Chapter Twenty-Six
Derek
The world doesn’t feel real anymore. As our bus rolls back into Moab, I peer out the window and watch the town go by as I try to reconcile the man I was a week ago with the man I am now.
I didn’t think a few days could make much of a difference, but Donovan was right when she said the river changes people.
I’m not the same person I was when we started.
Unfortunately, that means I’m not sure how to navigate my life going forward.
That should terrify me—it would have done a week ago—but this is a good thing.
I’ve finally found some peace and the strength to truly give myself grace, and it’s all because of her.
Donovan shifts in her sleep next to me, and I smile down at her.
Her head is on my shoulder, her hand in mine.
Aside from the few miles I had to row this morning before we could tie the boats together and motor downstream to the boat ramp, we haven’t been apart for more than a few minutes here and there since we kissed yesterday afternoon.
We sat side-by-side in the circle at dinner while everyone talked about their favorite parts of the trip, and when the sun went down and the stars came out, we laid our sleeping bags on a tarp next to each other and spent the night counting shooting stars and trading stories.
It has been the best twenty-four hours of my life.
I’m not sure I can say with confidence that I’m in love with Donovan, but I’m well on my way. Whatever that means for us going forward, I’m better equipped to face the future, and I really want that future to always have her in it.
If only it was that simple.
The bus comes to a stop outside the pavilion at Red Earth headquarters, and I reluctantly brush Donovan’s hair from her face to wake her up as everyone starts gathering their things and exiting the bus.
“Told you she drools over you,” Mason says from a couple seats up.
I scowl at him playfully, but it’s Donovan who sleepily retorts, “At least I didn’t flip in the Big Drops.” She yawns and sits up, grimacing when she realizes she really did drool on my shoulder. “Whoops. Sorry, Supes.”
“You can drool on me anytime.” It’s my turn to grimace. That was worse than some of the lines I had to say in my earlier movies, before I could be choosier about the quality of script I got.
Rolling her eyes, Donovan ruffles my hair and gets to her feet.
“Don’t go all soft on me now, Riley. Maybe save the cheesy lines for your movies?
” She practically skips to the door of the bus to start directing people to the pavilion to return borrowed equipment and make sure they aren’t leaving anything behind.
As per the plan, I hang back on the bus with Hunter and watch the proceedings through the window. Normally I don’t mind the extra steps I have to take to protect my privacy, but a part of me aches to be down there with everyone, laughing and exchanging hugs.
“Janie’s on her way,” Hunter says, frowning down at his phone. Now that he has service, he is probably sorting through all his notifications. I’m not looking forward to that on my end. “Ten minutes, she says.”
“Good.” My eyes follow Donovan as she and the other guides make quick work of organizing piles of sleeping bags and tents and derigging the boats on the trailer.
I should be out there, taking on her burdens because she took on so many of mine this week.
I should be saying goodbye to the other guests and thanking them for letting me be a part of their trip despite all the complications I bring.
I should be soaking up every minute I have left of feeling somewhat normal.
I’m halfway to my feet, hands on the seat in front of me, before I remind myself how bad of an idea it would be to stand outside in broad daylight, where anyone on the street might see me.
I’ve already made that mistake once on this trip, and now there are people actively looking for me.
I can only hope most of them gave up the hunt over the last six days.
Hunter clears his throat, and when I look over at him, he’s holding an LA Thunder hat toward me. “Sunglasses too,” he grunts and turns his attention back to the phone in his hand.
Grinning, I grab the hat and practically sprint from the bus as I pull it over my hair. I’m not about to waste this chance for freedom, knowing Hunter’s going to be extra diligent as soon as we leave the Red Earth River Tours property. I won’t even complain.
As much as I want to wrap my arms around Donovan and never let go, I make my way to Maverick first. “Hey,” I say and gesture with my head for him to follow me deeper into the pavilion.
Away from the rest of the group and away from outside eyes.
“Thanks again for your advice yesterday. Give me your number, and I’ll reach out about helping WanderLove when I have some free time. ”
His eyes widen for half a second before he schools his features and looks down at the notebook I pull from my pocket. “You’re serious?”
