1. Abagail ‘Abby’ Rivas

A LITTLE OVER SIX MONTHS LATER

I sat in my car and stared out at the building in front of me. I swallowed hard and scowled.

"Stop being a scaredy cat. Ya no puedes ser miedosa," I whispered to myself. "You can't be scared of your shadow anymore, Abby."

It was the same song I'd been singing for the last month.

But I hadn't done anything to change it.

Not really.

I breathed in, and before I exhaled, I opened the door and slipped out of my new, spacious SUV. I shut the door behind me and leaned against my car. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest, but it was the crazy buzzing in my ears that made it hard to focus.

"Eres chingona. The main character of your own life, Abby," I mumbled to myself. "Worst case, fake it till you make it." I forced myself to walk toward the aquatics center.

The familiar smell of chlorine hit my senses the moment I opened the door. A close friend from high school, Susie, worked at the front desk. The moment she saw me, she waved with the biggest smile on her face. She knew I was going to stop by.

Well, she knew I'd been parked in the lot the last couple of days trying to find the courage to step inside. I half-waved and walked past her. Surprisingly enough, every step closer to the indoor pool felt easier than the last. Maybe I'd worked myself up into a tangled ball after my accident when it came to water, and it really was time for me to move past it.

The indoor pool was huge. Like an empty warehouse that had been cut up into three pools. Two of the same size and one huge main pool where the bleachers were. But even though my heart didn't feel like it was trying to jump out of my chest, I avoided gazing toward the water. I made my way to the bleacher seats and climbed up five rows, then took a seat.

The local high school swim team was practicing. Having been born and raised in Poppy Beach, learning to swim had been a necessity. My sister, Karol, and brother, Jason, had always loved it. They practically lived on the beach. But I hadn't.

I never liked the ocean.

It had always felt too wild for me. Too scary and uncontrollable. It was fine to sit on the sand and listen to the waves, but to step into the water? Nope. That was not for me. My parents, thank goodness, never pushed me. Or maybe they should have? I frowned as I stared at the swimmers doing endless laps in the pool.

The pool, on the other hand, had never bothered me.

I'd even been on the swim team in high school. Maybe it was the stillness of the water. A controlled environment. You didn't have the possibility or uncertainty of Mother Nature being able to kick your butt and drag you out to a dark abyss. Just thinking about it formed a knot in my throat.

Breathe, I reminded myself. Respira. I adjusted my glasses before I crossed my arms over my way-too-ample chest. I had always tried to live safely. Always colored inside the lines. My parents had always said I was a good girl. A really good girl. The problem with living my life so carefully was that I'd turned into a twenty-seven-year-old very boring, way-too-good girl. And I wasn't exaggerating. I'd been the DD at my twenty-first birthday. I'd never got rip-roaring drunk, and I'd never been to a concert or had even stayed out after midnight. You knew it was bad when your grandma told you to go out and do something crazy.

And that had been before my accident.

After getting stuck in my car in a storm and almost drowning in a ravine, according to the police officer who helped pull me out, I'd been stuck. Afraid to do anything. Thankfully, my family was amazing. My sister and roommate, Karol, was the best. But I had to move forward. A month ago, I'd made the decision: I needed to make some changes. I just wasn't sure where to start.

So, other than the fact I had called for a couple of estimates for a pool at the duplex Karol and I shared, I hadn't done much. Until this week. I'd driven here after my normal hours working from home and sat in my car and stared at the building that had been like my home away from home when I was in high school.

My gaze drifted toward the water. It was clear and blue. But I wasn't seeing anything in particular. My mind wandered, and thoughts ran wild with him.

My angel.

My hero.

The man I'd noticed around town for a while now. Tall, dark, and blue-eyed gorgeousness wrapped up in a seriously tall, muscular, masculine-to-the-extreme package. He was like something that had walked off a comic book movie or one of the telenovelas I watched with my Abuela when I visited her. But where the hero would usually be broody, Abel Pe?a wasn't.

He was always smiling.

Laughing.

