Chapter Ten
Maisie
“Jump!” Warren shouts for the second time, but he’s grinning.
“I’m too scared!”
“I’m right here to catch you.”
Glancing down from the boulder I’m standing on, a nervous shiver runs through me. It’s twenty-five feet high, half the height of the cliff we used to jump off from, but that was me as a careless teenager. Now I’m ready to shit my pants.
“Okay, I’m gonna do it…” I try to amp myself up and shake out my arms. We’ve done this countless times. I can do it.
Warren’s already done it three times to prove it was safe.
I back up a few feet, then run off and scream until my body crashes into the water. Before I can swim to the surface, Warren’s pulling me up.
“Holy shit!” I suck in a breath and then hang onto Warren’s shoulders as he keeps me afloat.
“That was some jump.” He laughs. “Your legs and arms were floppin’ all over the place.”
“Shut up!” I giggle, pushing against him.
“I’m kiddin’. You did great for your first time in years.”
“And my only time.”
“Oh c’mon…we’ll go together.”
“Fine, once more,” I compromise.
We swim to the shore and climb higher than before, my nerves on fire at being even more scared.
“Stop lookin’ down,” he says, grabbing my hand and interlinking our fingers. His unexpected touch sends heat down my neck, and I try not to overthink it since we’re having fun. “On the count of three, we’ll go.”
When we step back, he counts down.
“Three…two…one… go !” We continue holding hands as we jump, and I scream the entire way down.
Our hands lose contact when we sink into the water, and I fight my way to the surface. But when I wipe my eyes, I don’t see him.
“Warren?” I frantically look around, shuffling my arms back and forth to search for him. “Warren!”
My voice cracks, but then I’m yanked down when I call his name a third time. “War?—”
I barely have a moment to grasp what’s happening when I reapproach the surface and can breathe again.
Warren appears and smirks.
“You asshole!” I splash water at his face and he grabs my wrist, pulling me closer.
“What? Were you worried about me?” He arches a brow, a wicked grin etched across his face.
I push against his chest, putting distance between us. “That was rude.”
“You forget I was practically raised in this river. I can hold my breath for over a minute.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re invincible from drownin’ or smackin’ your stupid brain.”
He tilts his head into the water, slicking it back and laughing. “Glad to hear you care about my stupid brain.”
I roll my eyes, struggling to stay afloat.
Warren closes the gap between us, and my heart stutters, anticipating his next move, but then he spins around. “Climb on my back. I’ll swim us to shore.”
Though I should argue about wrapping my bare arms and legs around him, I could use the relief. Except when I do, I feel every muscle against me that he didn’t have before. Warren’s built solid and swims like my added weight hardly fazes him.
Once we reach land, he hands me a towel, and I try not to watch as he dries off with his. His swim trunks are low on his hips, revealing a deep V he most definitely didn’t have before. He has a smooth chest, which only accentuates his lean six-pack abs that were built from working on the ranch.
“Ready?” Warren’s voice snaps me out of my haze, and I quickly nod, wrapping the towel around my body.
I follow him to his truck and he blasts the heat for me since it’s after sunset and I’m wearing next to nothing.
“I’ve been waitin’ to bring this up, but Landen and I are supposed to talk tomorrow, so I figure it’s now or never.”
“What is it?”
“Angela’s up for parole and Tucker’s family’s lawyer suggested we write a letter to the parole board to hopefully influence their decision on lettin’ her out.”
My throat goes dry as his words digest in my mind.
“I-I can’t believe she’s eligible already…”
“Yeah, it’s bullshit but not much else we can do if they approve it. She’s had good behavior and served her minimum time so far.”
“Truthfully, I blocked that week out of my mind because it kept givin’ me nightmares for months after, but I’ll think of something to write. She deserved longer.”
“Agreed. Tonight’s the first time I swam there since the night I proposed.”
My head snaps toward his, brows furrowed. “Whaddya mean?”
He proposed nine years ago.
“The night you agreed to marry me…that’s the last time I swam in the river.
You left for your third year of college at the end of summer.
The next summer, we got married and spent most of our free time in bed.
After you graduated, you were applyin’ for jobs, and I had that big job helpin’ my dad build another barn and more treehouses.
Then you left that September. Never had the urge to swim there until tonight. ”
Warren’s life didn’t stop when I left, but it’s clear he stopped living.
I draw my lips into my mouth, trying to wet them since the humidity—or maybe it’s the tension in the air—made them dry.
