Page 4

Owen

“ W hat do you think happened to the bike?” Kat asked as we began walking. It didn’t escape my notice that she was limping slightly.

“I’m not sure,” I replied, subtly shifting our positions so I was between her and the road, my hand brushing against her lower back. While the risk of a car collision was nonexistent, I still exercised caution due to the constant flow of bikers and the occasional carriage that passed us.

“Its weird that both tires went flat,” she remarked glancing down at the ruined rubber.

“I think they were slashed,” I confessed what had crossed my mind. While I didn't want to scrutinize them too closely in front of the wedding party, my brief examination revealed a gash, seemingly made by a knife, on one of them.

Kat’s eyes widened as she quickly looked up, the surprise evident in her wide, bright gaze. “What?”

"It seemed like Scott and Stephanie were engaged in a lot of hushed conversations today. Did you notice?" I know my question was out of the blue, but I had observed them too many times today acting squirrelly.

Kat stopped walking suddenly. “You think they had something to do with this?”

“Dunno. But someone is responsible. We were alone at that overlook. It had to be someone in the party. From their history alone, they seem the most likely candidates.” Scott was an ass. Always had been. I wouldn’t put it past him to do something like this.

Her head tilted to the side as she contemplated my observation, her brow furrowed in concentration. The way her braid draped over her shoulder, a waterfall of silken blonde hair, sparked an irresistible urge in me to unravel it and run my fingers through the soft strands.

My confession at breakfast, I knew, had shocked her.

I don’t know what had prompted me to tell her that.

It was true. No matter where I was in the world, whenever the sun painted the sky with those golden hues, I thought of her.

This morning was no different. Being able to experience the sunrise with her again for a change had been a balm to my battered soul.

The pain of losing my mother and several of my fellow soldiers was unbearable, but Kat provided a much-needed sense of solace, even if she didn’t know it.

“Okay. I hate those two as much as any of us,” she began, and a red rage flashed in my vision as I thought about the abuse she’d suffered from them over the years.

Especially learning what they’d done to her on that kayak trip.

“But I can’t see them doing something like this.

What possible benefit could they hope to get from playing this trick? ”

“I’m not saying they did it for sure, but out of all our friends here today, they are the only one with a history of mean pranks.”

Kat's gaze, fixed on mine with unwavering blue eyes, held a guarded expression, as if she were carefully gauging my understanding of her history, seeking to determine how much I knew.

My curiosity about that day when Scott and Stephanie had nearly drowned her was intense, but I held back, knowing that prying into such a traumatic experience would likely wound her.

“Again, what would they have to gain?” she countered.

“What do they ever gain from the things they do?”

“You may have a point.”

That made me grin, a wide, happy grin that stretched my cheeks. “Will wonders never cease? Did Kat Larsen just admit I was right about something?”

She rolled her eyes, the familiar gesture laden with a heavy dose of long-suffering patience. “Oh, shut up.”

“Seriously,” I continued to tease, taking hold of her hand as we began to walk again. “We should mark this down in our calendars. You agreed with me for once. This is a monumental day.”

“You’re full of yourself. I said you had a point. Not that I agreed with you.”

“Nope. That’s not how I heard it,” I stated. Our banter remained a source of joy for me, and I found myself cherishing our playful exchanges more and more. “I’m glad you finally recognize my genius.”

“Oh, shut up.” She lunged forward, intending to hit me on the arm, but tripped, landing in my arms with a surprised gasp.

I caught her against my chest, one arm wrapped around her waist as the other steadied the bike.

I held her close, my chest pressed against hers, feeling her soft breath against the skin of my neck.

The scent of her hair filled my senses. A flowery perfume, its scent like a burst of summer blooms, that I could never get enough of.

God, she felt good in my arms. We’d hugged a lot over the years, but I never allowed myself to appreciate the feeling of her in my arms. At that moment, I was completely captivated by her and couldn’t resist taking in every detail, committing her essence to memory.

I watched as her gaze slowly moved up the column of my throat, lingering on my lips before finally meeting my eyes, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths. Like a slow, deliberate flame, the intensity of her gaze burned, and the air crackled with unspoken tension.

Fuck, I wanted to kiss her.

Her hands went to my chest, the warmth of her palms penetrating my shirt and seeping into my skin. I wondered if she could feel my heart pounding beneath her hands. I was just about to throw caution to the wind and lean down to finally taste her lips when she pushed herself away from me.

“Sorry about that,” she whispered. She dipped her chin and turned quickly away, trying to hide the blush that had colored her cheeks, but I had already caught a glimpse of it. A faint, delicate pink that made her even more beautiful.

She took a step back, but her knee buckled. I caught her before she could do even more damage to herself. I directed her to a knee-high stone wall, saying, “Let me take a look at that knee,” so I could examine her injured leg properly. I made her sit on it and pulled my pack off my back.

Her wound was easily accessible due to the denim shorts she wore.

The issue lay in the shortness of the shorts, which showcased the extensive length of her tanned and toned legs, making them impossible to miss.

And my cock took notice if the tightening in my own shorts was any indication.

I swallowed a groan and pulled out the first aid kit I never went anywhere without, tending her wound with a practiced hand. The Army had taught me well.

The antiseptic wipe in my hand worked to sterilize the wound, but I was unable to ignore the weight of her eyes upon me, their intensity conveying a silent but deliberate assessment of my actions.

