Page 81 of Roughing It

She nods, then goes into a long-winded advertisement for her hiking boots—the blister-giving ones we finally broke in. Shaking my head, I wander towards a cluster of chokecherries. The product placement, the fake enthusiasm. I don’t get it. She was two seconds away from throwing those boots at my head two weeks ago.

I agreed to lean in, but seeing how easily she swaps between the woman I care for and this other person gives me pause. Is this thing between us any different? Or am I just another pair of hiking boots to her?

The hurt in Blakely’s eyes when she thought I was ashamed of our relationship was real. The way she kisses me is fucking real, too. I run one hand down my face. I need to get myself together.

“What are these?” Blakely startles me, and she laughs when I jerk. “Sorry, Bear. I thought you had super hearing.”

“Situational awareness, and normally I do.”But being around you makes me an idiot.

“So, what are these pretty berries?”

“Chokecherries.”

She makes big eyes at her phone. “That’s an ominous name.”

“They’re mostly used in jams or jellies. You can eat them raw, but?—”

Before I can warn her, she’s popped one into her mouth.

“That’s disgusting!” Her lips curl up, and she guzzles water. I bet she’d scrape her tongue if she weren’t on camera.

I press my lips in an attempt to hide my grin. “They’re very tart.”

“Show me something else,” she grumbles.

We walk further down the mountain, Blakely chatting to her followers the whole time. When I come to a stop, she runs into my back. I sigh and look to the sky. One day, I’ll get her head out of that phone.

I guide her toward a wide shrub. “These are elderberries. You can use them in syrups, wines, and jellies.”

“Wine?” Blakely wiggles her eyebrows at me and then grins at the camera. “Did you hear that, BBs? Wild wine! Right here at your fingertips.”

“Not exactly,” I mutter. “You have to be careful.”

I’m trying to clarify when she says, “Hudson, one of our viewers—shout out to SmileyMiley—wants to know: do any of these plants have medicinal properties?”

She thrusts the phone into my face, and I freeze. All I manage to do is nod. This is way easier when I pretend it’s just her I’m talking to.

Blakely elbows me in the ribs and mouths, “Say something.”

“Yes.”

The soft slap of her hand hitting her forehead cues me to say more.

“Um, elderberries have immune-boosting properties. There’s an old local legend about them.”

“Oh?” Her turquoise eyes glitter. “Tell me, please.”

“It’s a long story…”

“BBs, send hearts if you want to hear this!” The screen fills with floating hearts, clouding out the reflection of my bemused face.

Guess it’s story time.

“When we first moved here, my mom learned everything she could about Trail Creek and the surrounding areas, including the local tales. Her favorites are the one about two stars you can wish on and the one about how a man saved his entire village.”

Blakely drops onto a small stump and drags me to the ground beside her. “We love a hero.”

I can’t believe I’m telling this story to thousands of strangers online. If Bo and Gray find out about this, I’ll never live it down. But then I look at Blakely and her excitement, and dammit, I want her to keep looking at me like I’m something special.

---