"I..uh yeah. Me and Gary, that's who I was a physio for, we had gone down to watch a few of the womens heats and I hadn't realized it was you out there. Damn it was a choppy set, I don't know why the women were allowed to compete that day. Gary went back up to the tent after Steph had her run, but I stayed there to watch you. When you went under I kind of freaked out but didn't want to leave, so I waited on the beach and when they brought you to shore I didn't hesitate. I kinda just bowled everyone out of the way...I kinda said I was your boyfriend to get them to back off." I couldn't help but watch the way Lou dipped his head in shame, the way he scratched his head and shuffled his feet in the gravel as he realized the awkwardness of the past.

Well, awkwardness for him. When I had come around from the incident I'd had a massive, pounding headache that didn't leave me for a few days. But I hadn't remembered Lou until a few months later, now that he admitted what he'd said a whole lot of how my friends had treated me afterward made so much sense! He was the hot boyfriend I had been hiding from them?

"Well, this makes things less weird when I introduce you to my friends and parents as the 'mystery' boyfriend! Haha, do you know how many people thought you were telling the truth? I mean, it's truth now so tough for you." I laughed so much it felt like I was going to split at the sides. It was kind of perfect how this was working out, thanks to Lou being a little proactive during one of the surf tours.

"Seriously? You're not weirded out or angry? That's such a damn relief, here I thought I'd have to deal with raging Ruby or something." It was really obvious that my reaction was not what Lou had been expecting. Sure, if I truly hated him I probably would have punched him in the face or balls but I didn't hate him so this was all amusing as f*ck.

"Why would I be angry? You gotta own what you've done Lou, I'm just relieved I wasn't crazy and that the mystery of this secret boyfriend has been figured out. Come on, we better get back in there or your brother is going to assume we're doing things." I leaved in on tippy toes to give Lou a quick kiss on the cheek, I really couldn't stop the smile that was spread across my face at the news that it had been Lou.

There were so many times since that incident that I had gone back through my memories and combed each and every moment just to see if I could figure out if I'd been imagining things. It hadn't tormented me but it had bugged me for a while.

Lou jostled me out of my thoughts as he hooked his arm around the back of my neck, we walked back into the milking shed like that...arm in arm.

Later in the evening, when everything was done and the last cows were pushed out of the milking shed I left Lou and his brother to go home. It was weird of me to just sit around and wait for Lou to finish up, he seemed a little disappointed that I was leaving so early but I still had work to do on dad's farm while he still had a lot of work to do on his families farm.

As soon as I walked in through the front door at home mum was on me, hugging me happily while dad stood a good distance away eying mum amused by her display. "Teal! Flick! I'm going to get the both of you!" I yelled as they went laughing up the corridor, lord sisters were a pain in the *ss sometimes.

"Mum seriously, it's nothing right now. It's two adults having a bit of fun," mum's excitement seemed to end there and her eyes narrowed at me when she pulled away.

"Why can't it be married with babies fun? You two are probably already practicing so you might as well pop another grandchild out for me while practicing." Another burst of laughter from Flick and Teal at mums statement, god she jumped right to the conclusion didn't she? I was mortified that my mum was even thinking like that, kids and marriage?

"Honey, look you've made her go green now. Come on, lets go spend some more time with Neeva before you kill your daughter with embarrassment." I was thankful as dad stepped in and moved mum away, green was right. I was feeling all kinds of mortification at the thought that mum was waiting on grandkids. But was also pleasantly surprised to see Neeva emerge from the lounge in her pajamas.

"Hi aunty Charlie! I'm sleeping over tonight, aunty Teal is going to paint my nails and braid my hair later." I didn't think so, Teal and Flick were going to be curled up into little pity balls once I got done with them.

"Cool one Neev, I'm just going to talk to those two and then I'll come down and watch some tv with you too." I really didn't know Neeva and I had no clue about kids, all I knew was violence and swearing was to be done out of earshot. It was probably a good thing that Teal and Flick had run to the other end of the house, away from the lounge.

Without saying anything else I fixed my gaze firmly on the last door on the left, that wasn't my room but that's where Flick and Teal would be. As soon as I opened the door Teal screamed playfully, only thing though..I wasn't feeling too playful at that moment.

"You two are so f*cking dead!" They still laughed when I came into the room and closed the door behind me. By the time I had tried chasing them both around the large bedroom it looked like a bomb had gone off and we all collapsed on the floor out of breathe. By then I had forgotten all about my annoyance the both of them and laughed along with them both.

"Seriously Ruby, can you just stop pretending like this isn't a big deal? It's huge, stupendously huge and it's like...the best news ever! Though mum wanting grandkids is hilarious," it was hilarious but also made me a little curious as to what kids would look like if Lou and I were ever to have any. Maybe they'd have my eyes and his hair? Or maybe they'd just be unfortunate enough to look like me and have nothing of Lou's side of the family.

"Oh my god! Are you actually thinking about kids?" Flick asked as she came into view, she had flipped over to lay on her stomach. Teal and I both flipped over too, I buried my face in my hands though.

"NO! I was just thinking how weird it'd be if I did have a kid...you know?" Flick really didn't look convinced, I knew I didn't sound convincing but who cared? They couldn't really read my thoughts so it was no huge deal.

We chatted away and eventually fell to sleep on the floor like old times.

The next morning I wasn't feeling young, neither was Teal or Flick. We were all apparently far too tired to get up in the night and go to our own rooms and beds, I was regretting my choice of bed as I stumbled down to the kitchen with a sore neck and back. I don't know how we could get away with sleeping on the floor when we were younger but I couldn't do that anymore.

