Chapter Eighteen
ZOEY
We went to my place first and then Colton’s to change into comfortable clothes for our day out. The drive to Melrose only took half an hour.
“I’ve never been here,” I said, looking around. “I can’t believe we’re so close to Salem too. I’ve always wanted to go.” I’d seen a few signs along the way.
It looked very colorful, with leaves ranging from green to yellow. We parked just off Washington Street. The trail was close by.
"This looks so dreamy," I said after we got out of the car. "Have you been here before?"
"No. I jog a lot, but I'm not into hiking."
I frowned. "So wait, what are we doing here, then?"
"You said you enjoy being out in nature."
"If we weren't surrounded by other cars and incoming hikers, I would jump your bones right now. Just thought you should know."
He grinned. "Keep that thought for later."
He took my hand, and we went straight onto the trail. It wasn’t too easy to traverse, as there were lots of roots and leaves, making the walk a tad challenging.
“Oh look, people brought their dogs too. I’ve always wanted a dog, a Lab maybe. But I need a bigger place first.” I took in a deep breath. "I love the smell of the forest."
Colton wasn't saying anything. He was looking at me. "I like seeing you like this, all relaxed."
“I like enjoying the present.”
“Something I’ve yet to learn. My mind is constantly on other things.”
“I hope not work.”
He nodded. “Sort of. I was thinking about Browning.”
“Oh, his name rings a bell. I’ve seen a few emails from him asking about updates.”
“Browning is my mentor. He’s been with Whitley Biotech for about twenty years and knows the business forward and backward.”
“He worked with your dad too?”
“Yes, but he was actually a good friend of Mom’s. After everything went downhill, he was sort of like a father figure to me. I can’t wait to introduce you to him, although he’s rarely at the office these days.”
“I can’t wait to meet him, whenever that may be.”
I was thrilled that he wanted me to meet his mentor.
A few minutes later, we reached the Cascade. It was beautiful, but I couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. I’d hoped this would have taken us longer. Maybe there were more trails around here we could take.
Colton stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as we watched the waterfall. There were quite a few hikers around us, and more were arriving. But we were nestled in a nook among the greenery, shielded a bit from view.
"Thanks for bringing me out here,” I murmured.
“Thought you might like it because you said you enjoyed going camping with your parents.”
“Thanks for listening to what I say.”
"How could I not?"
I laughed softly. "I don't think I've ever dated someone who took what I said seriously.”
Colton turned me around. "What do you mean?"
"My last ex seemed to think I was a piece of decor or something. No matter how many times I suggested we do stuff and even offered to arrange it, he never had time. Honestly, I don’t think he liked being around me that much."
"Why were you even with him?" he asked.
"I thought… I don’t know, that relationships are supposed to be worked on. After the guy with the whole Tinder thing I dated someone who forgot about my birthday."
"What the hell?"
"We hadn't been dating for long, but still. It made me feel like I was the last thing on his mind, and I have too much self-respect for that. He admitted I wasn’t a priority for him."
I pasted a huge smile on my face.
"And that doesn't bother you?" Colton seemed perplexed.
"Of course it does. I just don't like to admit it, or dwell on it."
"Zoey, it's fine to be bothered by things and have expectations of people."
I frowned. "You think I don't have expectations?”
“Am I wrong?"
I frowned, considering this, then wrapped my hands around the back of his neck even though there were plenty of people around us. I wanted to be close to him, and I couldn't care less. I wasn’t into PDA, but right now, I wanted the world to know I was with this man.
"I don't know. I'm always thinking that if I don't expect a lot from people, they can't disappoint me. Maybe that's why I never expected much of my relationships."
He nodded, threading his fingers through my hair. He really seemed to love doing that.
"I wouldn't know. The last relationship I had was years ago. I don't even remember how it ended."
"But you're not a big believer in relationships, are you?" I asked.
He let go of me, and we sat down on one of the big dry rocks. I liked hearing the water all around us.
“I’ve always focused on Whitley Biotech. And after how my parents’ marriage ended, that wasn’t a box I wanted to check.”
"I understand that.” Watching your whole family disintegrate would probably leave you with deep scars.
