Page 157 of Swept for Forever

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“I love you, Autumn,” I said. And I meant it with every busted rib and broken breath I had left.

Then I let go.

46

AUTUMN

“Dom!” I screamed.

I saw his fingers slip from the branch.

“Dom!”

My lungs, my heart, and my soul were gutted clean as his body fell into the current.

No!

Not like this. Not after everything.

I swung my legs and called on every muscle memory I had left. My body moved on instinct, my gymnast-bred reflexes kicking in. I bent backward, hooked both legs over the thickest part of the branch, and dropped upside down, hanging like I was back on the bars. Only this time, I wasn’t trying to win medals. I was trying to save the man I loved.

My arms reached, stretching through space and spray.

I caught him. My hands gripped his wet and battered wrist and held on.

The branch trembled under me. This current wasn’t the same one I’d swum in before.

“Dom!” My arms trembled, burning from the weight ofhim. It was impossible for me to bring him to safety. All I could do was give him a chance.

I gritted my teeth and adjusted my grip as he slipped an inch. “Don’t you fucking dare let go.”

He groaned, barely hanging on. My hands screamed, but I didn’t loosen.

“I won’t say I love you,” I cried out. “Not here. Not like this.”

He started to slip again, but I clenched harder and hauled with everything I had.

His eyes met mine, barely open. His lashes were soaked, and blood crusted along his temple. But he was still in there. Still Dom.

“Kick sideways!” I shouted. “Not back. Sideways! Kick the rock! Left, Dom, your left. Kick it hard!”

He got it, a boulder submerged in the surge. He twisted and forced his legs through the chaos. He kicked, missed, and kicked again.

This time, his foot caught on the stone.

Momentum shifted.

With every ounce of strength left in me, I pulled him higher. He climbed and found the base of the branch with one hand, then the other. His body trembled hard.

I crawled backward, releasing the pressure on the branch. Then, I found dirt. Firm, blessed dirt.

Dom grunted and climbed after me. And then, we were on solid ground.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. I just grabbed him and held on.

He slumped against me, both of us soaked to the bone, our lungs heaving, arms clamped tight.

“I thought you were gone,” I whispered.

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