If I tried hard enough, I knew I could hear it in my head. Okay, so maybe, I'd been a little weirdly obsessed with the guy. Who was I kidding? I'd been crushing on him hard. I had no idea why! It wasn't like I stood a chance. I wasn't just a good girl; I was also a virgin.

A twenty-seven-year-old boring virgin afraid of her own shadow.

And that night?

When I'd been in my accident?

I'd imagined him.

I could have sworn he'd been there. He'd called me princess, and I'd called him daddy. Daddy. I wanted to laugh at myself. That right there confirmed he'd been a figment of my imagination. One who had cut me out of my car and carried my short size-sixteen body. I shook my head. It had been my crazy imagination driven by all the romance novels I read. I'd even dreamt that when I'd woken up alone in my hospital room, he'd been there before I slipped back to sleep from the pain meds the doctors put me on.

My memory of that night was still hazy. The storm had been crazy and unexpected. If I'd known the weather was supposed to take a turn, I would have missed going to the boutique I kept the books for.

Yup, even my job was safe. Safe but, for me, really enjoyable. I loved how no matter what, numbers always made sense. Even when they didn't, it was like a mystery trying to figure out when they went awry.

I'd been driving back when I hydroplaned and spun out and straight into the ditch that was a ravine. I remembered my eyes burning with whatever powder the airbag had popped out when I tried to get out. But I couldn't. My door had been jammed against something. My vision blurry, I'd realized my glasses had broken. When I'd tried to undo the seat belt, it wouldn't give. I tried and tried, but it wouldn't snap open. Everything had been dark while the rain hit my shattered windshield. And in that moment, I realized that my little sister wasn't the only one who could have a penchant for the dramatic.

I was going to die a virgin stuck in a metal death trap.

Things got hazy after that.

Anxiety was a crazy bitch. Panic started to build when I felt the water start to seep into my car, and then I must have passed out. Either from my possible concussion or from fear. That's when my memories get funky.

Abel.

Abel Pe?a.

The very man of every one of my fantasies had come to my rescue. I'd called him daddy, and he'd called me his princess. He'd cut me out of my seat and pulled me out through the open window. If it had been real, I would have died of mortification for calling him the dirty little moniker.

The coach whistled and snapped me out of my Abel-driven thoughts. I sat back and watched the kids get out. They talked and laughed, so carefree and fearless. They had no idea how lucky they were. It wasn't even the fact that they were young that helped them be that way. I'd been their age once and had never felt that easy at just being. Fake it till you make it, I reminded myself.

When the pool area cleared, only the office staff was around. I knew because Susie had been kind enough to share. I'd planned on asking the coach if he'd be willing to give me swim lessons, but my daydreaming got the best of me, and I'd chickened out. Karol had offered to talk to someone for me, but I knew her. She'd get someone sweet, like one of the teenagers who taught the three-year-olds or something, and how embarrassing would that be?

"Hey," Susie called, and I watched her climb up the bleachers. She sat down next to me, shoulder bumping me. "You came inside today. That's a win."

"I didn't ask him," I muttered, staring out at the water. The day had been crazy hot with summer in full swing. Being an indoor pool, no matter how good the vents were, it always got muggy and humid inside. I knew firsthand how refreshing it would feel to take a dip. My body was aching for it.

"You still got further today than yesterday. Small steps," she encouraged. But that was my Susie. Always sweet and kind.

"Baby ones." I sighed and turned to look at her. "How are you?" I asked. Her shoulder rose and dropped.

"Same thing, different day." She winked. "So, I'm gonna stay a little later today. The locker room is open, if you wanna go change," she offered. I knew what she was doing. She was giving me some more time to try for myself. She knew I could handle myself in the water. I just needed to overcome my stupid, heart-clenching fear.

"I wore my suit under my dress," I shared. Susie's eyes softened.

"See! Progress is progress! Don't be so hard on yourself."

"I didn't do any—" I started to say, but she cut me off.

"Give yourself the grace you give everyone else, Abs." She held my hand, and I blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. "Hey! No." Her eyes widened with horror. "Don't cry!"

