I sip my coffee, savoring the warm, sweet caramel taste.
“But now that you’re here?” he says. “I just want to make you happy. And to show you what you mean to me.”
“You do,” I tell him. “Trust me. And not just because Danny fell so short in being anything close to the man he needed to be. You’re just so present. And you make me feel wanted.”
“Because you are.” He clears his throat. “I want you, Hallie. However much you have to give. That’s what I want.”
I take another sip of coffee, washing down thoughts of how much Greyson is coming to mean to me—not only because he is Ace, but the man he is now and the connection we have. My feelings for him are growing the more time we spend together. And I still have to consider Mia and her needs. But this morning, I’m going to set that all aside and just enjoy this rare time alone with Greyson.
“So should we just spend the day staring into one another’s eyes over our coffees?” I ask.
“As fun as that sounds, I thought I’d take you on a hike.”
“I’d love a hike.”
“Great. Finish that—take your time—and we can head out. Did you eat?”
“I had a protein drink.”
“I can cook you something.”
“I’m good.”
“Lunch, then.”
“Okay. Lunch sounds good.”
I finish my coffee and Greyson and I take the Jeep to a place he knows about a half hour outside town. We walk the trails through a gorge filled with oak, maple, and hickory, sharing stories about our lives before I came to Waterford. The earth is damp underfoot and a distinct after-rain smell fills the air. Spring buds cover every branch, and the rush of water and birdsong is our soundtrack. We come to a spot where cascading falls fan across stepped rock, with a deep pool beneath them.
“People swim here as soon as it’s hot out. It gets a little crowded.”
“Your favorite,” I tease him, bumping against him slightly.
He wraps his arm around me and tugs me close. “I like people,” he says, looking down into my eyes with a smile.
“Do you?”
“I like you. And Mia.” He smiles.
My heart clenches at the declaration. Tears threaten to spring out of my eyes.
“She likes you too.”
“And you?”
“I find you very tolerable.”
“Tolerable, huh?” he tugs at my back where he’s got his hands wrapped behind me.
“More than tolerable,” I say.
He leans in and kisses me, running his hand gently down my cheek.
“Okay. A lot more than tolerable.”
“That’s what I thought,” he says, releasing me and clasping my hand in his.
We walk further into the woods and then circle outanother side of a loop, passing smaller falls that come down in a single, powerful stream. Then we arrive back at the Jeep.
