Teague (The Family Simon 4)

“You know, your Robin.”

“I—”

“Jesus, Sabrina. I’m your Christina.” Allie’s eyes widened. “Your person? Like Christina Yang to Meredith on Greys ?”

“Oh,” Sabrina laughed. “Okay. Now I get it.”

Allie made a face. “Who doesn’t know who Tonto is?”

“Apparently me.”

Allie gave her one more hug and then nodded to the door. “Go get him.”

Sabrina scooped her purse off the hall table and had her car revving less than ten seconds later. The day was dull, cool and gray and she shivered because she’d forgotten a coat. By the time she reached Lake Road, the rain started and pelted her windshield with large drops.

She parked in her driveway, noting that there were still a good many cars at the Simon cottage, including Teague’s truck. Hunching her shoulders, she exited her car and was about to head over to the house when she heard raised voices.

Sabrina wiped rain from her eyes and took a step toward the house but then paused. Ears straining, she turned to the boathouse. One of the voices was definitely Teague. Uncertain, she stood there for a few moments but then dashed through the rain, nearly falling on her ass as her running shoes hit the slick dock.

“You’re fucking kidding me.” Not knowing whose angry words those were, she paused, shivering as a gust of cool, fall wind blew in from the lake.

“I’m not,” Teague replied.

“Un-fucking-believable.”

A large gust came out of nowhere and nearly knocked her over, but Sabrina grabbed hold of the edge of the building, and tried to peek inside.

“This is Pulitzer Prize material. How in hell can you pass this up?”

“Richard, I told you yesterday that I was done. You’ve wasted a trip out here. I’ve met someone and—“

“You’ve met someone? So what? Tell your little bird that you need to fly away for a few weeks. A month tops. And you’ll see her when you get back.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“No,” Teague replied, voice dangerously low. So low that Sabrina could barely hear him. “I’ve finally found the missing piece and there’s no way in hell I’m giving her up or doing anything to jeopardize our future.”

Elation. Joy. Excitement. All of those things rushed through Sabrina and for a moment, the cold disappeared because she was so hot and flustered.

He loved her. Loved her. And it was about time she told him how she felt.

Whatever Richard said was lost to Sabrina as another gust of wind caught at her. Shit. Her fingers dug into the siding of the building but it was rain soaked and slippery. And just as she took a step back—her intention to run up to the house and wait for Teague—her foot slid on the dock and the next thing she knew, she was ass over kettle and free falling into the lake.

The water was cold, a complete shock to her system and she clawed her way up, head bursting above the water in time to gasp for air. Teeth chattering she glanced up but all she saw was gray. Gray water. Gray rain. The boathouse was nothing more than a shadow among the gray.

And she was sinking.

“Help,” she shouted, going under and gulping water. Fear shot through her as she struggled, and along with it, a shot of adrenaline to boost her energy. She reached upward, frantically kicking her legs. Why couldn’t she touch the bottom? She couldn’t remember a thing that Teague had taught her, but her body was struggling to survive and she managed to breach the surface again.

“Help,” she screamed, her fear doubling because she was several feet out now and the water was deep.

And God she was cold. So very cold.

The rain continued to pound down on her as Sabrina struggled to stay afloat. But it was hard. She could barely swim and with her waterlogged jeans and sweater she was losing badly.

She screamed as loudly as she could, desperately trying to stay above water but she slipped under again. And this time when she tried kicking her legs, when her hands clawed toward the surface…she just sank lower.