In a perfect world, I’d be able to show her until she believed it.
In a perfect world, our lives would be like this: nature, drawing, and fishing, the quiet peace of each other’s company.
Shaking my head, I eject the fantasy from my mind and focus on scouring the dirt for worms and grubs. Once I have enough, I settle on a polished rock near the river and adjust so I can study the water while keeping one eye on Aerin and the tree line behind her, and my other eye on the opposite bank. Then, with a flick of my wrist and a whip of the rod, I begin fishing.
It’s more peaceful than any other day I’ve spent on this earth. Aerin’s tongue slides over her lower lip as she draws and sketches. I fish with smooth sweeps of the rod, arcing it over my head and letting the hook hit the water with barely a rippleof disturbance. Birds flutter overhead, creatures scurry about in the undergrowth, and the water weaves effortlessly past all the rocks, carving out the embankment. Beneath a hot sun that gradually sinks lower in a deep blue sky, a gentle wind steals past my bare forearms and catches on the finer edges of Aerin’s hair. Occasionally, she lifts her sketch pad to show me the nature scene she’s drawing and I give her small, acknowledging smiles.
It’s peaceful and exactly what Aerin needs after everything she’s been through. A day after we returned home, Bullet had called to let me know we were right about the Devil’s Breath in her system, which gives Pidge an avenue to explore for the source.
The part of me that aches to be out there, searching for the bastard behind all of this, soothes with each tilt of Aerin’s head and every nod she gives herself as she draws.
This is where we’re meant to be.
Thirty minutes in and I have three fish secured for dinner. Aerin eventually sets her drawing pad aside and gazes downstream, watching the water rush past until something catches her eye and she tenses. Sitting upright, she leans off her branch slightly, then she scrambles to her feet. The movement makes my heart jump.
“Aerin?”
“What is that?” She darts forward and leans over the river, staring down at the water. As I start to reel in my rod, she leans further and drops to her haunches while shifting her weight to keep her balance.
“Be careful, Aerin, those rocks are?—”
She yelps in alarm when her foot loses grip on the rock. Whatever Aerin’s reaching for vanishes as she topples over and plunges into the river.
“Aerin!”
Tossing the rod aside, I leap up and charge forward across the pebbles and rocks. Aerin submerges for half a second then she surfaces, gasping for air and laughing.
“Oh my god!” she squeals. “It’s freezing!”
Thankfully, the stream isn’t deep enough to drag her down, but the water moves fast enough that it threatens to sweep her away.
Without a care, I charge straight toward her and wade into the river as she ducks under the surface once more.
My heart lurches. I reach her and she surfaces once more with her hand held aloft, clutching something proudly.
Not waiting for an explanation, I sweep my arms around her and scoop her out of the water princess-style.
“I got it!” she gasps, shaking the water out of her eyes. After a few coughs and splutters, she laughs and kicks her legs while I carry her out of the stream.
“I warned you to be careful.”
“I know.” She sweeps her now dark orange hair behind her ear. “But look!”
I reach the embankment and swiftly climb up, keeping Aerin in my arms.
She uncurls her hand slowly, and a beautiful piece of aquamarine sea glass rests in her palm. “I’ve never seensomething so beautiful before. What do you think it is?” Keeping one arm around my shoulders for balance, she brings her face closer to mine as she peers down at her palm.
“Sea glass,” I say, shaking one of my legs out to dislodge water from my boot. “Probably dropped by a passing bird who was just as distracted by the color as you are.”
“You think so?” She turns it over in her hand, staring down in awe. “It’s so beautiful. I want to keep it.”
“I’m not going to stop you.” She’s a cold, wet weight in my arms, and my heart’s pounding furiously as if I’m nothing more than a teenager giddy over a first kiss. She rests comfortably in my arms, making no effort to move and I equally make no effort to put her down.
Warmth builds between us, and Aerin is distracted by the sea glass for a good few minutes until a shiver moves through her. Suddenly, her head lifts and my gaze is filled with her flushed, grinning face.
“Oh my god I can’t believe I slipped. I’m soaked. You’re soaked!” She tenses in my arms, and I accept that as a cue to place her down on the ground.
Despite my own waterlogged jeans and boots, I’m distracted by Aerin. Her jeans are dark and cling to her curvaceous, shapely legs.
