He walked over to join her and laughed. “Who would have thought a photographer would have captured us when we were little and sold the photo to put up on a wall of the cabin we’re staying at?”
“Pretty cool.”
“Dad wouldn’t have thought so. Mom either.”
“Yeah, they would have chased the photographer off for certain.”
They carried their bags into the bedroom and set them next to the rustic wooden chest of drawers. The bed was covered with a patchwork quilt showcasing a large grizzly bear.
The full kitchen had large granite counters for easy meal preparation and full-size appliances, but no oven, just a stovetop, microwave oven, and fridge. They put away their groceries.
Kendra opened the door to the private deck, and they walked out onto it, where a propane barbecue took up one side and seating for six made it ideal for unexpected guests. Great to wind down after a day spent ziplining and water rafting.
“We could go for a swim and go down the waterslide too.”
“Absolutely.” Grayson wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of his head. “I noticed we have complimentary bear spray, too, if we go on a hike.”
“That’s great. I brought some too. We’re only seven minutes from Glacier National Park. We could take a walk, but not as bears.” She rubbed his arms. “Not after what happened to you.”
He took a deep breath and let it out. “Yeah, and you. We certainly don’t want a repeat of what we went through. But it would be nice to take a walk in the woods while we’re here. Not at night though.”
“When the bears are foraging, no. We have time before lunch. Let’s get into our bathing suits and go play in the water.”
“I’m all for that.” They headed into the bedroom and dug around in their luggage. He pulled out a pair of coral swim shorts covered in palm trees.
She smiled. “You look like you’re ready for the tropics.”
“Yeah, Ivy got these for me for my birthday last year. And a shirt that matches, but I don’t wear that.”
“Why not. It would look great on you.” Though she loved to see his shirtless chest. She pulled out a blue bathing suit covered in pink roses, removed her clothes, then slipped into her one-piece.
He finished taking off his clothes, pulled on his swim trunks, and pulled her into a hug. “You are exquisite.”
“You, sir, are a charmer. Truly, when we first met?—”
“You mean when you tased me?” He smiled and arched a brow.
She smiled. “Uh, yeah, you were pretty tense and angry. Considering that you were trying to save your sister and I thwarted you, it was understandable. Since then, you have shown me a totally different side of you. Loving—cuddling, snuggling, taking care of me whenever I need your help, kind—the way you have gone after Ivy’s kidnappers, stopping Ivan from eating anyone else’s DoorDash meal orders, protective—again with Ivy and with me, romantic—I never expected you had set up a dinner date at the steak restaurant and ordered a bouquet of flowers. You have it all.”
He embraced her and kissed her mouth. “You are heroic…”
“Heroic.”
“Yeah, not too many grizzly female shifters would attack an aggressive, wild male bear in a fight with another. And you’re generous—you didn’t need to buy Ivy such an expensive birthday gift, and yet you were eager to do it. You’re welcoming—the whole family loved you at once, me especially. And you’re adventurous and resourceful. I love you.”
They kissed and hugged, glad they had made the commitment to each other. Then they smiled and grabbed beach towels and bags. They climbed downstairs to the pond, where the bounce slide and bounce house were. They waded into the water quickly, the cold shocking their ankles and then their knees. They both dove in to get over the shock.
They chased each other in wide arcs, ducking under, coming up sputtering, their hair dripping wet. Kendra floated on her back for a minute, closing her eyes against the sun. She drifted to where Grayson was quietly treading water. She hooked her foot around his calf and dunked him. He surfaced coughing, but when he wiped his face, his eyes were soft, and he laughed at her.
He closed the gap between them, and she let herself be pulled in, her arms around his neck, her cheek pressed to his cold, wet shoulder. Even though the other guests there were laughing and shouting, it seemed like the pond was quiet for a long moment, just the gentle slap of water, their breathing, just them alone in the beauty of the world. She shivered.
Better than a bathtub, though colder, but they couldn’t do a lot here because families were sliding on the slide and playing in the bounce house.
After a while, the kids left the slide to get lunch with their parents at the coffee shop.
“Do you want to go down the bounce slide?” Kendra asked.
“Sure, let’s do it.”
