“Good, because otherwise you’ll be stuck with me until I can get my car out.” Her smile told me she was teasing, but I wouldn’t mind being stuck with her. Maybe even for forever.
“I think I can handle that.” The thought should have sent chills racing up and down my spine, but it didn’t. I was done fighting. Done trying to handle everything on my own. My kids already loved her, and she fit into our lives perfectly, like she was meant to be there.
“Really?” A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
“Who wouldn’t want to hog tie themselves to the hog calling champion of Big Wood?” I leaned down to kiss her, wishingwe had more time, but knowing deep down this was just the beginning.
“So, I guess I’ll see you at work? How do you want to play this? Should we pretend like nothing happened?”
“No.” I sucked in a deep breath, steeling myself for the onslaught of questions and gossip that would swirl around us the second everyone found out we were together. “I like you Delaney.”
“Gee, I like you too, Jace.” That infectious giggle slipped out again, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“And I don’t care who knows. We’ll figure it out as we go and I want to talk to the twins about it before they hear rumors from someone else, but I don’t want to hide.” Not when I’d come to the conclusion that a life without Delaney in it wasn’t really living.
“Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”
“I’ll see you in a bit. Oh, and maybe you could come over for dinner this weekend. Eli’s been hoping you could give him some tips on his hog calls and Wren would probably love to show you some of the sketches she has at home.” Even if Wren hadn’t opened up to me yet, she clearly trusted Delaney.
“I’d like that a lot.”
“Then it’s settled. Coffee’s on the stove. Thought you might need a little caffeine this morning since you didn’t get much sleep last night.” I grinned and ducked as the pillow she sent sailing my way flew past my head.
A half hour later I pulled up in front of Walker’s house.
Eli raced out to meet me. “Did you really spend the night out in the rain, Dad? Walker said Delaney got lost on the trail, but you found her.”
“Let’s get your sister and I’ll fill you both in on the way home.” We entered the kitchen where breakfast was in full swing.
Walker arched his brows and gave me a look that said he could tell exactly what I’d been up to all night long. “Coffee?”
“Yeah, thanks.” I took the mug he handed me.
“Pretty rough storm last night. Everything go okay?”
“Besides the bridge washing out?” I asked. Though if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have stayed and been forced to acknowledge my feelings for Delaney.
“Sounds like that might have been divine intervention based on that smug smile you’ve been sporting since you walked in the door. Do you want to tell me what that’s all about?”
“Nope.” I held the mug to my lips and took a long sip.
“Asshole,” he mumbled under his breath.
I chuckled. Not even being insulted by one of my best friends could bring down my mood this morning. “Eli, Wren, grab your stuff. We need to get home so you can make it to camp on time.”
Walker shook his head but didn’t press me for more information. He knew about my history with women. About how hard it was to piece myself back together when Michelle walked out and left me with two toddlers and a broken heart. But this thing with Delaney… it felt solid. It felt real.
I wasn’t afraid of where we were headed or what would come next. I was looking forward to it.
CHAPTER 11
DELANEY
The call came during lunch.We’d spent the morning finishing up our nature journals, and I’d planned an afternoon full of games in the clearing behind the park office. While the kids chatted and laughed, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and glanced at the number. I didn’t recognize anything but the New York area code. Assuming it was a telemarketer, I let it go to voicemail.
I was struggling to get by on just a couple of hours of sleep thanks to Jace. Just thinking about last night made my cheeks flush with heat. I ducked back inside the building to grab my own lunch before one of the kids caught me blushing like a teenager with a crush.
My phone beeped, signaling a new voicemail. I unlocked my screen so I could confirm it was nothing but froze when the first few seconds played. It was a woman from an environmental nonprofit I’d worked with on a project during grad school. They were looking for an outreach coordinator for their wildlife programming team. Full-time hours, a nice salary, and competitive benefits.
