The handgun he'd taught me how to use when I was a teenager was safely locked at home. Normally, I only carried it while hiking or out on the trails in case the kitties or bears became a problem. Maybe I'd have it with me a little bit more, just in case. But even that wasn't comfort enough.
“Always,” I said.
He grunted but didn't need to say more.
“Let me know,” he said. “I'm always happy to come fishing there if you need me around for a few days.”
His gaze met mine, and the steel-hardened sheriff in the depths of his eyes gave me great comfort. If nothing else, Stella and I weren't alone. My entire family would have our backs if we needed it.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Always, son. Always.”
Light from Justin's cabin, tucked back in the trees and just within shouting distance, caused a faint glow out of the forest when I finally returned back to Adventura.
The sun was still an hour or more away from setting, but the sharp mountains cast early darkness here. The faint sound of Megan laughing trailed out from the kitchen, and I wondered where Stella would be. I'd texted Justin a few hours ago, and he'd confirmed they'd be there all night, so I'd run to a few more places. Hotels, for one. Did a little sleuthing on my own. Of course, I didn't know what I was looking for, so it had all been pointless.
Not even that much work could stop a knot of dread from forming in my chest. But it wasn't entirely about Joshua. The closer I got to my cabin, the more dread I felt about seeing Stella again.
In hindsight, it was wrong to leave that morning the moment I had an idea. I didn't think my pitch to Benjamin through until two minutes before I walked in the Frolicking Moose. My instincts tended to take over and they normally served me well, but those instincts really sucked in the romance department.
Too late, I realized there were a dozen ways I could have been a less-sucky boyfriend today. Abandoning Stella with my sister and her boyfriend so Stella would have the honor of being a third wheel was the worst.
The literal worst.
In fact, I hadn't even texted or explained myself. I could only expect a half-raged-filled woman and all the glares that came with such a situation. Inwardly, I groaned. How did I always botch this up?
This exact scenario had eventually broken all other women in the past.
With a sharp intake of breath, I forced myself to have a bit more courage. Whether she'd be pissed or not, putting it off longer would only make it worse.
My concern came to a fast halt when I stepped back into the house, eager to clap my eyes on her regardless. She stood with her back to me, wearing a pair of yoga pants with lacy flowers, an over-sized white t-shirt, and her hair in a messy bun at the top of her head. Her zip-up hoodie was old, but well-loved, and pushed up past her elbows. A cold draft of air ushered me inside. She whirled around, a scrub brush in her hand and a coffee mug in the other, then broke into a wide smile.
“You're back.”
No chastisement. No flood of questions. No annoyed dart of her eyes. Stella just smiled at me.
“Hi.” I shut the door and swallowed. “Everything good?”
She nodded, then motioned to the coffee table with a nod. “Great. Just taking a quick break before we get back to it. Megan and Justin are getting some snacks.”
A plethora of candy wrappers, pop cans, drinks, and other various food gems littered my coffee table, along with several decks of cards. Ah, the Bailey family tournament. Megan had already baptized Stella into the family, and stupid me missed it because of my lack of curbing ideas.
“Thought I'd clean these before they stained.” She held up the coffee mug. “Your sister is hysterical, by the way. And I'm in love with the two of them. If they were famous, there'd be hashtags about them, you know? They're both so . . . “
“Arrogant?”
“Amazing.”
I shook my head, unable to believe this. The last thing I wanted to talk about was my sister and her boyfriend. “You're not angry with me?” I asked.
“Angry?”
I cleared my throat and gestured to the door. “I've been gone for so long and—”
“Oh! Yeah. Can't wait to hear it. You must have had an awesome idea.”
She waited, clearly eager, as if she wanted me to say it right now. My mind took a few moments to reorient to this alien situation. Slowly, the tension bled out of my shoulders. Can't wait? I wanted to repeat in utter disbelief. You . . .
Instead of speaking, my brain took over again. In two quick strides, I'd crossed the space between us. The next thing I knew, her body was pressed against mine, her face was in my palms, and her lips locked with mine. She tilted back over the sink from the force of my descent, but I gathered her up in my arms and pulled her back into me. There wasn't a breath that could have fit between us. Not space. Not air.
Nothing.
What must have been an eternity later, she pulled away with a little gasp.
“Wow.”
She blinked. The scrub brush and coffee mug were still in her hands. They'd sloshed the back of my shirt. Water ran halfway down my back, but I didn't care. I captured her for one last, long, lingering kiss and forced myself to step back. To pull myself back together, I turned away and ran a hand through my hair.
Her rumpled grin deepened.
“Wow,” I repeated quietly. Inside me, the knot that had choked my stomach slowly fell apart.
While she chuckled quietly to herself, I ripped the wet shirt off, balled it up, and threw it in the washer. She could laugh about this, but I couldn't. No, Stella had rocked me. Suckerpunch to the
