Oh my heart. That little girl was undoing me. Just as quickly as her dad. Affection thrummed, fluttery and thick and somehow light.
“That’s just fine, Sweet Pea,” I told her.
“Hey there, Rex,” Nikki sang, grinning as she rocked back in her chair. Leave it to Nikki to put him in the hot seat. “Tell Ollie hi for me.”
An exasperated, “Nikki,” was the only response she got.
His gaze shifted to Lillith for the flash of a second, his chin lifting in a subdued hello, discomfort ridging the lines of his expression.
But still, there was something significant about him sitting there, all rough and burly in his huge truck.
Something sweet in his offer.
Because this?
This was an offering.
“I would love to go.” I glanced back at Lillith and Nikki. “You don’t mind me cutting this a little short, do you?”
Nikki waved me off. “Get out of here. The lake sounds way more fun. Besides, Lily Pad over there is getting antsy to get back to Brody. It’s totally fine. You know, just leave me here all by myself. I don’t mind. Not at all.”
Lillith laughed. “So dramatic.”
Nikki’s eyes widened. “And how else would I get any attention around here? Seems everyone has all their attention trained somewhere else.” Her widened eyes slid back to me, all a meaningful tease.
I dropped the peck of a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you. Next time we get together, I’ll make you dinner. How’s that sound? I need all the practice I can get if I’m going to make the restaurant a success.”
Her eyes rolled back in her head. “Girl, don’t tease me. Tomorrow? I’ll be at your house at seven.”
I chuckled. “It’s a date.” I shifted my gaze to Lillith. “Are you in?”
“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.
I inhaled, breathing all of it in, struck with the memory of why I’d always loved this place so much.
Two minutes later, the trees opened up in front of us, revealing the lake.
A glassy expanse of blue.
Calm.
Craggy rocks made up the low cliffs the area was well known for, and the trail weaved down around them, guiding us to a secluded cove and beach.
Awe stoked that fire that continued to grow in my spirit.
“This is gorgeous.”
I’d almost forgotten the draw of this place. The stark beauty that gave Gingham Lakes its name.
Frankie jumped up and down at my side, yanking at my hand to lead me closer to the water. “It’s our super special secret place. And nows you know! You can’t tell any ones! Promise?”
Releasing her hand, I ruffled my fingers through the unruly mess of hair on her head. “I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone you and your daddy’s secret.”
She grinned up at me, flashing me a row of tiny teeth and so much belief. “It’s your secret now, too, silly. Right, Daddy?”
She looked to Rex for confirmation. He was setting the cooler down beside the small ring of rocks that had been made for a fire.
He looked over at me.
Meaningfully.
Powerfully.
“Yeah, Frankie Leigh. Now it’s Rynna’s secret, too.”
A shiver rocked me. A different kind than the flood of old memories that had threatened to dim this day.
This was a river of hope.
He was letting me in. Letting me be a part of them.
I looked down at Frankie, who was still grinning at me. “This is exactly the kind of secret I like to keep.” I said it to her, but I think I was making that promise to Rex. A promise that I wanted more. That like I’d told him outside their house the other night, I wanted this.
Them.
Us.
That I would protect it just as fiercely as he protected Frankie.
Milo barked his tiny bark, jumping all around, chasing after a butterfly that flitted by.
“Can we go swimmin’?” Frankie asked. She pranced over to her dad, wearing that hot pink tutu over a one-piece bathing suit. The little girl so adorable she caused that secret place to ache.
I guessed maybe I held secrets close, too.
“What do you say we eat first, and then we’ll go? Rynna might like to take a hike to our super, super special place.”
“Our secret, secret place?” she whispered through barely contained excitement.
He nodded.
Her attention whipped over to me, the child dancing back my direction. “You wanna, Rynna? You wanna go to the super, super special place? Daddy said we could!”
His expression was tender when he tore his gaze from me and turned it on his daughter, a smile fluttering around his full, full lips.
I wondered if he had the first clue the kind of father he was. Amazing, wonderful, and kind.
“I’d be honored to go to your super, super special place,” I told her, and Frankie did a twirl, spinning me up tighter. My heart winding up in the fibers of this sweet child. Knitting and weaving and uniting.
I could feel it.
The impact of Rex’s daughter becoming a permanent part of me. “Let’s go!”