“Does it get easier?” I whisper.
His eyes meet mine, and I study the gold flecks in them as he looks at me. Finally, his shoulders drop with a long sigh, and he shakes his head.
“No.”
“Oh.” I fiddle with the bright white gauze as Denver packs the medical kit away.
“But you find a way to carry on without them. You get stronger,” he says.
He wraps his hands around my elbows and helps me to my feet.
I study him as I stand. There’s heartache in his eyes that I’ve never seen. Maybe because he’s never spoken about it before, I missed it. Or maybe he hid it so well because he didn’t want me to see.
“Was it Dixie’s?—?”
A flash of pain lances across his face.
“I’m sorry,” I say in a rush. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be away from your child so much because your relationship with their other parent broke down.
The few times I’ve seen him on his phone is the only time I’ve seen Denver almost smile. And now I get it. It’s when he’s been speaking to Dixie, or her mom has sent a photo to him.
“Have you ever considered the two of you… I don’t know? Could you?—?”
“No.”
It’s one harsh word, fired at me. And the matching anger in Denver’s eyes as he says it has me clamping my lips together.
“It is what it is,” he says more softly, reaching down to grab his shirt. It’s got my blood on it.
“I’m sorry, I’ll get you a new one,” I say.
Denver stuffs it into his bag and tosses it over his shoulder.
“Don’t. It’s old.” He glances at me. “You okay to walk back?”
“What choice do I have? A piggy-back?” I give him a small smile, the knot in my stomach easing as the tension in his shoulders softens.
“You know I’d carry you,” he says, his face serious.
We look at one another for a few beats before I shrug.
“I can manage. It’s only my hand.” I start walking ahead of him, then look back over my shoulder. “I think hikes might grow on me.”
“You said you loved hiking.”
“I lied.”
“I know.”
Something about the way he holds my eyes has my core heating.
“But they could actually grow on me after today.”
“Really?” He arches a brow.
“No.”
He breathes out with what sounds like an almost chuckle. “Come on, Princess. Let’s get you back to civilization.”
