“Slow is good,” Red said with a nod. “Nothing wrong with taking your time.”
Now came the hard part. For so long Xavier hadn’t wanted anything to do with his father. He hadn’t exactly been receptive to any of his overtures. But now, he needed to lay some issues to rest. True was right. He needed to get it off his chest so he could move forward.
“I wanted us to talk. Not now, of course, but sometime soon. There are things I need to ask you. Things I need to say to you.”
Red’s expression was open and inviting. “I’m ready whenever you want to talk, son. There’s nothing you can’t ask me.” Their gazes met and held. Red’s eyes radiated understanding. He must have known this moment was coming. After all, it had been brewing for two decades.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Xavier said. Red had just opened the door for Xavier to press him on things Xavierhad always wondered about, and as a result, he was experiencing a mix of emotions. Relief. Anticipation. And pure terror about opening such a huge can of worms. His daddy issues served as an emotional hot button. It was way past time their conflicts were hashed out.
“Okay, son, go find your lady. We can talk later.” Red placed his hand on Xavier’s shoulder. “I think she’s looking for you.” Red was grinning as he looked past Xavier at a spot in the distance.
Xavier turned around, spotting True standing by his brothers. She was talking animatedly and using her hands, pausing every few moments to look in his direction. Knowing she was checking in on him caused his pulse to race. She was cutting through all the walls he had set up after Heather.
Caleb and Landon were laughing at something True had said to them. Seeing the three of them getting along and socializing warmed Xavier’s insides. His brothers had a history of not liking the women in his life. Their relationship with his ex-fiancée had been a hot mess.
He walked up behind True and placed his arms around her waist. He could feel Caleb and Landon’s eyes glued to his every move.
The crowd was beginning to thin out when the band made an announcement for the last song of the night. “One last whirl?” True asked, holding out her hand.
“How can I say no to that?” he asked, following her. The floor had only a few couples dancing, lending an intimate air to their slow dance. When the music started to fade out, everyone considered it a cue to leave the floor.
“So, I’m going to call an Uber. I shouldn’t drive,” True said to him.
Definitely a good call, considering she’d stumbled a few times on the dance floor.
“You have Ubers here?” he asked, sticking out his tongue in a teasing gesture.
“Hey, buddy. Don’t act as if this is some backwoods town. Moose Falls is a tourist destination thanks to Yukon Cider.” She snapped her fingers. “This is one happening Alaskan town.”
“Okay, I get it,” he said, holding up his hands. “Moose Falls is where it’s at.”
She nodded approvingly. “I hope you’re falling in love.”
“Uh, what?” Her comment completely knocked him off-kilter.Falling in love?The very thought of it made his stomach tense and his pulse quicken.
“With Moose Falls, of course.” Clearly she was in a teasing mood. He let out a relieved breath. For a host of reasons, he didn’t want to think about falling in love. Just being with True and allowing himself to feel romantic toward a woman was significant progress.
“It’s growing on me,” he said, surprising himself with the admission. Moose Falls was nestling its way into his heart, right along with his grandmother, Yukon Cider, and True. “I’m not sure that I’ll ever get used to the cold, but I’m dealing with it.”
“I hope you tell Hattie that,” she said. “That would make her so, so, so, so happy. Am I sayingsotoo much?” she asked in a loud stage whisper. Yep, she was tipsy.
Suddenly, in his mind the plan changed. He would drive True to her place so she would have her vehicle parked outside her house in the morning. He didn’t want her passing out in an Uber. The car ride service was generally safe, but he didn’t want True to take any chances.
“So, how about you scrap the Uber and I’ll drive you home?” Xavier asked True.
“But what about my truck?” She looked totally confused.He was thinking the hard ciders were really catching up to her. Thankfully, she had the good sense to know she couldn’t get behind the wheel in her condition.
“I’ll drive it, and my brothers can follow behind us and give me a ride back to Hattie’s.”
She grabbed his arm. “Oh, that’s so nice of you. Oops, I saidsoagain.” True placed her hand over her mouth.
Xavier looked around the tavern. Where the hell were his brothers? They were nowhere in sight, and the crowd had thinned out considerably in the last half hour or so. Xavier figured they would be fairly easy to spot. He picked up his phone and called them. Neither one picked up. Maybe they couldn’t get a signal in the area. He glanced over at True. Her eyes were starting to close. He needed to get her home where she could sleep it off.
This woman was precious to him. And he would do everything in his power to protect her. He placed his arm around her waist after helping her into her parka and grabbing her purse from her office. He made one last futile attempt to locate his brothers before realizing the vehicle they’d driven wasn’t in the lot. Minutes later Xavier and True were on the road heading toward True’s place. Rather than going to sleep or passing out, True became really animated and started singing at the top of her lungs.
“Girls just wanna have fun,” she sang, rocking her head to the beat of Cyndi Lauper’s hit song.
“Of all the songs to be playing right now,” Xavier muttered. “Talk about life imitating art.”