I can’t hold back a laugh. “People don’t usually question it when I offer help.”
“No, I…” Taking the notebook, he finds a blank page and writes his number at the top. “I don’t want to take advantage of you, Derek.”
This is exactly why I’m more than willing to support him, and I grin. “I know. Friends help each other out, right?”
A shocked laugh bursts out of him, and he shakes his head. “Friends. Right. I guess I didn’t expect you to be so…”
I don’t get a chance to find out what he thinks of me because Morgan and Zahra inch closer, whispering to each other without looking away from me.
Their expressions are familiar ones, so I’m not surprised when Morgan stands up straight and boldly asks, “Could we get a picture with you, Derek? I promise we won’t post it anywhere. It’s just for us.”
I shouldn’t, especially when their request gets a dirty look from Brody before he picks up his bag and heads from the pavilion.
He’s still not a fan of mine and likely never will be, and it’s a bad idea to give him any reasons to test the strength of the NDA he signed.
Still, it’s hard to say no when the women look so hopeful.
“Of course,” I say and ignore the unease that sparks to life in my gut.
Morgan squeals, and the two of them scurry to stand on either side of me. Morgan stuffs her phone into Maverick’s hand and tucks herself under my arm. I usually try to avoid touching my fans, but I wrap both of them up in a side hug as we all smile for the picture.
I make a mental note to have someone keep an eye on Brody for the next few days, just in case he does something stupid.
“It was fun getting to know you all,” I tell them when we separate. “When do you find out who you’re matched with?” I look at Maverick when I ask that, since he’s the one who put the group together.
He shrugs at the same time Morgan says, “Who cares? I have some new besties, and that’s all I need.” She nudges her shoulder into Maverick and takes Zahra’s hand. “I’m definitely going to give WanderLove some feedback when it comes to the actual matching part, but this trip was so fun!”
“I’ll take all the feedback I can get,” Maverick mutters with a roll of his eyes. He gives me a smile, then wanders off toward Emmett only a second before Zahra gasps, her jaw dropping as she watches him go.
“Did he just…?”
“He totally did!” Morgan agrees, and the pair of them chase Maverick.
Huh. I did not expect Maverick to come clean like that.
At least not this soon. Pulling my notebook out of my pocket again, I flip back to the page with the character study I’ve made for the guy so I can make a note of that twist. There’s something incredibly deep about Maverick, and I’m going to have to build a conversation with him into my schedule sooner than later.
I have a feeling there’s a lot more I can learn from him.
“You and that little notebook,” a chiding voice says behind me.
Grinning, I turn and wrap my arm around Donovan’s waist, pulling her against my side.
“Hey, don’t knock the notebook,” I complain.
Her green eyes lock on mine, bright and vivid as she gazes up at me, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over the feel of her next to me.
She fits so perfectly. “At this point, it’s the only thing keeping my head on straight. ”
Her nose wrinkles with her smirk. “I thought that was what your assistant was for.”
“That too,” I agree with a grimace. “I can’t imagine what she’s been dealing with this week.”
Lifting an eyebrow, Donovan presses her hand to my chest. “It’s hard to believe you trusted her to take care of everything while you’re gone.”
It feels like a shadow creeps over the pavilion at the same time Cole’s warning about my assistant settles heavy in my stomach. It’s probably just piggybacking off my anxiety about Brody, but I don’t like it. “Why do you say that?”
Donovan shrugs. “I dunno. She doesn’t seem to have a lot of backbone.”
Janie has been with me ever since Hot Scoop started targeting my friends, and without her, I wouldn’t have been able to help them as much as I have.
“She’s bolder than she seems,” I mutter, though that doesn’t dispel the anxiety building in my chest. Instead of continuing the conversation, I pull Donovan flush against my chest so I can give her a proper hug.
She tends to make things better when she’s in my arms.
“I’m supposed to be working right now,” Donovan mutters, unmoving.
Most of the guests have already left, leaving the yard quiet except for the guides chatting as they put gear away. We’re on our own in this corner of the pavilion. “I think they’ll survive a few minutes without you.”
“You have such a low opinion of my importance?” she asks into my chest.
“You know it’s the opposite. I just need you more than they do.”