AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And I tried to kiss you, and you acted like it was a total surprise, and I felt awful.”
Heather nodded, understanding how that had played out in his head so much better now that she understood the whole submissive thing. “And after I backed away the first time, you went nearly four years before you tried again.”
“So, he got you to agree to see him again because it was a challenge?” Marcus asked. “The paintball thing?”
“Maybe. I mean, I liked him from the start, but I’d stopped trying to have relationships by then, but I love a good paintball battle, so I was up for it. And then, I agreed to go to his house because I trusted him by then, obviously — and I hadn’t made wine since my grandfather died, and Kyle had all the equipment,andhe was familiar with the process Gramps used, but that isn’t it, either.” She looked at Kyle. “We clicked, and I wanted to get to know you better, and then once I did, I couldn’t let it go past friends because then I might lose you.”
“We absolutely clicked. I wanted you in my life however I could get you, but you have to know I was always aiming to have you in my life romantically. I didn’t know how it would work, but you’re so strong and capable, I just knew you’d be okay allowing me to service you, to take care of the small stuff so you can go do the big stuff.”
Heather wanted to comment that Kyle wasn’t just there to handle the small stuff — he was a huge part of her life, but Marcus asked, “Four years of running together, birdwatching, paintball, winemaking, and what else?”
Heather lifted Kyle’s hand, kissed the back of it, then laced her fingers into his and settled their joined hands on the table before she told Marcus, “Somehow, Kyle became my person, you know? He’s the one I texted when I got a cool contract job I was excited about, the one I called when I got back into town from a grueling expedition and just needed to stuff my face and veg out in front of the television to recover. He fed me, he listened to me, and he tucked me into his super-comfy guest bed and then made a huge breakfast the next morning.”
“But you were my person, too,” Kyle said. “When Sam got shot and I was called in to sew her up after surgery to try to minimize the scarring from being shot in the chest at close range with a damned forty-five caliber bullet, but ended up having to sew up veins and arteries and muscles to help the thoracic surgeon and on-call trauma surgeon save her life,youwere the one who talked me down, afterward.”
Kyle hadn’t been in a good place the next day, and Heather had taken him out and gotten him rip-roaring drunk, and then had to babysit him forhoursuntil he’d fallen asleep. She wanted to move them away from that particularly painful topic, so she said, “Yeah, and you took me to Atlantic City to watch her husband fight a year or so later, despite the fact you aren’t a big fan of violence.”
“Sam and Ethan are good people,” Marcus said. “I’m so glad Sam bounced back from being shot.”
“It was close, during surgery,” Kyle said, and then he must’ve decided to change the subject, and he asked Heather, “Do you remember when we got roped into that pickleball tournament?”
Heather groaned. It’d been some charity something-or-other for the hospital, and Kyle felt obligated to participate. “No, you ropedmeinto it.” She rolled her eyes. “I still have that stupid trophy we won.”
“They werepissedthat we’d never played before and we somehow managed to win.”
“The two of you have seemed to be on the same channel, or wavelength, or however you want to put it since I first saw you together,” Marcus said, and he met Heather’s gaze. “I’m so glad the two of you are finally taking the next step. You’re good for him, and I’m pretty sure he’s good for you.”
Heather leaned into Kyle, and he wrapped his arm around her, and nothing else had to be said.
Chapter 11
The view from Signal Point has been called The Grand Canyon of the East, or sometimes the Little Grand Canyon. The big difference is that there are trees in Tennessee — lots and lots of green. As Heather, Kyle, and Marcus walked from the parking area to the Signal Point overlook, Heather was once again awed by the view, and she breathed in the beauty of nature. It didn’t matter that she’d seen it hundreds of times; this lofty spot high over the Tennessee River would always speak to her soul.
However, Kyle was silently freaking out at the height, focusing all his attention on the ground directly beneath his feet, and doing his best to ignore the view. Marcus was so busy observing Heather and Kyle that he damn near missed the beautiful vista, but Heather decidedsomeonewas going to enjoy it with her, so she pulled Marcus to the stone railing and insisted he take in the scenery with her. She jumped up to sit on the three-foot-tall stone wall that acted as a rail, and flipped her feet around so she was facing the right way. She heard Kyle’s intake of breath and realized that from his vantage point fifteen feet behind her, he probably thought there was a drop off on the other side of the wall, not realizing it was set back from the edge of the cliff.
“Kyle, I promised I would stay away from the edge, and I am. I’m sorry I scared you, but there isn’t a drop off here. I’m going to turn around and get down, then I want to walk you far enough so you can see what I’m talking about — okay?”
“I’m fine back here. I’ll take your word for it. I’m sorry I’m being such a wuss.”
She sighed. They should find something else to do. Heather understood Marcus wanted to push Kyle, but she just wanted to spend an enjoyable day with the two men. “No need to apologize, and you aren’t being a wuss. Maybe we can find something else to do — is there somewhere else you’d rather run?”
“No. We’re here and we’re doing this. I’m going to go back on the lawn area and stretch, then we can get started on the run.”
* * * *
Heather took the lead — the theory being that she was more familiar with the trail, and with trail running in general, so they could follow her. Once they got past the first couple of hundred yards, the next several miles of the trail were mostly in the woods and nowhere near the edge, so Kyle was fine. They stopped at Rainbow Lake for a breather, and to take a look at the lake. Kyle drew her into his arms, and Marcus stepped away from them. Heather didn’t want Marcus to feel like a third wheel, but she didn’t know what to do about it. She allowed Kyle to fold her into his arms for a short time, then drew away from him, holding his hand while they walked across the footbridge to Marcus.
Heather had planned to ask him if he was ready to keep going, but he spoke before she had a chance. “When you’re running, it’s like you go into a Zen trance — you become the trail. I’m nineteen inches taller than you, and I’m having a hard time keeping up while running at the pace of a mere human. Your feet land in great places; your body is perfectly balanced. It’s like a dance that’s been choreographed. You’rebeautifulwhen you run.”
Kyle had wrapped his arms around her from behind, and his chest vibrated behind her. “She’s amazing, isn’t she? It’s like the more challenging it is, the more she gets into it. The harder she pushes her body, the better it works for her.”
Heather wasn’t sure what to say. “Guys, it’s just trail running. If you need me to slow down some, I can. I figure I’ll have to slow down in the areas the trail gets near the edge, so we may as well get a good workout during this section, when we don’t see any of the view.”
Kyle stepped around her and pulled Marcus into a hug, and Marcus’s arms immediately went around Kyle, embracing him right back.
“Thanks, Marcus. Thanks forseeingher. I love her and I see it, but sometimes I think I’m the only one who sees her for how special she is.”
Marcus released one arm from Kyle and reached towards Heather, and she went to them. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow she was being held by both men. It felt good, but it also made her a little uncomfortable to be doing it where someone might walk up on them. “Okay guys, this is great and all, but maybe we can get done with the mushy stuff and run the rest of the trail?”
