“Excuse you, I’m the heart and soul of this place,” Seth scoffed, and then his eyes glittered as he looked over his shoulder. “But someone else is looking at you like you’re the moon and the stars.”
I frowned, but then he turned me around by the shoulders and I saw exactly what he was talking about.
Ward.
14
Ward
Ryder practically fellout of the truck when I opened the door for him, the two of us still laughing about everything that’d happened tonight.
“Mock all you like,” Ryder said. “But I think I should expect an Otter for that performance. At least a nomination.”
“You should get one for the costume.” I grinned at him, straightening him up by the shoulders. “And the improv with the squirrel.”
“I think I slipped into Mac—uh, The Scottish Play a little there,” Ryder said. He was still flushed from laughing and he looked so goddamnhappy. Okay, fine, it was a small town production of Romeo and Juliet—which had been adorable by the way—but Ryder had been in his element. I hadn’t seen him smile so much or so honestly since we were kids.
I wanted to kiss him more than I could remember ever wanting anything before.
“Are you cursed now?” I teased. “For almost saying the M-word?”
“You joke, but I was cursedbefore,” Ryder said, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. “Imagine how much more cursed I could be.”
I realized then that my hands were still on his shoulders and dropped them, stepping away from him to head for the cabin.
I’d been planning my next move all night while I watched the play, and I didn’t want to ruin it by doing anything stupid before I could get to it.
Ryder shivered behind me, the air getting icy this late, a fresh blanket of fallen leaves crunching under our feet as we made our way to the door.
I was noticing all this because I’d never been more nervous about anything in my life.
All over the little piece of metal in my pocket earmarked for Ryder.
“Damn,” I said as I got to the door, flexing all my acting muscles at once for full effect. “Left my keys in the car.”
“I’ll go—”
“Wait,” I interrupted, grabbing Ryder’s coat sleeve as he turned back. I’d had this all planned out, but I hadn’t imagined him going to get the keys.
My planning skills maybe left something to be desired.
Ryder looked at me patiently, porch lights twinkling in his eyes as they swung in the breeze.
“I uh. Didn’t actually leave my keys in the car,” I admitted.
Ryder raised an eyebrow. An owl hooted somewhere above us. I scratched the back of my neck.
“Dammit, okay, just... I was trying to be cute about this but... here,” I said, pulling the little paper bag I’d gotten at the hardware store while he’d been dealing with Seth out of my coat pocket and holding it out to him.
“What I wanted to say wasdamn, left my keys in the car,”I said. “And then I wanted to follow it up withguess we’ll have to use yours.”
Did people die of nervousness? I sure as hell felt like I was about to find out, with my heart trying to claw its way out of my mouth and run away before anything worse could happen to it.
Ryder’s eyes widened, and I must not have been the only one who was nervous, because his fingers were trembling when he finally took the paper bag from me.
“Is this…?”
“Key to the cabin,” I confirmed. “I just... wanted you to know that whatever happens, you’ll always have a place here. Anywhere I am, there’s space for you. And… and you’ve always got someone to come home to.”
