Page 32 of The Marrying Kind
There was some cosmic joke in there too ... branding me with a permanent reminder of everything I’d found here ... but I thanked him and hugged him all the same, lingering a little too long with my face in his warm, woodsy-smelling neck. If I didn’t keep myself in check, I would find myself stuck on the couch next to him for the next fifty years, sipping hot toddies by the fire.
Shit. That sounded pleasant.
But, no. I had a whole wide world waiting for me, and I needed to see it.
Noah and Austen disappeared outside to grab more firewood from the shed, and Rachel came over to sit down beside me.
“Dottie’s pretty clever.” I smiled.
Rachel shook her head, laughing. “She likes to think so. So ... is Kodiak Canyon the kind of place you could see yourself settling down someday?”
Whoa. Talk about a question out of left field.
I shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know,” I said, stalling. “I haven’t really thought about it.”
Rachel’s mouth pressed into a line. “Gotcha. I must have misunderstood then. I overheard Austen and Noah talking.” She waved one hand in front of her face. “Never mind.”
Now I was curious. “What did they say?”
Her gaze met mine with an uncertain expression. Like she wasn’t sure she should be telling me this. “Austen was thinking maybe you’d consider putting down roots. But like I said, I must have misunderstood.”
An uneasy feeling settled inside me. I thought I’d been pretty clear with Austen. We were just having fun. Weren’t we? My chest felt tight—and not in a good way. In aI might be having a panic attackkind of way.
“How are the wedding plans coming along?” I asked, trying to make polite conversation, even though my head was spinning with questions about what exactly she might have overheard.
Rachel filled me in on some of the details—they wanted a spring wedding and were writing their own vows—but I was completely distracted. I managed to nod and smile at the right times, though. I think.
Later, in the kitchen, I helped Natalie with the dishes as the night wound down.
“What’s on your adventure list tomorrow?” she asked as she swirled a sponge around a pan and then handed it to me.
I ran it under the warm water and watched all the soapy residue drip into the sink. “I’m thinking I’ll hoof it over to the Grand Canyon next. Everyone should at least see it once in their life, I figure. Plus, the warmer weather would be welcome. I need to invest in some gear like you have to tough it out next time I’m somewhere snowy.”
Natalie looked at me as I rambled, no longer scrubbing the pan in her hand. Her lips tugged down in the corners. “But you only just got here.”
“You’ve all been amazing hosts, and I’m so grateful. But I don’t want to wear out my welcome. And I have a lot more items to cross off my bucket list.”
Not that there weren’t still plenty I could do in this town, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. She didn’t need to know that the way her son kissed me and called meprincesswas giving me ideas that I couldn’t fulfill. Maybe if she knew that I could never give her grandbabies, she’d be packing me a to-go sandwich and waving me off with more gusto.
“At least keep my boots and jacket, in case you run into snow on your travels. I can get another.”
I shook my head. “No, I couldn’t.”
Plus, I was pretty sure that snow would just remind me of Austen, and then I might start longing for his kisses again.
“But thank you for everything, Natalie. Seriously. I didn’t know there were people like you in the world.”
“Are you sure you have to go?” she asked one more time.
“I’m sure,” I said with finality as I tightened my mouth into a little line to keep myself from getting emotional.
“Because you seem to fit in awfully well here. I feel like I’ve known you forever. Kodiak Canyon looks good on you, honey.”
I looked down at the sweatshirt Austen had gotten me. I’d changed into it right away at his insistence, and I chuckled. Swinging my arms to the sides, I twisted left and right to show it off.
“You’re too kind, and I do love it here.” I stopped my little dance and let my face go serious again. “But, yes, I’m sure I have to go.”
Just then, Austen came up behind me and tickled me under my armpits. I wasn’t expecting it, so I yelped and dropped a pan in the sink as I whirled around to fend him off.
