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Wes gave me a soft smile before removing his leather cut and placing it carefully over the seat of the bike, then he walked toward the water. His shirt came off next, then his boots, until he was in just his boxers.
“What are you doing?” I asked, glancing around to ensure no one was watching us. I shouldn’t have worried, with how dense the foliage was.
Without sparing me a glance or an answer, he slowly made his way into the cold water.
“Shiiiit, that’s cold,” he hissed; his arms hovered above the water while his torso went rigid. I was still standing on the bank, staring down at him, perplexed and confused.
“Come on, River, get in here with me.”
I laughed. “No thanks.”
His hand shot out along the surface, splashing water up at me. It hit me in the chest in a cold rush, making me sputter.
“Wes!”
He laughed, running his wet hands over his hair and face.
“Get in here before I come get you. If I get you, I’ll toss you in.”
That sounded miserable. This water was frigid, even in the summer, so I briskly began stripping out of my layers until I was in just my bra and underwear.
Ice cold water met me as I gingerly stepped in, my feet slipping on the rounded stones at the bottom as I tried to find my balance.
“I don’t remember it being this hard when we used to come out here.” I flung my arms wide, trying to adjust to the temperature while not falling on my face.
Wes was there a second later, taking my hands in his.
“It’s not that bad. You just have to find a way to relax and let the water do the work.”
I watched as he led me deeper into the river, until it went to our chests, and we were floating. After a few minutes the cold started to ebb, and the heat from the thick summer air was enough to ward off the chill. Soon enough it was refreshing. I tipped my head back, getting my hair wet and smiling up at the stark blue sky. With the water soaking my back, I twisted my hair into a bun and pulled it into a knot on top of my head.
I hadn’t realized my back was to Wes, but when I heard his intake of breath, I knew he’d seen the tattoo I’d gotten on my neck, usually hidden by my hair.
He cut through the water, and then his cold finger was trailing over the design that I had Axel, one of my friends, tattoo for me back when we were both in training together. He added shading so the key looked three dimensional, like it was real.
“You once said if you could tattoo it onto your skin as a way to make it happen, you would,” Wes muttered, almost in awe as he stroked the replica of the key he’d given me. It was the same exact design with the stars and everything. My frustration from the day before began to dissipate as he brought up what I’d said that time he realized I carried the key around with me. I turned around, coming nose to nose with him while keeping myself afloat in the water.
“What did you do with it?” I’d been wondering since I found that empty spot behind the picture in the cabin. I assumed it’d been lost over time, or maybe he chucked it, but when Wes gave me a sad smile and pulled me closer, I wasn’t prepared for his answer.
“You said it was a good luck charm. After you left, I considered maybe it wasn’t, but I put it above my mantel at home just the same. I guess I’m superstitious.” He shrugged, looking so much like the boy I once knew it made an ache in my chest bloom to life.
“Guess I’m foolish for still wanting to keep it, but I can’t seem to let it go.”
Wesley’s lashes were coated with water as he stared at me, confessing these truths. Pushing closer to him, I placed my hands on his shoulders. He anchored at my hips, holding me in place while we floated. I stared at him, and for the first time in years, I felt like I really saw him.
With a whisper, I began confessions of my own. “I guess I’m stupid for making it last forever on my skin. Even after I left you, I couldn’t let go of you.” His gaze searched mine. “I loved you…I begged my dad to free you of the club so you could leave with me. I left so I’d have a chance to chase my own dreams, free of the club and all the trauma from it, but my biggest dream was always being yours. I was so young…and I made the biggest mistake of my life.”
Wesley’s thumb came up, tracing a tear that had fallen unbidden from my lashes. There was so much happening inside me, like that casting over my heart was being pried open, melted, and reformed.
“I just didn’t know what to do, River. I went insane when you went missing. They couldn’t tell me anything, and I was expected to just sit back and wait. I couldn’t. It’s not in me to sit and wait, so I made a choice. I would have left, but Death Raiders knew what I had done, so they put a hit on me. Your dad wouldn’t let me leave with you because that hit would put you in danger.”
“How come no one ever told me?” A broken plea left me, hating the secrets of the club. Hating this stupid wedge that had divided us far from one another.
Wes pulled me closer, pressing a kiss to my nose, then my jaw. Softly, slowly.
“Couldn’t, River. I wanted to, but I also wanted you to live your life and do it safely. Your dad had a long talk with me about not coming after you…about how love sacrifices and does what’s best for the other person.”
My hands moved through his hair, clinging to his neck as he held me.
