“No, I will. I have to get up early for practice, so this will be better. I won’t have to worry about waking you up.”
“I have to get up early, too. I’ll be fine out there.” She reaches for her suitcase, but I’m quick to heft it out of her reach and place it by the oak dresser on the left side of the room.
I finish stripping the bed so that I can change the sheets. Thinking of her sleeping in my bed does funny things to my head, but I push those feelings down, just like I always have. “Nana would have my hide if she found out I let you sleep on the couch.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “I won’t tell her if you don’t.”
“I will if you keep being stubborn about it.” I give her a challenging stare.
The way her shoulders slant tells me she’s about to relent. Nana may be my grandmother, but she claimed Bree as her own the first day she walked into our house and introduced herself with the caveat that she didn’t have grandparents.
I think Nana fell in love with ten-year-old Bree at that moment, and I may have a little, too.
Bree crosses her arms. “Fine, but I’ll find something as soon as possible so you can have your bed back. And your living room.”
“I’m not worried about it, Bree. Like I said, my home is yours for however long you need it.” I toss the dirty sheets by the door.
We still have to share the closet and the dresser, but I’m certain we can make it work. It’s not like we never stayed together before. Our families used to camp together every summer, so I’m sure we’ll find a rhythm, just like we did then.
I grab my basic toiletries out of the bathroom. “I’ll put these in the half bath and use yours to shower.”
She gives me a bewildered look as I walk past her. “But?—”
“It’s fine. As you said, you’ll find a place. Until then, I’m glad you’re here.”
I swear I see tears in her eyes when she nods, but as she looks down, her blonde hair falls forward, shielding her face.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I dump the stuff I’m holding onto the carpet at my feet and pull her into a hug. She tucks her hands between us with the side of her face pressed against my chest. If she notices how fast my heart is racing, she says nothing. But if she did, I’d blame it on stripping the bed—a lame excuse for a hockey player who works out four to six hours a day.
Her messy bun tickles my chin and fills my nose with her sweet honeysuckle scent again. I can’t help wondering what it would feel like to brush my lips over her temple and then kiss?—
Nope, shutting that down right now. “Want to talk about it?”
Shock waves rip through me when she buries her face against me. My shirt muffles her voice. “Not really.”
I run my hand down her back, enjoying her closeness more than I should. “Okay, but I’m here when you’re ready.”
“I’m fine. Really. Just tired from the road trip.”
She’s lying. Bree only tacks on the word ‘really’ when she’s trying to hide the truth. But I won’t push because she’ll just clam up more if I do. Bending over, I scoop up my toiletries. “I’ll grab some clean sheets.”
What made me think this would be easy? Oh,right. I thought a year of no communication would nix my feelings for her.
Guess that saying about absence making the heart grow fonder has some merit.
After I arrange my shaving and soap paraphernalia in the corner by the sink in the half-bath, I grab a set of fresh linens from the closet. When I return to the bedroom, Bree’s curled up on her side on the bed, my pillow clutched against her, and sound asleep. I place the sheets at the end of the mattress and tug the comforter over her legs.
She looks so peaceful except for a crease between her brows, as if she’s worrying in her sleep. My fingers twitch with the desire to smooth away whatever’s causing it.
Obviously, she wasn’t lying about being tired, but I know Bree, and this version of her is just a shadow of the confident and vivacious woman I know…and love.
A simmering anger burns deep inside me as I imagine what could have happened to her over this last year. Was it her job? Or the boyfriend she never talked about?
One way or another, I intend to find out.
Chapter Four
BREE
