“Thank you.”
They mounted the machines, and Maya motioned for him to take the lead. Zigzagging up the mountain on the snow-covered paths and through the woods was exhilarating. Just like when she was a teen, without a care in the world. She crested the top and allowed the machine to slow. Gideon was slightly ahead of her, and she glided to a stop beside him. “That was amazing.”
“Look.”
She gazed out over the panoramic scene and took in the beauty. “I remember coming up here to watch the sunrises with my dad.” She cut her eyes over to him. “You and Vance were always too lazy to get up. Sully, too, when he joined us.” Collin Sullivan, a.k.a. Sully, her cousin who was a special agent with the FBI.
He laughed. “I made it a couple of times.”
“Hmm. So you say. I never saw you here.”
“Well, I did, I promise. How is Sully by the way?”
“Doing well. Loves his job putting the bad guys away. Kinda wish he was here with us right now, to be honest.”
“Yeah, that would be nice.” He laughed again, and when the laughter faded, there was that look again.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“That you haven’t changed much.”
“Meaning?”
“You were always the one who could make me laugh no matter what was going on in the world—or in my head.”
“Me? How so?”
He shrugged. “Back then, it mostly had to do with Jacob and learning to laugh again.”
Her heart still hurt when she thought about Jacob. “That was a tough time for everyone.”
“After Jacob was killed, Mom was never really the same. She tried to put on a good show for us, but you could tell underneath her exterior, the light was never quite as bright as it was before he died.”
“I know,” Maya said, her voice soft while she remembered the young man full of life and potential. “Things were never the same for any of us after that. I don’t see how they could ever be. But we all learned to laugh and live again. In time.”
“Not Mom,” Gideon said. “She was really angry with me for going into the army. She ranted and raved for days when I finally told her.”
“What? Why?”
“She had already lost one son, and now her other and only remaining son was putting himself in danger. On purpose. She asked me how I could do that to her.” He shook his head. “But that was my dream—I’ve wanted to join the army since I was just a kid playing with the little green army men in the sunroom. And she knew that. I actually talked to a therapist about the whole thing, and he was a very wise person who convinced me that I could not live my life for my mother. That she would come around.”
“And did she?”
“I think so. Now that I’m safe and out of the army. For a long time, she would hardly talk to me.”
“Your mother? No way.”
“Trust me. It was tense.” He glanced at her. “When I was home and we all hung out, you were the one who could make me laugh.”
She dropped her gaze and tried to ignore the heat climbing into her cheeks. “I’m glad. I didn’t like seeing you sad.” She shrugged. “But truthfully? I can’t see your mom being that way. I’m sorry.”
He shot her a tight smile. “That’s all in the past. Let’s grab the food and eat. I’m starving. How about you?”
So he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Fine. “I can always eat.”
They enjoyed the simple meal and surface conversation, which Maya wished would go deeper, but they’d only just reconnected, so keeping it light was probably best. Getting involved with Gideon—assuming he was even interested—was really not the best idea. Not with the scars and baggage she was still dealing with.
He looked at her. “Do you wanna go hiking for a little bit?”
