It had been a long time since I’d cared about what day of the week it was. If it wasn’t a school day, Gracie stayed home or went to a friend’s; if it was a weekday, Gracie went to school, then came home. For a long time, I’d resolved not to care about a single thing beyond that—making time pass along like water.

I knew that wasn’t the way to live. It was a way to lose years of Gracie’s life. One day, I would wake up and she would be 17, 18 years old. Another day, I’d realize I was an old man, and she’d be out in the world.

But when you chose to sleepwalk through life, these things didn’t pester you so much.

With Serena in the mountains, time was different. Every day with her was a small infinity, and yet, every day also seemed to skate by—leaving me alone and icy cold in my bed without her. I hated wondering what she was doing without me. I hated wondering what she thought about me—whether or not she wished things were different, that we could be together.

These were conversations we couldn’t have with one another. There was so much we couldn’t say.

Gracie bounded toward the truck. I followed, watching her bright backpack bobbing up and down.

Gracie had asked me several times if I thought Serena might stay in the mountains forever. Each time, I’d told her that she couldn’t, that she had this whole other life—probably men who wanted her, who would have her if she chose to be with them. She had an important career and was incredibly intelligent, even if normally, our use for each other didn’t get beyond what we did to one another’s bodies. I felt completely like myself with her, as if she could peer into the deepest, darkest depths of my soul. I’d never met a woman like her.

“It’s Friday, Daddy,” Gracie said, leaning her head back against the truck’s seat rest, “which means show and tell.”

“What are you showing or telling?” I asked her, taking our route back down the mountain, toward her school. I blinked away sleep.

“I’m going to tell about Serena,” she said, her eyes bright. “We haven’t made a friend like her ever. And she lives in the city and has this amazing life! Last night, she was telling me about that prison on a rock. Alca…” She paused, pressing her lips together. When she did this, she resembled her mother, forcing memories to flash across my eyes. “What was it?”

“Alcatraz,” I told her.

“That’s right. Anyway, that’s what I’ll do. I already showed all my toys all the other weeks, anyway.”

What did it mean that Gracie had chosen Serena to be her “tell” of the week? I didn’t speak for the rest of the drive, caught up in my own thoughts, only half-listening to my daughter chatting away beside me. When she burst from the truck, saying, “See you after school, Daddy!” I muttered goodbye and watched her go, her blond hair flying out behind her.

Today had to be different. I felt it. I couldn’t bring Serena to the same fisherman’s boat, do the same things, even fuck her in the same positions. I needed her to feel that this was as special, even if it wasn’t forever.

Roaring back up the mountain, I rumbled down the driveway, watching the immediate flicker of the door. Serena had been watching for me. As I moved from the truck, she stepped out onto the back porch, wearing a short white dress which fluttered around her thighs. She gave me an anxious smile, sweeping her fingers through her hair.

When I reached her, I wrapped my hands around her thin waist and lifted her into me. I inhaled her, body and soul, in a kiss. Her breasts were perky and braless against my chest. I twirled her, and as I did, a giggle began to grow in her throat.

“You’re making me dizzy,” she said, the moment our kiss broke.

“Good,” I told her, kissing the tip of her nose. I felt a swell of emotion, of lust. I wanted to thrust her against the side of the cabin, lift her skirts, and pulse into her, over and over again.

“Are we going out on the boat?” she asked.

“I was thinking we’d do something different today,” I said. “I wondered if you might join me for a hike.”

“A hike?” she said, sliding her hands down my chest. “Sure. Let me change my shoes.”

I waited as she rushed into the cabin, donning a pair of hiking boots, a flannel shirt, and a pair of jean shorts. She looked hip yet rustic—the kind of woman who belonged in the mountains.

“You look like you’re staying for the winter,” I joked.

“Oh, if only,” she said, her eyes growing sad.

But we couldn’t focus on the things we couldn’t have.

Instead, we walked hand in hand toward the private trail that snaked past the lake. The sunlight caught on the water, gleaming through the trees. As we walked, we spotted several animals: squirrels, turtles, even a deer. I watched Serena’s face light up with excitement each time, reminding me of Gracie.

“You seem so open to the world,” I told her, squeezing her hand. “Are you always like this?”

“Truthfully, I think I’m far more cynical when I’m in the city,” she said, her shoulders slumping. “Something about the fresh air makes me remember who I used to be. When you’re an attorney, you have to be so hard.”

“Same when you’re a bounty hunter,” I told her, feeling a darkness pass over my eyes.

“I can’t even imagine,” she whispered. I could feel the weight of all the questions she had for me, somewhere behind her eyes. But she held them in, not wanting to be invasive.

I loved that about her.

