“Just admiring the view.”
His green eyes warm instantly, the intensity in them softening in that way that still makes my heart skip.
God, I love this man.
The thought settles into me now without fear or hesitation.
Before I can say anything else, a voice floats down the hallway.
“Are you guys coming or what?The movie’s starting!”
Evan.
I laugh and glance toward the living room where the television glow spills into the hallway.
“Looks like we’re being summoned,” I say.
J.T.grunts.
“Bossy kid.”
But he’s smiling.
We walk into the living room together.
Evan is already sprawled across the couch in his baseball pajamas, a massive bowl of popcorn balanced in his lap like he’s been guarding it with his life.
TheJurassic Parktheme music swells dramatically from the television.I have no idea which number this is in the iconic movie collection.
“About time,” he says.
I settle onto one side of the couch, tucking my flannel pajama pants under my legs while J.T.drops onto the other side with the heavy sigh of a man who’s worked hard all day.
The couch dips slightly under his weight.
Evan immediately scoots closer to him.
Of course he does.
“Move over, kid,” J.T.mutters, reaching into the popcorn bowl.
“You take up too much space,” Evan fires back.
I watch them bicker with a smile tugging at my mouth.
Eventually, the two of them settle—Evan half leaning against J.T.’s arm while they both shovel popcorn into their mouths like they’re competing.
Steam curls from the mugs of tea sitting on the coffee table.
Outside the big living room windows, the mountain stretches out into the dark, the trees whispering softly in the night breeze.
The pond down the slope reflects the moonlight, and somewhere out there the swans rustle in the reeds.
Woodhaven.
Home.
Not the life I planned.
