"Hey." He cupped her chin, the familiar gesture bringing her to the edge of tears. "Nothing you say, nothing you do or have done will change how I feel for you. That's why I came back."
"Good." She gulped, steeling herself. "Because…" The words came out in a rush. "Because there's someone else now."
Alec paused for a second before giving her a wistful nod. "I can't blame you. I never planned to be away for so long, and—" He stopped, seeing her upraised hand.
Her cheeks burned as she imagined what he had to be thinking, that he'd been replaced by another man.
"It's not like that—whatever you're thinking." She hopped off the table, struggling with her clothing. "I can't… I mean…" Cass shook her head. "I can't explain it. I need to show you."
The prepared speech she'd worked on for months had vanished from memory—the words jumbling into a hot mess. In her mind, she'd never imagined this sort of reunion, this stutter in her reality.
Alec picked up the otter pelt from the counter top. "Listen to me." He took her hand and placed the furred square in her palm, curling her fingers around it. "I want you to know this is yours. No matter what happens between us." The pain in his eyes almost broke her. "I'll still teach you how to shift if you want—I owe you that much."
"No, no..." Her heart ached as she searched for the right thing to say, failing at every attempt. "I—I can't believe you did this. For me." She bit her lip in an effort to focus her thoughts before continuing. "Was it very hard to get this?"
"Yes." Alec touched his shoulder, the thin white line showing a fresh scar she hadn't remembered from before. "Except that's another story for later—much later." He looked around the empty bar. "I'll save it until we get back to the house."
Cass tucked the pelt in her waistband as she'd seen Alec do so many times. The fur was warm to the touch, settling easily against her skin. She tugged her blouse down over it and continued dressing.
***
It took a few minutes to finish and officially lock the bar up, Alec in tow as she secured the front door.
The two of them stood outside the building in the chilled air. A full moon had risen, adding a surreal look to the snow-covered ground.
Alec shuffled his feet in the dirt, the running shoes digging a dark trench.
"Come on." She took his hand and led him out to the familiar path, the one they'd used hundreds of times in the past.
The same path that had led her to meet him, years ago.
There was a tension in his body, the way he carried himself. She could almost hear the questions running circles in his mind, digging deep into his soul.
"You got the clothing where I left it?" It was the first question she could think of that wouldn't bring her to tears. "I did like you asked, put them in a bag and buried them under the large oak near the river. Same with the shoes." She looked down. "Didn't think of switching them out for boots."
"I'm fine—thanks for putting them there," he said. "The clothes were a bit stiff, but okay. Good idea, putting the sweater there and the t-shirt. Appreciate the choice."
"I thought about the coat a lot, sitting there. Considered digging it back up, bringing all the clothing back into the house. Into our room. Just to give me something else to remember you by." Cassie swallowed hard. "Except I didn't. Instead, I waited for you to show up. A few days, a few weeks." She swiped at her eyes with her free hand. "You never did. I couldn't tell anyone where you'd gone, had no one to confide in."
"I'm sorry." Alec shook his head, pressing his lips into a tight line before continuing. "I'm so, so sorry for being away for as long as I was. It was wrong. I should have found some way to send a message, but..." He let out a soft laugh as her house came into view. "Damn. I missed this place." He stared up into the clear night sky, studying the bright stars. "I've missed so much."
His smile was heartfelt and added to the low simmer in her soul, reinforcing her love for him just that bit more.
"Come on." She led him along the path, by the two cars parked in the driveway and up to the front door. Cassie fumbled with the keys, her stomach churning.
How do I...
Chapter Six
The door opened before she could find the right key.
"Cassie!" Veronica beamed. She pulled Cass into a tight hug, the dark blue shawl around her shoulders slipping, dangerously close to falling off and into the snow. "Merry Christmas!"
The white-haired woman looked past her to Alec, her eyes widening. "Alec. So good to see you again." Her tone shifted from friendly to neutral, with a trace of curiosity.
Alec blinked, and Cassie saw the memories flash back, identifying the senior as a nearby neighbor, one he'd helped more than once to carry groceries into her house from the car. "You too, Veronica. Been a good long while."
Veronica stepped back, tugging her shawl back up out of danger. "Come on, come on—no use letting all the heat out. I just put another log on the fire."
"Merry Christmas," Cassie answered automatically as she stepped inside, Alec close behind. "I'm sorry I'm late, but there was a last-minute issue at the bar."
The shawl flapped back and forth, tassels flying. "No problem, no problem at all. My favorite version of A Christmas Carol was on television, the one with Alastair Sim." Veronica walked back into the living room, letting them through. "Tell you the truth, never even looked at the clock. Time flies when you're watching something you love—I've seen this movie a hundred times, maybe more, and it never gets old."
The older woman picked up her coat, eyeing Alec. "Not to pry, but are you staying around this time?" She shook her head. "You've no idea how hard all this has been on her..."
Damn it... not now.
Cassie bit back her words, hoping that would be the end of the questioning. She'd gone through enough during the past few months, and it wasn't really the best time to launch Alec into that tar pit. Just his return would be enough to start the gossip train blasting out of the station—as soon as Veronica got into her car and pulled out her cell phone, it'd be on.
Not to mention she was the one who wanted to explain the situation to Alec—before anyone else could.
"I hope so." Alec helped Veronica on with her thick black winter coat, giving her his best smile. "It's a long story, but I'm tired right now—tell you what, come on by the bar day after tomorrow for lunch, and I'll give you all the details." He gave her a wink, putting the charm on full blast. "I've been traveling all around the world by boat, ship... visited the most amazing places and seen the most amazing things." He patted her shoulder. "But that'll have to wait until we have lunch. I'm sure you understand I'd like to talk things over with Cassie before anyone else knows I'm here."
Veronica's eyes lit up at the chance of getting a jump start on the gossip train. She pressed a finger to her lips. "I'll hold you to that, then." She looked at Cassie. "You two have so much to catch up on—see you on the 26th. I'll bring lunch over from the diner, don't worry." She collected her purse, smiling as Alec escorted her out to her vehicle.