“Would you like to pour or should I?” I asked shakily. Behind me, I heard Mother remove the cooking jam from the hearth and come over to rest her hand over mine, stopping my nervous fiddling with the jars.
“Eileen, please promise me.”
I shook my head. “I can’t, Mother. I love the Forest. I can’t lose it.”
“And I can’t lose you.” Desperation filled her voice. She cupped my chin, forcing me to meet her eyes, which swirled with worry and pain. “You’re all I have left. Every time you go into that Forest, I worry that, like your father, you’ll never return.”
“The Forest will never allow that to happen,” I said. “It cares for me. You know how the trees work; they take a liking to certain people.”
She blinked rapidly, as if staving off tears.
“I promise I’ll always return.”
“That’s what he promised. He said the Forest would always protect him.” Her usual careful composure cracked. “But something happened that took him away from me. What if something happens to you, too?”
“You can’t keep me protected forever,” I snapped. “I’m old enough to make my own choices.” I turned my back to her and seized the pot handle to pour the jam carefully into the jars. “I may have lost Father, but I can’t lose the Forest.” However, it wasn’t the Forest I thought of midst my declaration but Aiden, the man I still barely knew but desperately yearned to learn more about.
I finished bottling three jars of jam before I felt brave enough to risk stealing a glimpse at Mother’s expression. The moment I did so I wished I hadn’t. Raw pain filled her face and tears streaked her cheeks. My heart twisted.
“Mother?”
She shook her head, dismissing my attempts to apologize, and began placing the newly bottled jars into her basket. “I’ll go to market to sell these. Wherever you wander off to, be back by dinner.”
Guilt gnawed at my heart once more. “Mother, I don’t have to—”
“You’re right; you’re not a child anymore, and I need to stop being afraid for you. An impossible task, no doubt, considering it’s a mother’s job to worry, especially about the only loved one she has left. But I need to allow you to live your own life.”
Tense silence settled over us as we finished our work. The moment the last jar of jam was ready, Mother left, slamming the door behind her. I stared after her before I glanced out the window at the Forest, its silent call tugging me towards it.
Despite my guilt from my fight with Mother, I didn’t want her to hold me back, not when I was so anxious to explore this new path and see this strange new journey to its conclusion.
Yet despite my resolution, our fight lingered in my mind, and it took a while for the tension tightening my chest to ease.
“Where are you taking me this time?”
My words came out breathlessly, for my entire attention was focused on Aiden’s hold as he led me deeper into the Forest. My heart pattered at the sensation of his fingers on my skin, the heat of his touch encircling my wrist.
Aiden grinned over his shoulder with one of his cute lopsided smiles. “You really expect me to ruin the surprise?”
My already rapid heartbeat escalated at the mischievous light glistening in his dark eyes. His eagerness for today’s excursion had been palpable from the moment we’d met this afternoon, the thought of making me happy clearly pleasing him. It made the firm scolding I’d given myself after having once again allowed the Forest to guide me to a man I scarcely knew now seem unwarranted. Aiden was becoming a part of my Forest, a stable tree with deep roots.
He’d told me he had somewhere special in mind today. The moment he’d gently taken hold of my wrist, time had stilled. After several steps and a crimson blush, he paused to offer his arm instead, only just remembering to behave as a proper gentleman. His fluster made him all the more endearing, an endearment that made him more a threat to my heart.
The path we currently followed was extra twisty, as if it couldn’t make up its mind about our destination. Aiden walked it with confidence, obviously having traveled this course many times already.
“Are we almost there?” For it felt we’d been walking for a long time.
“Almost. I know it’s far, but I promise it’ll be worth the journey. It’s my favorite place in the Forest. I used to go there with my mother.”
I wanted to inquire further about his mother but stopped at the guarded look suddenly filling his eyes.
The path eventually opened up to a rosy-violet-tinted lake, appearing as if its water had been dipped in sunset. Weeping cherry trees surrounded the lake like a halo, their pink blossoms falling like gentle snow onto the surface of the water, causing artistic ripples to dance across the surface of the lake. I stared in wonder as my gaze caressed the scene before me.
“I’ve never seen anything so enchanting,” I finally managed to whisper, sure that speaking any louder would disrupt the tranquil reverence that filled this picturesque scene.
I sensed Aiden’s pleased grin but couldn’t tear my gaze away from the beauty before me, even for him.
“It’s lovely, isn’t it? This place has always been special to me. I once asked the Forest to keep others from stumbling across it, but you’re welcome anytime.”
My heart warmed at his invitation even though I knew I’d never accept it. I couldn’t come here without Aiden; he was a part of this place. I could feel it in the swaying branches, each surrounding tree containing one of his memories, preserved forever within its limbs. Mesmerized, I watched their blossoms fall one by one onto the lake. Each ripple caused a tinkling sound like wind chimes. I cocked my head, listening.
“What’s that?”
Aiden’s grin widened. “I’ll show you.”
He released me and walked to the base of one of the trees, all of which were surrounded by mauve stones. He crouched down and examined each before returning with a handful. “Have you ever skipped rocks?”
