“You’re going places.”
“Sometimes I wish they weren’t such faraway places,” she whispered.
“Yeah, me, too.” His voice sounded a bit gruff. “But Georgia’s not so far away. You can still visit, and we’ll come see you, too.”
“Yes.”
They were quiet for a few beats, just clinging to each other while she tried to think of a way that leaving him behind in Haven didn’t totally suck.
“We’re going out tonight to celebrate,” she said.
“Yeah?”
She nodded against his neck. “I don’t know the details yet, but Gabby’s rounding everyone up.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ve got some business in town this afternoon, was on my way there when I saw your missed call. I’ll come by and pick you up later?”
“Okay.”
He pulled back to look into her eyes. “Not that I ever doubted you’d get in, but seriously…congratulations. This is great news.”
Her eyes grew misty. “Thanks.”
“I’ve got to run, but I’ll see you soon, okay?” He pulled her in and kissed her, hard, then headed for his bike.
Emma watched him go, her emotions tumbling like a whirlwind inside her. Maybe she was feeling a little homesick about leaving them all behind—Ryan especially—but she wasn’t going to let it ruin her celebration tonight or her plans for the future. She was going to get her degree and start her own landscape design company. And hopefully the rest of her life would fall into place behind it.
* * *
Ryan pulled up in front of Emma’s apartment a few hours later and cut the engine. She walked out her front door, dressed in snug jeans and a blue jacket, her eyes wide.
“What’s this?” she asked, eyeing his new ride.
He swung out of the cab and grinned at her. “We needed a way to move equipment and gear around the property, and I knew a guy selling a truck.”
“So you bought a pickup truck?” She ran her hand over the hood.
“Sure did. What do you think?”
“I like it. It suits you, I think.” She glanced over at him, her lips curved in a soft smile.
“The bike suits me better, but it sure doesn’t help me move lumber across the property to make repairs on the zip-line platforms.”
“I think there’s room in your life now for the bikeandthe truck.” She was still smiling, and he got the feeling she was talking about something more than just moving lumber. But okay, yeah, it had been frustrating that he couldn’t drive Trent anywhere. Ryan wasn’t a lone wolf anymore. Sometimes a man needed a passenger seat.
And a truck bed.
He glanced at the empty truck bed, then at Emma. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“We might need to christen it at some point,” she said with a wink.
“I think that’s a definite.”
She giggled as she walked around to the passenger side. “So I hear we’re meeting everyone at The Drunken Bear.”
“That’s the plan. Ethan and Gabby will be coming late after he finishes coaching the swim team at the high school.”
He cranked the engine and drove them into town. Climate control was nice and all, but he missed the rush of riding on his bike. Holding Emma’s hand as he drove through town was pretty nice, too, though. Maybe she was right. Maybe there was room for both vehicles in his life.
