Page 79 of Off the Trail

“I guess I thought if I cut you off, it would hurt less. But that’s not fair. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before. I was overwhelmed that you could want what I want. That you could feel what I feel.”

“I want you to be able to trust me.”

“I do trust you. I think I need to trust us.”

“You can,” I tell him, elation making my body feel light.

“Can you forgive me for being a jerk?” he asks.

That’s easy. “Already forgotten. Can you forgive me for skipping town on you?”

“You don’t have to be chained to Sanctuary Lake, Shawn. I can work on being okay if you have to leave sometimes.”

“And maybe sometimes we can go places together.” I can already think of half a dozen spots I want to take him, starting with my parents’ house in Florida.

“Yeah, maybe we can.” He laughs, relieved, and a little choked up, and I laugh, too, and then I remember I’m allowed to touch him, and I pull him into a full body hug, one that warms me up from the tip of my nose to the soles of my feet.

I’m about to seal the deal with a kiss, but Blaze freezes and whispers, “Shawn—look.” Slowly I turn around and see what he’s seeing—a black bear, about the size of a motorcycle, walking on all fours through the construction site. She’s not in a hurry, not afraid, doesn’t even seem to notice us, though I hold my breath and calculate how quickly Blaze and I could retreat to the safety of the Bronco’s front seats, anyway. But we don’t; we stay still and watch her plod her way through the site of Blaze’s future front yard on feet the size of catcher’s mitts. She’s not bothered by us, or Misty’s muted barking from the cab of the truck, or the snow falling steadily now, beginning to coat the wood pile and the cars in a layer of icy glitter.

Eventually, she reaches the edge of the cleared area and melts into the trees again.

“Wow.” I grab Blaze’s hand. “That was amazing.”

He smiles. “I told you there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“You were right.” Even though there was clearly no danger, my heart’s still beating extra fast at being that close to a large wild animal. Or maybe my heart’s beating that way because I’m so close to the man I love. I put my hand on his chin and kiss him with all the emotion in my galloping heart. Snow catches in my hair, on my eyelashes, dampening my coat, but I don’t care. Blaze and I make our own kind of warmth. I don’t care if we stay in this bubble the rest of our lives, as long as we’re together.

Our mouths break apart, my lips pleasantly puffy. Blaze’s cheeks above his beard are apple red.

“We should probably get home ourselves,” he says.

“Right.” The lakeside cabin is mine for a few more days, but I don’t have any desire to go back there alone.

“You wanna come to my place?” Blaze offers. “I can’t remember if Brooke’s there or not, but⁠—”

“Yes. I want that.” Even if his sister is there, it’s okay. We’ll have to get used to each other after all.

“Then let’s go home,” he says.

Brooke is there when we arrive, still in her work scrubs. She takes one look at our faces, and her answering smile is so big it looks painful. I touch my cheeks, not sure what she’s seeing there, but I imagine it looks something like a man in love.

“You’re back, Shawn.” She sends an eloquent glance at her brother. “I had a feeling you would be.”

“I’m back and I’m sticking around,” I say firmly.

“Good decision,” she says. She gives me a look I interpret as my brother is awesome, so I expect you to do right by him, and I give her a look back that I hope says, that’s my plan for the rest of my life.

She nods at me, our silent communication complete, and claps her hands together. “Well, I was going to make pasta. Sound good?”

“Sounds good except for the part where you’re cooking,” Blaze says. “That’s one thing I could never quite manage to teach her,” he says to me.

“Hey, I can cook,” she protests.

“Microwaving nachos isn’t cooking,” Blaze argues, stepping into the kitchen. “But it’s okay because I love you anyway, B.”

“Love you, too,” she says. “And I can open a bottle of wine.”

“Do that,” Blaze says while he rummages in the fridge, taking out an onion and a bell pepper.