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“Perfect!” Avalon bubbled. “I’ll get it taken care of and reach out when it’s all set up.”
“We should get going now,” Damon said to Avalon.
Her shoulders fell with disappointment, but it only lasted a few seconds. Turning her attention to me, she opened her arms and pulled me in for a gentle hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
I hugged her back, loving the way she’d accepted me without hesitation. Even if the reason she was this way with me was because of Forrest, it was nice to not be judged. Coming from Birch Creek, people either already knew about me through my parents, or they knew about me from what had happened just a few months ago at that bar. Neither scenario painted a pretty picture for me. And it was becoming more and more obvious that getting away and starting over was the best thing for me to do.
“Thank you for being so friendly and for bringing my car here. I really appreciate your kindness,” I said, hugging her back.
When she loosened her hold on me, we both stood from the couch. Still feeling a bit of soreness, I was slower to move, and Forrest immediately moved toward me.
Together, we walked to the front door with Damon and Avalon to see them out. Something about it felt wonderful. It was such a simple act, but it felt oddly intimate and natural. Like we had been doing it for a long time.
Once we were at the door, Forrest said, “Thanks for stopping over tonight. We appreciate it.”
Damon shook his head, as though dismissing the thought. “You know it’s not a problem. Whatever we can do to help, just let us know.”
Forrest offered a nod in return, but I felt compelled to add something. “And thank you for being so welcoming to me. It has been a rough couple of weeks for me, and today was the worst of it. But in addition to Forrest, you both have been a bright light for me. It means a lot. More than I could probably ever express.”
Avalon reached out and gave my hand a squeeze. “We get it. I promise. And you’re welcome.”
I gave her hand a squeeze back. I already loved Steel Ridge, so I hoped Forrest had no intention of letting me leave.
After we all said goodbye and Forrest closed the door behind the two people who’d shown me kindness without any expectations of something in return, I looked up at him, let out a sigh of relief, and slid my arms around his waist as I planted my face in his chest. His arms wrapped around my body and held on tight enough to comfort me without aggravating my sore ribs.
Following a few minutes of silence, he asked, “Would you like to go upstairs and take a shower? I can show you where everything is, and then I’ll run out to grab whatever bags you have in your car.”
I pulled my face from his chest and stared into his blue irises. “You know, with the way things have been from the moment I met you, I’m going to have to do something really fantastic for you by the time Christmas rolls around. I feel like you’ve gone above and beyond to help me in unfortunate circumstances, and I haven’t really had the chance to return the favor.”
Forrest lifted a hand to the side of my head and brushed my hair back from my face. He smiled at me, his features warming in the sweetest way. When he settled his hand on the back of my skull, he said, “You’re here, sunshine. I don’t need anything else.”
I loved that he felt that way.
And although I believed he was genuine with his words, it didn’t change the fact I felt indebted to him.
Instead of arguing that point with him, I took a moment to ask him about something else.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You already know how I’m going to answer that,” he advised, his lips twitching.
I did.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t read through our entire string of text messages every night for six weeks.
“Right. Well, I guess I was just wondering how Avalon knew that I was new in town. I mean, I realize I’ve never stepped foot into Harper Security Ops before, and that this is a small town, but how would she know I didn’t already live here?”
More amusement washed over his face before a tenderness warmed his expression. “If you hadn’t already noticed, Avalon likes to talk to people. So, it should come as no surprise that about a week after I returned from my trip and was not being my typical self, Avalon questioned me about it. I told her about you.”
I blinked my eyes in surprise.
It was one thing for Forrest to admit to me that he’d been thinking about me every day for the last six weeks, but to know that he had shared the truth of my existence with one of his coworkers did something to me I hadn’t ever experienced in my life.
Warmth and longing moved through me.
He was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
At this point, even if he didn’t want anything to do with me, I wasn’t sure I could accept it. I would have been a fool to allow him to walk away.
