“Wouldn’t miss it. Have fun.”
I hopped into the front seat of Rex’s truck.
He threaded our fingers together, clutched them tight on the seat between us.
It felt like a claim.
A statement.
I peeked back at Frankie and down to our hands, before I looked up at his gorgeous face, mouthing the words, “Is this fine?”
He squeezed my hand tighter. Like I was his and he was mine.
“This is more than fine, Rynna.”
Joy.
I’d never known the full truth of it.
Not until then.
* * *
We’d swung by my house, and I’d pulled on a swimsuit, sliding on a pair of shorts and a tank over it, and changed into more appropriate shoes.
Twenty-minutes later, Rex’s truck jostled on the dirt road that was nothing more than a worn path carved by the vehicles that traveled the winding road. It curved as it climbed deeper into the forest that lined the lake, which was tucked at the base of the mountain on the outskirts of town.
I’d thought I was prepared. That it didn’t matter anymore. That I could keep them at bay. But memories kept breaking loose the deeper we trekked into the forest. The closer we got, the harder the betrayal churned my stomach.
The louder the phantom laughter became. Even eleven years later, I could hear Janel’s words floating through the forest.
“You’re such a fool. Did you really think he wanted you?”
I swallowed back the tingle of tears that burned my throat and threatened my eyes. It was a long time ago, and I wasn’t that same girl who’d run barefoot through these trees. Sobbing. Hurting in a way she’d never known existed until she’d been taught the harsh realities of this world in the cruelest of ways.
None of that mattered.
Not now.
Not with Rex running his thumb over the back of my hand, Frankie belting out the silliest song I’d ever heard from the backseat, and my little puppy secure on my lap.
“Sorry this is so far off the beaten path. Frankie and I kind of like the place to ourselves when we come to the lake, don’t we, Frankie Leigh?”
“Yup! We gots our own secret spot that no one knows about. Juss for us.”
Rex tossed me a small wink.
My heart, already filled too full, gave an extra wayward beat.
God, he was gorgeous with the sun shining through his opened window. Rays of light speared through the leaves of the trees, sending bright flashes of light against his face as we wound through the thicket. The longer pieces of his dark blond hair were lit up like a blaze of white fire, the hard curve of his jaw and scruff defined by the glowing outline, those earthy eyes a perfect match to the trees.
“Here we go,” he said. He pulled to a stop where the path came to a dead end. We climbed out, and I helped Frankie down while Rex grabbed the cooler from the bed of the truck. I kept ahold of Milo’s leash and Frankie’s hand as we followed him down a narrow trail.
Lush bushes and towering trees lined the twisty path. A gentle breeze rustled through, dragging with it a fragrant bough of wildflowers and leaves and earth.
In the distance, a trickle from a stream cascading down from the mountain could be heard, and birds chirped overhead.
Tranquility and peace.
