Page 102 of When You Blush
He stares down at me, his hands pausing in my hair, and I crack a smile.
“Her name is Melanie.”
“Thank you.” He kisses my nose and returns to the task at hand. “I’d better check you for ticks.”
“I’m almost as scared of them as I am of bears.”
“You should be.” He kisses my cheek and leads me back under the water. “No Lyme disease for you.”
“I’d rather not. What did Bridger say?”
“He’ll meet us down at the pool in thirty, and that Birdie will love hanging out with us. She’s obsessed with the pool.”
“Dani said that she, as in Dani, doesn’t like water.”
Something sad moves over Blake’s eyes, and he reaches for the conditioner. “No. She doesn’t like water. It’s a long story, but the five Lexington siblings grew up in an extremely abusive situation. Their mom died when Charlie was just a baby. Holden was maybe ten, if I remember right. Their dad was a piece of shit who endedup dying way too painlessly. He tormented and tortured those kids all their lives. Holden would load the girls up and bring them to our ranch when things got really bad, and my parents would help take care of them.”
“Why didn’t the dad go to jail?”
“Because his best friend was the sheriff, and this is a small town. Twenty years ago, it was much smaller than it is now.”
“Wait, you said five kids? I’ve only met four.”
“Darby, the second oldest, is getting a degree in veterinary medicine in Colorado.”
“Good for her,” I reply. “That’s awesome. So the dad must have done something horrible with water?”
“He chose different forms of torture for each of the girls,” Blake says as he starts to clean my body. “For Dani, it was holding her under the water.”
“He waterboarded his own daughter,” I breathe out.
“Pretty much.”
“Fucking hell.” I lean my forehead on Blake’s chest and feel tears come to my eyes. “Blake, that’s unimaginable.”
“I know. She’s so strong. They all are. Dani and Bridger always had a spark, but the timing was never right. Until it was.”
“And now she’s safe and loved, and oh my God, I need to hug her again.”
“She’s okay, baby.” He kisses my forehead and nuzzles my nose. “She’s great.”
“Ireallylike her.”
“I know, and I’m glad you do because I hang outwith my family often, and I want you to be around as well.”
“I don’t have a problem with that.”
After we’ve finished washing and are dry, we slip on bathing suits and walk down to the pool, where Bridger and Birdie are already waiting for us.
“She will outswim you,” Bridger informs me. “She thinks she’s a fish.”
“No, Daddy, I’m a mermaid. I’m Ariel.”
“Is she your favorite princess?” I ask her.
“No, but she’s the one who swims best.”
“That’s fair.” I nod and smile at Bridger. “I won swimming competitions in high school. She’s safe, Bridger.”
