Page 48 of All The Happily Ever Afters

I just want to go back to the cabin, or truthfully, home with Alec, and write.

I place the candle back down onto the shelf and frown as I shake off the uneasiness flowing through me. I don’t know what’s come over me, but this pining and longing for something I can’t have needs to end.

I look up as Alec stiffens as the sight of someone walking across the street catches his eyes. I follow his gaze and watch a small woman walk beside a man who looks so much like Alec. Maybe a bit older, since there are faint streaks of gray on his temples and he’s not dressed in a suit, plus his hair is lighter. But they’re definitely related. I sneak a glance at Alec, not letting him realize that I see, that I notice something is going on.

The woman seems so out of place. It's almost like she’s scared, and I notice how the other people around them are watching, too. They have looks of sympathy on their faces.

“She’s had a difficult pregnancy,” the older woman behind the counter says in a soft voice. A voice meant for me alone, but Alec hears, too. He sucks in a breath and stares at the woman for a moment, but she meets his gaze evenly.

“Who are they?” I ask Alec.

He swallows before admitting, “My brother and his…” He doesn’t finish, and I can tell why. There’s something oddbetween them, something tense and uncertain. Something that scares them both. “Belle.”

I take a look over my shoulder to see Alec’s brother gentle a hand on the woman’s waist. He pulls her closer to him and she lets him, seeming to melt into him. It’s a gesture that makes my heart ache. There’s a love there, but it’s hurt and sad.

“Do you want to say hello?” I peek up at Alec after I ask him, but he simply shakes his head.

“Another time, perhaps,” he says and turns his back to them, facing the woman and gesturing to the baubles in my arm.

“But I’m leaving,” I protest without thinking. As if I have any say in who I meet from his family. I’m embarrassed for a moment, but only for the briefest of seconds, because he smiles down at me, brushing his fingers against my cheek.

“Why don’t you stay?” Alec suggests. He lets out a heavy breath and shoves his hands into his suit pant pockets. “You could work from here, couldn’t you?”

My heart flutters, loving that he wants me to stay. Maybe it’s the romantic in me, the folklore, the beautiful surroundings, or maybe it’s the way he looks at me.

I could. So easily.

I have to turn my head to hide my smile. It’s foolish though. I clear my throat, shaking my head. “I can’t stay,” I tell him and even as I say the words, my heart hurts. This fling or whatever it is between us wasn’t smart. How can I be so attached to someone so quickly? “I’m sorry,” I tell him sincerely, the smile slipping and my true disappointment coming through. I feign another smile, expecting him to shrug it off, but he doesn’t. His pale blue eyes stare deeply into mine, pinning me in place.

The air tenses between us, heating my blood and stealing my breath. It’s not the reaction I imagined.

After a moment he nods once, and he doesn’t play it off like he’s unaffected. He takes a breath and then looks like he’s goingto say something, but instead he swallows thickly and looks away.

I’d love to stay here. The setting is an author’s dream and the untold stories of Ketchikan are enough to tempt me, even if Alec wasn’t into me like this. I truly want to stay here. I’m genuinely drawn to the land and the culture. There’s a reason those who visit the island stay.

“I really can’t,” I whisper, both to myself and to Alec.

“One more night then?” he asks me in a low voice as he trails his finger over my shoulder, brushing my hair out of the way and planting a small kiss on my collarbone. I look up and into his eyes, so full of vulnerability and desire, a mixture of both that tempts me in the worst way.

I nod, not trusting myself to speak and close my eyes as he presses his lips against mine.

One more night, and then I have to leave.

He deepens the kiss, and it feels like so much more. Like he’s giving me everything he has.

I’m almost afraid of staying with him. Afraid I’ll never want to leave. But I know tomorrow I’ll be gone. And I won’t let fear keep me from having just one more night with him.

LILA

The engine clicks and clacks and snarls. Like it’s spitting, rather than rumbling. I stand on the deck, gripping the handle of my suitcase and watching the waves crash against the shore. They aren’t harsh or threatening like they seemed to be the last time I was here. It’s simply the way it is. It’s never going to end; the waves will always batter away at the shore.

“I’m really sorry, Miss Travers,” Drew says as he walks out of the cabin of the ship and to the very back of the boat, closest to where I’m standing on the wooden deck.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him as the salty breeze whips my hair in front of my face. It’s chilly today, colder than it has been and being near the ocean is only making it worse.

Drew’s face crumples as he says, “It’s going to be a few hours, maybe more before I fix her.” He motions behind him with his thumb.

I glance to my right where three more boats are tied to the dock. “Surely there’s another boat?” My heart beats faster as I think about having to stay here on this island, so close to Alec, for a while longer.

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