She nodded, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She leaned forwards, her forehead resting against Hallie’s, cushioned by their hats. Hallie wanted to do this with her every year for the rest of time.
“I’ve never been to one of these places and just… enjoyed it,” Audrey whispered, like she was admitting to a terrible crime. “It’s always about the appearances and this weirdly competitive energy of who gets the best tree, and god forbid you pick one the others deem terrible. You’d never hear the end of it.”
When Audrey winced like she was remembering exactly what people had said about trees she’d picked, Hallie reached a hand up to stroke her cheek. It was cold and soft and gorgeous.
“You don’t have to worry about that here,” she promised. “All any of us wants from you today is for you to have fun. Wedon’t have to pitch any trees or we can pitch the worst possible option here and everything will be fine.”
Audrey breathed a laugh. “Is the worst possible option an absurdly large tree or a ridiculously tiny one?”
“Oh, it’s funnier if you go big. Wes loses it over how everyone’s read of tree size is shit in a forest.”
“Then, let’s definitely do that.”
“You got it.” She smiled. Standing with Audrey, holding her, breathing the same air, was like a dream, the best one she’d ever had. Her mind screamed at her that they needed to find a way to make this work. They couldn’t just walk away from each other.
“Would it be terrible if I kissed you right now?” Audrey asked, still a little unsure.
“It would be many things, butterriblewould not be one of them.”
Audrey hummed and moved in slowly to kiss her.
They’d kissed a lot last night—on the balcony, in bed—but this one felt so much different. No longer exploratory. Urgent, but in a different way. Not rushed.
Audrey kissed her slow and deep. Wanting, burning, buzzing with the need to have her closer.
It did not feel like the kind of kiss you walked away from, the kind of relationship you just gave up on. Hallie had kissed more than enough people to know when something felt real, and every little part of being with Audrey felt real.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Audrey was numb as she stood in front of Tracy’s home on Sunday morning. It was early. They had a long drive back, needed to pick up River and their things.
And drop Audrey at the airport for her flight home.
She’d never been so heartbroken to leave this place. But, then, she’d never loved Michigan the way she could when it was Hallie’s Michigan.
Luca smiled sadly at her, like he understood exactly what she was going through. All of the Fullers had the same expression. Maybe they all got it.
He pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t be a stranger, yeah?”
She nodded, not sure she could speak without crying. It was silly. She’d only just met them. But they’d welcomed her in, treated her like family, like she was safe and home with them.
Isaac threw his arms around the two of them, holding her alone for an extra moment when Luca stepped back to give them space. “We’ve loved having you. And, you have to come back because we need more fascinating bug facts.”
“Yeah,” Luca agreed readily. “You can’t leave us fools suffering out here without knowing anything.”
“You all know plenty,” she said weakly, amused but shattered.
“And we’ll know more with you around,” Wes said, moving in to scoop her up in a hug.
She gasped as he lifted her clean off the floor. It felt exactly like being a part of the family, something she’d never had with her own brother. “You’ll have your new arachnologist to talk to, you don’t need me.”
“I’ll throw you in the lake if you keep saying things like that,” he threatened good naturedly. “We could meet every spider specialist in the world and we’d still want you around.”
Audrey’s heart was already broken enough without the way his voice turned soft when he promised theywantedher around. They didn’t need her around for the optics, to have a punching bag in easy reach. They justwantedto spend time with her.
Sure, that would lessen the longer she was gone, but, for now, it felt real and that mattered more than she’d ever be able to explain.
Wes put her down, his eyes glistening with tears as he gave her a serious look, and Audrey didn’t know what to do with that. She was feeling like a fool for being upset for leaving them, but here he was, a whole great, happy family around him, and he was that sad about her leaving? She wasn’t sure she’d ever done anything that made her worthy of the Fullers.
