Breathless (30 page)

Bastin eyed the ground at my feet with longing before he looked up and met my eyes. “I can’t leave the water here, Edith. The elevation is too high. I’m already weak enough just being here.” He gestured to the creek around him.

That wasn’t a problem for me. Before he could say anything else, I launched myself into his arms. He caught me around the waist so my legs were only submerged from the knees down. Even though it was spring, the water was cold enough to bite at my toes—but I didn’t care. What was a little hypothermia when you were practical y invincible?

I wrapped my arms around his neck. “What are you doing here? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you, but I didn’t think we’d ever be together again.”

Bastin’s never-ending onyx eyes searched my face. “I couldn’t let you leave with things they way they were. It was eating me up inside.”

“So you swam to Tennessee and brought me a puppy?”

He smiled. “I wish I could take al the credit, but I had some help finding out where you were going and getting the puppy to your door.”

Morgan
. I bet she’d found out my new address from my mom. The question of how she’d arranged to get Tide to Aunt Margie’s could wait for another day. This moment was al about Bastin. “So, what does this mean? Are you staying?”

The smile faded from Bastin’s lips. “No. I wish I could but there’s too much land and not enough water. If I stayed, I’d get weaker and weaker until —” He didn’t finish, only gripped me tighter against him.

I suppressed a shiver and buried my head against his neck. “Wil you be able to visit?”

“As much as I can.”

I didn’t ask how often that would be—I didn’t want to know. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t work up the energy to worry about what might happen or what was to come. Al I cared about was living in this moment with Bastin’s arms around my waist and our hearts pressed together, echoing each others’ beat.

And for now, that was enough.

Aknowledgements

First and foremost, this book wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the brain power and input from my amazing crit partners T.W. Fendley, Brad R.

Cook, Sarah Bromley, Shawntel e Madison, and Michel e McLean. Thank you for your amazing advice and for convincing me to forego my timeshare in the pit.

Amanda Bonil a and Windy Aphayrath, thank you for answering my frantic emails and getting me to laugh at times when al I wanted to do was cry.

Special thanks to the wonderful CMP super duo, Steph Murray and Marlene Castricato. Thanks for welcoming me into the fold and making me feel like part of the family.

And super duper thanks to my amazing editor, Rochel e French. If she weren’t an editor, I’m sure she’d have a career in gems. That lady knows how to make diamonds out of coal.

And, as always, thank you to the Hubs and Bubs, who never complain about the amount of dog hair on the floor or if we’re having frozen pizza again. Love to you both.

COLE GIBSEN

When Cole Gibsen isn't writing fiction for young adults she can be found shaking her booty in a zumba class, picking off her nail polish, or drinking straight from the jug (when no one is looking). Cole currently resides in the Greater St. Louis area with her husband, daughter, and one very cranky border col
ie.

Visit her page at www.colegibsen.com !