Chapter 29 Past
The sun was high overhead as we made our way down the path.
I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder, hoping—maybe foolishly—that Paul might be around.
My cheeks flushed at the sight of his window, heat rising for reasons that had nothing to do with the sun.
Just thinking about that night…
I must’ve drifted too far into blissful memory, because the next thing I knew, we were at Molly’s boathouse.
She let out a squeal and bolted forward—straight into Chad’s arms.
So much for girls’ day—My inner voice sounding a bit more annoyed than I had intended—clearly she’d forgotten to mention he’d be joining us.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I liked Chad. Truly.
But I had hoped to ask Molly a few lingering questions about, well… certain areas of love I hadn’t exactly explored yet.
And judging by the way she and Chad were tangled up in each other—
combined with a few very intimate details Molly had shared—
it was clear they were far more experienced than I was.
Putting my own selfish motives aside, I forced a smile—
hoping my tone came off more playful than frustrated.
“Hey, Chad! You ready for our girl’s day?”
Before he could respond—or Molly could shoot me a look—
a voice came from just behind me.
“Girl’s day?”
The familiar chuckle that followed sent a jolt down my spine.
“Dang it, I didn’t wear the right suit for that.”
Before I could fully turn to meet his eyes, he was already scooping me up into his arms.
My feet left the ground, and with them, all the air in my lungs.
“Paul!” I half-laughed, half-scolded, though my heart wasn’t in the scolding part at all.
He spun me once, just enough to make the world blur around the edges, before setting me gently back on the dock.
“I missed ya, Honeysuckle,” he said, his voice quieter now—just for me.
The ache I’d been carrying for days dulled in an instant.
And with a soft, slip-of-the-tongue kiss, it disappeared completely.
The moment could’ve lasted forever—
if Molly hadn’t stepped in with her best fake-mom voice.
“Alright, you two,” she teased, hands on her hips,
“either get a room or get in the water.”
We all let out a laugh as we climbed onto the boat.
Thankfully, Chad was eager to take the wheel,
and Molly, of course, claimed the co-pilot seat beside him—
which left Paul and me exactly where I wanted us to be—alone together.
The engine started with a roar—its steady hum wrapped around us,
keeping our conversation low, intimate—
words meant only for each other, never meant to travel past our ears.
“How’d you manage to escape?” I asked, my voice just above a whisper, laced with concern.
He raised his voice to be heard over the motor. “Dad had to go back to Florida—he’ll be gone until tomorrow.”
As the last word left his lips, he winked.
I hoped it was more of an invitation than just a flirty gesture.
I didn’t have to wait long for my answer—the way he pulled me in closer, his grip tightening on my thigh as his lips found my neck, told me everything.
And I was pretty sure I was about to be treated like an esteemed guest.
Chad steered the boat toward the truss bridge. Waves from passing vessels made for a bumpy ride—but it gave us a good laugh every time Molly’s new curls bounced up like they had a life of their own.
We laughed even harder once we stopped—her hair was definitely bigger. Aunt G would’ve been almost envious of the volume.
The land around the bridge was too rocky to park the boat, so Paul threw out the anchor to keep it from drifting.
Chad was the first one in the water.
Letting out a loud “CANNONNNN BALL!” Paul was next to get wet.
The guys had to give a few words of encouragement to get Molly and me to join them.
We splashed around for a bit before making our way to the shoreline. The boys didn’t bother hiding why we were really there—Molly had told them I wanted to jump from the highest part of the bridge.
I’d jumped from the lower side plenty of times, but I always chickened out just before making it all the way to the top.
I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t back out today, but I did agree to at least try.
The guys went first, while we watched from below. Molly and I did a few warm-up jumps from the lower end—but the guys were getting restless. They wanted to see if we’d stick to our word.
Molly went ahead of me, climbing slowly, each hand and foot placement deliberate and precise. I matched her moves as we made our way up the bridge.
It was much higher than I’d anticipated. Lightheadedness crept in as nerves rushed through me.
I had never really seen Molly anxious before, but this time, she seemed just as nervous as I was.
From below, the guys were cheering us on, trying—again—to coax us into jumping. But suddenly, leaping from the boat into the water seemed a lot safer than this.
Molly and I were both ready to head back down the way we came—until I heard Paul shout the exact words I didn’t know I needed.
It wasn’t “I love ya, Honeysuckle,” or even a sweet “Hey beautiful, you can do it.”
He just laughed and yelled, “I thought you were tough!”
I looked at Molly, grabbed her hand—and before she could protest, I pulled us both into the air.
We managed to pinch our noses with our free hands just in time before we hit the warm lake water below,
screaming and laughing as we crashed through the surface.
…
She splashed water in my face as we both resurfaced, laughing even harder between coughs from the water that somehow still managed to shoot up our noses.
The boys swam over to us, still cheering us on.
Paul scooped me up into his arms, the biggest grin stretched across his face.
"You did it," he said, pressing his forehead lightly against mine, lake water dripping from his curls.
I tightened my arms around his neck and kissed him… then splashed a handful of water toward his face, grinning proudly as I teased, "Told you I was tough."
He rolled his eyes and dunked me under the water.
I came up with a mouthful of Lake Sanders—and not a worry in the world.
A blissful laugh escaped me as he spun me around. "I'm stayin’ here forever," I exclaimed.
And by forever, I meant until I had to head back and get ready for work.