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My heart heaved in my chest. I had wanted him to open up, but the thoughtfulness of his intent was enough to make me gasp. Okay, with that level of vulnerability, I’d move this to one of the best dates. It certainly beat those encounters over coffee where I scouted for the exits.

“Cheers.” I held up the flask. He raised his sandwich. “To reconnecting with old friends.”

“To old friends,” he repeated.

Tyler had won the best date location. We continued eating while staring out of the tree house at the darkening landscape.

It defied words, so I stopped trying. Instead, I searched for the ones that described Tyler.

Thoughtful. Nostalgic. Mysterious. Sexy hunk of beef.

If this was his first attempt at reconnecting, he had my attention.

What was the harm? We both knew how it’d end.

In a few weeks, the city would call me home.

It didn’t mean we couldn’t have an adventure in the meantime.

“Where exactly were you sneaking off to?”

“Like naked men and heaving breasts?”

“I see enough six packs in a week to open a liquor store.”

Tyler snorted. We had perched ourselves against the wall, staring into the darkness.

The sun had set hours ago while we talked about ourselves.

I learned how he landed the position at the library and how he insisted on it becoming a vital part of Firefly.

When he found out I designed book covers, he couldn’t resist poking fun.

“What’s it called when he’s clinging to the?—”

“Clutch pose. Yeah, I’m the one pulling them out of the photo and putting them on ships, mountains, and my personal favorite, castles in Scotland. Yup. I do it all.”

The breeze had picked up as the night settled in.

Tyler had a small battery-powered lantern hanging on a hook that cast a soft yellow glow across the treehouse.

I would have thought it peaceful, perhaps even quiet, but nature had a pulse similar to the city.

Insects kept a constant humming going, with the occasional owl hoot or wolf howl breaking through the static.

“What about fantasy books?”

“Not as many fantasy covers. They tend to be illustrated, but I’m sure I could paint them if I tried.”

“You paint?”

He sounded surprised. Now that I thought about it, I surprised myself.

I rarely talked about work outside of telling people I was a graphic designer.

When they heard I created book covers for a publisher, they went on tirades about their favorite book.

Never had I told people I had other artistic abilities.

“I used to when I was younger. I’d like to think I was pretty good at it. Though I always preferred pencils and charcoal.”

“Mr. Olsen, that’s pretty impressive. I couldn’t draw a stick figure if my life depended on it.”

That’s what everybody said, as if artistic ability came from genetics.

When I started, I hadn’t been very good.

I hoped to find some of my earliest notebooks to compare, but it looked like those hadn’t been deemed worthy by Mimi.

What started out as crude drawings of teachers making fools of themselves had evolved.

“I can show you. We’ll have you making anatomically correct stick figures in no time.”

“Or…”

I raised an eyebrow. Tyler leaned forward, pulling his shirt over his head.

Wait, were we about to… When he shook his head, pushing his chest forward with hands on his hips, I got the idea.

Though, I really wanted to run my hands over his belly and follow the trail of hair until it reached his chest.

“I could be one of your models.”

I hadn’t spent enough time with Tyler twenty years ago to draw him.

If I were going to include him with the other radical love portraits, he wouldn’t be shirtless…

much to my dismay. He’d probably be sitting in a bean bag in the loft, reading children’s books.

Maybe I’d stop in and bring my notebook.

If nothing else, it’d be fun to see him in his environment.

“You mentioned the library might close?”

He slumped, making his belly protrude. Will power. It took every ounce not to rub his stomach. He let out a deep sigh. I could see the stress in the grimace.

“It’s the same every year. The state cuts funding. We make budget cuts. But we’re reaching the tipping point. I’m not saying it’s the foundation of Firefly, but even a small town deserves a safe space.”

“What about you?”

He raised an eyebrow as if he had never considered the question. If my company was about to fold, I’d have my portfolio ready to send out. Did he focus on the library at the expense of his personal security? Interesting.

