Page 48 of For Him

“Hi!” I cheerily said, happy to see him, but worried he was going to be mad at me.

“Why have you been practically ignoring me?” He got straight to the point, and I blinked in shock. Although he’d once told me he was terrible at small talk, so I shouldn’t have been that surprised.

“Glad to see you too,” I grumbled, and he tilted his head towards me, his eyes telling me he wasn’t playing this game. “Work was crazy. Everyone insisted they had to get their animals in before the holiday.”

He shook his head. “Try again.” His intense eyes stared directly into my soul. He wasn’t going to back down until he had a satisfied answer.

“Weston…” I began, and his gaze softened.

“I’m not mad, just making sure you’re okay.” He leaned a little closer towards me, and I inhaled deeply. It was only now that I realized I missed not just him, but his smell as well. His simple presence beside me, I’d missed it all.

“Is this because of the bear thing?” I quietly asked, and he gave me a single nod. “Yeah, I’m okay. Only because of you.”

There was something new in his eyes as he studied me tenderly. Something I hadn’t seen before, and it made my heart slow down. The room swirled into the distance, and there was nothing but him and I.

Frozen and bound.

A single moment threading between only him and I despite the multitude of people surrounding us.

Then a soft tinkling against glass pulled me from my stupor, my eyes remaining locked with his for one more second as the room rippled back into focus and became silent. His heart beat with mine, settling into rhythmical sync as Nancy tapped her glass with a spoon once more.

And then the spell was broken, and we both looked towards his beautiful mom. “Jeb and I are feeling so blessed to have our family here with us, as well as friends, old and new, gathered in celebration of gratitude. Dinner won’t be ready for another three hours, so until then, don’t be afraid to grab snacks from the trays on the counter and mingle. Happy Thanksgiving!”

She raised her glass in a toast, and we saluted her, taking a swig before I returned to the man towering beside me. My eyes caught Maddie’s questioning gaze before coming in contact with Weston’s once more. She had this inquisitive grin on her face, that same look Cassidy had given me right before scurrying off.

“We have three hours to kill,” Weston said, tilting his head.

“What ever shall we do?” I replied and smiled.

“Well, there is this pond over on the other side of the ranch that’s perfect for ice skating.” He leaned forward onto the counter and spun the bottle between his hands.

“I’ve never been ice skating before!”

“What size shoes are you?” he asked, his eyes sliding down my body, and he leaned over to the side to get a better view of my feet. As his gaze slowly ascended my frame, his eyes bled with hunger for half a second. A hunger that food would not satisfy, and then it was gone.

“Seven,” I timidly said, and then felt the excitement quickly rush away. My voice became quiet. “No, we shouldn’t go.”

His smile fell immediately from his face, and he clenched his jaw. “Why not?”

My eyes shifted to my father who was sitting on the couch, holding the oxygen tank to his chest, and inhaling deeply. I wouldn’t be gone again if something happened, not this time. Not ever. Weston traced my gaze to find what I was looking at, and the tension fell from his face.

“You can’t stop living, Tenley. We talked about that,” he gently said.

I shook my head vigorously. “I won’t be gone again if something happens. Not like last time.”

“Again? Last time? What are you talking about?” Weston asked, and I turned my shameful gaze to meet his.

“My father was rushed to the hospital by ambulance because I was here, sledding. 'Having fun' instead of taking care of my parents like I’d moved here to do.” I blinked back the tears of fright that were swirling within me. He inched closer to death every day, and I was terrified I would be somewhere else when he left this world.

“That’s why you’ve been ignoring me,” he stated, and I sucked my cheek back between my teeth. Weston’s face softened into a tender smile. “We are staying on the ranch, where your father is. For only three hours, and if something happens, you’ll be right there.”

He wasn’t wrong. I wouldn’t be that far from my dad, and my mom had gotten mad at me earlier for not adventuring out more. Whiplash, back and forth, tugged at me. A war within my soul as I battled to decide if this would bring me more guilt. I glanced at my father one more time. There were so many people around, he would be taken care of, and I wasn’t going that far.

“Ice skating,” Weston prompted, a smirk filling his face as I looked back at him once more. Feet padded across the floor, and a red-haired boy popped up between the two of us.

“Did you say ice skating?” Keaton asked with a grin, and Weston glanced at him, slightly perturbed. I chuckled, surprised by his annoyed reaction, although I realized I was also slightly peeved that it wouldn’t bejustWeston and me.

“Yes. I said ice skating,” he answered through gritted teeth.

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