I don't know that my love of the sea had become an ...obsession... "I just enjoy the water. Isn't that why people move here?" I say back as I move from window to window, opening the blinds to the let sun shine in. "No...theres something else about it... I know you. Its never that simple with you." he says.

I make a face at him before saying "When I was twelve, my grandmother was dying and she called me into her room. She told me that "One day, a love so pure will find you. And he will be of the sea." So I guess every morning when I walk outside, I wonder if this might be the day that this "Great" love will find me. But I'm still trying to figure out the sea part of it."

"Hmmm...sure she wasn't senile?" he asks with a laugh. "No, jackass. She was just old...and wise." I tell him, hitting him in the arm for good measure. He grabs me before and I can get away and spins me around to come face to face with him. "Better watch out little girl. You don't know who you're messing with." he says with a twinkle in his eye and smile playing on his lips.

"Don't be getting frisky with me Leland Chapman." I whisper as he holds me in one place. "I wouldn't dream of it." he says back to me. I laugh quietly, as he lets go of my arms "That would be all you could do....dream about it." I say as I'm walking into the kitchen.

"But...as I was saying... this great love is supposed to find me, but please tell me who wants a twenty eight year old single mother of a newborn?" I ask from my place in the kitchen. I couldn't imagine dating at this point in time. I was too excited about Kai to even think about starting over with another man.

I grab two water bottles and join Leland in the living room. "Mya, I think you'll find out that you're going to be surprised what a man would want with a twenty eight year old mother." he says chuckling. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Yeah, but thats all they want. What I want is love and security. I want someone who will always be there for Kai. I want a friendship, someone to hold hands with and walk with on the beach. Some one that has a sense of humor..." I say with a sigh as I lean back into the chair.

"The hopeless romantic..." he says rolling his eyes. "I can tell you right now, you're not going to find too much of that around here."

Mya's POV

My life had been running smoothly. Somehow I had managed to make it through the first three years of my daughter's life with no real problems. I had indeed starting working with Leland four months after Kai was born, taking her to the office with me every morning. Most of the time he was in and out. Flying back and forth to help his father and film the show.

I didn't see too much of him lately and if anything, his father and Beth were the only ones who ever seemed to fly over here for a visit. Things had gotten so busy around the office I hadn't realized he had been gone for two weeks when he walked back into the office late this afternoon.

The bell on the front door jingled and Kai takes off running before I could catch her. I hated when she did that, it wasn't like we dealt with the best group of citizens. "Its just me." Leland yells as I come running after her. He's picking her up and swinging her in the air before I could say anything. "Miss you." Kai says to him with a giggle, as he stops swinging her. "I missed you too baby." He says smiling and sitting her down.

"I didn't think I was ever going to be back home." he says with a sigh as he sits down at his desk, opposite mine. "I didn't even realize you'd been gone that long, its been so busy I haven't had time to think." I tell him. For some reason with the summer and the tourist coming, crime seemed to pick up.

"Sorry I left you all alone with it. I didn't realize it was that bad. We're going to have to get someone to help you." He tells me. He looks around his desk, stacked high with file folders and messages of people he needs to call. He starts to sift through the mess. "I did meet someone while I was over there." he says smiling broadly.

"Well, well. Did you meet her, or just sleep with her?" I say winking at him. "A little of both maybe." he says blushing. He could never hide anything from me.

"Leland Chapman isn't a man to waste any time is he?" I say, gathering up my things to go home. He shakes his head no before telling me that we should take the day off tomorrow.

"I cant believe you met someone and slept with them in that short amount of time. How do you do it?" I ask, walking down the steps to my car. Leland following behind me, carrying my daughter. "Its all part of my charm baby...all part of my charm." he says laughing and buckling Kai into her car seat. "Whatever." Is all I can think to say before closing the car door and heading home.

The next morning Kai and I were playing outside when I noticed a man swimming in the water just outside my house. I stood up to get a closer look and squinted my eyes as he walked out of the water and onto the beach. My heart started to pound as my grandmothers words echoed in my ears. "A man of the sea." I whispered to myself. Was he the one? I asked myself as he walked up the beach and toward Leland's house.

I picked Kai up and rushed out of my house to see who was at Leland's house. He wouldn't mind a surprise visit, I hoped. I made my way up the last few steps and knocked lightly on the door. Leland opened the door and invited us in. My bare feet felt good as they touched the cool tiles of his entry way.

"Good morning." he says running a hand through his long hair. Kai jumps out of my arms, running into his kitchen. "I guess she's hungry." he says smiling. I glance around the house, looking for the visitor as we follow behind her into the kitchen. "Want breakfast? I know its your favorite..." I ask as he picks her up and starts to tickle her. Her laughter carries throughout the house as I start to cook.

Twenty minutes later the mystery is revealed as I hear the bathroom door open and a freshly showered man appears. I turn around, heart pounding. I realize that it was Duane Lee. Of course I hadn't recognized him on the beach, it had been years since I had seen him. The last time being when I was pregnant, at their fathers birthday party.

"Oh. I forgot to tell you that Duane Lee was going to be moving in with me." Leland says as I hand him his breakfast. "Hey Mya." Duane Lee says walking into the kitchen with us. "You must be Kai." He says bending down on one knee to talk to my daughter. She shakes her head yes as she clings to Leland's Leg. Hiding behind them as he tries to talk to her.

"She's a little shy." Leland tells him, trying to pry her from his legs. "Come on Kai, lets eat some breakfast." He says walking her out of the kitchen and over to the table, leaving me alone with his brother in the kitchen.

"Long time no see." he says coming toward me, but reaching past me for a glass. "Yeah." Is all I can manage. I braced myself against the counter, my knees feeling weak as he spoke. My grandmothers words repeating over and over in my mind. I hand him a plate for breakfast and he thanks me and makes his food.

Was this just a fluke that he happened to be the one walking out of the water this morning, or was it fate. Either way, I planned to find out.