Page 52 of The Way Back Home
“Not yet,” was her immediate reply. “Can’t we stay out a little longer? Please?”
In that moment, she could have asked for anything, and he wouldn’t have been able to deny her.
So, instead, he said, “Want to see my super-secret hideout?”
Teagan twisted her head, her blue eyes bright with curiosity, her cheeks rosy from the sun and the wind and the cold. She wasbeautiful. “Absolutely.”
He navigated off the trail and into the woods, stopping several hundred yards in. Stately pines towered around them. When he cut the engine, the silence was absolute.
He dismounted, his legs protesting the movement after sitting for so long, then helped Teagan down as well.
“It’s like another world,” she whispered, turning in a slow circle.
“Here,” he said, disappearing into a clump of evergreens so tightly packed that their branches intertwined.
Teagan appeared a heartbeat later. Her eyes widened as she took in the small, hollowed-out hideaway he’d created years earlier.
“This is amazing!”
He grinned, pleased by her response. “I thought so.”
She reached out and touched the branches. “How many people know about this?”
“No one,” he said. “Not even Alex.”
“You mean, you’ve never brought anyone here before?”
He shook his head. “You’re the first.”
She stared at him for a moment—really stared—before blinking rapidly and glancing away. “Well, I think it’s wonderful,” she said quietly. Almost reverently. “Thanks for sharing this with me.”
“I figured if anyone could appreciate it, it would be you.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He reached into one of his many side pockets and extracted a slim Thermos. Twisting off the top, the scent of rich chocolate permeated the small space. He handed the cylinder to her, then reached into his other pocket and pulled out a small bag of cookies, shaking it in her direction. “What’s a secret hideout without snacks?”
She laughed. Honest-to-God laughed. He’d never heard a more beautiful sound.
How was he ever going to let her walk away?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
NOAH
It wasn’t that late when they made it back to Noah’s cabin, but darkness was already falling. Night came early in Northeastern PA around the winter solstice.
The afternoon had been amazing. For a few hours, the guilt and self-recrimination that weighed heavily on his shoulders had felt lighter, and it was because of Teagan. She had a way of taking him out of his head and giving him the space to breathe. To just be. No intrusive questions. No pitying looks. No judgment.
He hoped he’d had a similar effect on her.
They made quite the pair, each wrapped up in their own past. The difference was, he now knew a hell of a lot more about hers. Speaking of which, he needed to check in and see what, if anything, Alex had been able to find.
“I should head up to the house and see my parents,” he told Teagan as he built up the fire.
“Okay, give me a few minutes to freshen up, and I’ll be ready.”
He appreciated the offer, especially when she was so clearly hurting. He hadn’t missed the way she limped back from the barn or the stiff set of her shoulders as she tried to limit her upper-body movements. In retrospect, taking her out on the snowmobile hadn’t been the smartest move. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t do the same thing in a heartbeat if it meant seeing her smile again.
“I’ve got a better idea,” he said. “Take some ibuprofen and rest. I’ll head up to the main house, put in an appearance, and grab us something to eat.”
