Igniting the Wild Sparks (37 page)

I dubiously say,
“Walking across a rocky waterfall is
fun
?”

“Shit, Hadders. It’s not Niagara Falls. It’s a five-foot drop. Get a grip.”
Rod holds out his hand and I aversely take it. He grins at me and I have no choice but to follow him onto the rocky cliff. It’s not quite that big of a drop, yet it’s still would not be good if I fell in and hit my head on one of the boulders jutting out of the water.

He holds my hand, leading me in a tightrope walk out
to the middle of the creek through the moderately fast water rushing into our ankles before pouring over the ledge, bubbling and foaming at the bottom. It’s not raging rapids, but the water is faster than I’ve seen in a creek.

Rod
cautiously guides me to one of the large boulders. “Have a seat.” I climb up onto the bulky, hot rock, careful not to lose my hold and tumble into the water. Once I’m situated, Rod walks a few feet to the boulder on the other side of the drop off between the two rocks. He leans against the boulder, spreads his arms out wide and shouts, “Isn’t this fucking cool?”

I glower. “I guess.”
Glancing down, I twist my ring, observing the sunlight changing it from blue to silver.

Rod says,
“I used to come here a lot to think. It’s peaceful and nobody bothers you.”

“Like a cemetery?”

He grins as he watches the waterfall. “Yeah, but better.”

“As long as I don’t fall in and end up in a cemetery.”

He briefly looks at me as I realize what I said was in poor taste under the circumstances.

I sheepishly say, “I’m sorry.”

Rod smiles and shakes his head, but we’re quiet for a few minutes as we watch the water flow towards us and then below us. He finally says, “You can cry, you know. You’ve seen me do it enough lately.”

“You just did see me cry.”

“I know, but if you need to cry some more. It’s okay.”

I shrug. “What’s the point?” All I do is cry anymore.

“How do you feel? I mean, I know you’re mad and all, but what else are you thinkin’?”

I sigh. “Betrayed. I don’t want him jumping out of planes or skyscrapers
, but I feel like he betrayed me and put it on public display by announcing his plan like that. He knows that fucking bridge is big between us, more so than it is physically. It’s as if I’m on one side and he’s on the other, and we’ll never meet in the middle. That damn thing represents what he gave up for me. He chose me over that bridge. Now, he’s changed his mind.”

“No, he hasn’t.
Wilder still loves you. You’re his life, but so are these stunts. He shouldn’t have done them behind your back, but this is a part of him. It’s who he is. Like you said, he’s all about that rush, the thrill. If he can’t do it anymore, it’s probably like taking a piece of him away.” I let that sink in, knowing there’s truth in it, but not wanting to face it.

“But I don’t want to see his
life
taken away.”

“He can die in a car accident, an overhead light falling on him, getting struck by lightning or from a lung infection, Hadley.”

I gape at him as he gazes at the calmer water past the ledge. Am I being that insensitive to Rod and Finn? I’m denying Finn from enjoying his life, while Eden lies in a hospital bed wishing she could enjoy hers. How is
that
fair?

“I know he can. I just don’t want to stand by and watch him get killed
.”

“Yeah, but isn’t that the
chance you take by being with him? Wilder knows how you feel about his stunts. If he continues to do them, then it’s his choice. If something happens to him, he knew the dangers. He knew what could happen. He knew what he had to lose.”

I dip my toes into the flowing, cold water and say, “
I just want to keep Finn alive as long as possible. If he would be killed, I’d blame myself for not trying to stop him.” I sniff as I brush tears away. “I don’t want to lose him. It would kill me, Greg. A big part of me would die: my heart.”

Rod drapes his wrist over his knee.
“I know you don’t want to lose him, but he’s done all the daring shit for so long that I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s doing.”

“Accidents happen. He gets hurt all the time
, but I know you’re right. I don’t want to deny Finn a part of himself. He seems to resent me for it, and I hate myself for that.”

“Wilder does
not
hate you. He’s so fucking in love with you that he’s worried about you breaking
his
heart.”

“I find that hard to believe. Anyway,
I still feel like he’s picking the bridge.”

He contritely smiles as he warily shrugs.
“Wasn’t that bridge in his life before you?”

“Yes.”

“So, you’re kind of like the bridge’s mistress.”

I put my hand over my face
, groaning, “Shut up.”

He laughs. “Sorry.”
Rod plunges his foot into the water, swirling it around. Watching him, I lay the side of my head on my bent knee and he asks, “Why didn’t you go to the cabin?”

“We would’ve missed our check-in.”

“That can’t be the reason. He could’ve rearranged it.”

I roll my head to put my chin on my fist. “
Yeah. I told him that, but he said he took an assignment at work instead. In all honestly, I didn’t want to go. He hurt me with his lie and how his jealousy is getting in the way again. So, I wasn’t too keen about being alone with him for days, being pissed at him and not enjoying our time alone.”