"I'm not just a chicken, I'm a crybaby, too." I rolled my eyes, and she chuckled.

"You're none of those. It's okay to feel how you feel."

"Thanks." I rested my head on her shoulder. We sat there, quietly enjoying each other's company for a moment.

"Well, I'm gonna go finish all the paperwork. You stay here as long as you want. If you leave through that door,"—she pointed at the far exit door—"it'll lock behind itself. And you will be right by your car."

"Thanks."

"If you need me, just yell, okay?"

"I will."

"You promise?" she asked because she knew me all too well.

"I promise." I smiled.

A moment after she left, I stood and walked down to the edge of the pool and stared at the water. It was so blue. So beautiful and inviting. I knew how refreshing it would feel if I jumped in. And with the scorching temp, it beckoned me.

Maybe if I just dip my toes in the water? I chewed on my lower lip and looked around. Just like Susie said, it was empty. I toyed with the hem of my dress and pulled it up and over my head.

"I can sit and dip my feet in the water. That's not scary," I muttered even though I had been sticking to fast showers since I'd been discharged from the hospital.

Folding my dress, I set it on the edge of the pool and sat down. Slowly, I extended my legs and let them sink into the water. I exhaled and forced myself to relax. I rolled my shoulders as my legs kicked back and forth a little.

"Okay, this is nice. I can do this," I told myself out loud.

"I'm sure you can do anything," a deep voice sounded behind me, and I yelped.

"Shit!" I jumped but stayed where I was. My eyes caught sight of very manly feet before they roamed upward. A lot. They felt like they were going to pop out of my skull when I realized who the man standing beside me was.

"Crap!" I whispered under my breath, my hand on my chest.

"Fuc-udge," He semi-cursed, and I blinked. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't," I snapped defensively. We both knew I had jumped out of my skin. The hand that had been on my chest flew to cover my mouth. "I didn't mean to sound?—"

"It's okay." He smiled softly. "You mind some company?" He pointed at the edge of the pool next to me.

"No. I'm, I mean, of course." I blinked, wondering if I made sense. "I just, umm… yes. You can sit, please," I nervously rambled.

It's him!

The man from literally all my dreams. Abel Pe?a sat down next to me and turned to look at me.

"I'm Abel, by the way, Abel Pe?a," he introduced himself, extending a hand for me to shake.

But I didn't.

I froze like an idiot, staring at it like it could possibly bite me. Like if I were to touch it, I knew the world would turn itself on its side and never make sense again.

"Abby," I whispered, and if he was offended by me not taking his hand, he didn't show it. Nope. The charming man simply smiled and rested his hand on the concrete between us. I glanced between us and licked my lips. His hand was so close to my bare thigh. His fingers were long and thick and manly. Like, really manly.

Suddenly, I was aware of what I was wearing, or how little I was wearing. I was a bigger girl. Always had been. Curvy but comfortable in my skin. I hadn't really thought ahead enough when I'd slipped into my swimsuit to think I'd actually take my dress off, much less if someone saw me in it.

Not that I didn't look good. I looked damn good in it. But it was him!

"Abby is a pretty name," he complimented. Warmth spread through me. His eyes were so blue. So beautiful. Bluer than any waters I'd seen. Bluer than the wallpaper of my laptop at home, and that was a picture I'd taken from Google.

"Thank you." I blinked and realized I'd been staring.

Not only that, but he had been staring right back.

My head jerked forward, and I ignored the heat that hit my face. I looked out at the pool, semi-ignoring the man next to me because I couldn't think of a thing to say.

"You going to go for a swim?" he asked, completely unbothered by my behavior.

"Umm…" I licked my lips. Abel Pe?a was talking to me. He was sitting next to me in the pool, his hand close to my thigh. Holy shit! This was like something out of my dreams. I breathed in deeply, and even with the scent of chlorine heavy in the air, I could make out the smell of his cologne. Or maybe it's just his own unique scent?

And we were talking about me going into the water.

