“Cold!” Sarai squealed, pulling up her hood. “Oh, shit, it’s running down my back.”

I’d lifted her to her feet and pulled her leggings to her waist before she could say anything else. I was mostly dry because she’d shielded me from the rain, but as soon as she was up, the cold air and rain hit my lap like a cup of ice water.

“Fuck,” I yelped, hurriedly pulling my jeans up. I scrambled to my feet and laughed as Sarai tried to find a place to hide from the rain. “It’s no use,” I told her, grabbing her hand. “Let’s just go back to the house.”

I took one last look around the fort, memorizing the old memories and the new ones, then led her back toward home.

Chapter 10

Sarai

Was I being an idiot? As we trudged back through the wet forest, our shoes sticking in the mud and our coats completely waterlogged, I wondered where the hell my new impetuousness had come from. I was a planner. I made lists. It was the only way that I could function without anxiety taking over my life.

So why had I agreed, without thought and with embarrassingly little hesitation, to marry Alex?

I knew how I’d explain it to my aunt and uncle. I loved him. He was sweet and intelligent. He made everything fun. He made me laugh. He made me feel good about myself. He made me feel like I could conquer the world. When he looked at me, I felt it all the way to my bones.

But those weren’t practical reasons, and I was practical.

So why had I agreed?

My stomach twisted with worry.

Then Alex turned his head toward me and gave me a blinding smile. “Want me to give you a piggyback ride?”

“No way,” I replied, my anxiety fading as I squeezed his hand. “I’m worried you won’t be able to make it back to the house on that sore knee.”

“Oh, is that right?” he teased. He let go of my hand and took off at a jog. “The knee’s fine.”

I raced to catch up, but the minute I reached his side, he sped up.

“Are we racing now?” I asked, jokingly shoving at him.

“You can’t catch me,” he sang, putting on a burst of speed.

We ran back to the house, laughing as we slipped and slid on the wet ground. I’d worn a pair of cute rain boots that I’d assumed would work perfectly in the Oregon weather, but on our way to Alex’s childhood hangout, I’d realized they were woefully unsuited to the mud. The rubber bottoms came only about an inch above my foot; the rest of the boot was suede. Whoever marketed suede boots as rain boots surely hadn’t ever actually worn them in the rain.