Minutes passed before he landed on another branch and made his descent back to the ground, climbing down the trunk. Once grounded, I slid off his back, and he grabbed my waist before my feet even thought about being their stumbling selves.
“Thanks.” I linked my wrists at his nape.
“Anytime.” Rowan pressed a kiss to my cheek. It was unexpectedly tender. “I mean that, Evan. Anytime. Any day. I’ll be here to catch you.”
My fluttering heart from earlier? Yeah, it damn near exploded from my chest. I cupped the back of his head. “That means you can’t run away when we get back to Bremloc. You have to stay by my side. Because I’m always stumbling.”
I felt him smile into my hair. “Oh, I know you are.” He drew back and caught my hand again, leading me toward a break in the trees. “Come on. Someone’s waiting for us.”
“Who?” But just as the word left my mouth, I sensed him. Something inside my core reached out, desperate to close the distance that separated us.
Lake.
As Rowan and I stepped into the same clearing he’d taken me to before, thatsomethingin my core wobbled. Lake stood near the waterfall, staring up at the darkening sky. Stars had begun to appear. Then, he looked at me. His wolf ears perked up, and he sprang forward, reaching us in seconds.
Still holding Rowan’s hand, I burrowed into Lake’s chest. “Hey, you.”
Lake kissed my brow. “I was about to come looking for you.”
“I told you I’d bring him here safely, didn’t I?” Rowan snapped. “Damned wolf.”
“Wait.” I looked between them. “You two planned this? Together?”
“It was his idea,” Rowan said. “I just went along with it.”
“What exactly isit?” I asked.
Lake grabbed my hand. “We’ll show you.”
Emotion bubbled up inside me as I walked in the middle, holding on to both of them. I had no idea what they’d planned, but knowing they’d done it together was a huge step. It showed they could get along. That, maybe, Lake would see in Rowan what I did. And eventually, Maddox and Briar too.
As they led me toward the cave, I spotted a blanket on the grass in front of it, along with two baskets and pillows. “A picnic?”
“You like romance, and a picnic under the stars is romantic.” Rowan rolled his eyes. “Frankly, I fail to see the appeal.” Again, his mouth said one thing, but his expression said another. As did the flush climbing up his neck, visible above the dark green scarf he wore. “But I needed woo points.”
I choked on a laugh. The laugh was raspy and thick, barely able to squeeze past the sudden tightness in my throat.
“There you go cryin’ again.” Rowan used his sleeve to wipe at my eyes. “You sap.”
“I’m not crying.”
“You are,” Lake said, gently turning me to face him. He dabbed at my cheeks. “Are they happy tears?”
I nodded, causing more to well in my eyes.
Lake’s expression softened before he guided me onto the blanket and unwrapped another to lay over my lap. “You should warm up soon.”
“I’ll start a fire.” Rowan knelt to the makeshift pit a few feet away and touched the wood. Flames instantly spread beneath his fingertips, and the rush of heat took away the last of the chill in the air. “Better?”
“Yep. I’m all toasty and warm now.” Even more so once they each sat beside me. I lifted the blanket over my lap to cover them too. “What’s all this for? I know it’s not for woo points. I’ve already been wooed by both of you.”
Lake smiled. “You’ve worked hard preparing the café for the opening and deserve something nice.”
“It’s also a celebration for the winter solstice,” Rowan said. “Those of us with mana can feel the energy shift in the air. The fire symbolizes our gratitude. And it prevents your toes from freezing off.”
Touched by their thoughtfulness, I felt a quiver in my throat and a burning in my eyes that would no doubt have me crying in a second flat. Again. “What’s in the baskets?”
“Food,” Rowan answered. “There’s also rum and two bottles of wine.”
