Page 37 of Only Ever You
“Well, that’s a clue,” Maisie said. “I can’t wait for Beck to get home. I’m used to him being gone because we’ve been together for years now, but I miss him. I want him home, and the kids miss him.”
Conversation meandered along with those who had kids commiserating about juggling everything on their own, while I was busy wondering what it might be like to have a family with Parker. There were so many things that I never really let myself think about. Falling in love, having a committed relationship, having kids, all of those things seemed like asking for too much from the world, so I tried not to hope for much. I didn’t trust the universe enough to hand it to me. If I did, the old resentment toward my parents would burn a little hotter inside. I’d missed so many of the milestones while we traveled. No regular school, no friends. It all added up to not trusting the world.
When we were walking out of Wildlands later, Casey stopped with me beside my car. “I hope it’s okay that I teased you about Parker.” Her brow creased with concern.
“Of course, it is.” I paused. “I kind of like being teased by friends. It wasn’t something I got to experience much growing up.”
Casey threw her arms around me in a big hug, and I savored the feel of it.Her smile was warm as she stepped back. She put her hands on my shoulders, her gaze somber. “Parker likes you. A lot. I don’t know if he loves you because, well, I don’t know him that well. But have some faith in yourself. You deserve to have good things happen.”
“What do you mean?”
Casey’s hands fell away as she studied me. “I know we haven’t been friends that long, but you’re always cheerful and sweet and kind, and I love that about you. You do our tarot card readings, and you kinda have this woo-woo vibe.” She giggled a little, drawing one from me. “But it feels like you don’t want to ask much from life. You moved away from the whole RV mess.” She waved a hand dismissively, annoyance flashing in her eyes. “And, if I ever get the chance, I’ll have a word with your parents about what a shitty thing that was, but that’s not my point. Youdon’t ever talk about wanting more than what you have. Maybe itisenough, but you can fall for a guy. Until I met Leo and sorted out everything that happened to my sister, just being somewhere and kind of hiding away was all I wanted from the world. I didn’t let myself want more. You can want more. You are an awesome human being. I think you’re falling pretty hard for Parker, and I think that’s amazing. Whether it’s Parker or something else in your life, don’t be afraid to hope for more.”
Tears wicked up into my eyes, with emotion tight in my throat as I stared at my friend. “Thank you,” I whispered.
She gave me another fierce hug and blew me a kiss before she climbed into her car.
I went home that night, questions swirling in my thoughts. Casey’s point was spot-on. I didn’t dare ask for more from life. Maybe it was because I didn’t even have my own bedroom in the RV. Just having my own space felt like an incredible luxury.
When I got home, Fuzzy greeted me joyously. Dog sitting was the best.
“What do you think, Fuzzy?” I asked a little while later while I rested against my pillows, and he curled up on the bed beside me. “Do you think Parker’s falling for me as hard as I’m falling for him?”
Fuzzy looked at me and swished his tail against the bed. Little bursts of hope shot upward inside my heart, tiny firecrackers in the darkness.
You can’t really assume the dog knows how Parker feels.I could always count on my cynical mind.
I mentally rolled my eyes. I trusted dogs more than some humans. They were pure of heart.
Chapter Twenty-Two
PARKER
“Oh, fuck!” My breath hissed through my teeth as I moved out of the way.
Hudson looked back from where he was ahead of me. “You okay?”
We were scheduled to fly out first thing tomorrow morning. We’d hiked a solid mile outside of the swath of the forest charred by the fire.
“Just a branch falling,” I replied.
He glanced over his shoulder, cracking a grin. “Job hazard.”
“About another mile,” Graham called from up ahead.
We were all tired and more than ready to go home. For the first time since I’d been a hotshot firefighter, I had someone waiting for me at home. I couldn’t wait to get back to see Luna. I figured she’d spoiled Fuzzy the entire time, and he’d probably want to stay with her forever.
The trees opened up along a rocky ledge, and we carefully picked our way across. The footing was rocky and easy to slip on here. We were almost in the clear when we heard a ragged shout. When we stopped, I glanced back to see Kincaid had slipped and fallen a good twenty feet below the trail.
We swung into action when he called up that it looked like he broke his ankle. It was handy to have a twenty-five-person crew all trained in wilderness first-responder emergency care. Within the hour, I’d rappelled down to Kincaid, and we’d gotten him back to safe ground. He was going to be fine. I had a run-in with a rock and sported a nasty gash on my shoulder. I knew I’d be fine, but I also knew I might need stitches.
Kincaid hobbled over with Hudson supporting him on one side. “Sorry about that, dude.”
“Scars are badass,” Hudson quipped with a quick glance over his shoulder.
I chuckled. “Minus the nuisance.”
Hudson helped Kincaid ease down to sit against some backpacks.