“What?” I asked when I couldn’t take her quiet scrutiny a moment longer.

“You’re very good at that.”

I let out a low grunt.

“You are,” she insisted, interpreting my grunt to mean I didn’t believe her. “Did you learn this skill in the Army?”

“I was my team’s medic,” I confessed.

She tilted her head as she considered my words. “Did you like it?”

That was an interesting question that no one had ever asked me before.

And a loaded one as well. The role of medic came with all the ups and downs one would imagine.

But for me, I felt a sense of great satisfaction when I could do my job and do it well.

Patching up my teammates, my brothers, gave me a sense of purpose that was currently lacking in my life.

“I did.”

“You miss it,” she asserted, her words carrying a conviction that seemed to stem from an unspoken understanding, gleaned from the subtle inflections in my voice.

I kept my mouth shut. I did miss it, but I couldn’t go down that road. There was too much baggage to unpack in that regard. But that didn’t stop Kat.

“You’re working at your dad’s hardware store, right?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because he needed me.” My dad had been having health problems lately and was getting up there in age.

The store was becoming too much for him to handle.

When I’d left the Army, I promised him I’d help.

Now, I felt trapped. It wasn’t the life I’d imagined for myself, but it was the life I’d felt obligated to lead.

“Why not just hire a full time manager or something?”

“Just seemed easier for me to take on the role.”

A look of distaste crossed her features, her lips twitching into a grimace, and her brow furrowing into a frown. “But it’s not what you want.”

“Kit,” I warned.

“What? I’m right, aren’t I?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not? You have a skill here,” she said, indicating the bandage I’d just placed over her wound. “One that you enjoy. Why not get a job as a paramedic for something?”

“My dad needs me,” I insisted. Her words held merit, but with my dad’s health, I was needed at the store. I’d already put off taking over, as was my dad’s wish, to join the army. I couldn’t justify letting him down again. “And I need to be there for him.”

I knew she enjoyed the job she had as the office manager of a construction company. She’d once told me about the thrill she got seeing their builds go from draft to design to implementation. I reckoned being content in her own job, it was difficult for her to imagine anyone not enjoying their work.

She looked down at the ground and kicked an acorn with the toe of her shoe. “I just don’t like seeing you so unhappy.”

Her words were like a spark igniting a fire in my chest, making my heart leap with happiness. I liked that she cared. I placed my finger beneath her chin, and with a slight pressure, I raised her head to meet her gaze. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

It was the best I could give her at the moment. The thought of becoming a paramedic had crossed my mind a time or two, but I had to put off that dream for my dad’s sake. Now, thanks to Kat, this nagging question would stay in my head until I made a choice, one way or the other.

We walked on, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

I couldn’t help but rehash the last few moments in my head.

I was so sure there was an answering flare of desire in her eyes, but now I wasn’t so sure.

The missed kiss stung, but the thought of the potential damage it could have caused to our long-standing friendship gave me pause.

As we approached the town, the streets grew busier, a cacophony of sounds and movement surrounding us. “I never did apologize for missing your birthday party all those years ago,” I said, breaking the silence that had consumed us for the past half hour.

“That’s not necessary.”

“No, really,” I insisted. “I felt awful when it happened.”

The corners of her mouth lifted into a subtle, knowing smile. “I think Todd did too. He made sure never to miss a single birthday after that. Even when he was in the Army, he always managed to send me a bouquet of my favorite flowers.”

That surprised me. I didn’t know Todd had been sending her flowers on her birthday as well.

If I knew I was going to be out of pocket over her birthday, I’d always planned ahead.

I never wanted to miss another one, so I had a standing order for a bouquet of lilacs, her favorite flower, to be sent to her every year.

It never occurred to me that Todd was doing the same.

“Speaking of flowers, I can’t believe how beautiful the lilacs are here.” The blooms were everywhere, and the scent, so similar to Kat’s perfume, filled the air. “I’m so happy Todd and Tria booked their wedding during the lilac festival.”

“They are beautiful.” The vividness of the bright purples, pinks, and whites was a marvel to behold. Though the things themselves were interesting, the real wonder was seeing how much Kat was enjoying them. It filled me with a sense of peace, just like with the sunrise this morning.

“Did you know Mackinac Island has some of the oldest and largest lilacs in the world? There are over 300 of them around the island. I read that there are sixty-eight species, each boasting one of seventeen distinct colors. I had no idea that there was such a wide variety of colors in existence.” Her voice grew excited as she talked about her favorite plant, her words almost tumbling over each other.

“Which color is your favorite?”

She glanced around at our surroundings. Most people’s yards had one or two of the plants, all with massive blooms on them.

“That one,” she answered, pointing to a dark purple, almost mauve colored variety.

It was not surprising at all; I could have guessed that would be her favorite.

I'd have to find out if I could get that specific shade for this year’s birthday bouquet.

Propping the bike against a white picket fence, I pulled out my phone. “Let me get your picture with it.”

She posed for several pictures, each one more beautiful than the last. The image she presented was so stunning, so full of life and beauty, that a wave of emotion washed over me, leaving me breathless and aching.

She brought the flower near, her eyes shut, inhaling the powerful, heady scent, and I was completely captivated by her.

I couldn’t fight it anymore. I had to figure out a way to make her mine.