Page 78 of The Souls We Claim

She shakes her head again, the sun catching her strawberry-blonde hair. “Not even a little bit. I never learned. Had no reason to.”

“That’s not safe.”

Arianne huffs a laugh. “My life has never really involved public water, and swimming won’t save me from drowning in a bathtub.”

I pat her thighs. “Get up, go rinse under the shower, and meet me at the shallow end.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to teach you how to swim.”

Arianne looks around the pool, where there are three other people. “No.”

“None of them are watching us. They’re too busy scrolling on their phones. Go. Shower.”

She bites down on her lip. “Fine.”

I watch for a second as she stands because her ass looks great in that bikini, then grab the edge of Lola’s inflatable.

“Let’s go, Lola. We’re gonna teach your mom how to swim,” I say as I swim the two of us up the pool.

Lola grins at me, her fist in her mouth, drool escaping. “Ba, ba, ba, ba.”

“I agree, kid. Soon as you’re old enough to be out of this floaty thing, I’ll teach you too.”

Strikes me she’s crying less these days. I wonder if the life we’re giving her is making the difference. Which is kind of shitty because I’m not sure how much difference I’ve actually made. Except my house is clean. And Ari and I don’t fight, at least not in front of Lola. Maybe she’s finding a stability she can relax into knowing she’s safe and fed.

Then it dawns on me that I said the wordmom.

Does that make me Dad? Something primal beats in my chest.

It’s an unexpected awakening deep inside. In just under a month, Lola has gone from being a responsibility I didn’t want to…

I struggle to find the words as I swim.

Precious.

Yeah. Something precious.

I’ve always loved her as my little sister, but now she feels more like…mine.

When I get to the shallow end, I stand and wait for Ari to rinse off in the shower. Wish I had my camera, because when she tilts her head back in the spray, her side profile facing me, the sun behind her, she looks so fucking hot. Like, mental-spank-bank hot.

So, I stare.

Take in the curve of her ass and lower back, the length of her legs, the way one heel is raised so only the ball of her foot touches the ground. She’s sexy as fuck and doesn’t even realize it.

The water stops, and she squeezes out the end of her hair.

“This has ‘bad idea’ written all over it,” she says as she approaches the steps to the pool.

I swim a few feet away from the shallow end, towing Lola. I can touch the bottom. Arianne likely can’t. “Ari, just jump. I’ll catch you; I promise.”

She eyes me carefully. “Is this a test?”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you. It would make me really fucking happy if you’d allow me to teach you.” I open my arms and raise an eyebrow. It’s all she needs to jump from the side of the pool.

Trust and bravery make for easy bedfellows. It’s why Navy SEAL training is so focused on the concept of a team. You can be braver when you trust those around you. If you know for sure the person behind you truly has your back, you feel safer stepping out in a conflict zone.