Page 88 of You Met Me There

“Yup. Can you double knot it?”

“Sure.”

When he’s done, he steps closer, pressing his chest against my back. He moves his hands around me to rest on the bare skin of my stomach.

“Are you sure you want to wear this on the river?” he asks, his breath tickling my ear.

I frown. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”

“Hm,” I purr. “Then I definitely want to wear this on the river.”

I twist in his arms until my own wrap up around his neck. His hair is longer, and freckles cover the bridge of his nose and the swells of his cheeks. I love how the summer sun makes him look seventeen again; it’s almost like time has moved backward in Maple Lake. We’re not the same people we were then, but we’re stronger. Stronger for all we’ve been through and all we’ve faced.

“Don’t be surprised if I rush you back to this cabin the instant we reach the end of that blasted four miles,” he says.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. You can hardly surprise me anymore,” I say playfully.

His brows rise. “Is that a challenge?”

“I don’t know. Is it?”

He nips playfully at my lower lip, making me smile. “Keep smiling at me like that and I’ll have to cancel our plans.”

I pretend to consider this. “Will there be snacks if we stay here?”

“There will be you, so … yeah.”

I laugh lightly, and he kisses my neck, then my mouth. This is the version of us that I’ve missed—playful, carefree, flirty. I sigh wistfully, knowing if I don’t move now we might actually miss the rest of our group launching from the riverbank.

I pull away from Luke to grab my T-shirt, pulling it over my head. “Luke, we have to leave now or we’ll miss the launch. Everyone would be disappointed if we didn’t go. We’ve been talking about it for weeks, and I’m excited to do something different. I’ve never been tubing before.”

Luke watches as I tug the loose-fitting white shirt on. “How long is this trip on the river supposed to take?”

“Jules said maybe four hours, but Cam said it could be as little as two, depending on the current. So who really knows?” I shrug my shoulders and tuck my hair behind my ears.

Luke claps his hands together, his smile growing. “Alright, beautiful. I’m ready. Let’s do it.”

Chapter 44

Luke

At the river, we park the SUV in the parking lot. It’s at the top of a short incline that leads to the riverbank. Two guys in red T-shirts are lining up large inflated yellow tubes on the edge of the water. Cameron and Tyler stand to the side, watching the guys and talking with them about the rapids, while Juliet and Sandra stand back, arms crossed.

“Hey, guys!” I shout, leaving the dirt path for the pebbly beach we’ll be pushing off from. Nat follows behind me, her hand gripping my fingers.

“Hey, there they are,” Ty says, reaching out a hand. I grip it, and then Ty turns to Nat. “Hey, little sis.” He squeezes her in a hug.

Cam meanders over and claps me on the back. “Good to see you.”

“You too. I’m excited for this.” I point at the river. “We’ve never done this before.”

“It’s a blast. You’ll love it. As long as the girls don’t freak out about any critters in the water, it’s like being on a lazy river at a water park.”

“Now, those I’ve done,” I say. “No critters there, though.” The corners of Cam’s mouth twist into a grin.

“Have you been waiting long?” Natalie asks the group. We’re not late late, but we’re not on time either.