Chapter 15
The sun warmed Ty’s back as she contemplated her first steps into the flowing river.
“You ready?” Memphis asked. He’d already stepped into the stream and was now at the edge, offering his hand to her. She held his gaze for a blink, his ocean eyes looking even bluer with the sky at his back.
“It’s really…cold,” she admitted. A chill rocked through her.
Memphis chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, but it feels good.” The tubes, looped together with a synthetic green rope, bobbed on a nearby rock as the sun glistened off the small, crescent waves.
“Okay, I’m coming,” she promised, taking hold of Memphis’s hand at last.
The feel of his skin on hers never failed to thrill her. She’d held hands with him for hours last week while they square danced together, and she couldn’t help but appreciate the strong and sturdy feel of his large hand as it cradled hers.
She forced herself to step forward, sinking one foot fully into the river. Icy water rushed over the top of her foot and between her toes, contrasting the warmth of the sun on her skin. She’d worn her Tevas for the occasions. The strap-on sandals were waterproof, and they wouldn’t fall off her feet and float downstream without her.
“Good,” Memphis encouraged, holding his other hand out to her now as well.
And since Ty’s foot wobbled precariously on the rock as she lifted her other leg, she accepted his other hand. She hadn’t exactly plotted out where she’d place her other foot, but as she lowered it into the water, it slid on the side of a rock.
“Whoa,” she blurted, squeezing his hands much tighter to regain her balance.
“I’ve got you,” he assured. The confidence in his tone, combined with the strength she detected in his grip, told her he did, in fact, have a good hold on her. That he wouldn’t let her fall. She sighed a deep breath of relief, the release moving far beyond the predicament at hand. It had been a long time since she felt this kind of trust or reliance on a man. One besides her father, that is. It seemed the more she got to know Memphis—and his family too, for that matter—the more she believed he could possibly be a good match for her and Lucas.
Which was something she hadn’t let herself hope for before. The only thing she’d dared dream about was a day that Eric might return, all apologies and remorse, a changed man ready to assume his role as husband and father. Of course, that fantasy died years ago as he refused to play even the smallest part of Lucas’s life.
Memphis repositioned her hands so they both gripped onto one of his while he arranged the tubes on the water. “We’re going to have to plop back onto them and hope we land right,” he said with a laugh.
Ty’s laugh came out more nervous. “This is scary,” she said.
“Scary?” Memphis echoed. “The water’s no more than three or four feet deep.”
“Notthatkind of scary,” Ty amended. “More like the I-don’t-want-to-fall-in-and-freeze-my-butt-off type of scary.”
“C’mon, you just scrubbed barf off Lucas’s clothes without so much as a gag. You’re Super Woman as far as I’m concerned.”
A dose of warmth danced around her heart. “Well,” she said, guessing her cheeks were growing pink, “that was instinctual. I didn’t have to pause and think about anything.”
“Then don’t pause and think about this,” Memphis encouraged. They were standing before the tubes now. “Just drop back on the count of three. Make sure you feel the tube at your calves.”
The rubber tube bumped and rubbed the back of her knees and upper calves; the water was a little deeper where she stood. She glanced back to double check all the same. “It’s there.”
“So’s mine,” he said. “On the count of three. One, two,three!”
Ty let herself plop onto the tube, and before she knew it, she was floating downstream with Memphis at her side.
“There,” he said, stretching his chin toward the sky as he lay back. “That feels nice.”
Ty allowed herself to do the same as they floated slightly downstream to a lazy portion of the river. He was right. It felt wonderful to be peacefully floating along, the warm sun on her chest, face, and legs. Memphis’s hand grazed hers, an invitation to take hold of it once again. She accepted easily, enjoying the contact, the closeness, the security.
From the moment she’d met Memphis, she’d enjoyed his company. He had a list of qualities that made him fun to be around, but it went beyond those traits. Just being in his presence, having him nearby—that alone felt nice. Somehow, she seemed more at peace when he was near. As if her soul had found something it had been seeking without Ty even knowing it. And now that she’d found it—now that she’d foundhim—she felt whole.
No, Ty. That’s dangerous.She was quick to replay that final thought, realizing how risky it really was. She couldn’t depend on another person to make her life complete. But that didn’t make the relationship wrong, did it?
No, it didn’t. She just needed to keep herself in check. Her happiness, Lucas’s well-being, couldn’t depend on anyone outside of Ty. She could never lose sight of that.
As that thought came to mind, the sounds of the rushing river grew into one massive hush, echoing along the nearby rocks and trees.
“We’re approaching some rapids,” Memphis said. A tall stick floated nearby, and he paddled himself closer until he could reach it. “There,” he said, pushing his tube—and also Ty’s, since it was attached—away from the oncoming, shrub-riddled bank.
