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“It’s my own little oasis. Most people don’t come toward the riverfront of Alliance, and since it is right next to the shack, people just don’t bother. I’ve always thought of it as mine, but now it can be ours.”
“Why are you showing this to me?” Her voice is quiet as she stares at the waves.
“Because I know the reason you don’t get in the water is because you don’t feel comfortable with people staring at you.” I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. “Though, I can’t blame them because of how gorgeous you are.”
With that, I pull the hood down and deliver a kiss to her head. She giggles at the contact and starts to wiggle in my hold.
Then she stills for a second, and I think maybe I’ve pushed too far, but she leans back into my chest.
“I need more time to break down my wall completely. Please don’t leave while I chip away at it brick by brick.”
The silence that follows doesn’t make me think she’s shutting herself off again. I know in that delicate head of hers, every time she lets the conversation die, it’s not her running away from conflict; it’s her chipping away at the discomfort that’s plagued her for her whole life.
“I’ll wait as long as you need, and when you give me the okay, I’ll start taking bricks down with you.”
This causes her body to relax further into me.
“Are you ready to swim, princess?”
“I’ve missed swimming so much,” she says gleefully before pulling away from my hold and looking down at her feet.
Before I can say anything, Sally whips off the hoodie, revealing the swimsuit I bought her. Ella told me not to get a bikini set because the bottoms would be too revealing for her at this point, so I tried to match the color as much as possible.
The suit fits her perfectly. I’m going to need to get in the water because I’m already sporting a hard-on.
This time, Sally grabs my hand, and with still rosy cheeks, she leads the way toward the water.
Her breath hitches as the cool lake water meets her ankles, but I wish I had my phone with me for what happens next—the brightest smile I’ve seen on my girl since she got here. Without missing a beat, she pulls both of us farther into the lake until the water reaches our waists.
Sally’s hands wade through the water like she’s playing music, and with each twist, she gets more excited. A laugh bubbles through her lips like a kid in a candy store. She’s made for the water, just like me.
My arm pushes the water forward, splashing her.
“You did not!” She mockingly gasps before sending her own wave at me. “You don’t want to play this game.”
“Oh, I definitely do.”
We continue the splash war for a few more rounds until I duck under the water, swimming over to her and taking her by the waist.
She lets out a playful shriek as I spin her around and bring her under with me. I expect her to be glaring at me when we resurface, but her eyes gleam and a breathtaking smile plays on her lips.
We play around like that for a bit, just constantly touching each other. Her skin feels hot against mine, and I love the lake, but I also can’t wait to take her home.
Trying to show off, I grab my shortboard from the cove and swim out into the deeper water. There aren’t even any big waves out tonight, but I want to show off nevertheless. I catch one wave before looking back toward Sally, and I notice she isn’t where I thought she would be.
“Sally?” I call over the water. Where did she go? The cove isn’t big at all. “Sally!”
Then I see her walking up toward a little cliff that comes around the cove. I know it well. Plenty of mistakes have happened there, with the ground giving way because of erosion. Sally is walking directly toward the edge with her still-gleaming smile.
My heart drops because I know she’s about to jump, and I also know from experience—and a broken leg—just how dangerous the cliff can be.
“Sally, don't jump!” I lie flat on the board and paddle as fast as I can toward her. My heart pounds against my chest, and blood pumps through my ears. “There are rocks below.”
She must not hear me because she waves in my direction and jumps off the cliff.
The sight of her body hitting the water chills me down to the bone, even more than the water surrounding us.
With every ounce of strength I have, I paddle toward the spot she hit and fling myself into the water, going under. The minute I don’t instantly see her, I start to panic and resurface.
