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DEEP, DEEPER, DEEPEST

Lizzie

JUNE 27, 1999

“H UGH A NDREW B IGGS, CLIMB DOWN OFF THOSE ROCKS RIGHT THIS INSTANT !” S INEAD screamed, but it was too late for warnings. Especially when her firstborn was in the process of attempting an impressive backwards flip from a terrifying height. “Oh my Jesus, Lizzie, he’s doing it, isn’t he?”

“Yep,” I laughed, clapping and cheering from the beach when Hugh executed the most perfectly timed backflip off the cliff’s edge. “He sure is!”

“Is he okay?” Clamping her hands over her eyes, his mother let out a pained groan. “Please tell me he made it.”

“He made it,” I assured, patting her shoulder, while my eyes tracked the boy swimming back toward the boat.

“Calm down, woman,” her father, a.k.a. Grandad Healy, admonished, while cheering on his grandson. “Good man, Hughie!” he called out, beaming with pride. “That’s the job, boyo!”

Grandad Healy was a tall man with snow-white hair and a thick, matching white beard. He sort of reminded me of Captain Smith from the movie Titanic , and I liked him a lot. He was a jolly-looking man, with a cracking sense of humor. He also appeared to heavily favor his eldest grandson, who had been named after him—something we both had in common.

“He doesn’t even have a life jacket on,” she continued to wail. “Sweet Jesus, I told that boy to keep it on.”

“He’s grand, Sinead,” Grandad Healy laughed, not sounding one bit concerned. “The boy wins gold in the county meets three times on the trot, and you’re worrying about a bloody jacket.”

“I don’t care.” Sinead released a ragged breath and pressed a hand to her chest. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Don’t be getting on the young fella’s back, Sinead,” Grandad Healy warned, while snapping pictures of his grandson with an ancient-looking camera. “If a bit of cliff diving is the worst he does, you’ll be doing grand.” He turned, giving her a knowing look, before adding, “Yourself and Pete certainly did worse when ye were the boy’s age.”

“Why do you think I’m so concerned?” she groaned, sinking down on the bench.

“You know, I think it’s really great that you took us out on the boat,” I decided to tell her. “I know it’s probably really scary for you after what happened to Gibsie’s family, but Hugh really loves the water.”

“I know he does, sweetheart,” she replied with a sad smile. “He’s always been my water baby.”

I didn’t doubt it. My best friend loved the water more than anyone I’d ever known. Hugh had a lot of hobbies and played a wide range of sports, all of which he excelled at, but I knew his true passions were books and swimming. He was never more alive than when he was in the water, and it made me sad that he didn’t get to take these kinds of trips with his family as often as they used to.

I completely understood why Gibsie had remained back at the holiday home with Claire and her cousins, but I also thought Sinead Biggs was one hell of a strong woman to take her son back out on the water.

“Breathe, Sinead,” Aunty Sarah mused from where she was sprawled out on her father’s deck, trying to catch a tan. “You’ll get wrinkles.”

“Are you mental?” Sinead screamed when Hugh reached the boat. “Of all the irresponsible, stupid, reckless things to do, you decide to throw yourself off a bloody cliff.” Towel in hand, she leaned over the edge of the boat and continued to rant. “And worse, you take your life jacket off to do it. You could’ve killed yourself, you bloody eejit!”

“Did you see that?” Hugh asked excitedly, heaving himself back onto the boat. Ignoring his mother’s rant, he looked at his grandfather and laughed. “Did you see my flip?”

“I did, boyo,” Grandad Healy chuckled, giving his shoulder a proud squeeze. “That was something else.”

“That was fucking epic,” Hugh chuckled, spraying everyone near him when he shook his head. “What an adrenaline rush.”

“Language,” his mother snapped, slapping him upside the head before draping a large, navy towel around his shoulders. Not an easy feat nowadays considering her son towered over her. “And for the love of all that is holy, put your life jacket on, will you?”

“It slows me down, Mam.”

“It keeps you floating, that’s what it does.”

“Liz.” His whiskey eyes landed on me, and he grinned before making a beeline for me. “What did you think?”

“That was amazing!” I blurted, still thrumming with excitement. “You have to take me up there.” Reaching up, I grabbed the sides of his towel and readjusted it to cover his broad shoulders. “I want to feel that rush, too.”

