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We all took off after her, which she found to be a fun little game. I reached the puppy first, scooping her up and snuggling her in my arms.
“You’re a menace, Mia, and I love you. I missed you, sweet girl,” I said as I kissed her little face and scratched her belly. She returned the kisses but wiggled around in my hold until I put her on the ground, keeping the leash firmly in my hand this time.
Mia led the way through the forest, letting her nose guide us. I still needed to run to the pet store and get things like training treats and enroll her in a training class, but for now, I was just happy we were all getting some fresh air, and she was getting to live her best life.
She seemed so happy running from spot to spot, sniffing and barking, even stopping to howl a time or two.
Part of me wished that we could stay out here in the forest just outside of town, close enough that if we needed anything we could run into town for it, yet far enough that the sounds of nature were prominent and fresh air was abundant.
It was doing good for my soul.
Once we looped around the trail and came back out the other side, Riven started telling Drew and Micah our plan.
“The next destination we have to go to is an old campground. We’re going to go get our camping gear, Drew, and see what we can salvage. If not, we’ll buy some extras. Enough for everybody to be able to join us.”
“That sounds like fun,” Micah said with a grin. I was glad that they were not angry with each other after their little spat this morning. He just seemed happy to go on the next adventure with us.
“Wait, Shaye, did you want to do this, too? No offense, I just didn’t know if you were the camping type,” Drew asked. His thick eyebrows turned down as he waited for my answer.
“It was my idea,” I admitted. “If my smell is strong enough that I can’t go into town, at least we can do this for a few days. We have to go anyway and may as well enjoy something new. Plus, Mia’s going to love it.”
“We should grab one of those tethers and cables so she can explore without getting lost,” Micah suggested, joining in on the excitement. I loved the way it lit up his green eyes. “We’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t wrap herself around a tree or something.”
“We’re going to stop at the unit on the way back,” Riven said. “At least I brought the truck.”
“Did you guys find food?” I asked Micah and Drew. My stomach was about to eat itself. I’d been so eager to get out the door that I hadn’t even bothered to have a snack or anything before all this exercise, and my body was still recovering from heat.
“We did. Why don’t you guys find a spot or head inside, whatever you choose, while we go grab it,” Drew suggested. His fingers brushed mine as he passed, and I felt that familiar heat creep up my chest and into my cheeks.
Just one touch from them, and I was flustered. The effect they had on me was unnerving at times. And my guys didn’t bother to hold themselves back when it came to touching me. Micah was probably the biggest culprit. If he was near, his hands were on me. Drew and Lake would give me small touches here and there. Riven just grabbed me and put me in his lap when the need struck him.
Riven was so impatient that he hurried us through lunch, barely letting us finish the array of sandwiches, chips, and cookies before he was ushering us to the truck.
Drew and Micah followed behind us as we drove through town and out the other side. The storage unit was only a few minutes outside of town, set among the fields.
The chain-link fence and cluster of buildings looked out of place out here. Riven drove up to the chain-link gate and put a code in. When it started to slide open he drove past, heading for the back corner.
He parked in front of a wide unit and we all hopped out and waited around as he found the key on his key ring. Mia barked at us through the window, not looking the least bit happy that we forced her to stay inside.
When he started to roll the door up, I expected there to be chaos inside. Instead, it was like the inside of a sporting goods store. They had sturdy metal shelves, and each was lined with different supplies. Everything was clean and well taken care of, and I even noticed some bug traps along the edges so their stuff stayed intact.
“We’ve got a couple of tents, but I think if we grab these two, that’ll be enough. We can always sleep in one and use the other for our supplies,” Riven said as he started grabbing one off the shelf. He handed it off to Micah, who put it in the back of the truck.
Riven and Drew sorted through the shelves, handing things over to whoever was closest until the back of the truck was full of gear. They had everything we could think of from cook stoves, to camping utensils, wash buckets, water storage, an outdoor solar-powered shower… the works.
Seeing Drew and Riven so excited had the rest of us joining in.
“Remember that time we went camping? I think it was right before we went into high school,” Lake said to me. He slid his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. I leaned back into him and smiled at the memory.
“Yes, and we thought it was a good idea to tell each other spooky stories. I think we even had a book for it.”
“We did, and it was a terrible plan,” Lake snorted. “I think I was more scared than either of you ever were. It was just getting dark and both of us were scaring each other to a point that we were screaming every time something moved outside the tent, which was often since the raccoons were trying to pilfer the garbage.”
“Oh my god, I forgot about them. You could see their little shadows on the side of the tent as they tried to get into the trash cans.”
“At least we don’t have things like bears out here,” Drew said. “Riven and I went camping one time out in Tennessee. I woke up in the middle of the night thirsty and started to open the tent only to see a bear waiting. I’d never moved so quietly as I did to zip that back up and sit down. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to notice me, but I don’t think I slept again that night.”
“I slept like a baby,” Riven laughed.
