Page 3 of Grumped By the Mountain Man

I spent the best summer of my life with her all over the mountain. Now it’s time to say goodbye because as I click to open the email, the first word to pop up is congratulations.

I hug her fiercely for the last time because once I let go, I’m releasing her forever.

I’ll never trap her in these mountains with me because I know this place isn’t enough for someone with wings so large.

And I want Ayla to soar.

Chapter Two

Ayla, Present day.

“Do you notice something off about these pictures?” I ask Cali as we swipe through her wedding photos on my tablet.

It’s been three weeks since she tied the knot with my brother Beau. Now that they’re back from their honeymoon in Baha Bay and life’s returning to normal, we’re finally sitting down to go over which photos she wants me to edit and print.

We’re scrolling through the wedding party folder. First, there’s a photo of a noticeably pregnant Emmy walking down the aisle arm in arm with Grant. They both look absolutely stunning and in love. Next, Levi and Maya are smiling at Everly and Sunny, my nieces, as they toss their flower petals amidst a background of swooning guests. Finally, there’s a photo of Jaxon and me taken by my temporary assistant and Cali’s cousin, Heath.

I’m grinning ear to ear, my arm wrapped around Jaxon’s, my hand clinging to his bicep. My eyes strain to look up at him as he escorts me to the gorgeous arbor upfront. I look like I’m head over heels in love because I am... but Jaxon stares straight ahead, coldly.

Perhaps that’s just a one-off, right? Wrong. Every single picture of us looks this way, with Jaxon appearing polite at best and frigid at worst. As the sun disappears in the photos, so does Jaxon’s cordialness as if the lack of light can hide his indifference.

I knew far better than to spoil someone else’s special day so I ignored the nagging in the pit of my stomach that told me something was off. Now that I’m looking over the photos though, I can’t help but wonder what the hell went wrong between us.

It isn’t just the weirdness at Cali and Beau’s wedding either. The few times I visited Covet County prior, were short but I’d always carved out time for Jaxon who was never available. It’s only now that I realize he’s been deliberately avoiding me until his sister’s wedding forced him to tolerate me for a few days. Now that that’s over, he’s returned to acting like I don’t exist.

Why?

Jaxon helped me with my photography sessions. He’d proofread my college essay and helped me pick out the photos that ultimately awarded me the scholarship. When I left the county, he accompanied me to the airport. He gave me the biggest goodbye hug though I’d secretly and desperately hoped for a kiss.

That summer between us had been magical. I was newly nineteen and finally, I felt like a woman. Those excursions with Jaxon allowed him to see a different side of me. The side where I wasn’t just his best friend’s little sister.

I was no longer in braces and begging my brothers and Jaxon to let me tag along on their hikes or billiard tournaments. Jaxon and I were exploring the mountainside all alone in his massive truck and I was able to show him my funny side— hopefully— and a keen interest in his woodwork. I’d seemingly shocked him and he’d shocked me by how invested he was in my photography.

We bonded and I’m not going to gaslight myself into thinking that we didn’t. Sure, I have a vivid imagination but I didn’t conjure up the longing in his icy blue eyes whenever I wore shorts or offered him bites of food from my fork. Neither had I imagined the romantic way he’d picked me up off the floor at the airport. Or the way he’d buried his head in the crook of my shoulder when he hugged me goodbye.

Something had brewed between us and as much as I hated to leave, I knew it was a matter of falling for the right person at the wrong time. On both our ends.

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