Pawliday Love

Chapter 7

After spending the night wrapped around each other, the morning dawned bright and clear, and the gentle brush of lips over my temple was my wake-up call.

But the roar of a couple snowmobiles tore through the peace of our intimate breakfast.

Hanks son’s Jett and Colt rode up for the rescue mission and between them and Kingsley we managed to get back to Hartsong. It was chaos when we got back. from there Colt took me home to my family’s place. I left River behind, locked up in their barn, not willing to risk him trying another Houdini on me.

Between the ride home and the chaos of his family and our rescuers welcoming us back, there was no time to continue our conversation, but it’s been weighing on my mind for the past few days. Nothing could distract me. Not Mom’s gorgeous Christmas decorations or her return home. She was staying at my gran’s place for the night, but she hitched a ride with Grace, our local school bus/plow truck driver.

I love him, and he loves me. But I’m moving to Calgary in the New Year for school. And I’m not abandoning my plans even for Sawyer. Our feelings run deep, but long distance is hard, and this thing between us is barely a seedling. How will it have a chance to grow when we’re so far away from each other? His lack of contact over the past few days has further cemented my worry that this is not meant to be.

“What’s up, hon?” Mom’s comforting hand lands on my shoulder as she walks up behind me, and the smell of sweet chocolate swirls up from the mug she places in front of me.

I sigh. Can’t get anything by her. “It’s Sawyer. We kind of...” There’s no right word to explain to my mother what happened between me and my oldest friend.

“I knew it. You too, finally did it. Good for you.”

“Mom!”

She laughs and gives me a pat, as if I’m one of the horses in need of reassurance. “There’s nothing wrong with sex, honey. It’s perfectly natural. As long as you were careful. You were careful, right? I’m not ready to be a grandma. Not yet.”

“Of course I was. And that’s not the point. It’s weird talking to you about it.”

“Fine. Be a prude. So you and Sawyer baked cookies.”

I twist in my seat and the light is glinting off the many rings adorning her fingers as she holds them up to make quotation marks. “And now you’re worried about going away to school and leaving him behind.”

I should have known she would require zero explanation. “You’re scary sometimes, Mom.”

Her laugh resembles the jingle bells they use on the sleigh for guests at Hartsong, cheery and bright. “Just a mother’s intuition. Oh, and maybe a little bit of insider information. Don’t worry, hon, it’ll all work out.”

The chimes of our doorbell echo down the hall as if to punctuate her statement, and I narrow my eyes at her. She’s got something going on under the sleeves of her hand-knit candy cane sweater.

“Go on then. Get it.” She drops a kiss on the top of my head and shoos me toward the front door.

I’m still suspicious, and try peering through the peephole, but all I can see is a dark blob blocking the view.

The latch snicks open, and the door lets out a creaky groan as I swing it open slowly to reveal a giant bouquet of forget-me-nots. The blue eyes peering at me over the top are a perfect color match for the flowers.

“Sawyer? How in the small town did you get your hands on forget-me-nots in December?”

“Win was in Calgary on a business trip. He snagged them for me. But I’ll be paying for the favor for the next century or so.”

His brother has always been a bit of a schemer. “I see.”

“Aren’t you going to invite me in? Do I need to serenade you or something?”

I step back, covering my ears. “Please no. I give. You can come in, just don’t sing.” He has the singing voice of an off key hyena.

“I knew that would work.” He steps through the door, stomping his boots on the mat, and thrusting the flowers into my arms. I sink my face into them. A lot of people say they don’t smell, but they’ve got a subtle, fresh scent that reminds me of long summer days spent running wild with my friends.

He leaves his boots by the door and I lead him down the hall lined with family photos to the little den off the kitchen. It’s the smallest but coziest room in the house. A plaid two seater couch and matching overstuffed armchair surrounding a pine coffee table are the only pieces of furniture. I’m about to plop down on the chair when he hooks his arm through my elbow, dragging me over to the couch.

