“Nope.” I toss the ring into the pool. “Not until you go get it.”
“Ky, I can’t believe you just did that.” Kira peers down into the water.
“Incentive.” I cross my arms. I’m a devious bastard.
“Well, maybe I don’t want to marry you.” She mirrors my stance. I love it when she tries to act tough.
“Well, maybe that’s bullshit, because I know you do. Anyway, I told you, I’m not proposing until you get that ring. So, we don’t have to worry about whether or not we’re getting married right now.” I lean in close, so my lips are an inch away from her ear, and whisper, “It’s all up to you, Snow.”
The ball is in her court. I’m just the spectator.
“Ky,” she hums my name so seductively.
“Yeah?”
“You know I love you, right?” Kira runs a fingertip down my jugular vein, tracing the letters of my tattoo across my clavicle, then teases her way south to my hip. That single touch has my hormones racing. It’s the Indy 500 inside my pants.
“Yeah, I do,” I growl like the rambunctious puppy she reduces me to.
“Good.” She pushes me right into the pool. “Enjoy your swim,” she sings as she struts off, flipping her short hair and everything. Now there is the girl I know and love.
I do believe there’s hope for us yet.
Kira
It’s been two days since Ky tossed my engagement ring into the pool.
It’s been on my mind nonstop.
I won’t deny I want it, or that I want him to propose.
I barely even got a good look at it. It glistened in the sun for the half of a second he held it up, and then it was gone.
Tossing it was such a Ky thing to do.
This is the third night I’ve sat poolside while everyone sleeps, contemplating going in. But I just can’t bring myself to do it, no matter how much I want to. I just keep flashing back to Deacon, holding me under in the bathtub, over and over, until I was barely conscious. He knew the water was my safe place, and he shattered that escape for me.
I run my thumb over the delicate wave tattoo on my wrist. Where do I go if not the water? Where do I find my peace?
The lights below the surface of the pool tempt me to search again for my ring. Retrieving it would mean so much more than just a piece of jewelry on my finger. It would mean Ky and me together for life, and that is an enticing idea.
I touch my palm to the surface of the water. It’s warm and tranquil, inviting like always.
Staring at my reflection, the memories stir. The fear, the pain, the agony, it all sharply tingles under my skin, but so does want, and perseverance. Tears rise like the sea, and I let them fall. I let them rain out of me hard and fast and torturous. They hurt, but they also heal.Though tears may fall, strength can rise. Though tears may fall, strength can rise. Though tears may fall, strength can rise.
I inhale a deep breath and fall head first into the water.
It’s terrifying at first. Immediately, I want to swim to the surface and escape, but I don’t. I fight, because as frightening as it is, it’s also magnetic. The water calls to me. It cleanses me. It offers me a second chance.
I swim to the bottom of the pool and feel around for the ring. A tiny glint catches my eye, and I know I’ve found it.
Picking it up, I slide it on my finger and admire my hand under the shadows of the lights. It’s beautiful, and special, and perfect.
I push off the pool floor and break through the surface, gasping for air. I feel reborn. I feel alive.
“’Bout time you went down and got that thing.” Ky’s voice startles me. I spin around in the pool, and there he stands, watching me.
“How long have you been spying on me?” I swim to the edge, right beneath him.