Father had always promised to teach me when I was a child. I swallowed the lump filling my throat and shook my head. Aiden searched my face with a small frown, eyes concerned, revealing he’d noticed the emotions I’d inadvertently allowed to slip through.
“I’ll be happy to teach you.” He handed me an oval-shaped stone that was perfectly smooth. Warmth rippled over me as our fingers grazed. “The best stone to use is one that isn’t too big or heavy and is flat and uniform enough to skip across the water.”
He stepped closer, closing the distance between us to stand directly behind me. I felt the strangest inclination to lean against his chest, but thankfully I resisted the ridiculous impulse.
“Hold it between your thumb and middle finger, with your thumb on top and your index finger hooked along the edge.” I shuddered as he reached around me to arrange my fingers. “Now face the water at an angle and pull your arm slightly back.” He adjusted my body to the correct position. “When you throw your stone, cock your wrist back in a quick flick to create the spin needed for it to skip across the water. Try it.”
I took a few moments to catch my breath before I did. To my surprise and delight, the stone skipped across the lake’s surface. With each of its patters and ripples, music resonated across the lake like the tune of a music box. I gasped.
“Oh!”
Aiden smiled and tossed his own stone across the water, creating more ripples and with them more music, this melody different than the first, one almost haunting in its beauty. I skipped a second rock for its tune to join his. The symphony of music waltzed around us, separate melodies that were still harmonious and beautiful.
We skipped several more rocks and listened to each of the lake’s songs that filled the clearing with its sweet notes. When the last note had faded along with the dancing ripples breaking across the sunset-colored surface of the lake, a reverent silence settled over us until Aiden broke it.
“I haven’t been here in so long,” he murmured. “I’d forgotten not only how lovely it is, but how peaceful. I used to
come nearly every day. Mother and I explored this instrument lake, trying to learn each of the notes found in the patterns of the water. She loved music. I like to think the Forest created this place just for her.” He stared out across the lake, gaze unseeing.
“What made you stop coming?” I asked.
His softness immediately faded. He stooped down for another stone and tossed it jerkily into the water with such force it plunked out a harsh sound before sinking below the surface. Hardness twisted his expression as he turned towards me.
Whatever warm, fluttery feelings had filled me vanished in an instant. Darkness filled his eyes, a brief flash of the man I’d met the day the Forest first led me to him.
The memory of that first meeting returned along with the feelings I’d experienced during it, ones which I’d fought and failed to entirely forget—the fear prickling my neck at the sensation of being watched, Aiden’s dark eyes bearing down on me, the hardness filling his entire manner as he’d toyed with me, the suffocating sense of danger.
I flinched away, needing to put distance between us. How could I have wanted to be close to him mere minutes earlier?
The fierce lines of Aiden’s expression vanished, replaced with sadness, leaving behind no traces of the darkness I’d caught a glimpse of, as if it hadn’t been present at all. Only it had. I’d seen it. The walls I’d built around my heart—which had been crumbling brick by brick during each moment we spent together—were hastily built up once more, almost against my will.
The remaining stones in my hand slipped through my fingers to land at my feet. Aiden’s brow furrowed as he glanced down at them. “You don’t want to skip rocks anymore?”
I didn’t answer. My heartbeat pattered wildly as if I’d run miles even though I stood frozen, the memory of his fierce expression still seared into my mind.
“Eileen?”
He stepped closer and I stumbled back, nearly into the lake, saved from an icy splash only by Aiden grabbing my waist to prevent me from falling. Heat seeped over me at his touch, but I didn’t want to be affected by him now. I yanked myself away and his frown deepened.
“What’s wrong?”
Everything was wrong. The tranquil moment was ruined. It was incredible how something so lovely could be so fragile and shatter so easily. I’d foolishly allowed my blind trust in a bunch of enchanted trees and their shifting pathways—along with Rosie’s ridiculous fairy tale notions—to cause me to spend time with a man still a stranger to me. A kind gesture, a few conversations, and a handful of fun experiences together couldn’t erase the fact that I didn’t truly know Aiden, making trusting him unwise.
I’d trusted Father, yet he’d betrayed my trust by leaving, which now made me reluctant to rely on any man, especially this mysterious stranger.
And yet…
“Eileen?” Worry filled Aiden’s eyes as his fingers stroked down my arm, leaving behind a trail of heat before intertwining with mine. I jerked away from him and glared.
“Don’t.” My plea came out weak and strangled, a sign of my inner conflict. I hated the part of me that wished I hadn’t pulled away, that wanted to hold his hand just to see what it was like, that wanted to believe in the Forest’s judgment and ignore whatever I’d seen in Aiden’s eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Not just for touching you, but for…”
He trailed off, not seeming to have the words adequate enough to smooth over what had just happened, but by the agony now filling in his eyes, I could see he realized how his brief moment of darkness had affected me…a moment which I now realized had not been one of darkness, but of deep pain.
His gaze met mine, his eyes pleading yet uncertain. “Might we sit down? Please.”
I wanted to say no and demand that he tell the Forest to take me home as quickly as possible, but I couldn’t make myself say the words, not when I wanted nothing more to stay.
