34. Ian
THIRTY-FOUR
IAN
The sun rising over Denali. The Milky Way stretching out over Mount Shasta. Glaciers atop Mount Rainier. I’ve seen a lot of magnificent sights, but nothing compares to having Tess in my arms. Her bright smile soaks through my skin until I’m made of it, happiness by osmosis.
I look past her out the back door to where August is kicking a ball with Dutch in the yard. Pretty sure I heard him declare the dog the World Cup winner, the adorable kid.
“You should celebrate,” I tell Tess. Making custom cakes is a huge deal for her.
She tilts her head to the side, pretending to think. “Maybe I should throw a party.”
“Definitely.”
“With barbecue and cake.”
“Always a good combo.”
She chuckles. “And presents.”
“Only for August, right?” Even if we share a birthday, this get together is supposed to be about him. I don’t need anything more than what I’ve got right here.
Her mouth ticks up. “And party hats.”
I frown at her. “Seems unnecessary.”
“Mandatory.”
“I object.”
She leans a fraction closer. “There might be incentive to wear a party hat.”
My fingers tighten on her side. “I’m listening.”
She slowly moves in to press a kiss to my mouth. Soft, sweet, brief—not nearly enough.
“That’s a quarter of a party hat kiss.”
Her laugh exhales over my jaw. “I guess we’d better go for the whole hat.”
She kisses me again, lingering this time. I let her lead, savoring the moment she sets aside her initial timidity for boldness. Her hands come up to my sides but retreat after contacting my bare skin. I slip both of mine around to her back as well as I can while still maintaining my balance on the crutches.
When she walked in, it was like being caught naked. Maybe the wrong comparison, since I’ve never really minded being seen that way. But being caught without my prosthesis on is an all-new ballgame. For half a second, I wanted to escape to my bedroom and secure my leg back on.
But Tess’s gaze warmed so quickly, I realized she wasn’t bothered by anything she was seeing. Or not seeing. I don’t need to keep anything from her because she accepts me exactly as I am.
Her hands return to my sides. Tentative, maybe, but steady. I love watching her learn to let go—in all ways, but especially with me. She deepens the kiss, and just like that, I’m lost. Nothing exists outside of Tess. Her mouth, her hands, her soft little sighs against my skin.
Until August squeals in the yard.
She draws back, robbing me of her touch. But the spark in her eyes as she gazes at me is a prize all its own.
“I told August we were supposed to relax before the next party.” Her mouth tilts to the side. “I don’t think either of us are doing a good job with that.”
“I have no complaints.”
Her laugh is a red thread wrapped around my heart. “That’s a relief. Maybe we could?—”
My doorbell rings, cutting her off.
“Amy and Jodi said they might come by early,” I tell her. Then I turn toward the living room and shout, “Door’s open.”
The door creaks, and steps sound on the hardwood floor. “Hello?”
My stomach sinks. That’s not either of my aunts.
I crutch to the center of the kitchen to confirm for myself. But yes, that’s my brother Steven walking through my living room, with Iris right behind him.
His thousand-watt grin seems designed to irritate. “Surprise!”
“Surprise is right,” I mutter.
His gaze drifts to my side, locking in on Tess. His steps falter comically. “Are we interrupting something?”
I frown at him. From the hint of pink in Tess’s cheeks, it’s clear he caught us in a private moment. Asking just amplifies the embarrassment.
For her, anyway. I’m not embarrassed for a second.
“Tess, this is my brother, Steven, and his wife, Iris.”
“It is a delight to meet you,” Steven says, shaking hands with Tess. He gives me a meaningful look, just in case I don’t know all the assumptions forming in his head. His glee is overkill. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to deduce what’s going on.
“It’s good to meet you, too,” Tess tells them with a warm smile.
“What are you doing here?” I’ve got considerably less enthusiasm than she does.
“Amy told us about your birthday party,” Iris explains. “We decided to fly in for a few days to celebrate with you.”
“That’s…nice.”
It is, on the face of it. But Tess and I had a cozy little bubble going, and they just burst right through it.