“Will you stay in Firefly? Might find another position in Bangor? Or you could visit me down in Portland.”

He gave a slight shrug. “I don’t think of Firefly as a place I can never leave.

If I had to, I could go elsewhere and be happy.

Trust me, I see its bumps and bruises. But I kind of like the familiar.

” I could understand that. It might be the reason I stayed in Portland.

He gave me a quick glance. “You can say I have a soft spot for the things I know.”

I’m sure I blushed.

“Is it a done deal? Or do you have time?”

“It wouldn’t happen until next year. I have time to figure things out. I’m not a blind optimist, but I’m holding out.”

“Hope ain’t a bad thing.”

“The kids are going to be crushed. I finally got the parents to show up at our reading hour. The next step was to introduce them to drag story time. They’re not scared of change, but they move at their own pace.

Can you imagine it? Drag queen strutting through the library, pointing out their favorite books. ”

I chuckled at the image. “Mabel would love that.”

“Next was getting the adults involved in murder mystery nights.”

“Mabel would also love that. Maybe you just need a drag queen to host every event.”

“In a town where the best thing to do is sit in a tree house with a cute guy, they need some excitement.”

“I don’t know. This is pretty exciting to me.”

I flashed a smile. His ability to care warmed my heart. After thinking about passions for the last few days, Tyler had found his. Amidst the stacks of books, he wanted nothing more than to bring stories to the people of Firefly.

My hand slid closer until it wrapped around his. It had been a long time since I witnessed somebody pour their heart into a project. I was equal parts excited and jealous. As the emotions flared, pouncing on one another. I did the only logical thing I could think of.

My finger brushed over the indentation on his ring finger. There were more stories to be told, parts of Tyler that had me curious. For now, I set aside the past and lived in the present.

I kissed Tyler.

Or… I tried.

I missed his lips and kissed his cheek. Damn Olsen curse. Kill me now. The movies made an impulsive gesture look easy. I hovered, waiting for him to turn his head. The moment passed, and I leaned back, wondering if I had overstepped.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. I had ruined a perfectly?—

“Don’t be. I’m just shocked.” Huh? I would have thought that after the bar, we had skipped all the awkwardness. “That was the worst kiss ever.”

Tyler laughed hard enough that I swore the treehouse shook. I don’t think anybody had ever roared like this from a kiss. However, the longer he laughed, the harder I found to resist joining in. Okay, I admitted it wasn’t my best attempt. My embarrassment turned into amusement.

“If you’re going to kiss somebody out of the blue, make sure you hit the mark.”

He turned, hand resting on my cheek as he leaned closer. His lips hovered inches from my face, close enough I could feel the warmth of his breath. I closed my eyes, drifting forward until our lips touched. He tasted like rum, and I would have gladly spent the night drinking him in.

Our kiss didn’t drip with passion. It held an edge of intensity mixed with longing. For a moment, I thought about standing on the green, hearing the fireworks as we exchanged our first kiss. He had improved over the years, and as he pulled away, I chased, wanting to prolong the moment.

When I opened my eyes, he had a smirk on his face. “That’s how you do it.”

“Yes, it is,” I whispered.

“Is it time to head back?”

I was surprised to find I didn’t want to jump the shirtless man. Something about the moment was different, charged in a way that didn’t lead to my cock. Logic said to pump the brakes. For safety, I should nod my head, pack up and head home. That’s what I would have done a week ago.

“Let’s stay a little longer.”

I shimmied closer until I rested my head on his shoulder.

Holding out my hand, he laced his fingers through mine, giving me a firm squeeze.

I closed my eyes, listening to the hum of Maine.

I had warned Tyler that whatever happened came with an expiration date.

Maybe those words weren’t meant for him?

There was no point in starting something just to see it come to an end.

Yet…

Maybe this was the adventure I needed? He moved slowly until I heard him kiss the top of my head. I pushed the conclusion of our story out of my mind. For right now, I wanted to focus on the journey with this handsome, burly bear.