“Maybe that’s what you need, though. Time alone. To talk, I mean.”
A mischievous grin graces his mouth. “You know, in between the baby makin’.”

I laugh. “That is the
most ridiculous thing I think you’ve ever said, and you’ve said a
lot
of crazy shit.”

“
I speak the truth. Wilder wants to knock you up.”

I reply sadly, “If he did for a second, he won’t anymore.”

“A second? Is that how long he lasts? I can last all night, baby.” He licks his lip, but giggles midway, and I roll my eyes. He says, “Ask him. How much do you want to bet he confirms that he is trying to put a wild bun in your oven?”

I giggle at his assertion, but then sadly shake my head. “I’m not betting on that, Rod.”

“Yeah, because you’ll lose. Talk to him. Make him tell you the truth.”

“We do need to talk. I thought we
did
talk, though. A lot. How do I know he’s telling me the damn truth? I thought he had been.”

Rod’s smile dissolves. “I don’t know, Hadley.”

“I want to believe him. Maybe I should’ve left Wednesday morning to meet him, but I don’t want to be that girl all the time, the one who drops everything and runs to her man because he snaps his fingers, or to change the way I am because he wants me to live
his
life a certain way without my input. I have wants, too. I was on the Pill when we met and I stopped taking it because of his beliefs. I stood in the shadows as he kept me a secret for three years. He said he doesn’t want to get married or have kids with me. On top of all this, the one thing I begged him not to do—the thing he
promised
he wouldn’t do— he’s now doing covertly. I’ve given up so much for him and I
trusted
him, but he’s been lying to me. I don’t know what to do, Rod.”

“I wish I could tell you.” We both stare into the water in silence, not sure what else to say.

I didn’t talk to Finn Thursday night, neither of us even trying to reach each other, which only gave me another night of restless sleep.

Friday afternoon, we visit Eden. Josie wanted to go with us, but today is her last day of her senior year of high school
.  Her parents and Eden didn’t want her to miss it.

“Check this out, sis.” Rod stands next to
Eden’s bed and hands her his phone.

“What? Did you come out of the closet on YouTube?” Her lips twitch, which makes me smile.

“Zip your damn mouth and watch the video, bitch.”

The music blares
and her eyes widen as an involuntary smile stretches across her burgundy lips. Lifting her eyes only briefly to me and then to her brother, she watches the video intently.

I
look at Rod, who is smiling at his sister. He must know I’m staring because he shoots me a side glance and I instantly grin, matching the one on his face.

When the video is finished
, she asks, “What the hell was that shit?”

“That was your stud of a brother showin’ off his hot moves. Cool huh?”

“I’m actually speechless. I always knew you were a cross between Fred Astaire and Richard Simmons just wanting to bust out onto a rainbow float.”

Rod argues,
“You loved it.”

Disregarding
him, Eden says, “Hadley, nice moves. Do you actually rehearse with this jackass?”

“Nope. We always make up our dances on the fly. We just go with the flow.”

She tries to sound casual when she asks, “Is this the only video you have dancing?”

I answer, “Yeah. We didn’t think to ever record them.”

She hands the phone back to Rod. “Hadley’s good. Greg, you need work. Stop shakin’ your lame ass so much and get with the damn program.”

He thrusts his phone into his
pocket. “I’m glad you liked it.”

Eden
purses her lips. “I suffered through it somehow.” She rolls her eyes and stops fighting her smile.

I ask her, “How are you feeling, by the way?”

“Better. I might get to go home Monday.”

I grin. “That’s great!”

“Yeah. I’m sick of the food here. I’d rather Greg kill me with his cooking.”

“Hey now. My mac and cheese potpies are spectacular.”

Eden wheezes, “Too bad you use Clorox to add that special zing.”

“That was a damned secret,
you canoe!”

“The only secret here is how in the hell you can move like that, yet still be single? You have to be moving your hips wrong elsewhere.”

“Bite me, Elvira.”

Poor Rod. He can’t catch a break from any of the women in his life.

We spend the rest of Friday at the bar, cleaning, and dancing some more for Eden, much to everyone’s delight, aside from Colt, but he only showed up for an hour before Amy kicked him out. Even Lizette, Tab and Sherry came down to watch us. Lizette was the most surprised about her son’s excellent dancing skills.

Amy claps her hands together excitedly. “You two have to come down here once a month and dance! It’ll draw in the crowd! I’ll take pictures
, blow them up and hang them on the walls in here!”

“I don’t know about that. Jeez. We’re not
that
good.” I say as I feel the embarrassment spreading across my cheeks. I tug on my ponytail and nervously wrap it around my hand.

Rod states, “We’ll see. We’re both busy. We have our first softball game tomorrow in Richmond.”