Page 41 of Cross My Heart

I smiled. “I’ll get through it.”

“I’ll be here tonight if you want to talk about it.”

“Thank you. It’s nice because you know what I went through.”

“You were protecting yourself, and your mom would have wanted you to finish school. She’d be proud of the person you’ve become.”

“I hope so.” I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next, but I was proud of my career, everything I’d built. Even if my boss couldn’t see it.

I unfolded my legs and stood. “I’d better get going before my brothers send out a search party.”

“We wouldn’t want that to happen,” Aiden said, his voice low.

There was no one nearby. We were alone on the porch, partially blocked by the tree, and I wanted nothing more than to feel the comfort of being in his arms.

Aiden raised a brow as if he’d read my thoughts. “Come here.”

I practically fell into him. I was so desperate to feel his strength and breathe in his scent. He’d recently showered, and he smelled like soap. I sighed as I melted further into his body. His muscles felt hard, and his heart beat steadily under my cheek. I wished we could fall right back where we were, but we couldn’t. Too soon, I forced myself to step away. “Thanks for the hug.”

Aiden shoved his hands into his pockets.

I wanted to think that he did it so he wouldn’t reach for me again. That he felt the familiar pull and had to check himself.

He dipped his chin. “The offer stands. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Thanks, Aiden.” I turned and walked toward my rental car. Aiden was offering to be there for me as a friend. What if I couldn’t be around him without wanting more?

I was interested in Marley’s offer of working on the inn’s renovation. It sounded amazing, but I wasn’t sure I could do it and work next to Aiden. I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t do something I’d regret, like kiss him.

When I arrived at the farm, I bypassed the line of cars entering to get trees, noting it was shorter than I remembered when I was growing up. Back then, the line would stretch down the road, and occasionally we’d need a police officer to direct traffic. Now, Teddy hired local high school students who needed volunteer hours to graduate.

Now there were just a few cars at the gate house, where they could get a map of the fields and a saw. I always loved this time of the year: the smell of the trees being cut, and the holiday music playing over the speakers. It felt good to be back except not everything was the same.

I parked next to Teddy’s blue cruiser and Weston’s black-and-gold Department of Natural Resources truck. I was proud of my brothers for their chosen professions, even if I never had any urge to go into law enforcement.

Before I could turn the knob, the door opened, and Jameson engulfed me in a hug. He squeezed me tight, and when he let me go, he said, “It’s good to have you home for a long visit.”

“Thanks, Jamey.”

He winced. “I don’t go by that anymore.”

I grinned. “Why not? I think it’s cute.”

He just gave me a look. “Women do not want to go out with a man named Jamey.”

“So Jameson is more manly?” I asked, enjoying the banter. He’d always been the more relaxed brother, the one who loved to joke around. The rest of my brothers were a little more uptight, and his easygoing ways sometimes drove them crazy. My dad was worried for a long time he wouldn’t graduate from school or choose a profession. That he’d be living at home forever. He still lived in the apartment above the garage, but at least he’d settled into his role as a firefighter.

It was so easy to be around Jameson, I almost forgot about my anxiety. Teddy and Wes stood in the kitchen where Dad was getting things ready for the grill.

When Dad saw me, he pulled me in for a hug and kissed the top of my head, making me feel like I was a kid again. “We’re just waiting on Daphne and Cole.”

“Let’s be honest; everyone’s waiting on Izzy,” Wes said.

I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face as he held his arm out for me. Every time I was home, I marveled at how large my brothers had gotten. They’d filled out in the years since I left, growing into men who commanded respect at their jobs.

“It’s good to have you home, sis,” Wes said.

I looked around the kitchen, at my brothers who seemed to take up all the space and my father who’d aged a bit but was still a large man. “It’s good to be home.”

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