Tess wraps a hand around my biceps. Not sure if it’s a signal to be more appreciative or just a reminder she’s with me, but it works either way. They’re trying to be supportive. It’s not their fault their support irritates me.
Not entirely.
“I need to go wrangle my son and make sure everything’s ready for this evening,” Tess tells them.
I turn to her. “I told you I would handle the food tonight. You’ve already helmed one party today. Don’t worry about this one.”
“I know, but I told you I’m still in charge of dessert.”
I smile down at her. “That you are, angel.”
We linger too long, considering present company, but I never want to pass up an opportunity to look at the vision before me. She finally says goodbye to our interlopers and escapes out the back door.
I turn, watching her talk with August before they both go inside next door. Dutch sits in the grass, stoically looking toward the hillside as though he alone stands guard.
“ Angel , huh?” Steven says. “That’s a new one.”
I cut my gaze to him. “Shut up.”
“What he means is, we’re happy for you.” Iris glares, but Steven doesn’t notice. He’s too busy gloating.
He looks me over. “Amy didn’t tell us the dress code for the party was this casual.”
I make a rude gesture at him. “Make yourselves at home.”
I go into my bedroom and quickly put on my prosthesis and pull a shirt over my head. When I come back out, they’re on the couch. Iris is flipping through my book collection, and Steven still looks far too happy.
“You’ve been keeping secrets.” He grins at me as if he’s got a few favorites.
I take the chair across from them, saying nothing. They won’t be secrets if I admit to them.
“Tess seems really sweet.” Iris’s attempt to temper the situation isn’t working.
Mostly because I’m tempted to expound on how Tess is so much more than sweet. She is that, one hundred percent. But she’s also fierce and capable and tough around the edges, with the softest center I think I might die to protect. But they’ve got plenty of incriminating information on me already. I don’t need to offer up more.
“She’s the single mom?” Steven wants to know. I nod. “That’s a new thing for you, isn’t it?”
He says it like being involved with Tess and August is the same sort of inconsequential choice as wearing socks with sandals or changing the station from rock to hip-hop.
I just stare at him. I’m not ready to ruin this unexpected reunion with raised voices. Yet.
He finally takes the hint and eases up on the smug smile. “Whatever it takes to get you in the land of the living.”
“I can always go back to my crypt,” I grumble.
“Leave Ian alone,” Iris says to my brother. She turns back to me. “Sunshine is a cute little town. You’ll have to show us around while we’re here.”
“That’d be a short tour.” I haven’t been to many places here. I could point them in the direction of the bakery. That’s about it.
But it’s the best stop in town.
“You could ask Tess for some ideas tonight,” I add. “She’ll know all the good spots.”
Iris’s slow nod tells me I said too much. Seems to be the theme of the last ten minutes.
“Have you bagged any of these mountains yet?” Steven asks.
“Not yet. I’ve been reading up on a few trails I want to tackle, though.”
He claps his hands and rubs them together. He’s always been overly dramatic. “That’s what I like to hear. Anything we can get up to tomorrow?”
“Probably.” Nothing serious, since we don’t have gear, but some mountain air might do me good. “There are some half-day hikes we could do.”
“I’m in. Iris?”
“As long as it’s a true half-day, and not one where you pull this ‘just one more mile’ garbage on me for five miles.” She glares at him so hard, I’m surprised he doesn’t whimper.
“I did that one time, babe.”
She purses her lips, still staring at him like she’s waiting for him to turn to stone. “We hiked back in the dark.”
He lays his hand over hers. “And we’ll carry those treasured memories with us for the rest of our lives.”
She snorts at his syrupy tone. “I’ll trust Ian to pick the hike.”
“I’ll come up with something that will have us home long before dark.” Possibly because I don’t want to miss seeing Tess and August tomorrow evening.
“Pierce will be relieved.” Steven’s wide grin unsettles me. It usually means trouble. “He’s been freaking out about your little sabbatical. He was afraid you’d never come back.”
“Yeah.” I can’t put much laughter behind it when I wasn’t sure I’d ever go back, either.
I’m even less sure now.