I led us up a steep incline, where the trail changed from soil to rock. Holding onto her hand, I guided Serena’s footsteps, ensuring she didn’t misstep and fall. Her eyes were fearful, yet I could sense she trusted me. We didn’t speak until we reached a flat edge, which offered another soil path, deeper into the pine trees.

“Damn. I would have never found this,” she said, giggling, her eyes wide. “Where on earth are you taking me?”

“Not much farther.”

“Oh! I think I can hear it,” she whispered.

As if on cue, the trees broke, revealing a skinny waterfall, which eased into a glimmering pool. It was cove-like, with the green trees around the water giving it a turquoise color.

I watched as Serena’s face changed, transitioning through the many phases of shock and awe. Reaching for my hand, she squeezed it tightly. A small tear descended down her cheek. It was a tender moment, one of incredible passion and light.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” she murmured to me.

“Neither have I,” I said.

We were on one another, then. She tore at my clothes, revealing my hearty muscles below. Her eyes rode over me, along with her fingers, then her tongue.

Reaching for my belt, she pushed my pants to the ground, revealing my boxers. My cock had filled them out, thrusting forward. With a gasp, she wrapped her fingers around the base of my cock: deep red, throbbing. With a cry, she dropped to her knees, lifting her lips to the tip.

She sent her tongue around and around the tip, licking at the bit of cum that dribbled down it. And then, she thrust forward, her lips up to the hilt. I couldn’t believe the incredible feeling. I was so deep down her throat. It was dark and wet and alive.

Reaching down, I placed my hand on top of her head, guiding her as she turned her tongue around and around my cock, feeling at the veins.

“Get undressed,” I told her.

She did. Pulling away from my cock, she removed her flannel, her shorts, her shoes, and I did the same. We stood like Adam and Eve, in the center of the woods. We were so far from civilization—miles and miles away from any human.

With a flash of her smile, Serena gripped my hand and we leaped into the turquoise pool. The water was cool against our sweating bodies.

When we swept back up to the surface, we were on one another again, with Serena bringing her legs wide. Without even trying, my cock found her perfect pussy, and I felt myself enter her. We were one unit once more.

We spent the afternoon like that: fucking, giggling, staring up at the bright blue sky and listening to the waterfall cascade, just feet away. It was a small morsel of heaven, this area of the world. With Serena in my arms, everything felt possible. It even felt possible to imagine that she might stay.

When the sun began to dive back down beneath the trees, we put on our clothes, without words, and began to trek back down the mountain.

After a while, Serena began to ponder what she might make for dinner that night. I gripped her hand as we descended the more treacherous parts of the hike. I felt, in my heart, that I wanted to show her something more of myself. That I didn’t want our week together to end without giving her something bigger—a kind of gift.

When we reached her cabin, I placed my hand on the window of the truck, exhaling deeply.

Serena gestured toward her house, whispering, “I actually have all the supplies I need for dinner. I could get started on it now, while you pick Gracie up from school?”

I shook my head, feeling anxious. After slipping my fingers through my drying hair, I gave her a soft smile. “Why don’t we do something a bit different this time?”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked, her eyebrows lowering. I could sense she was worried that I wanted to call the whole thing off.

“Maybe tonight you could join Gracie and me for dinner—in our cabin,” I said, frankly surprised that I’d even allowed the words to escape my lips.

Serena tilted her head, looking incredulous. But after a long moment, she forced the confusion to pass. Her voice was soft, gentle.

“Are you sure?” she asked, clearly honored, knowing how big this was for me. For us.

“Of course,” I said. “I’d love it. And Gracie would, as well.”

“Then I’d love to,” she said, tossing her arms around my neck and hugging me tight.

“Great. We’ll be back in about a half hour to take you up there,” I told her, remembering the small trail I’d built between the cabins, several years before. “You can’t see the place from the road. It’s a bit tricky to find.”

“Sounds like a secret, in a magic forest,” she said, her eyes shimmering. “You are so full of surprises.”

“You’ve been the biggest surprise I’ve had in a long time,” I told her, lifting her into me and kissing her lightly, softly. I inhaled the scent of her—somehow still flowery, despite spending the day in the turquoise waterfall. “I’ll see you soon.”

I couldn’t help the stupid grin that found its way onto my face as I watched her skirt back into her cabin.

Feeling jumpy, I leaped into the front of the truck and chugged it back down the mountain, anxious to be back in Serena’s presence.

After not having another living soul at the cabin, not in the three years since I’d moved there, I wasn’t entirely sure how to feel. Would Serena find the place too rustic, too barren? Would she feel its charm? Would she feel at “home” in the only home I’d ever known?