Chapter 46
Note to self:
KissingWalking is a good form of
exercise.
Cal and Melanie’s apartment was located in northwest Portland, a fancy condo in an upscale neighborhood for “young professionals.” We pulled up in front of it and I texted Cal to let him know we’d made it.
We all piled out onto the sidewalk, stretching legs and shaking arms to wake them up from the long drive. Mack clipped Karen to a leash, and she tiptoed in a circle, sniffing everything. Until she got to my feet. She growled, backed up, and barked.
“Shut up, Karen.” I bent over and glared at her. “Why do you hate me?”
Being a dog, she couldn’t answer back. Although she did bare her teeth.
“I am officially a cat person.” I straightened.
Theo smiled. “And I was planning on getting you a dog for your birthday.”
“Please don’t.”
He put his arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my cheek. My eyes darted to Mack who smiled in an “I told you so” sort of way.
“Where are we, Daddy?” Hallie had her doll in a death grip against her chest. Her dark hair was mussed from traveling and she looked more than a little tired.
“We’re here to see your Uncle Cal.”
“I have an uncle?”
“You have two,” his eyes dart to Theo, “no, make that three, uncles.”
“And an aunt. And a grandma and grandpa.” She shook her head like she couldn’t quite believe it. “That’s a lot of birthdays to ’member.”
“Ali,” a voice yelled from halfway down the block. The short, slender frame of my almost sister-in-law came barreling toward me. She didn’t stop until her arms wrapped around me in a breath-stealing hug. “I can’t believe you’re here. Although, I am a little miffed. I lost a hundred bucks to Mae.”
I detangled myself from her arms. “Is everyone in on this thing?”
“I lost two hundred. A fact Mae hasn’t let me forget,” Mack said. “Bit of a bragger, that one.”
“Alright, that’s enough. No more betting on Theo and me.” I held my hand up to stop the chorus of protests. “Nope. No more. And someone owes us a cut of this.”
“Aw, come on,” Cal said, my own flesh-and-blood brother. “I just chose my days for the proposal.”
“What?”
Cal grinned and hugged me. “You know I love you.”
Abe cleared his throat. Hands tucked in his pockets, the vulnerability in his eyes made my heart squeeze.
Cal stepped toward him, inspecting him closely, his smile growing wider. “Brother.”
“Brother.” Abe nodded, his shoulders relaxing in relief.
And then they hugged; I wasn’t the only one crying when they did.
“These are the seating arrangements.” Melanie tapped yet another tab on the tablet resting on her lap, yet another category in her highly treasured digital Wedding Planner. Pages upon pages, crammed with décor ideas, venue choices, menu options, cake topper ideas, and anything else a person could possibly need for a wedding. Just looking at it overwhelmed me.
“This is what the boutonnieres look like. Aren’t they beautiful? They go so well with the bouquets. I got a great deal on the flowers. And…Ali, are you listening?”
“Sort of.”
With a sigh, Melanie put the tablet to sleep and held it against her chest like it was a precious thing. “I didn’t mean to bore you.”
“You aren’t.” It wasn’t her fault Theo was fifteen feet away, in a little group with Abe and Cal. Every now and then, the three let out a roar of laughter that made me smile. It felt like when we were younger, before Abe left, before we all grew up and scattered.
It also wasn’t her fault he’d turned his hat backwards and every time I stole a glance at him, his eyes were on me and they were smiling, and I wanted to forget about everything else and get him alone.
“Oh, my gosh. You have the cutest dreamy smile on your face right now. Whoever could you be thinking about?” Melanie’s peal of laughter rang like a bell, her dark eyes twinkling. “You’ve got it bad.”
“I do not.” I totally did.
“You never looked at Alec that way.” Her tone was matter-of-fact.
I jerked my eyes to her, the happy feeling draining from me. This was awkward. “I didn’t…I don’t…”
She smiled. “It’s okay. I don’t remember Alec looking at you the way Theo does either.”
“Still, he’s your brother and I don’t want to make anything weird this weekend. I promise I won’t. No weirdness.”
“No weirdness. Got it.” Melanie patted me on the leg. “Maybe the whole reason you and Alec met was to set Cal and me up.”
“Four years of my life seems like a long game just to set someone up.”
With a shrug, Melanie stood. “I guess I believe people come into your life for a reason, even if they don’t stick around. Alec wasn’t all bad, right?” She gave my ponytail a tug. “I’m going to put you out of your misery now. Besides, someone’s coming your way.”
“Wanna go for walk?” Theo held out a hand.
I took it with a smile. Before leaving, Cal promised to let me know when my parents planned to show up. Having arrived before noon, they’d decided to do some sightseeing.
Theo and I didn’t speak as we made our way out onto the sidewalk and when we did, he kept his hand linked with mine. Trees canopied the hilly streets as we set out without a destination in mind.
A park boasting a walking trail appeared, and we found ourselves wandering a dirt trail, shaded by enormous pine trees, sprawling maples, and oak trees with great, thick trunks. A breeze rustled the leaves and cooled the air. All of it was so different from the endless plains of Texas, so flat you could watch the path of the sun until it sank below the horizon.
We stepped into a small clearing, most of the sunshine blotted out by the trees. The birds chirped happily, and a few fat bees hovered over a grouping of bull thistle. I dropped Theo’s hand and spun in a circle. “It’s breathtaking.”
“Yeah, it is.” But when I looked back at him, he wasn’t looking at the trees or a squirrel checking us out from behind a bush or the moss climbing a fallen limb. No, his eyes were on me. The dragon wings fluttered.
I blushed, unexpectedly shy. Suddenly, I wished I’d put a bit more effort into my outfit this morning, but cutoff shorts and an ancient Buc-ee’s t-shirt would have to do.
Somehow both of us moved until we met in the middle of the clearing, only a few inches apart. A light breeze blew a piece of my hair across my face and Theo gently tucked it behind my ear.
He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Hi.”
My face grew warmer. “Hi.”
“We made it.”
“We did. It’s been the longest six days of my life. Thanks for driving me. I know?—”
But I never got to finish the sentence because he kissed me, slow and sweet, only our lips touching, and somehow that seemed the perfect thing in this perfect little hidden spot in the forest.
When he pulled back, my eyes drifted open. “That was nice.”
“Ali.” He took a huge breath, and something like apprehension slid into his eyes. “I really, really, really like you.”
“That’s a lot of reallys.”
“All true.” He brushed my cheek with his hand. “I need to talk to you about something and?—”
My phone rang; I winced. “Sorry. I better get that.”
Cal didn’t even let me get a greeting out. “Hey, Mom and Dad are back.”