“A few months ago.” This time, there’s no overly emotional tone to my voice. It doesn’t hurt to talk about it. “I came to Sleepy Coldwater after receiving an invitation via email. I was going to pass it up because this year was rough on me mentally, but?—”
“You’re here,” he finishes for me.
I nod.
“I’m here.”
He stops and glances at me, making my lungs seize. I’m ashamed of how quickly this man pulls me in like gravity.
“Good,” he says. His voice is rougher than what I’m used to. Empathy flickers through his eyes as he stares at me longer.
He closes the distance, facing me, looking deeply past my blood and bones until I feel him inside me—something warm invades my swelling chest, and the need to feel how his lips would feel on mine enters my head. But then Gavin breaks the moment with a fast blink, catching himself before he can say or do anything more. He turns around, his tongue dragging against his lips before he gives me his back.
Was he thinking the same thing as me?
I press my lips together, trying to fight the fire he’s ignited.
“You’re stubborn, but you’re a good person. I know you are.”
“I’m not perfect.”
“None of us is,” he says.
During one of the most challenging moments of my life, I shut down completely. I didn’t want to talk or see anyone. Even when my sister reached out to help, I couldn’t get out of the hole I was sinking into. I didn’t give them a chance to be there for me.
Since coming to Alaska, I’ve found something to hold onto.
Hope.
My foot hits something hard. I look down and spot another shed. I yank it out of the snow and smile.
“I found its match!” I bristle, excitedly, twisting it around in my hand.
“Would you look at that?” He turns around and ambles toward me. He grins. Holy shit, Gavin’s smiling. And it’s the kind of smile that’s infectious. I can’t help but mirror it with my own. I miss being able to smile like this, but around Gavin, it’s instinct. I don’t even realize I’m doing it too.
“You’re finally pulling your weight around here. I don’t have to throw you out of my cabin today.”
“You know you can say, thank you, right? Say nice things?”
“It’s not a part of my vocabulary.”
“Right.” I roll my eyes before I take more antlers from hishands and add them to my collection. I stick out my tongue playfully, and I swear I spot a small smile, but he turns around before I can define it.
“What do you do for a living, Gavin? Rescue girls from wreckages?”
He chuckles.
“And you’re a veteran, correct? You were in the Navy?”
“Yes. I served 15 years in special operations before I got out. I loved it. I didn’t want to leave the teams, but I was forced—ordered to. There were multiple reasons. The main reason was that I got injured and could no longer do my job.” He takes something out of his pocket. It’s a knife. He twirls it around his palm. “I wanted to leave Alaska for good, but Merelyn needed me as she got older. She’s too prideful to say it, but I know she needs me. She has no one. No children or family nearby, but me. So I moved back home to the cabin. I’m a fisherman now, looking for Salmon, King Crabs, Snow Crab, and Halibut. I’ll leave for days to weeks on a boat with a crew.”
“That’s why Merelyn needs Georgia?”
He nods.
“I think Georgia likes you.”
I don’t know why I feel a curious pull toward Georgia’s and Gavin’s relationship. But there has to be history there.