"Have fun sleeping on the floor?" Dad asked as soon as I came into the kitchen, it was weird...he was cooking something. When he handed me a cup of hot coffee I gave him an odd look, it wasn't like dad to be in the kitchen let alone making coffee and food for other people.

"Your mum wanted to sleep in this morning with Neeva so I'm making her breakfast in bed, how's the coffee?" What weird ass dream had I fallen into? Mum rarely ever slept in and when she did it was typically because she was ill and not feeling up to a particular task. So weird but I only offered dad a smile as I went to sit at the breakfast bar.

"It's nice dad," Teal and Flick came into the kitchen as I sat down and paused in the doorway. Both shot me questioning looks, like their thoughts were the same as mine had been when I'd walked in. But dad did the same thing to the both of them, two cups of hot coffee before turning back to scrape the scrambled eggs out of the pan.

"What? Stop looking at me like that, I can bloody well cook. So sit down and eat your breakfast." Snorting loudly, Teal rolled her eyes at dad and came to sit down beside me, Flick too came to sit next to Teal. Dad on the other hand set out the eggs and bacon in front of us and motioned for us three to dig in.

It was all just weird, dad never cooked, the boys were always the first to scoff their faces and mum was usually wearing the apron.

"This is weird, I know. But your mum made me realize that you three...four including your mum, work the hardest around here. Ruby, I realized this yesterday when you went out with Lou and the boys had to bring the cows in. It's different without Jock now, the boys have lost their boss while you girls still have yours so I just wanted to say thank you for working hard and not grumbling as much as your brothers." Dad always had to put a little twist to his gratitude, it had to sound like something other than gratitude and I wouldn't expect anything less from him.

"Anyway, your mum and I have been talking. We were going to leave the farm to Boy but he doesn't want it now that Jock is gone, so Ruby...would you like to take the farm over once we retire?" The question left me speechless, my mind was blank of any answers except why me and yes! I had never really thought about running the farm, even after Jock's death I didn't think about taking it over.

For a few brief moments I looked at dad, wondering why Boy didn't want to take on the farm. Flick nudged me hard in the side, it brought me out of my stupor but hurt like a mother at the same time. "Come on Ruby, you don't have to give me an answer now but don't look like it's the end of the world. Thanks to you lot the farm has actually come back into the green for the first time in ages." Had it? That was great to hear, not just for us but for dad too. It meant he was doing something right for once since moving back out to the farm.

"You know I'd take it on in a heartbeat dad, but what if...you know? Lou and me get together?" Who would the farm go to then? I mean, I could run this farm and Lou could run his own families farm but that'd mean we'd barely see each other.

"You know what's funny? Do you know why your mum's mum was supposed to marry Fagan's dad? It was so the two farms could come back under one title, if it does work out between you and Lou why don't you think about putting it back under one title?" I didn't really want to think about Lou's grandfather and everything he had done to mums family, it was still a little sour in my mind.

"Looks like those two old b*stards will get what they wanted, don't get me wrong love...I'm happy if the two of you got together permanently. It's just amusing those two fellas were a generation or so off their predictions. You know I was never really farmer and took it on because your mum wanted to come back here, whatever you decide to do with the farm after we're gone is your business. Sell it, pass it on to your siblings...merge it, up to you completely. Your mum feels the same way too but she thought it'd be better if you heard it coming from me." Dad really was one hundred percent serious, I didn't know what to say or how to react really. He was giving me his blessing and the possibility of the farm all in one conversation?

"Thanks dad, I'll think about it. It's a few years yet before you and mum take off though, so there's no rush aye?" I turned to look dad in the eye, as soon as the question was out though he averted his eyes.

"Your mum and I have been talking, she wants to throw it in and move into town. I don't mind, where ever your mum is I'll go and be happy with her." I kind of figured mum would want to move somewhere else after Jock's death, she was closest to him. But I had assumed she would want to move somewhere else on the farm...not all the way into town, that was kind of surprising.

"So how long would that give me? Two years? Three at the most?" Dad nodded but something told me I might have less time than that still.

A nudge from either side of me brought me back to reality, Teal and Flick were still sitting on either side of me looking a little amused. "We'll stick around for a bit too, we can even move into one of the other houses if you and Lou ever decided to start a family." That damn twinkle in Flick's eye was starting to annoy me, the b*tch knew it too.

"You three are going to kill me with the babies thing, you know that aye?" We all laughed, conversation stopped for a bit when dad went to take breakfast to mum and Neeva came running down the corridor looking disgusted.

"Nanny and poppa are kissing!" She exclaimed as she hauled herself up onto the last stool at the breakfast bar. Teal chocked on her coffee while Flick and I laughed, this was an amusing morning to say the least.

"So Ruby, when you take over the farm...because it's not if it's when, can I still stay here? Like really stay here? I don't want to move into town with mum and dad, it'd be easier for school and stuff but I like living out here, I'd miss the ocean too much if I had to move." Teal was scared of being kicked off the farm? I hoped none of my other siblings felt hat way inclined, there was no way I was kicking them out of anywhere...this was as much their place as it was mine.

"Teal, Flick, if you both want to stay here then you can stay here. If you want to move to one of the other homes then be my guest. I was actually going to ask dad if I could fix up the one closest to the Smith farm so Lou and I had a place to stay and didn't have to sneak off anywhere." Teal and Flick both nudged me at the hidden message there, I let them.

"Thanks Ruby, you're the best." I wanted to say so much to that, I wasn't the best...or the kindest to either of my sisters a few months ago. I wasn't the best daughter either but things changed I guess, I changed.

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A lame ass ending to a lame ass book.

This was meant to be a full length novel with 30 or so chapters in it but it didn't want to be written that way, so it's finishing here.