“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!”
“Give me just a second to get things organized, Sweet Pea,” Rex said, tossing a few sticks into the ring of rocks.
I walked over and knelt down beside him. “Anything I can do to help?”
A smirk pulled at the corner of his sexy mouth, voice a rough, muted whisper. “Could you do me a favor and lean in closer?”
I was confused before I followed his line of sight to where my shirt was drooped open, cleavage on full display.
I smacked his shoulder. “Rex.” I chuckled beneath my breath.
He laughed from his belly and into the air. It bounded against the cliffs.
Ricocheting back.
Boom after boom that rocked my heart.
“This way.” Frankie raced ahead of me, hauling me along, her excitement infectious. There was no stopping the permanent smile on my face.
We followed an even narrower, isolated trail than the one we’d taken to get to their picnic spot. Sunlight poured in through the super high trees that towered over us, their trunks slender and their bark gray. Dense branches covered us overhead and soft dirt padded our feet.
We hiked higher, my legs burning from the exertion as we climbed. Five minutes later, we shifted course, the trail guiding us back around to where there was a break in the forest.