God, I was going to make such an idiot out of myself. I knew it. I was a terrible flirt. My one and only attempt at trying to approach a crush had been in high school, and the whole thing had been horrible. Since then, I'd decided it wasn't worth the humiliation. My mouth was suddenly dry, and my heart started to race.

"No." I shook my head. "I should probably get going," I mumbled. I didn't want to leave. Not only did I not want all my bits in front of his face if I stood up and turned around, there was something deep inside me that was actually somehow comfortable. Comfortable and extremely nervous all rolled in one.

"Hot date?" he asked, and I snorted.

"Not even a little bit."

"I heard you're a bookkeeper." I turned to look at him.

"I am," I confirmed but couldn't figure out what else to say. Thankfully, where I was a serious introvert and terrible at making small talk, Abel didn't seem to have that problem.

"I own a business and?—"

"Pools, right?" I winced inside, realizing I'd cut him off while trying to make conversation.

"Yeah." He smiled. If he was offended by my interruption, he didn't show it. Not with the easy grin on his handsome face that felt contagious. "I'm good with all sorts of things but numbers," he groaned. "I was wondering if maybe you were possibly taking on new clients?"

"Oh." That's when it hit me. He wasn't talking to me because I was living in some kind of alternative universe. He was talking to me because he was trying to network. The smile I had on my face threatened to slip. I felt like an idiot. "Of course. Just look up Nerdy Girl Bookkeeping online, and you'll find my site. You can send me a message through there."

"Oh, good. Thank you. You have no idea how much that would help me out."

"You're welcome." My smile tightened, and I knew it didn't reach my eyes. "I should get going. It was nice—" No other words slipped past my lips. How could they when his hand, the one that had been resting between us, reached over and grabbed mine?

"Go for a swim with me," I heard him say. But all I could see, all I could feel, was the way his big roughly calloused hand covered mine. The way his thumb gently and slowly, with the most tender touch, stroked my palm.

"Abby?"

"What?" I whispered and licked my lips before turning to look at him.

His blue eyes were laser-focused on me, like I was the only thing he could see. And somehow, it made me fall deeper into whatever I felt for the man I had never spoken a word to before today. Unbridled heat rushed through me, and my thighs pressed together to find some kind of relief.

"Will you go for a swim with me?" he asked, pointing toward the pool but never taking his gaze off me. If anyone else had stared at me that intently, it would have made me feel like I was a bug under a microscope. But with Abel, it didn't.

"I don't, umm… I just, well, see, umm…" Dear God, I might have been entranced by him, but it didn't do anything to kill my nerves. This was embarrassing. How the hell was I going to explain my issue?

"There's nothing to be scared of." The intensity in his voice had my heart softening, "I promise I won't bite." His lips twitched, and my shoulders relaxed. The sexy man leaned closer. I could have easily scooted away, but I had a feeling Abel wouldn't have been insulted, so I didn't. I stayed right where I was, sucked into the Abel Vortex and his gaze that felt warmer than the scorching temperature outside.

"Unless you want me to." He winked, and I shivered.

"I just… umm, I'm not really good at it," I lied. I was a great swimmer. I could have swum in college but had decided I wanted to focus fully on academics.

"I used to be a Navy SEAL." I blinked.

A Navy SEAL.

Without being able to stop myself, my eyes roamed over his body. He was in swim trunks and a T-shirt, not necessarily showing off his body. But that was because he didn't need to. There was no hiding its lean muscular power. I read enough romance novels to know SEALs were always my go-to when picking through my Tbr.

"A SEAL?" I repeated because my brain wouldn't function. I'd never met one in real life.

"I'm just saying I'm pretty good in water."

"I bet you're pretty good on land, too." The words slipped past my lips on accident, and my eyes popped open. "I just mean, umm, with the whole, umm, pool business," I squeaked. "I should really go." I started to turn to stand, but his hand was still holding mine, and he tugged on it so I would look at him.

"Please?" he asked so gently, so sweetly, I knew I wasn't capable of saying no.