“Over my dead body,” Sinead interrupted. “Hugh, don’t you dare take that girl up the cliffs. Do you hear me?”

“I hear ya, Mam,” Hugh replied, while offering me a sneaky wink. Entwining his hand with mine, he nudged me toward the other side of the deck, while whispering, “Come on, I want to show you something.”

My heart fluttered with excitement. “You’re going to take me up there?”

“I’m going to take you somewhere even better,” he replied with a cheeky smile, as he swung one leg over the side of the boat and discarded his towel. “But we’ve got to be quick.” He gestured to the water and gave me a knowing look. “Okay?”

I nodded eagerly, knowing exactly what I needed to do. “Okay.”

“Hugh,” Sinead said in a warning tone, eyeing us warily. “No funny business, ya hear?”

Too late.

Her son was already in the water with his arms outstretched toward me.

I didn’t hesitate.

Not for a second.

Releasing a squeal of excitement, I clambered over the side of the boat and dropped into the water.

“Oh my God,” I yelped, momentarily startled when my body registered the frigid temperature. “It’s so cold.”

Hugh’s arms came around me instantly. “I’ve got you.”

“Oh, for the love of God,” Sinead groaned, leaning over the side of the boat to glare down at us. “At least this one has the good sense to wear a life jacket.”

“Mam, I’ve got this,” Hugh laughed, swimming us away from the boat. “We’re just going to go for a swim,” he explained. “Over to the fairies’ sea cave and back. Just to show Liz the caves.”

“Hugh, you know how dangerous the water can be,” Sinead called back. “And Lizzie’s not as strong a swimmer as you.”

“I know,” he replied, as we drifted farther away. “And you know I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“I can’t touch the ground, Hugh.” I knew I was floating, my life jacket assured me of that, but I had never been out of my depth like this before. “What if I float away?”

“I’ve got you,” he coaxed, keeping ahold of the strap of my life jacket, while using his free arm to swim. “You’re safe with me.”

“Keep her safe,” Sinead called out, looking mildly terrified as she leaned over the edge and watched us slowly drift away from her line of sight. “I’m warning you, Hugh.”

After a good ten minutes of Hugh swimming and me bobbing along after him, we finally reached what he referred to as the fairies’ sea cave.

“Whoa,” I breathed, taking in the sight of an impressive cave entrance hidden deep in the rocks.

“It’s completely unreachable by land,” he explained, guiding me inside by the strap of my life jacket. “It’s only explorable when the tide is out.”

“Is the water still deep inside here?”

“You better believe it,” he replied, carefully maneuvering us through the narrow stream of seawater that flowed through the cave, while avoiding the sharp rocks on either side of us. “It’s like a bottomless pit, Liz.”

“That is so cool,” I replied, fascinated by how my words seemed to bounce off the cave walls and echo back at me.

The sound of loud dripping came from all directions, but it still felt incredibly quiet. Sunlight poured through the cave opening, lighting the way through the darker tunnels. I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my life and told Hugh just that.

“Told you this was better,” Hugh chuckled, using his body to protect mine from a particularly narrow part of the cave. He pulled me around another tight corner and then, suddenly, we weren’t squashed between narrow walls of jagged rocks. Instead, we entered what I could only describe as heaven on earth.

“Welcome to the fairies’ sea cave,” Hugh chuckled, waving a hand around. “Pretty cool, huh?”

It was more than cool.

It was breathtaking.

I had thought the narrow trail we swam through was the point of interest, but clearly not, because that narrow, rocky channel of water led to paradise.

In complete awe, I looked around the glistening cavern walls that seemed to sparkle almost as much as the underwater pool we were floating in. Even better, the water in here felt warm . Tiny fragments of sunlight had clearly bore their way into the cave, illuminating it in a mystical, glowing hue.

“No wonder they call this place the fairies’ cave,” I breathed, taking it all in. “It looks magical.”

“I know,” Hugh agreed, swimming us over to a nearby rock. “But we can’t stay long.”

“We can’t?”

