“Only if you protect me and promise not to abandon me this time.” She wrapped her arms around her legs. “I promise.” Those words reached deep down inside, like my joking had revealed something about myself that only she could see. And her promise to do something that other people would laugh off was as strong as any. We walked back to the house, both a little soggy, muddy, and sweaty, but with something new between us that even the almost-kiss hadn’t created.
