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My lower back and shoulders twinge with the effort it’s taken to get to this point, and I’m afraid if I go much deeper, I’ll slip.
“I… I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Marcus takes a sloshing step forward. With both hands clasping my cheeks, he tips what I know is a fear-filled gaze up to his.
Unbending, unshakeable, he says, “Allow me to show you just how capable you are.”
I gasp when he reaches for my legs and easily wraps them around his hips. Water sluices between our bodies, glinting sunlight off his barbell piercings, and I’m breathing too fast again.
Clinging to him as he walks us deeper, a few steps at a time, I do my damndest to draw air into my aching lungs.
“Open your eyes for me,” he whispers.
When I do, we’ve sunk low enough that only an inch of my shoulders remain dry. “I did it?”
“You did.” He smiles. “How does it feel?”
I bravely sink my hand below the surface and swish it around. Cold water flows between my fingers and tickles the hair on my arms when I murmur, “Surprisingly… safe.”
I’d have never known the effect that frail confession had on him if it weren’t for his hands tightening around my sides and his shoulders drawing back proudly.
Once I’m sure he isn’t going to release me, I drop my other arm and swirl it through the sun-refracting ripples. Up above, tropical birds sing in the tops of massive trees, which blanket us in broken bouts of shade. Their leaves are impossibly green, and the striking contrast to the aquamarine river is remarkable.
“When Pen and I were kids, this spot was one of our secret hideouts.” His mouth twitches. “Leah never cared for swimming or getting dirty, unlike Penelope. She’s a tomboy, through and through.”
He recalls stories of the two of them cannonballing off the rocky ledge, where the water steadily flows in a small waterfall, and digging through mud in the forest, collecting bugs so they could scare their sisters.
I laugh lightly at the images of the pair, carefree and wild. “How is it possible that you spent so much time here? The people of Augustine treat you as if you’re one of them.”
“I suppose because, in a lot of ways, I am.” His hand lazily floats around mine, riding the current I’m creating. “As you know, my uncle came to Topica Bay many years ago, but what brought him here initially was a rare breed of Topican horses that Ernesto’s father, Santiago, was selling.”
Marcus’s fingers absently tickle mine, coaxing currents of energy wherever he touches. “But when Uncle Pat arrived to examine the horses, he found one of the mares in labor with a stillborn.”
Our hands continue their dance beneath the rippling surface. “What did he do?”
“He rolled up his sleeves, had Santiago contact the veterinarian, and together, they were able to save the mare.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, sad for the life lost, but glad for the one which was spared. “So, the Vance’s ranch actually belonged to Ernesto’s father?”
The picture of all of them as children in the treehouse makes more sense. As does the wound where Ernesto is concerned. Leah may have grown fonder feelings for him, but to Marcus, he must have been like family.
With a nod, he continues, “Afterward, Santiago demanded my uncle stay in Augustine for a few more days to allow him to rest, and in that time, they formed a bromance to rival all bromances.”
The idea of two men living out here, enjoying the simple pleasures of island life makes me smile, and the more I learn about the business mogul, the more respect I have for him.
“A few days turned into weeks. Then Patrick was visiting Santiago for months on end, learning about the people, their culture, and helping tend to the ranch while Santiago pursued his dream of farming coffee beans.” He pauses to crook a brow. “And it only took oneT’slastafor my uncle to go before Mateo and the other elders for permission to purchase the unwanted land from his friend.”
If Patrick’s experience at the bonfire was anything like mine, then I get it. That night will have a hold on me as long as I live.
“My dad wasn’t really around when I was younger, and I think flying us out here between my acting gigs and auditions was my uncle’s way of stepping into a fatherly role where he could.”
I mean to ask him more about his father and maybe even, I don’t know, do my job and delve into the suspicious affiliations he’s allegedly been tied to in the past.
But instead, I go completely rogue.
“I would love to meet him sometime.” My body goes taut as I snap my mouth shut, and when I glance up, Marcus’s lips are doing that twitchy thing again.
“Don’t read into that,” I warn. “Your uncle sounds like a nice guy is all I meant.”
