Page 62 of River Wild

“I’m just surprised. It’s not the most well-known Christmas song in the US. And it has some offensive words in it. Just doesn’t seem like your thing. I thought you’d be more of a ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ kind of girl.”

Ugh.

“How do you know the song?” I challenge.

“It was my gran’s favorite,” he says low.

Was? Does that mean his gran is no longer with us?

“Oh. Well, first off, I’m hardly a girl. And, second, you don’t know me well enough to make those kinds of assumptions. And, third, it is exactly my kind of song.” Sad like me.

“True. I don’t know you well. But I do know that you don’t curse and that you complain—very loudly—when I do.”

“I do curse. Just not excessively like you. You say the F-word every other word.”

“Not every other word. At least every third word. And, yeah, I forgot you do curse.” He mockingly taps his fingers to his forehead. “What was it? Oh, yeah. ‘You mother-fudging son of a C-U-Next-Tuesday.’” He mimics my voice—badly, might I add. “You’re a total badass, Red,” he adds drolly.

I flip him off.

Laughter bursts from him.

The sound is wonderful. Just like I heard last night. Deep and husky. But, this time, I’m seeing it, and his face is all lit up. His eyes bright with humor.

I feel a warmth in my chest. And like I just won something really special. I guess I did. Because I can’t imagine laughter is easily earned from River.

But he’s laughed twice with you—okay, at you—in two days.

And you know what? I’ll take it.

“You’re an idiot.”

“So you keep saying.”

I’m not offended this time because I’m starting to realize that, when River is doling out an insult, maybe it’s not an insult at all.

“So, you did hear me then.”

A quick glance. “When?”

“When you drove over my groceries. That’s when I yelled that you were a mother-fudging son of a C-U-Next-Tuesday.”

“Oh, yeah. That.”

“Yes, that.”

“Well … I guess … it was a shitty thing to do.”

A shitty thing to do?That’s putting it mildly.

“Is that your version of an apology?”

He glances at me, brow raised. “Best you’re gonna get.”

“Hmm … I’ll take it, I suppose. For now.”

“For now?”

I know he’s looking at me, but I don’t look at him. Instead, I lean back in the seat, folding my arms over my chest, and say, “Yes. For now.”