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He nodded. “Well, if you ever change your mind, just say the word and all my clothes will disappear.”

“So generous.” I giggled.

“Only with you.”

The lights around the resort came into view, telling me the ride was almost over. I checked over my shoulder to make sure the borrowed bike was still in the truck’s bed and hadn’t somehow escaped during the short drive.

As I stared out the side window, gazing at the beautiful scenery, I thought about this view being something I saw every day, not just for six more.

“Did you picture yourself being here, in Alaska, in a very open-minded community with your best friend?”

The truck slowed at a stop sign. “No. Not at all,” he huffed.

“So, whatdidyou picture if these idyllic scenarios you’ve found yourself in weren’t your goal?”

He paused, his thumb thumping on top of the steering wheel. “I was married once. To a woman who I thought was my goal, my future. Turned out I was wrong, and then my goals shifted after Miles officially came home. We both needed to get out of the town we’d grown up in, both of us running from the demons and failures chasing us. He knew about Brandon’s company through a friend of a friend, and the rest is history.”

“Married, huh?” He nodded. “I haven’t found anyone I would consider spending even a weekend with, much less the potential of forever. Think you’ll do it again?”

He shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know. That marriage didn’t go the way I planned, you know?”

“What happened?”

He sighed and swiped a hand across his mouth. “I was in the Navy with Miles. Did I mention that?” I shook my head and leaned toward the middle of the truck, not wanting to miss a word of his story. “We planned to go into the SEALs together, but my on-again, off-again girlfriend from back home convinced me we could make us a real thing if I let my contract run out. I believed her. Miles didn’t. Of course, he saw right through her trap, and once I was back home for good, things got bad quickly. There were a few times I had to call the cops just to get her to stop coming at me.”

“She hit you?” I gasped.

He nodded solemnly. “And I knew I’d never lay a finger on her, even if the cops who showed up at the door those few times had some choice words to call me because I wouldn’t. So, I drank a shit ton more than was healthy and lost job after job because I was just so fucking miserable that I didn’t have the energy to even try to keep one. My parents tried to help, but when you’re in that dark space, it’s easier to stay there than take the helping hand someone is offering.”

“Yeah, and sometimes the last person’s help you want is your parents’, because they’ll never let you live it down.” There was no hiding the bitterness in my tone. The way Aiden shot me a raised brow told me he heard it too.

“Exactly.”

“So, what happened for you to end that horrible chapter of your life and move here?”

“Miles,” he said, voice hoarse with an emotion I couldn’t read. “He…” Aiden cleared his throat. “Again, not my story to tell, but he came home, and I knew my best friend needed me. And honestly, I needed him. I filed for divorce and gave her everything she asked for just to be done with it all, but with the clause that she could never reach out to me again, and it was final. But even with all that shit, there is still one future goal I haven’t totally given up hope on.” His caramel eyes cut my way. “A family, kids. Even if they aren’t my own. It was the one thing my ex knew I wanted badly and made sure never happened, though now I’m grateful for that. I have nothing tying me to her.”

“You really want a family, kids, as in multiple?”

“Why do you sound surprised?” he asked, tone a little defensive.

I licked my lips to give myself a second to get my mind working straight. “It’s just that most of the men I’ve met really only want to participate in the family’s making, not the actual parenting part.”

“You’ve really met the worst of our gender, haven’t you?” he said, tone stiff.

It was my turn to shrug. “I guess, yeah. Plus, growing up on a ranch, my dad worked from sunup to sundown, so my mom was the only one who did the parenting. Once I was old enough, he taught me what to do to help around the ranch and not really much else. So, I guess I grew up with a bit of gender-biased roles. Then, at the magazine, I watched guys talk about their children with the same enthusiasm they had when discussing red-line edits for their articles.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you want a family? Kids? The whole thing with a white picket fence?”

“White picket fence, no. That feels… confining, limiting even. I don’t want to be held back from going and doing and exploring. If I were to have a family, then the person I was with would know that about me and allow me to keep this part of myself that wants to be free by doing it all together, with or without kids. So family, kids… yeah, but it would have to be with the right person who understood me. I’m tired of putting what I want as a side note.”

The truck slowed as we eased to a stop outside my little cabin. Aiden turned the key, killing the engine, and reached for the door.

“Hope you don’t mind, but Miles demanded I walk you to your door and make sure all is safe inside the cabin before I let you go in. Oh, and he also mentioned that today might have overwhelmed you a bit, so I’m to ensure you’re safe, then get my ass back home.” His cheeks bunched with a wide smile. “Such a bossy fucker, that bestie of mine.”