Page 122 of Give & Take

“For its most important meaning, in my mind.”

“What’s that?”

“As a tree of love. In folklore they say the Hawthorn opens the heart. I wear it to remember that each breath ismagic, each heartbeat a reminder of our connection to a world we don’t fully understand, but where love prevails.”

“Do you have that memorized?” I joke, just to keep the tingling sensation spreading over me in check.

“No, Sunshine. But I’m glad you like it. You do like it, right?”

“I love it,” I say honestly.

“Good.”

I don’t understand why that’s good, but when he reaches his hands out to me, I take them.

“Will you come with me?” Raph asks, his voice lower now. “I promise it’ll be magical.”

I look around, but it’s hard to see anything in the glow of the fire.

“Okay,” I say. “But I want to take my clothes off down by the water,” I say. A concession to modesty.

“You can wear a bathing suit, Lana. I can too, if you’d be more comfortable.”

“No,” I say quickly. I won’t let modesty take away from this magical feeling still tingling over me.

Raph grabs a couple of towels, still tying one at his waist in a move I know is entirely for me.

Once we reach the beach, it’s dark, the only light from the stars above. It’s not an insignificant light, but as far as I know, we’re alone. We’re one of only two campsites that fronts the water, and Raph’s right, the other one has no lights shining at all. I know anyone with any view of the water could see us, but I’m still feeling almost otherworldly.

I pull off my clothes. I half expect Raph to do a wolf whistle or something, but he just looks at me with a kind of reverence. Then he seems to get a hold of himself and reaches for my hand.

When we step into the water, the phosphorescence immediately shows itself, cascading around our steps like trailing underwater fireworks. I gasp, feeling like we’re being given a glimpse of the other side.

“I feel like we’re in the fairy realm,” I whisper as we wade deeper into the cool but not freezing water. I immediately feel like that was a silly thing to say, but Raphael squeezes my hand. “Yeah. That’s exactly what it feels like.”

A moment later we’re fully immersed, and I’m laughing and spinning and waving my arms around like a little kid. “It’s incredible,” I say.

Raph watches me, his expression filled with something I recognize, but am far too scared to acknowledge. A magic sensation like the trill of beautiful music I can feel through every layer and corner and vessel and cell in my body.

Then he does a few ridiculous jumps and spins, telling me he’s been practicing dance with the girls all summer. “Can you tell?” he asks, like I should be deeply impressed.

All I can do is laugh until it hurts as he does more.

When he takes my hands and asks me to dance, I feel like that mermaid in one of those movies my kids have now insisted we watch together. Dancing with my prince.

Later, I float for a while on my back, staring up at the stars, until I begin to shiver.

Raph is there waiting, his arms open as I back up against him. He wraps his arms around me holding me close.

“Do you want to go in?” he asks when my trembling doesn’t stop.

“Not yet,” I say, because it’s not just the cold.

Raph’s hands glide to my hips, a trail of fluorescent light following his fingers like magic. His fingers spread across my belly, holding me where I held my children.

“I love you, Lana,” he whispers, so softly I’m not sure I heard correctly.

My heart beats so loud I could swear it’s creating ripples in the water.

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