Page 46 of Wrecked By You

I leaned into Damon, and it felt so right. When we were growing up, I would periodically come out with them on the boat. It was always such a great day. A break from my real life, and my alcoholic parents and abusive father.

I didn’t want to think about them. I didn’t want to think about how I still had to decide whether to make a statement to the parole board next week.

Damon whispered. “What are you thinking?”

I didn’t want to talk about crappy stuff, so I said, “I love being out here on the lake with all of you. Thanks for asking me to come.”

Damon squeezed me against him. He wore a swimsuit, leaving his chest bare. His brothers teased him about having a farmer’s tan, but they did too. He looked good with a well-trimmed beard. He kept in shape, and he was muscular and lean.

His sister had loaned me a one-piece that had only one shoulder strap. It was stylish and very flattering. I felt good in it.

I smiled at him. “This is a good day.”

He grunted. “It is a good day.”

I let my head lean back a little bit and enjoyed the wind whipping around me.

We had just reached the center of the lake when his father slowed and then cut the engine. “Who wants to tube?”

Both boys shot to their feet. Damon reached up, unhooked the tube that was attached to the top of the boat, and then dropped it into the water. Canyon helped the boys get out onto the tube.

The boys said, “Dad, you do it with us.”

Damon waved a hand. “No, you guys do it.”

“It seats four,” his mother said. “You and Isla could both go with the boys.”

My heart thumped as Damon turned back and put his hand out, asking silently if I wanted to go. I didn’t want to be a buzzkill, so I put on my life jacket and then jumped out into the water with them. The boys were instructed to sit in the middle, so Damon and I were on the sides.

It’d been so long since I’d been in a lake that I couldn’t help but laugh. The boys were laughing too, and so was Damon. I looked over, and Damon stretched his arm above the boys’ heads toward me. We held hands.

His father called back, “The minute I go a little faster, you guys give me a thumbs-up or thumbs-down if you want me to speed up or slow down.”

We took off, and it was glorious. The kids were screaming, and so was I. I lost Damon’s hand. Everyone from the boat was yelling for us. I got lost in the adrenaline and the fun and the joy of it all.

Trent grabbed me. “I’m scared.”

I giggled. “Me too.”

Finally, the boat slowed, and his father called back, “Are you guys done?”

Jason yelled out, “Flip us!”

Terror washed over me.

Damon laughed at my expression and asked, “Do you want to get off?”

Jason turned to me. “You can’t get off. We have to get flipped.”

“I don’t want to get flipped,” Trent cried, holding me tighter.

Damon looked at me. “Are you okay?”

I lowered my voice as I spoke to Trent. “I’ll get flipped if you get flipped. Should we stay or get flipped?”

Trent sucked in a shaky breath and looked at his brother. Then he seemed determined. “Let’s get flipped.”

I raised my hand. “Let’s get flipped!”