I wanted—needed—to know if what Jessica had told me about Lee having many lovers was true, and I hoped the relaxed setting would make my question sound less invasive.
He rolled back his shoulders and anchored his hands behind him. His hair was slicked back and his face clean shaven. He looked like a model posing for an outdoor adventure magazine photo shoot in his jeans and a form-fitting T-shirt.
“When I adopted Bridget, I spent all my spare time with her. We needed to get comfortable with each other. Bringing someone else into the family and dividing my time didn’t seem right. To be honest, some women were turned off I had a child. They didn’t know she wasn’t my own.”
“I could understand. It can get complicated.” I stretched my legs and closed my eyes. We sat in the shade of the mountain, but just the sight of the sun’s halo around the peak filled me with warmth.
“What about you? Is there someone special back home?”
My eyes flew open at the unexpected question. I tried not to think of Jayden, and I’d been good at forgetting him, but what he’d done still hurt. I didn’t want Lee to see the pain in my face, but I wasn’t good at hiding my emotions. Though, I knew he would understand since his sister’s husband had left her for another woman.
I cleared my throat. “My ex-boyfriend, whom I dated for almost two years, cheated on me.”
I didn’t want his pity and I didn’t want to sound pathetic either, so I left out that Jayden had cheated on me twice.
Lee frowned. “I’m sorry that it happened to you. It’s his loss, Kate. I don’t understand people who cheat. Act like a grown-up. Break up first and then go on your way.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“Was it recent?” He sounded hesitant.
He wanted to know more about my private life. My stomach lurched, and I told myself to calm down. Talking about relationships is just another level of friendship.
I peered up to the puffy clouds and then met his gaze. “It happened about a year ago, the day after Christmas. So I really hate that ‘Last Christmas’ song.” The second time had been more recent, but I wasn’t going to go there.
Lee laughed. “I’m sorry. That’s not funny, but your comment was.”
I shrugged. “The song fits my situation though.”
“It does.” Lee picked up the empty containers and shoved them into the bag.
I tried to help but he swatted my hand away.
“He wants to get back together.” He didn’t need to know that, but I’d said it. Too late.
“Oh.” He halted briefly. “Are you planning to?”
“No. He lost my trust, and trust is everything in a relationship, right?”
“Yes, it is. I couldn’t agree more.”
We sat in silence as we watched Bridget carefully maneuver on the boulders.
“Look, Papa. Butterflies.” Bridget leaned forward to get a closer look.
My chest tightened, something inside me tugged in warning. She was standing too close to the edge. I was about to say something but Lee beat me to it.
“Bridget, get back.” Lee raised his voice and bent his knees, poised to jump up.
“Okay, but—”
In truth, it was over in a couple of seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. Bridget’s left leg slid, causing her to fall on her butt. Then she plummeted over the side.
I had never been so scared in my life.
“Bridget!” Lee hollered from the top of his lungs, bolting toward the water.
Heart thundering, I raced behind him.
“She just learned how to swim,” he said in a frenzied tone, tossed off his shoes and dove in.
I searched for Bridget, panic beating against my ribcage. Please, let her be fine. Hurry, Lee.
Seconds passed. And more seconds passed. Every second seemed like minutes. Too long. Too long. It was taking too damn long to find her.
A head popped up. Lee spat out water, panting, trembling. “I can’t find her. Do you see her?” He whirled around, calling her name again and again with desperation.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.
I frantically scanned every inch of the ground around the pool, from the trees and shrubs to the left and boulders to the right. No Bridget.
“Bridget!” I hollered. This could not be happening. Lee had lost Roselyn. He could not lose Bridget too.
Lee splashed out of the water again without his niece, the pain in his eyes palpable. I didn’t have time to think how cold the water would be, nor did I care. Nor did I care my jeans would weigh me down. I took off my shoes and jumped in.
The drop in temperature stung my bones, my muscles constricting. My teeth rattled and I nearly sucked in a lungful of icy water. I resurfaced and dove underwater again. If I’d fallen and wasn’t a good swimmer, where would I find shelter?
Lee dove under the deeper water, which made sense if she didn’t know how to swim, but Bridget did. The teacher would have taught her to go to the edge of the pool or find something ... anything to hold on to.
Oh, please, please, please. I swam away from Lee, struggling against the frigid water threatening to pull me under as I searched the lower grounds. Icy fingers wrapped around my lungs, squeezing tighter and unyielding the longer I stayed. Every stroke was a torturous effort. Every breath I took out of the water without Bridget had me in tears.
Then ... small splashes.
There. She was there. I inhaled a deep, excruciating, thankful breath and happy tears pooled in my eyes.
Bridget clung to a root that draped over the giant rock, her body halfway out of the water, in the fetal position and trembling.
“Over here, Lee.” I waved at him from the other side of the boulder.
“Bridget. I’m coming.” I swam, flapping my feet, pushing my arms, fighting against the jarring stiffness.
“Kate.” Her teeth rattled and she could hardly speak, but her eyes were teary with relief.
“I’ve got you, Bridget. Thank God I found you.” I held her tightly and stroked her hair, tears streaming down my face from relief. “You’re okay.” I repeated the words to keep her calm and to reassure her, and myself.
When Lee reached us, I moved away for him. He squeezed her in his arms, and just held her to compose himself, and then finally swam back.
The cold was even more unbearable when I got out, my movements stiff and robotic. The breeze stung like needles. Every step took great effort, and my body might as well have turned to ice.
Bridget was still in Lee’s arms, her legs anchored around his waist. She whimpered. Her lips shook and her voice cracked as she spoke. “I’m sorry. Please don’t get mad at me. I fell. I was so scared.” She sobbed in his arms.
I shoved everything off the blanket and covered them, water dripping from their clothes. Before I could step back, Lee folded me into his spare arm under the blanket, the other still holding onto Bridget. The warmth of our three bodies pressed together finally calmed my pounding heart.
“Thank you.” His voice was low and rough. “I don’t even know ... I don’t think ...”
I nodded, overloaded from the cold, Lee’s proximity, and the thought of almost losing Bridget.
I put my finger on his lips. He didn’t need to thank me, and he didn’t need to think about what could have been. Bridget was safe in his arms, and that was all that mattered.