“Sit here with me.” He tugs on my arm until I lose balance, dropping abruptly into the seat beside him.

The heat from his thigh warms has me shifting in my seat, trying to keep the image of him naked out of my head.

“What’s up Sawyer?”

“I thought it was time we talked about what happened?”

“At the cabin?”

“No. At the grocery store. Of course at the cabin.”

“Right.” My clasped hands are suddenly the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen.

He reaches over to unclasp my fingers, twining them with his instead. “I want you to know it was the best night of my life. The one I’ve been waiting for since that party in the eighth grade when Mandy Lerner locked us in her closet.

“Really? Eighth grade?” What I remember from that night is making the loudest moaning noises to trick the rest of the partygoers into thinking we were making out.

“Yes, Everly. Look at me.” His voice is hushed now. It’s like he thinks he’ll spook me if he talks too loud. “And hear me out. Don’t interrupt.”

I risk a glance at him, leaving my lids half closed so I can only see him through a blurred veil of my lashes.

“I meant every word I said there, and I’ll repeat them here and now, or anywhere else you want me to. I’ll drive into town and proclaim it to every resident of Balsam Grove if you want me to. I’ve loved you since we first met, and I’ve been in love with you almost as long. Our forevers have always been tangled together, and even when I pulled away, I always saw you in my future. In my house and in my arms. Especially in my bed. Nothing is going to change that.”

He’s rubbing circles on my upper back now, but tears are burning the back of my eyes. “But I’m leaving Sawyer. I’m going to finish my last year and a half at school in person. I’ve paid for the semester. I’ve got an apartment. I’m going. How are we going to make this work? I don’t want to do long distance. It’ll hurt too much to be apart like that.”

“I thought I told you not to interrupt?”

“You did, but...” His finger lands on my lips to prevent the words getting loose.

“No buts. Just listen.” I purse my lips but keep them sealed, so he pulls away. “I’m coming with you.”

“You’re coming with me? Where?

“Seriously, Ev? For someone so smart you’re being really dense.”

I” m not dense, just realistic. I can’t imagine a scenario where this works out for us.

“I’m coming with you to Calgary.”

“But how?”

He shakes his head. “I can take my classes there, and my brother knows some people who can get me a job.”

The hope is swelling, but I’m still trying to convince myself this isn’t real. I can’t handle the disappointment.

“What about your parents? And the Hartsong?” The ranch doesn’t even belong to his direct family. It’s in his aunt rose’s hands, and she’s the least involved of the grandparents.

“They’ll be fine. My parents can hire an extra ranch hand. Rose and Bruce have got Jett and Colt to help out. It’ll be fine. But I’m selfish.” He pauses to swallow hard, and I think I glimpse a tear shimmering in the corner of his eyes. “I can’t live without you. I want to stay by your side. So please. Please say yes. We can move in together. Experience city life together for the first time. And perfect the other skills we’ve proven to be experts at.” He whispers the next part. “I’m talking about the sex.”

I roll my eyes, punching him on the shoulder. “I figured that one out, thanks.”

“Good. So all you need is to say yes, and this thing is a lock.”

SO many thoughts are racing through my head, but I start ejecting them from my mind one at a time. “Yes,” I whisper.

“Pardon?” he says.

“Yes, you can move in with me. Yes I’m yours. Yes I think I always have been. I love you always.”

The forget-me-nots he was clutching loose to his chest fall to the floor with a clatter and he leans in to crash into my lips.

The kiss floods through me in a soft wave, filling me up more than any meal ever could. He cups my cheeks between his hands, pulling me in tight and mumbling unintelligible things under his breath.

When we finally emerge from our bliss-fueled embrace, he says, “I love you, Ev. Our forever starts now.”

Nikki Jewell is a romance author/wrangler of twins/consumer of copious amounts of caffeine. She’s been a devourer of fictional words since she could read. You know the weird girl who walked to school with a book in her face? Yeah, that was her.