“Nope.” Heaving himself onto it, he turned back and held out his hand for me. Trusting him entirely, I grabbed his hand and went willingly when he pulled me out of the water and onto the rock with him. Onto his lap . “In a couple of hours this place will be underwater,” he explained, readjusting my life jacket, as he tried and failed to make more room on the rock for me. “Sorry about the seating.” He offered me a sheepish smile. “I guess I didn’t think this through.”

I was thrilled he hadn’t because I couldn’t think of a better place to sit than on his lap. “It’s like Aladdin’s cave,” I breathed, hooking an arm around his neck. “We’re completely isolated from the rest of the world in here.”

“Don’t worry, you’re safe,” he was quick to promise. “I would never let anything happen to you.”

“I’m not worried, Hugh.” Our bodies were so close now that I knew I would rather die here in this cave and never be recovered than to leave his side. “I’m happy .”

“Good.” My response seemed to relieve his tension and he visibly relaxed beneath me. “Because I want you to be happy, Liz.”

“I’m always happy when I’m with you.”

“Yeah,” he replied, voice sounding a little deeper than usual. “It’s the same for me.”

“Thanks for picking me by the way,” I said, shifting closer. “I know you and Claire got to pick one friend each to come on this trip, and I also know that Claire picked Gibs.” I smiled before adding, “Which means you picked me.”

“I’ll always pick you, Liz.” Hugh’s arm came around my waist and he pulled me closer to his chest. “You’ll always be first choice.”

“For trips?”

“For everything.”

His response sent a shiver of pleasure rippling through my entire body. “I love you, Hugh Biggs.” Exhaling a sigh of contentment, I wrapped my other arm around his neck and smiled. “I’d stay here forever with you, if we could.”

Brown eyes full of warmth locked on mine. “Yeah?”

I nodded slowly. “I don’t want to ever leave.”

“Neither do I.” His voice was gruff and thick, and his breath fanned my face when he spoke. “Liz.” The way he said my name caused a shiver to roll down my spine.

Like he knew me.

Like I was his .

Like I belonged entirely to him.

Hooking an arm around my waist, he pulled me close until our chests were pressed together. With my arms wrapped around his neck, I clasped my hands together tightly in anticipation.

Hugh’s movements were slow and purposeful, like he had thought about what this day would look like a thousand times before. So had I, but my imagination had nothing on the real thing.

I couldn’t take another second of anticipation and clearly neither could Hugh because he lowered his face to mine at the same time I tilted my chin up.

And there it is .

Finally!

The moment our lips touched, a crackling surge of electricity ricocheted through every part of me. Instinctively, my eyelids fluttered shut, and I clung to his body, feeling a blast of adrenaline so powerful that no amount of cliff diving could compete with it.

Nope, it was clear to my poor, fickle heart that only one person could pull the strings of my heart like this.

Hugh Biggs .

His kiss was a featherlight touch.

A soft, sweet brush of his lips.

Once.

Twice.

On the third brush of his lips against mine, Hugh lingered, keeping his lips there, pressing just a little deeper, pulling my heartstrings just that little bit tighter until I felt I was so highly strung, I might burst apart in his arms.

They were sweet, innocent pecks that caused my body to explode in an uncontrollable tremor. Hugh’s lips were surprisingly soft. I wasn’t sure what I had been expecting, but his kiss exceeded any expectations I had conjured up these past few years, and it definitely beat practicing on my hand.

My arms were wrapped far too tightly around his neck, and a part of me worried about cutting off his air supply, but I couldn’t let go.

Nothing in this world could trick me into releasing this boy.

Not my thoughts.

Not my mind.

Not my broken pieces.

Nothing .

When Hugh pulled back and his whiskey-colored eyes searched mine, I felt myself nod, desperate to reassure him that I wanted him to keep going.

This time when he pressed his lips to mine, he didn’t pull away. Instead, they lingered on mine, and then, achingly slowly, he moved his lips against mine. I wasn’t sure which one of us was shaking more—I could only assume we were on equal measures of nervousness because, when he cupped my face with his hand, deepening our kiss, I felt like I had been electrocuted directly from the power grid.

No, scratch that. It felt like he had hooked me directly up to it and I was powerless to stop it.

Hugh kissed carefully, like he knew exactly the kind of way I liked it, which was surprising because I didn’t even know how I liked it until he put his mouth on mine. It was the best first kiss ever.