Page 55 of Take My Name

I barely have a moment to grasp what’s happening when I reapproach the surface and can breathe again.

Warren appears and smirks.

“You asshole!” I splash water at his face and he grabs my wrist, pulling me closer.

“What? Were you worried about me?” He arches a brow, a wicked grin etched across his face.

I push against his chest, putting distance between us. “That was rude.”

“You forget I was practically raised in this river. I can holdmy breath for over a minute.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re invincible from drownin’ or smackin’ your stupid brain.”

He tilts his head into the water, slicking it back and laughing. “Glad to hear you care about my stupid brain.”

I roll my eyes, struggling to stay afloat.

Warren closes the gap between us, and my heart stutters, anticipating his next move, but then he spins around. “Climb on my back. I’ll swim us to shore.”

Though I should argue about wrapping my bare arms and legs around him, I could use the relief. Except when I do, I feel every muscle against me that he didn’t have before. Warren’s built solid and swims like my added weight hardly fazes him.

Once we reach land, he hands me a towel, and I try not to watch as he dries off with his. His swim trunks are low on his hips, revealing a deep V he most definitely didn’t have before. He has a smooth chest, which only accentuates his lean six-pack abs that were built from working on the ranch.

“Ready?” Warren’s voice snaps me out of my haze, and I quickly nod, wrapping the towel around my body.

I follow him to his truck and he blasts the heat for me since it’s after sunset and I’m wearing next to nothing.

“I’ve been waitin’ to bring this up, but Landen and I are supposed to talk tomorrow, so I figure it’s now or never.”

“What is it?”

“Angela’s up for parole and Tucker’s family’s lawyer suggested we write a letter to the parole board to hopefully influence their decision on lettin’ her out.”

My throat goes dry as his words digest in my mind.

“I-I can’t believe she’s eligible already…”

“Yeah, it’s bullshit but not much else we can do if theyapprove it. She’s had good behavior and served her minimum time so far.”

“Truthfully, I blocked that week out of my mind because it kept givin’ me nightmares for months after, but I’ll think of something to write. She deserved longer.”

“Agreed. Tonight’s the first time I swam there since the night I proposed.”

My head snaps toward his, brows furrowed. “Whaddya mean?”

He proposed nine years ago.

“The night you agreed to marry me…that’s the last time I swam in the river. You left for your third year of college at the end of summer. The next summer, we got married and spent most of our free time in bed. After you graduated, you were applyin’ for jobs, and I had that big job helpin’ my dad build another barn and more treehouses. Then you left that September. Never had the urge to swim there until tonight.”

Warren’s life didn’t stop when I left, but it’s clear he stopped living.

I draw my lips into my mouth, trying to wet them since the humidity—or maybe it’s the tension in the air—made them dry.

“I’m sorry.”

He glances at me before shifting his eyes back to the road. “For what?”

“For leavin’ the way I did. Had I known how hard you took it, I would’ve thought twice about it. We were married, and I shoulda taken your concerns more seriously. I convinced myself you’d change your mind once I moved away, and you’d come up and see how great it could be. I shoulda considered your feelings more.”