I tore through the water like a maniac, swimming to where I’d seen him vanish.
I’ll get you. I’ll get you.
My fingers connected with his cold skin.
Got you!
My arms wrapped around him as I kicked my legs, desperately trying to get us above water. We breached the surface, and Cody let out a heaving breath. Good. He wasn’t unconscious.
I locked my hands together. Nothing was going to take Cody away from me. This fucking lake could take me, but not him. No matter what happened, Cody would live to see another sunrise.
I breathed in and tightened my core, becoming the paddleboard he needed as I kicked my feet repeatedly.
The lake tossed the boats like toys. They looked seconds away from cracking into pieces from the force of the water. One wave after another enveloped our bodies and pulled us below, but I kicked as hard as I could each time. The shoes were dead weight, pulling me down, so I kicked them off. The rain turned to hail and pelted us like knives. Another wave. Blackness. Water.We need air.My legs burned as I pushed them to their limit, keeping both our bodies afloat. Cody released heaving coughs as the waves continued their onslaught. He had to make it. He had to.
A light pierced the darkness. I could make out the outline of an orange hull.
Rescue boat.
“HELP! HELP! HELP!”
I screamed it over and over. Water filled my mouth, but I’d hack it up and scream again. The light shone brighter. The hull approached. Voices became audible—a rope sliced through the air, landing in the water. I reached for it and wrapped it around our bodies.
“Pull us up,” I cried out.
The rope became taut and inched us closer to the boat, where outstretched arms from the deck reached down to grab us. They got Cody, and before I knew it, sturdy arms were pulling me aboard.
I crawled to Cody, wiping the water off his face. “Tell me you’re okay,” I yelled.
I wrapped my arms around him, and my hand found the pulse point on his neck. I rested my thumb on it, feeling his lifeforce pumping through his precious body.
He made it. He made it.
Cody settled into my arms, his beautiful face looking up at me. Seeing him cradled in my arms made me realize how stupid I’d been. I could have hurt him. My selfishness put him at risk.Cody.
“I love you, Cody. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Cody pulled my hand to cup his cheek as he mouthed, “I love you.”
I never wanted to let him go. Cody was so much more than a lover. Cody sailed into a storm to find me. He risked everything to stop me from harming myself. No, he wasn’t just a lover. Cody was my soulmate. My heart beat for him and him alone.
I’d been afraid to let go this whole time. It hit me that if I didn’t want to let go, it was up to me to hold on.
And that’s exactly what I’d do.
Forever.
Cody
Stealing that boat was the best thing I could have done. Once the owner saw how bad the storm was getting, he called Emergency Services.
When we arrived back at Sue’s dock, Rafael carried me to the cabin in his arms. When we entered, he flipped a chair upright with his foot and sat me down.
“I’ll get the shower ready, okay?”
My throat hurt so bad from hacking up the water, so I just nodded and smiled. Rafael’s hand cupped my face. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
The bathroom light turned on, illuminating the space. It looked like a war zone. My eyes closed as the sound of the shower transported me to the fantasy of warm water enveloping my cold skin.
