say, spinning toward her. I pick her up and she screams, laughing.
“Wait, grab the lantern,” she says.
I turn her all the way around and go back for the lantern. She’s laughing and the dark mood is gone just like a shadow in the light. I dare a glance at my grandfather’s cherished guitar, sending up another apology to his spirit as I carry her out of the room, where we make love until the rain finally stops.
Chapter Twenty
The rain lets up just as the sun is peeking above the horizon. We gather our things and make a run for the boat. I almost slip on the muddy banks of the lake, but Colton holds tightly to my hand.
I laugh, realizing my cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much in the past few hours.
I’m sad to see the cabin disappear through the trees as we make our way back down the lake, but I hope we’ll come back soon. Right now, it’s the most magical place in the whole entire world.
We tie the boat off at Knox’s dock and quietly make our way back to Colton’s truck. Knox is home, but we don’t want to wake him up. He’ll see the boat and know we made it back safely.
When we get back to my house, Colton walks me to the door and pulls me into his arms.
“Thank you for one of the best nights of my life,” he says. “I’m never going to forget this as long as I live.”
“Me, too,” I say, looking up at him. He’s got a little stubble growing on his face and his hair is wild from laying by the fire snuggled against me all night. He’s never looked so good.
“You going to be okay working tonight?” he asks, kissing my forehead.
“I’ll be fine,” I say. “It’ll probably be slow, anyway. You know, if you want to come by and hang out for a while.”
“Definitely,” he says. He pulls me into a kiss, and my heart feels so light I think it might simply fly away.
“Try to get some sleep,” I say. “I’ll see you tonight.”
He kisses me again, and then holds onto my hand as long as he can before I disappear inside.
I practically float to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the fridge. The sun is fully awake now, and even though I barely slept a wink last night, I feel more alive and awake than I can remember ever feeling before.
I haven’t opened my heart, or my body, up to a man in so long, but it’s not at all what I expected. I thought I would be a nervous wreck. But instead, I feel like I’m a brand new person.
I’m happy, and all I want to do is crawl under the warm covers and dream happy things.
I down the water and carry what’s left of the bottle toward my room, but something stops me before I go inside.
The light in the bathroom at the end of the hall is on, which is odd. Dad never leaves that light on. Is he already up?
I walk down the hallway to let him know I’m home, but as soon as I turn the corner, the water bottle falls from my hand and I scream.
I rush to my father’s side, panic tearing at my heart.
He’s lying on the floor, a large gash on his forehead bleeding a pool of bright red across the tile.
“Daddy?” I say, lifting his head into my lap. “Daddy, can you hear me?”
I lean down and put my cheek against his face, thankful when I feel a rush of warm breath against my skin. I pull the towel from the rack and place it against his wound. It isn’t bleeding too badly, but it’s impossible to tell how long he’s been lying here.
Oh God, the whole time I’ve been with Colton, my father’s just been bleeding on the bathroom floor?
“Daddy,” I say louder, stroking his cheek. His eyes flutter open, but close again. I look around, trying to figure out what happened. He must have fallen and hit his head on the edge of the bathroom counter.
I feel his forehead, checking for fever, but he doesn’t seem to be hot.
My hands are shaking, and I don’t know what to do. He wouldn’t want me to call an ambulance, but I have no idea how long he’s been out or if he has a concussion.
My cell phone is still dead but there’s a cordless in the kitchen, and as much