“We take turns.” He eyed his bowl. “This batch was Gabe’s. Mine’s better.”
Granola one-upmanship. She didn’t quite manage to muffle a snicker.
He heard. Of course he did. “Behave or you’ll walk home.”
This time, her laugh came out loud and clear—and earned her a half-smile. Sweet heavens, he was sexy as anything in faded jeans and an unbuttoned flannel shirt. The rising sun lightened his eyes to a stunning blue.
They’d already taken down the tents and packed the sleeping stuff away in the helicopter. As soon as the fog cleared a little more, they’d be on their way home.
She wanted to hold her son so badly it was painful.
Yet she wouldn’t have missed this wilderness adventure for the world. She’d had the chance to share the world Hawk came from. The one he loved. As he moved through the forest, made a camp, cooked over a fire, he was as relaxed as he was in his living room.
And last night…
Just wow. At the start, she’d simply hoped she could manage to have sex with a man—with Hawk. Instead, the night had been amazing. She’d come so hard she could swear the tingles still ran over her nerve endings.
But what they’d shared had been more than mere sex. It was as if she’d asked for a flower, and he’d given her an entire garden. She’d never felt so safe and cared for and…cherished. Yes, that was the word.
Not loved, Kit. Don’t go there.
Dear God, was she really so foolish? She was.
I love him.
And who wouldn’t?
Not just because of the wonderful sex—or how he’d somehow calmed her panic attacks. It was because he was…kind. Thoughtful. Honest. Didn’t anyone realize how rare those traits were?
Tipping her head back, she watched the fog on the mountainsides silently wafting upward.
She no longer believed she needed a man to make her feel complete. At long last, she’d wiped out Uncle Duane’s misogynistic programming. She was complete, in and of herself.
She and Aric could manage fine on their own. The receptionist pay was good, and her next job would be even better. Besides, she still had most of her share of the PZ money.
So how she felt about Hawk wasn’t because she couldn’t manage without him. It was truly love, somewhat like her love for Aric and Frankie. Loving them made her happy.
He made her happy—and oh, so much more. Every time she saw him, it felt as if her heart had become the sun, radiating through her. When she heard his voice unexpectedly, every nerve in her body danced with joy. The way he held Aric turned her insides to mush. And the way he held her?
Mmm, bad Kit. Now she wanted to see if they could warm the sleeping bags again.
Another patch of fog lifted upward, revealing the deep green of the evergreen forest.
Wouldn’t Obadiah hate that she’d realized she was better off without him. That she’d moved on after he’d tried so hard to break her. He’d seen strong women as a threat. Probably Nabera and Parrish did too. But they were out of her life, and she’d never have to think of them again. And she wouldn’t. The bastards.
“Hey.”
She jumped at the rough sound.
Hawk had crouched beside her. He touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “You’re growling. Problem?”
Oh, oops? “Just thinking of the past.”
And wishing for a future that would let her have him. The chances for that were slim. He’d obviously never settled on one woman before. And what man would want a girlfriend who not only came with another man’s child but a ton of issues?
But that didn’t matter. She was going to simply take each day at a time and enjoy their time together.
Putting her hand over his, she pressed his palm to her face. “Time to leave?”
“Fog’s cleared enough.” His thumb stroked her chin gently.
“Then we better get moving.” She had a son to get home to.
Chapter Twenty-Five
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. ~ Wayne Gretzky
Hawk had spent the day flying a batch of tourists up to a mountain lake, then dropping off supplies for some isolated cabins.
Back home, as he’d gotten his supper, he noticed the bacon in the meat drawer. Not unusual. In his mind, bacon was a staple. But it reminded him that Aric had asked what a BLT was. That seemed like a serious lack in the kid’s education.
So, after eating, he’d headed into the greenhouse to pick tomatoes. He breathed in the air, filled with the scents of tomato plants, peppers, and moist, rich soil. Although there were more tomato plants in the garden, they always had some heirloom varieties in here that would mature early and would often produce for a while after the first freeze.
He’d picked a few perfectly ripe ones when the door swung open.
Kit squeaked in surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here.” She was clad in jeans and a “Weed ’em & Reap” T-shirt that Audrey had bought her. No makeup, long hair pulled back into a tail…and she looked fantastic.
It’d been three days since their unexpected overnight in the mountain. When they returned the next morning, Aric had been frantic and spent the day hanging on to one of them. He’d even shown up in Hawk’s bedroom that night. When Hawk carried him up to Kit’s bedroom, it’d been fucking difficult to leave. “Aric okay?”
“He’s back to normal and sleeping like a rock.”
Hawk nodded.
Kneeling by the salad greens she’d planted in July, she started thinning the beets. “Sorry, little guys, but your friends need more room.”
Was she apologizing to the plants? Tenderhearted woman. “It’s good you’re here.” When she looked up, he motioned to the fall and winter plantings. “Seems no one remembered until too late last year.”
He hadn’t been around last summer, and he regretted it. He’d hung onto his resentment at Gabe far too fucking long.
Kit set a batch of tiny beet leaves in her basket. “Greenhouses are great, but what do you do when the sun pretty much doesn’t bother to rise in midwinter?”
“Use grow lights in our houses. If it’s too cold, the greenhouse isn’t worth the energy to heat.” Solar energy only went so far when there was too little daylight.
Mako’s house also had grow lights, but would she still be here then?
The thought of her leaving was like getting gutted.
Shocked at the pain, Hawk stared down at her. Jesus fuck, had he fucking fallen for her?
Unable to get past the idea, he watched her picking peppers.
After she added a couple of tomatoes and lifted her basket, he took it from her. “I got it.”
“Um, okay.” Her brow furrowed as she looked at him.
He carried her produce and his back to Mako’s cabin. After setting it on the kitchen island, he hesitated as she put away the greens. Dammit, he didn’t know what to say or do. He wanted to be with her…and continuing down this path was a fucking terrible idea.
“Hawk.” She shoved the fridge door closed and handed him a beer. “Why don’t you drink this and tell me what’s wrong.”
That wasn’t going to happen.
Something else could, though. “Where’s Aric?”