Page 56 of The First Day of Breeding Season
Once I’ve eaten enough berries for myself, I hold the hem of my shirt, making a little cradle so I can pick some for Drew, too.
And then I race back down the hill, eager to get back to my…mentor. My…lover.
My Drew.
When I get back to camp, he’s returned.
But he’s not alone.
“Hi…” I say, skidding to a stop in front of a whole pile of people.
It’s not just Theo and Benji, who give polite nods but otherwise avert their eyes.
It’s also Dr. Lowry and his wife Paisley, who I know from school. Plus their oldest brother Trick, and his son is in the arms of a pretty blonde woman, who gives me a warm smile.
“I’m Sinclaire,” she says.
“I’m Zane,” says the tallest of the bunch, with the biggest smile. “And this is my wife, Daisy.”
Drew pushes through all of them to get to me. “Brynn, my family showed up.”
“I can see that.” I hold out my curled up shirt hem. “Raspberries?”
Daisy leaps forward. “Absolutely.”
Paisley joins us, and under her breath, she whispers, “So… You and Drew?”
“Mm-hmm.” I shove a raspberry in my mouth.
She nods. “Nice.”
From behind me, I feel Drew exhale in relief, which makes me laugh. “Mm-hmm.”
Sinclaire steps forward. “We brought you a picnic dinner from Inez.”
“That’s so sweet, thank you.”
“It’s a dinner for two.” She winks. “We’re all leaving again soon.”
Even better. “And thank you for that, too.”
I didn’t realize just how much I wanted—needed—more alone time with Drew until it was suddenly cut short.
The girls, and Sinclaire’s toddler, finish the raspberries while they pepper me with questions about my project. That’s a surprise, too, that after the initial question from Paisley, they don’t have any more questions about Drew.
But looking at them all next to their husbands, it’s clear that the Lowry brothers have all found young brides. These women might not be in exactly the same shoes as me, but they know what it’s like to fall for an older man.
And in Paisley’s situation, Dr. Lowry was even more off-limits than Drew is for me.
I turn and search for him as I have that thought. He’s holding his nephew on his hip, and my heart skips at the sweetness in that cuddle.
Over the little one’s head, he catches my gaze and smiles.
Hi, I mouth.
Hi, he whispers back.
And even though he’s all the way across the campsite, I hear it warm and sure against my skin.
