None of that seemed important.
Not compared to the way Holt’s mouth curves into a small smile when he thinks I’m not looking. The way he reaches for me in his sleep without even waking up.
In the short time I’ve known him, I feel like I’ve seen a complete transformation inhim. The tension he used to carry in his shoulders has melted away. The permanent scowl on his face has softened, too.
But it’s not just him.
This man. This cabin. This mountain. It’s making me feel more like myself than I have in years. Maybe ever.
“You talked to him today?” Holt asks lightly, pulling me back into the moment and out of my thoughts.
“My dad?”
He nods.
“This morning.” I smile a little and reach for another apple slice. “This satellite phone system you guys have up here is pretty solid.”
Holt nods. “Thanks to your dad.”
Right. My dad and the work that always took priority for him. So much so that he installed a state-of-the-art communication system on a remote mountain in the middle of nowhere.
Never mind the fact that his work meant I barely saw him growing up. Maybe it’s a wound that should have long since healed, but it still stings.
Noticing the slightest dip in my mood, Holt slips his hand onto mythigh and squeezes just enough for me to look up at him. He winks, and I smile.
“He’s probably on his way back then?” he asks after a moment.
I nod. “He said tomorrow afternoon.”
Holt’s eyes close briefly before he moves to grab plates from the cupboard.
I slide off the counter and follow behind him, leaning my hip against the wall. “You nervous?”
He glances over at me. “About what?”
I can’t help it; I laugh a little. “Oh, I don’t know.” I gesture vaguely between us. “This. Us. You know…”
“Right.” His jaw tightens for a second before relaxing again. “Luke’s my best friend.”
“I know that.”
“He trusts me.”
“I know that, too.”
The words hang between us, but neither of us says what that actually means. My dad trusted him…with me.And now…
“We’re not telling him,” I say after a moment, turning to grab another apple slice just to give me something to do so I don’t have to look at him when he inevitably agrees.
“No.” He doesn’t hesitate, and I flinch atthe word. Not that I expected anything different.
Not really.
Still, I hoped maybe…
I school my features and turn around with what I hope is a teasing smile on my face. “You ashamed of me or something?”
“No.” He doesn’t crack a smile. “But it would…it would complicate things,” he finishes.
