Page 915 of One More Kiss

I handed her the cup of cold black coffee with a scrunched-up nose. “Here’s your liquid death. Put your seatbelt on. I’m taking you somewhere special.”

“Oh yeah?” Her mouth closed around the straw as she took a sip.

I nodded, dragging my eyes away.

Get it together, man.

We cruised down winding back roads, listening to music. The trees became thicker, and the roads turned to nothing more than dirt paths. I had almost started to think I was lost until a familiar road came into view. There were no signs anywhere, but this road was marked with a stake in the ground that had been painted red. Even without the stake, I would’ve known it anywhere.

I pulled off to the side and parked the car before hopping out. I rounded the car quickly and opened the door for her. I held out my hand before she could ask questions. “Come with me.”

She didn’t hesitate. She took my hand, and we headed into the woods. There was no path. No nothing. Just birds and humidity and the sound of water in the distance. We ducked through the greenery, and I brushed away spiderwebs.

“Daniel?” Tate looked up at me with skepticism written all over her face.

I squeezed her hand. “Almost there.”

We came through an opening, and she stopped. Her eyes took in the small, untouched, hidden lake. Then she dragged her eyes up the rocky cliff.

She gasped as she took everything in. “A waterfall?”

“Yeah.” I grinned. “My dad and I used to come here. It was kind of our spot. Not many people know about it. But I wanted to show you.”

She looked up at me. “Why me?”

My heart grew warm in my chest as she stared at me with such innocence in her eyes. “Because.”

Something hung in the air between us, as it had a few times before.

Instead of talking, I tugged her hand. “Come on.”

We hiked up and around the lake until we were on the cliff above it. The drop was about thirty feet.

I looked down over the edge. “People cliff jump from here.”

Her feet shuffled backward slightly. “Really? The water is deep enough?” Her voice was shaky.

“In most spots, yes. Though there are some more shallow parts down there due to submerged rocks. It’s definitely not smart, but people do it anyway.”

Tate physically shuddered. “Why would people take that chance?” She pressed herself into my side, so I wrapped my arm around her. She didn’t seem fond of the height, but as she pressed her body to mine, I felt like that was to my advantage.

“I guess some people don’t feel truly alive unless they tempt death. Right before my dad died, a couple weeks maybe, I was having a hard time. Just life and expectations, you know? He brought me up here and said how freeing it is to look down at the world, the clutter and the noise and the chaos, like it’s all below you, and just breathe.”

Without hesitation, I grabbed her shoulders and moved her in front of me.

She inhaled sharply, putting her hands on mine and gripping them. “What are you doing?”

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly against my chest. “Just trust me.” I could literally feel her heart like a hummingbird in her chest. “Breathe.” I kept my voice low. “Stand at the edge of yourself, the edge of it all, and take it in. Then, let it all go.”

After a moment, she did just that. Her heartbeat slowed, and her body softened against mine. I rested my chin on top of her head as we stood there for several minutes, sharing something I had kept hidden for years.

When we both seemed to have let it all go, I took her hand again and led her back down. We sat on a large boulder on the shore, our feet hanging into the cold water and our hands still laced together.

Despite feeling like everything was perfect, I could tell there was something off with Tate. She seemed tense.

I twisted to face her. “What’s up? You seem like you have something you want to say.”

“It’s just…” She struggled for the words. “I just don’t…I mean…”

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