Page 33 of Forever Theirs

Thank fuck it didn’t.

Pulling out my phone, I snapped a quick picture of Miles on the couch, his head lying on the back while Aspen’s head, still with the eye mask on, rested on his lap, snoring softly. Both seemed to be out cold, which was a fucking miracle when talking about Miles and a blessing for Aspen, since she got little sleep the night before.

Not wanting to wake them, I slowly crept toward the front door, but a worn board groaned beneath my weight, making me freeze. A quick glance over my shoulder and I locked eyes with Miles, who was now wide awake because of the simple noise.

“Hey,” I whispered to hopefully not disturb Aspen. “I’m going to check on the gear we’ll need for tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Make sure I have my own tent,” he grumbled, shooting me a steely look that told me he wouldn’t budge on that requirement. “And pack a small one for her, too, just in case. We don’t want to pressure her into this by only bringing two.”

“Pretty sure what just happened suggests she’s into this,” I said, gesturing between the three of us. “But yeah, good call. Last thing I want to do is make her uncomfortable.” I started for the front door again, only to pause. “What did you find at Caroline’s?”

His expression shifted, brows tugging in tight. “Nothing out of the ordinary. All her hiking and climbing gear is gone, so maybe she really is just out doing her thing and forgot to call.” We both stilled when Aspen made a soft sound, shifting to lie on her side. In a very unlike-Miles move, he smiled softly down at her. “I’ll talk with Caroline when she gets back. It’s unacceptable, and she knows that.”

Caroline did know that, which made the ball of worry reform in my gut. Forcing a confirming smile, I nodded and reached for the door, quickly slipping out into the late-afternoon sun. Once it was closed behind me, I stepped forward and leaned against the porch post, running a hand through my hair.

Something wasn’t right, and I couldn’t let this thing with Aspen deter us from making sure our friend was okay. With a resigned sigh, I cleared the few steps, my boots slamming onto the gravel front path. First stop, Hudson and Calista’s place to keep my promise to Sam, then to storage to sort through everything we would need for the hike and single overnight camp.

Despite the lingering worry, a smile pulled at my lips.

One night out in the middle of nowhere with just us three.

Things were about to get very interesting.

12

MILES

Silky-soft hair glided between my fingers as I absentmindedly stroked them through Aspen’s thick strands while texting with the other hand. Hudson and Oliver wouldn’t be back until late tomorrow, needing to stay longer than expected with the Kenai Fjords rangers.

That wasn’t a good sign.

Sighing, I closed the phone and rested my head against the couch to stare at the ceiling. It was careless of me to fall asleep with her so close. I couldn’t risk her like that again. If I accidentally hurt her, or worse, made her afraid of me because I was lost in a nightmare, I would never forgive myself.

Post-traumatic stress disorder came in different forms, no trigger or reaction the same, even if the individuals went through the traumatizing event together. At least, that was what my therapist and Google told me time and time again. Even one’s triggers and daily symptoms evolved as you moved through the stages of healing. Which was utter bullshit. How could I know how to fix something or protect others from myself if I didn’t know what was coming next?

For me, in this stage and since the incident, vivid, all-too-realistic nightmares were how my fears and trauma manifested. Some were flashbacks, memories of various missions during my time as a SEAL, which normally didn’t make me turn violent in my sleep. Those just left me feeling fucking heavy when I woke up and clung to me throughout the day. It was the nightmares that were crafted to pull every fear from my brain, so fucking detailed they felt real, where I was trapped in that bunker room again or in a situation unable to save a fellow SEAL or hostage; those had me thrashing and punching in my sleep as I desperately tried to save, protect, or live.

I never knew which one would haunt my sleep when I closed my eyes at night. Which was why I slept very little anymore in general. Thankfully, I didn’t require too much to still operate at a high level of awareness, but with the addition of the beautiful woman sleeping on my lap, I knew I needed to be on top of my game. Which meant sleeping regularly and getting enough rest to handle anything that came at her or us. After last night, I quickly realized I needed to be faster, stronger, and more aware of every fucking thing around us, almost like how I was daily as an active-duty SEAL.

Not that she wasn’t capable of taking care of herself, because she clearly could, having lived in a large city alone for many years. I just didn’t want her tohave todo it alone anymore. Shouldering the burden of safety and security of those around me, of my non-blood-related family, was something I was used to. Not that taking care of her would be a burden.

It would be a fucking honor.

It meant the fucking world to know that Aspen trusted me from the moment we met, and while we were together, she relaxed knowing someone had her back. She believed in me, felt safe with me, and knew that no matter what, I would be there for her. It was a high knowing someone put all their trust in you, put their life in your hands.

What did that make me?

Obsessive, sure.

Crazy, maybe.

Happy? Fuck yes.

A soft sound from my lap had me blinking rapidly to clear my dry eyes and turning my gaze down to where Aspen shifted, fingers slowly reaching up to tug off the borrowed eye mask. Long, thick lashes fluttered up and down several times as her eyes flicked around the room before coming to a stop on me.

“You’re okay,” I whispered.

Her smile was soft and sleepy and adorable as fuck. The cushions dipped around me as she pressed up into a sitting position. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” As if the memories of what happened just before she slept slammed forward, her eyes widened, and a red blush stained her cheeks. “Oh, hell. Did that really happen?”

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