"You know what's interesting? My parents are super happy and in love, and somehow I’ve never dreamed about a big wedding or even fantasized about relationships.
I'm not sure that we always want to walk in our parents' footsteps. I think I was always focused on my career. I wanted to have a solid financial situation before I even considered having a family.” Saying that out loud made me realize that perhaps I had been influenced by certain experiences in my childhood.
“I love my parents, but I want my children to feel financially secure.
That's always been a heavy weight on me and my brothers.
I want to give my kids whatever they want and need—within reason. "
Colton smiled. I uncrossed my legs.
"You are a generous soul, Zoey."
I opened my mouth, but I didn't manage to say anything because a splash of ice-cold water startled me. I jumped to my feet. So did Colton.
He stepped in front of me the next second, taking the brunt of the water. Several teenagers were laughing. One had pushed another in the water, and he was not amused. He was shouting something about pneumonia.
Damn, I wouldn't want to be him. The water looked dreamy, but it wasn't nearly warm enough to be in it.
Colton and I moved farther from the edge. When he turned around, I grinned. His T-shirt was plastered to his abs.
"I would feel sorry that you're wet and probably cold if I wasn't so amazed by how sexy you are."
He laughed. "Conflicted much?"
"Very much."
I licked my lips, fighting to keep my hands to myself. I definitely couldn’t feel him up in public, even though no one was paying attention to us.
"I think we better get back," I said. "I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."
He grinned but didn't say anything. He was probably onto me. I mean, I wanted his sexy body, too, but in my defense, I wanted to get back home so he could change into something dry.
Once in the car, he turned on the heat.
"Will you look at that. It's not even as soaked as I thought," I said, pouting.
"Want me to pour a bottle of water on top of my head?"
I playfully swatted his shoulder. "It's all your fault for being so sexy. You're putting ideas in my head. Are we going home?" I asked eagerly.
He grinned. "No, but interesting to know that's what you want to do."
"So, what are we doing?" I asked.
Again, I was torn. On the one hand, I wanted to see what else he had planned. On the other, I kind of wanted to be alone with him. I felt closer to him after we'd both shared such intimate things in front of the waterfall.
He gunned the engine, and as the car jerked forward, I noticed the address he'd put into the navigation app on his phone.
"We're going to Salem?" I asked.
He winked at me. "Yeah. You said you want to go."
I felt warm everywhere. I had so many fuzzy feelings inside me that I couldn't even explain what was going on. I'd never felt anything like this.
"Thanks for this day," I said. "I wouldn't have taken you for a spontaneous kind of guy."
"I'm not usually, but I'm doing my best for you."
I spent the rest of the car ride looking up info on Salem and talking his ear off about the various details. I couldn't hide my excitement; I was practically dancing in the seat.
Once we arrived, I looked around curiously. The hair at the back of my neck stood on end, probably because I mostly associated it with the Salem witch trials. We passed a gorgeous flower shop inside a building with pink wood. The one next to it was white, and the next ones were pink again.
“Oh, look up there—hot air balloons. I’ve always wanted to try one.”
We even passed the Salem Witch Museum, a building in a Gothic style with a wrought-iron fence.
“What do you want to start with?” I asked. “There are walking tours starting every hour, but maybe we should go to the museum first. It’s going to get more crowded later in the day. There was already a line at the ticket counter when we passed it.”
“The museum it is, then.”
He found a parking spot easily enough. After getting out of the car, I inspected his T-shirt. Damn—it wasn’t wet at all anymore. But I’d get plenty of opportunities to see him naked later.
We went straight to the museum, standing in line. Colton wrapped his arms around me in a sexy bear hug. I grinned, shimmying my hips against him. He grunted, a very small and weak sound, but I heard it.
Ah, how can life be so amazing?
I was here with this fantastic man who'd whisked me away on this impromptu trip. Even though just this morning, he’d been worrying about his grandmother.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"That you're a fantastic man," I whispered.
"You really think that?"
"Well, yeah. You're perfect."
He stiffened a bit.
"I just like making you happy," he said.
"See? That's the perfect thing to say," I whispered back.
I had no idea what Colton and I had, but it was more than a fling. And my heart was immensely happy about it.