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"You ready?" Wilder asks me as his hand finds my lower back.
I glance up at the massive oak in front of us. "No."
"It's better to just get it over with," Wilder informs me. "Before you give yourself too much time to think about it."
My stomach twists and turns. "I don't want to do it."
Wilder's fingers find my hand. "If it wasn't safe, I wouldn't let you do it."
"But it's not deep enough," I argue.
"Come on," Wilder tugs me toward the water. "You've never swam far out enough to see how deep it is. Let me show you."
"Cash always said—"
"Cash was screwing with you," Wilder raises an eyebrow. "Probably to keep you on the rocks, far enough away to let him swim without being interrupted."
My heart drops. "Cash really didn't want me around much, did he?"
"I wanted you around," Wilder offers.
The more Wilder tells me about Cash, the more surprised I am that they're friends. Or were friends? I can't tell anymore.
Wilder swims beside me, keeping his eye on me as we wade further into the water.
"Try to touch the bottom," he instructs.
I feel around with my foot, but there’s nothing solid beneath me. So, I propel myself under, my toes still searching for hard ground.
When I come up for air, Wilder flashes his eyebrows at me. "Now, look up."
The tree branch right above us doesn't look that far up. Maybe six feet. From a distance, jumping out of the tree appears much more dangerous than it is. But up close, it's not that bad.
"You ready now?"
I nod. "Yeah."
We swim back to the rocky shoreline, and Wilder leads the way over to the tree. The low-lying branches make it easy to climb. My feet slip a few times, but Wilder grabs my arm every time, making sure I don't fall.
I carefully walk out onto the branch above the creek and take a deep breath. We're not that high up, but I'm still nervous about jumping.
As if he can read my mind, Wilder squeezes my hand. "I'll be right here."
Don’t think about it! Just do it, Ingrid!
I inhale before letting his hand go and jumping off the branch. I let out a scream as I plummet into the water below. The moment my feet hit the glassy surface, I hold my breath and let my body sink into the creek.
A few seconds later, I'm popping up out of the water laughing.
"You did it!" Wilder yells from above me.
I swim out of the way to let him go next. He cannonballs in as I float. The moment his head resurfaces, I swim over to him.
"That was scary," I tell him.
"But you did it," he gives me a breathtaking smile.
I've always been afraid to jump out of the tree, but with Wilder beside me, it was easy. Everything is easier with Wilder.
