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Ryan stops in his tracks, and we both jolt as a result. ‘What was that?’
I give Alex wide eyes before wriggling for Ryan to let me down. He does, although he keeps Alex where she is, helpless and at the mercy of what’s to come. Silly girl. ‘Hey, how come Hannah gets free and I don’t?’ She has a futile shuffle around. ‘Dad!’
‘I’ve kissed a boy before,’ Ryan mimics, scowling. ‘When? Where? Who?’
‘All right, I lied!’ She huffs and goes floppy on his shoulder. ‘But my friend has.’
‘What have I told you about lying?’
‘That every lie I tell you, a little piece of you dies.’
I can’t help my little swoon. Ryan lowers Alex to the ground and she does everything she can to avoid facing him. ‘Hey.’ He squeezes her cheeks in one hand, forcing her to look him in the eye. ‘Stop acting all big britches. It’s not funny and it’s not clever.’
‘Stop acting all Romeo, then,’ she mumbles back through her puckered lips before smacking his hand away. ‘It’s not cool and it’s not . . . cool.’
‘Who says?’ I move in and cuddle into Ryan’s side, nestling my face under his neck. ‘I like him acting all Romeo.’ His arms come around me, and Alex’s face twists terribly, disgust creasing it, but I can see clear as day the twinkle in her eye.
Lifting her chin, she pivots and wanders off. ‘No petting by the lake,’ she calls over her shoulder.
‘Lake?’ I question, looking up at Ryan. He just nods the way, and I release him, following Alex through the overgrowth, so intrigued. When I break through the clearing into the open, what I find takes my breath away.
‘Welcome to Coca-Cola Lake,’ Alex calls from a nearby tree, looking up into the branches. ‘I think this could work, Dad.’ She points at something – I don’t know what – and Ryan wanders over to her and inspects whatever it is she’s found.
I turn and make toward the lake and kick off my shoes, walking down to the small shore. I’m completely blown away. The water is so still, no ripples anywhere, and as I gaze around I see a small jetty with a boat. The whole lake is concealed by trees, massive trees, all towering up into the sky, guarding this little gem.
‘Hidden enough for you?’ Ryan whispers in my ear, coming in behind me.
‘Yeah,’ is all I say, reaching behind me to clasp his head, bringing him closer. I look to my side to find him, and something in his eyes speaks to me. Except I don’t know what he’s saying. ‘Why’s it called Coca-Cola Lake?’ I ask.
‘When Alex was little, I taught her to swim here. She thought the bubbles underwater looked like the fizz in cola.’
I smile. So cute. ‘Do you still swim?’
‘All the time.’ Ryan looks across to the tree where Alex is, and I follow his stare, finding her shimmying up the trunk. ‘She’s growing up. I don’t like it much.’
‘But she’s such a well-rounded girl. Funny, smart, full of personality. You should be proud.’
‘She’s my biggest achievement in life.’ Nuzzling into my neck, Ryan bites me with a low growl, and I squirm in his hold. ‘I’m going to need someone else to focus all my attention on when Alex doesn’t need me anymore.’
‘Oh yeah?’ I ask, quite liking the sound of that and ignoring the small pang of guilt for encouraging him.
He chuckles into my skin, planting a chaste kiss there, and tingles roll through me. We both get distracted from our moment when the crack of a branch kills the silence. Alex curses, watching from her position a few yards up the trunk as an arm of the tree plummets. ‘I’d better go help her before she pulls the whole damn tree down.’ Ryan releases me and makes his way over.
‘I think it’s dead,’ Alex says, starting to shuffle down the trunk. ‘We can’t put it on this one.’
Joining Ryan at the foot of the tree, I look up into the branches. ‘Put what on this one?’
‘Her swing.’ Ryan inspects the ragged end of the branch, frowning when he pokes at the middle. ‘Diseased,’ he mutters, brushing off his hands. ‘You go get the tools, I’ll find another tree.’
Alex jumps the last few feet from the trunk and dashes off to collect the equipment while Ryan wanders from tree to tree, inspecting each.
I take myself back down to the shore and wade in, wriggling my toes in the dirt, breathing in the clean air and absorbing the stunning scenery. I could get used to it here. It’s almost ethereal, so still and silent. Beautifully eerie. ‘Is this private property?’ I call back.
‘Depends who’s asking.’
I peek over my shoulder, seeing Ryan smiling up at some branches. I narrow my eyes a little. ‘I’m asking.’
