Page 2 of Rough and Tumble

“I don’t want to disrespect your husband, but—”

“Fiancé.” I’m not sure why the correction seems important, but it does.

“Fiancé. Right. I don’t want to disrespect him, but he shouldn’t talk to you like that. You need to speak up.”

My cheeks heat. “Yeah, well, I have put on some weight, so… it’s not a big deal.” This is a lie. I’m crushed by Steve’s comment. I only had a baby six months ago. My body is still repairing. Besides that, why would he call me out publicly about something I’m insecure about? That said, apparently, I’m the girl who makes excuses now.

Sergei’s giant hand reaches out toward my shoulder, his dark brown gaze on mine with steady heat as the scent of cedar and pine surrounds me. “You’re perfect the way you are, and anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit. Tell me you hear me.”

My mouth has dropped open, and though I don’t mean to wet my lips, I do.

His gaze drops to my mouth before meeting mine again. “Tell me you hear me, little one.”

I swallow hard.

Little one.

He’s called me little one since we met three months ago. I always assumed it had something to do with the age gap, or it was his way of telling me that the connection we share is platonic. I’m twenty-two and I’d bet he’s in his mid-forties. Whatever it means, I’m going to miss the subtle way those words sound rolling off his tongue.

“I hear you,” I finally manage. “And you, ugh, you make sure and eat the rest of that banana bread I made, okay? I even put the walnuts in like you like.”

He scrubs his hand over his beard and opens his arms. “Get over here, girl.”

Being that Sergei was the first and only person to welcome me into this small community, I’ve gained a trust with him that I wasn’t expecting. A few times when Steve was in the field, Sergei picked up the slack and did a run to the trading post for me. He even showed me how to make homemade rash cream out of beeswax and olive oil during a storm when Everleigh was out of the store brand stuff. That same night, he listened to me cry for hours because I missed my family. I’m talking belly ache crying. That night, the man should’ve gotten a plaque.

He didn’t impose his opinion, he didn’t tell me it would be okay, and he didn’t try to fix it. He just listened. A few times he held out his hand and once he offered me a tissue. He asked questions here and there to let me know he cared, but that’s all. I’ve never had anyone do that for me before. Maybe that’s pathetic. Either way, I’ve been lucky to know him, and without a shadow of a doubt, my world back in Colorado will be different without him there.

I lean into his solid chest, dragging in the scent of the woods that’s embedded on his skin. I try to commit it to memory, though I don’t fully know why. Maybe because he’s become a comfort to me. A friend. A port in the storm. Someday, I’ll be walking through a forest and this moment will come back to me. I’ll remember a man who was patient and kind. A man whose heart spoke to mine without a word between us. I’ll remember the way he held me in his arms when we said goodbye.

My heart flutters as our bodies press against one another and that feeling of emptiness I’d been having is gone. Right now, at this moment, I’m full. In fact, I’m overflowing, and I don’t want to let go.

Chapter Two

Sergei

Present Day

This bear hunt has been one big pain in the ass. I brought four sons with me from Alaska to take this menace beast out, and I’m down all four of them. Not for valiant reasons of warrior strength, though. No, they found love.

Love.

They abandoned the mission for love.

“You’re looking better today.” Rowan laughs as he walks through the front door. He brought with him a cool air humidifier and a bag full of cough drops. “You’re not going to use this shit, but here it is anyway.”

“Why bring it if you know I won’t use it?”

“Because that’s what families do, Dad. They do nice things for the people they love.” He sighs and pulls open the fridge, yanking out the orange juice that he brought by earlier this week. “This shit might be actually helping you.”

“Vitamin C is doing its job, like I planned. Where are your brothers? You heard from ‘em lately?”

“Um… I know Peyton and Atlas are coming over tonight for a hunt, but I haven’t heard back from Hud yet. Not sure what’s up with him. I think he was taking his girl up to the lake.”

“It’s subzero. It’s not lake weather.”

“They were going ice fishing.”

“She don’t like fishing.”

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