Linked Loves (Cascade Mountain Harem #6)

1 DREAMING

I smiled across the table at Stacy as we sat in the brand-new diner in the lake lodge. She’d traveled with my family and me to enjoy a weekend of camping, boating, and hiking around this tranquil lake.

“I want to take you on a hike to someplace special,” I said, swallowing my last fry. “Just the two of us.”

Stacy smiled, swiping her fry along the edge of her Styrofoam cup, collecting the remnants of the chocolate shake on its crispy edge. “That sounds a little ominous.” She grinned and popped the fry into her mouth, chewing as she smiled at me.

“Ominous? How?” I said as I began collecting our paper baskets, napkins, and empty cups.

“Sorry, wrong word.” Stacy grinned, then kissed my cheek. She wrapped her arm around my bicep while I walked to the trash can. “Exciting is what I meant. Alone with you on a hike through nature? It’s on my bucket list.”

“What’s a bucket list?” I asked, dumping the trash, then taking her hand and guiding her outside.

“Things I want to do before I kick the bucket.” She grinned as we entwined our fingers, heading toward the trailhead at the end of the parking lot.

“You’ve got your whole life before you, babe,” I said, looking at her.

“I hope you’re in it, too.” Her smile was genuine as we focused on the trail before us.

I was filled with a trembling feeling low in my gut as I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. Her hand drifted around my hips as we walked closely together. I couldn’t shake the feeling that our relationship was what I wanted for the rest of my life.

“I love you, Stace,” I said, turning my head and kissing her temple.

She grinned at me, and we focused on the trail for a while. The silence after my admission didn’t help the swirling in my gut. I’d spoken too soon; she wasn’t ready to hear it. Dammit, I always moved too fast. I was going to scare her away.

“I love you, too, Kurt.” Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “But we’re both still in high school. We’re going to be seniors this year. I feel so close to you; it scares me, babe. But I think we need to…”

“Need to what?” I interrupted, sounding too loud and too angry. “Need to break up? Fine.”

I let go of her hand and twisted around to return to the parking lot.

“Kurt, stop,” she said, grabbing the back of my shirt. “Why are you so impatient?”

I stopped and swirled around to face her, knowing frustration and anger heated my cheeks.

Stacy’s eyes widened as she spoke. Her caring expression was calm despite my teeming emotions. “We have the rest of our lives to be together.”

Staring at her, my mind and heart warred with how to respond. I loved her; I knew it deep in my bones. She placed her hand on my chest, and my heart slowed as she pressed her cheek against my chest and wrapped her arms around me.

“Be patient with me,” she said so quietly that her words were almost lost to the loud birdsong around us. “Take me to this special place. I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere.”

I inhaled a long breath and blew it out slowly as I wrapped my arms around her. I kissed the top of her head and nodded against her blonde hair. We stood there hugging for a long time until my heart slowed and the tight coil in my gut relaxed.

“I’m sorry,” I said as we parted the hug. “I’ll try to keep it cool, babe. It’s just… You mean so much to me.”

“You mean everything to me,” Stacy said as a tear slid down her cheek.

We kissed tenderly for a long moment, then turned and continued down the pine-needle-covered path.

“Why won’t you talk to me?” I screamed into the corded phone in my mother’s kitchen as Stacy’s line rang endlessly.

Slamming the handset into the wall mount, I fell back against the avocado-colored refrigerator, hot, angry tears falling down my cheeks.

“What did I do?” I cried at the ceiling as I slid down to the floor.

I start sobbing, holding my palms to my face.

My body wracks with sobs as I cry into my hands.

I’m confused by her distance and terrified I’ve said something wrong.

We’ve only been back from the lake for a week, but Stacy was slowly calling me less and less.

We’d stopped spending hours just listening to each other breathing.

It’s my rash admission of love at the lake that’s spooked her. Typical me, leaping feet first without looking. How did I mess this up so badly?

“Stacy!” My eyes snap open to reveal nothing but the winding, black-tar road and a sign proclaiming that we are entering Eugene.

“Who’s Stacy?” Bea asks, looking over at me.

“What?” I ask, disoriented by my disturbing dream. Or was it a memory? Shaking my head, I stretch my arms above me, then sit up and adjust my seatbelt.

“You yelled out ‘Stacy’ while dreaming.” Bea squeezes my hand before pulling it to rest on the console as she drives with one hand. “Wasn’t that the name of your old girlfriend? Donna’s daughter. I thought she was dead?”

I nod as I rub my face with my free hand. “Yeah, I must have been dreaming about her.”

I go silent because, for once, I remember a dream vividly. It could be because it’s a memory of Stacy and me camping with my family at the lake the summer before my senior year. Blinking to cycle through my memories as the tendrils from my dream start to fade, I smile at Bea.

“Just an old memory,” I say, shrugging. “Must have been triggered by lunch and Donna’s reaction to seeing Ginny eating her fries.”

“Could be,” Bea says, squeezing my hand, then letting go to signal for a lane change. “It’s good you woke up. We’re almost at my house.”

“Sorry, I slept the whole way down the mountain.” I yawn as the image of Stacy’s face lingers in my mind. Then, it fades away and becomes Ginny. I shake my head again; the shifting images of two different people are confusing.

“I didn’t mind,” Bea says as she drives through city streets. “It was nice to have some quiet time to think about what’s happened and what we’ll need to do to make this work.”

“I understand if you’re having second thoughts,” I say, the troubling dream echoing again. “It’s not a conventional relationship.”

“What?” Bea laughs, giving me a sideways glance as she grins. “I’m not having second thoughts. This is like a dream come true for me in many ways: a hot older guy and a group of females with a mutual attraction. I’m in this. Like, one hundred and ten percent.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, squeezing her hand when she reaches for mine. “That dream messed me up. I may need to talk to Leah. Her perspective may have some insight. She’s always talking about dreams and what they mean.”

“It’s okay.” She leans over, and we kiss at a stoplight. Her fingers run along my cheek as we part. “You’ve got a lot on your plate. I can’t imagine how you keep everyone’s needs and desires in your mind. I’m here if you need someone to listen.”

“Thanks.” I grin, and then we’re quiet as she drives into her neighborhood and up the steep driveway of a Craftsman-style bungalow.

“This is me.” She grins and starts to get out.

“I’m going to sit here for a second and call Leah. I’ll be right in to help you.”

“Okay. It’s not a lot. I may finish before your call ends. I understand—I got this.”

As she grins brightly before turning and climbing the steps to her porch, I pull my phone out and see I’ve missed a message.

Ginny:

I just had the strangest dream.