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He and Madison start walking toward the pool but I pull them back.
“Not so fast,” I caution, dragging them to the guy with a sash that reads “lifeguard.”
He doesn’t look very enthusiastic and I could have sworn his eyes flicker with annoyance at the sight of us.
“Good afternoon,” he says politely.
“Hi. They’d like to swim,” I tell him, pointing at the two kids.
He nods, pushing his long dark hair out of his face.
“This pool is as deep as 8 feet, are you sure they can handle it? There’s a kiddie pool on the second floor,” he states.
“We can handle it,” Mason repeats with an eye roll.
I inwardly sigh.
“Yeah, my brother and I have been swimming since we were six. We’ll be fine,” she states.
“Okay, then,” the lifeguard says, giving in. He walks into a small room and returns with two swim vests and arm bands. “You should probably use these. To be safe.”
Mason opens his mouth, probably to refuse, but I speak up before he can.
“Thank you. Both of you, put them on,” I state firmly, my tone leaving no room for argument.
They mutter under their breaths as they pick up the swimming gear and put it on. They head into the water, while I head over to the deck chairs at the side of the pool.
“Be careful, kids,” I call out and Madison gives me a thumbs-up with a grin.
I watch as they start swimming laps, and I have to admit, I’m impressed. They seem to have it all under control. Plus, the lifeguard is watching them. I settle into my chair and pull out my phone to Google how best to tell your boyfriend that you’re pregnant. I’ll take any help at this point.
I’m not sure how long I stare at my phone for but suddenly Madison’s screaming and my heart lurches in my throat when I see her swimming toward her brother. Mason must have swam toward the deep end when I wasn’t paying attention. I realize they also took off all the swim gear the lifeguard gave them to stay afloat.
Oh God.
Mason’s thrashing in the water struggling to stay afloat. He calls my name and I look around wildly for the lifeguard but he’s nowhere to be seen. How could he have left like that?
“Mason!” I yell but he doesn’t reply.
His head disappears under the water and I suck in a breath when he doesn’t resurface for a moment.
“Stay back, Madison,” I shout before the little girl can make her way to her brother. “Get out and go and get help.”
My heart pounds as I jump into the water and trying to swim toward Mason. The water’s so much deeper than what I’m used to at the mansion and despite all the lessons from Xander, I’m still not that good at swimming. But I keep pushing on, desperate to reach Mason. His head resurfaces again and I see fear clearly written in his eyes as the water pulls him under again.
“Somebody help,” I scream.
Mason. I just need to get to Mason.
Panic grips me as my hands thrash and I kick my feet as hard as I can. My limbs start to ache, but I don’t let that stop me. Something splashes into the water beside me and relief slams through me when I realize it’s the lifeguard swimming toward us.
“Help him,” I scream, gesturing at Mason.
Just as he reaches Mason, the adrenalin that was keeping me afloat fails me and I’m reminded that I really can’t swim. I try to kick up to the surface but I feel myself going in deeper with every kick.
What am I doing wrong?
I’m pulled under and my lungs ache as water fills them. Black specks blur my vision and I struggle to breathe. Panic grips me as I’m dragged drown further. My heart begins to beat faster; it sounds so fucking loud right now. I kick and kick, trying to get to the surface, but it’s no use.
