Page 43 of When Hairy Met Stella

“But I’m hanging with you tonight.”

Nate looked at his brother through hazy swirls of smoke. “Why?”

Eric shrugged. “You’re my brother. Why wouldn’t I be here?”

Nate grunted, which wasn’t much of a response, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

“You really don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?” Nate asked as his brother rounded the pile of ash and stood next to him.

“Love is unspoken.”

“What do you?—”

“Ah!” Eric raised his hand, stopping his brother mid-sentence. “For once,I’mgoing to be the one giving the lecture, and you’re just gonna sit here and take it all in. See what it’s like to be me for a change.”

Seemingly satisfied with Nate’s nod as response, he continued. “Running away, hiding…none of that matters when someone loves you. No matter how far you go, how hidden you make yourself, the people who love youwillfind you. And they’ll show you over and over what it means to be there for someone. They can’t help it. But you of all people should have known this better than anyone.”

Nate shook his head. “I have no idea why.”

Eric took a step closer, the toes of their boots nearly touching as they looked each other in the eye. “Because you’vealwaysbeen the one to love people in unspoken ways.”

“Nah. I just?—”

“Just what?” he interrupted again, and Nate both admired and was a little annoyed at this newfound confidence his brother had mustered. Truthfully, he was mostly proud. “I’ve never seen you miss an opportunity to show the people you love how much you love them. In your case, actions have always spoken louder than your grumbly words.”

Little did his brother know that he’d almost been ready to tell Stella how much he loved her. How much he wanted a life with her. Now, she’d probably never know. Except, she’d probablyput the pieces together after the wedding. But would he even be around to see her reaction?

“I wasn’t going to run…not like some people.” He smirked at his brother, both of them remembering how he’d taken off the night of the full moon that changed his life. “I was actually going to talk to her…until this morning.”

“And now?”

Nate blew out a sigh as he raked a hand through his hair. “And now, I’m not sure what to do. I can’t make the decision for her, even though I feel like I should. Heaven knows it would be safer—and easier.”

Eric chuckled, smacking his brother on the shoulder. “Love ain’t easy, brother.” He tipped his head to the side as he took a step back, a slow smile spreading on his face. Why was he so amused by Nate’s anguish? “But the best kind of love is unspoken. You just have to listen for it.”

Nate heard the snap of a branch and the crunch of leaves underfoot. And when he turned around, he almost couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Hey.”

Nate looked at her through squinted eyes, which was apparently all he needed to view her beauty as she stood before him. “What are you… Why are you… How did you…”

Eric took a couple more steps back. “I’m gonna head back to the lodge and give you two a little privacy…and my brother a chance to come up with the endings of all these questions. Smooth, Nate.”

Nate shot his brother a weak glare his heart wasn’t really into, but how could it have been? Not when his heart was with the person he hadn’t expected to see tonight.

He cleared the knot in his throat and started again. “Why are you here?”

She walked toward him, one step and then another, until she stood as close as Eric had about a minute ago. Though, this felt way different. She broke eye contact long enough to find his hand, and grabbing it, she pulled it to her chest.

“Because this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.” She pulled him a couple steps back, sitting down on the log he’d vacated moments ago. Angling her body toward his, their knees touched, and the warmth of contact heated him more than the fire had.

“You’re supposed to be in bed, resting up for tomorrow.”

She shook her head. “Sleep is overrated.”

“Is staying alive overrated? Because that’s what you’re risking by staying here with me.”

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