“I’m sorry.”
He glances at me before shifting his eyes back to the road. “For what?”
“For leavin’ the way I did. Had I known how hard you took it, I would’ve thought twice about it.
We were married, and I shoulda taken your concerns more seriously.
I convinced myself you’d change your mind once I moved away, and you’d come up and see how great it could be.
I shoulda considered your feelings more. ”
Warren parks the truck in front of his house, then turns toward me. “You’re not the only one to blame, Maze. You were right when you said I coulda tried harder and given it a real chance instead of writin’ it off so quickly that I’d hate it there.”
“But that’s the thing, you would’ve hated it. Livin’ in as big of a city as New York ain’t for everyone. It took me months to adjust, hell, maybe years, but I had tunnel vision about gettin’ my dream job. It was selfish.”
He leans over and rests his palm on my towel-covered thigh. “I think we both were, if I’m being honest.”
I swallow hard before blurting my next words. “I waited over four years for you.”
He pulls back slightly, blinking before his gaze hardens on mine. “You did?”
“I had no interest in datin’, which is why I wasn’t that persistent at first about the divorce papers.
My parents’ lawyer drafted ’em up before they told me about it.
They said four years was long enough. After you sent ’em back unsigned, I didn’t think too much of it because I wasn’t in a serious relationship, so there was no urgency.
Hayes and I were casually datin’ at the time, but we were both too focused on our careers to make a real commitment.
But after I brought Hayes home to meet ’em, they got pushy.
Once he proposed, that’s when they sent the papers twice more. ”
“I wish I’d known that…” He scratches his cheek before rubbing the back of his neck. “I would’ve changed my mind.”
“About what?”
“About not wantin’ to leave here. After four years of knowin’ what it was like to be without you, I woulda jumped on a plane and moved my whole life to be with you again.
Instead, I got obsessed with buildin’ my house, and every time I got those papers, it fueled me to work harder.
Hopin’ that each time I sent ’ em back, you’d come and change your mind once you saw what was waitin’ for you. ”
My throat burns as tears prick the corners of my eyes. “I wish I’d known you hadn’t moved on.”
“Why?” he asks softly, leaning closer.
Swallowing hard, I focus on his lips as I force out my words. “I would’ve come sooner.”
Before he can ask me to elaborate, a loud knock on the driver’s side window causes us both to jump.
“Jesus Christ.” Warren inhales a sharp breath before rolling the window down.
“Hey!” His sister pokes her head through the window, then finally notices me. “Oh, hey Maisie!”
“Hi, Bellamy.” She looks more mature than the last time I saw her, but her long dark hair and dimples when she smiles are the same.
“Sorry to interrupt your…” She waves her hands, unsure of what to call this. “But I heard you had cheesecake?”
That’s the dessert he made for us? That’s more impressive considering that’s not an easy recipe.
“Please be jokin’…” Warren blows out a harsh breath, his head falling against the seat in defeat.
“What?” She feigns innocence and it’s hard not to crack up. “Like you two are gonna eat a whole one? You can share with your favorite sister. C’mon, I’m hungry.” Then she skips away toward the staircase that leads to the deck.
“Movin’ seven hundred miles away ain’t lookin’ so bad now,” he mutters, and I snort.
We get out of the truck and walk together into the house. A cold rush of air hits my skin, and I shiver. Even though I wore a one-piece, it still barely covers anything. I wasn’t as self- conscious as I thought I’d be, but being in the water helped since he couldn’t see anything below my shoulders.
“Would you mind if I quickly warmed up in your shower?”
“Yeah, of course. Go ahead. I’ll grab some clothes and change in my room.”
“Thanks.” I give Bellamy a quick wave before grabbing my bag of clean clothes and dipping down the hallway.
Bellamy’s loud whistle echoes and then there’s a muttered “shut up” from Warren.
Their relationship has always been hilarious because Bellamy’s the baby of the family and Warren’s the oldest.
Although I’ve been in Warren’s bathroom before, I’m still in awe that he did most of it himself and picked everything out. It’s clean and tidy, almost like no one ever comes in here. The tub is tempting, to say the least, but then I’d never want to leave.
I try not to take too long, but the rainfall showerhead has me wanting to stay under the hot water forever.
Once I’ve warmed up, I wash my body with his soap and use his two-in-one shampoo and conditioner so my hair doesn’t smell like the river.
Stepping out, I dry off and wrap a towel around my hair, then put on my leggings and sweatshirt.