I took a steadying breath and nodded before slowly sitting down beside him on the damp shore. Silence settled over us, broken only by each musical ripple caused by the still-raining blossoms landing gently on the lake’s surface. Despite the tension that had sprung up between us, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence.
“I didn’t mean to allow my emotions to overcome me. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
I said nothing. Despite knowing it was unwarranted, the fear he’d caused me still pounded through my bloodstream. Part of me wanted to leave, while the other part of me needed to stay.
“Ever since Mother died, I’m afraid the way I’ve treated people has been rather…rude, with complete disregard to others’ feelings. I wasn’t even aware of my behavior—nor would I have cared—until you made it clear how much it bothers you.” His cheeks darkened and he avoided my eyes, tracing swirls in the damp shore with his finger. “I’m afraid I’m not a very nice person. I’m sorry.”
I remained silent, unsure what to say.
“This place is very special to me,” he continued. “But it also brings a lot of pain. Although I love it here, years ago I vowed never to return. This is the first time I’ve been back.”
“Why did you bring me?”
He didn’t answer for a moment as he skipped his final stone across the water’s surface, once more surrounding us with the lake’s music.
“I’m not sure.” He searched my eyes, as if the answer to that question could be found there. “I’ve wanted to return so many times, but I couldn’t come alone. Yet because this place is so special, I couldn’t bring just anyone…” His brow furrowed. “I don’t know.”
A secret flashed in his eyes. He was hiding something. My insecurities returned in a rush. I tightened my jaw and picked up one of my fallen stones to throw it into the lake, satisfied at the jarring note that reverberated through the clearing.
“I don’t understand why you not only brought me here but have been spending time with me at all. Who am I to you?”
He frowned. “I’ve upset you.”
“You’ve done more than that. You’ve frightened me.”
Vulnerability filled his eyes. “I’m not meaning to frighten you, but I suppose such an outcome is inevitable; I seem to frighten everyone.” He sighed. “I’ve told you before that sometimes my worst self emerges and I don’t know how to keep it buried where it belongs.”
I understood that all too well. Sometimes when memories of Father’s abandonment became too much, it felt as if my own pain and bitterness would consume me.
Aiden rested his forearms on his knees and stared unseeing out across the lake. “This place stirs so many memories, both happy and painful ones. Perhaps I hoped returning here would be healing. It’s such a lovely place, isn’t it?”
He gave me an imploring look, a silent plea not only to forgive him but to allow him to change the course of this unsettling conversation. I studied his expression for any sign of insincerity before releasing a long breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
I stared at the pink trees growing from the dusky-violet bank around the sunset-caressed water with its musical ripples, all seeming part of a dream. “I still can’t believe such an enchanting place exists in the Forest.”
“This was the first place the Forest ever led me to,” Aiden said. “It used to frighten me when I was young; I hated the thought there was no set path and thus I could easily become lost. Mother wanted me to overcome these fears. One day we entered the Forest together and it led us here. That moment taught me to trust that the Forest’s guidance would always lead me somewhere spectacular.”
A smile lit up his eyes at the memory, completely dispelling the remaining darkness that had previously lingered there.
“I hadn’t come to the Forest for years until the day it encouraged me to step inside, only to lead me to you. Thus it feels natural to share this place with you. I just hope my bringing you here to spend time with you isn’t hurting you—although considering how I frightened you today, it's likely too late.” Worry lined his brow as he severed our gaze. “I d
on’t want to frighten you. Please believe that.”
Nor did I want to be frightened of him, but his volatile swings between the sweet Aiden and the hard one made me wary. The surrounding trees shifted, as if urging me to forgive Aiden and give him another chance. Their encouragement and the memory of the wonderful memories we’d forged so far gradually softened me. Why could I so easily place my trust in the Forest’s guidance but not in my own heart?
Heart pattering, I hesitantly grazed his arm with my fingertips, a gesture which snapped his gaze back to mine. I still wasn’t sure whether or not I could trust him, only that I wanted to. And despite my moment of doubt, it felt natural to be here with him.
He stared at my hand resting on his arm, as if confused by its presence, before managing a smile. “Will you meet with me again?”
With the encouraging rustling of the surrounding trees, I nodded.
Only one more day of our strange bargain. A sense of sadness filled me at the thought. How could I allow our developing relationship to conclude when there were still so many unexplored emotions, not just between us, but also within myself?
I found myself getting lost in Aiden’s ebony gaze, and for the first time since losing Father, I wished for the future I’d long denied myself, hoping that wherever it led, Aiden would be waiting for me.
Chapter 8
“Eileen? Eileen?”
I reluctantly emerged from my daydreams to find Rosie no longer pacing the bakery’s sitting room as she spun her latest tale but instead standing inches away from me, her hands pressed on her hips and glaring.
I blinked rapidly as I struggled to reground myself. “Did I do it again?” For she’d been trying and failing to engage my attention the entire afternoon.
She sighed impatiently. “You certainly did. You scarcely said two words during our stroll and didn’t even comment on my new tart. Now, I want all the juicy details. Spill.”
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