Page 23 of Reeve

“It’s not too late for him,” Aaron points out. “Your dad’s not that old.”

“Sure, but he’s set in his ways. He’s a bachelor for life now. Like yours.”

We’re both silent for a little bit, but it’s companionable. It’s comfortable. The miles tick by in darkness with mellow 70s as our soundtrack. When Aaron speaks up again, John Denver’s singing “Annie’s Song,” which is, in my opinion, one of the most romantic songs ever written.

“You feel like people are meant live life in pairs?” he asks.

“Meantto?No. I’m sure there are folks who prefer to be alone.”

“Fair enough. Do you thinkyou’remeant to be with someone?”

Come let me love you. Let me give my life to you.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I think I’m meant to be with someone. I want that for myself. A boyfriend. Eventually, a husband. Kids. Like you said, I’m from a big family. That’s what I know. That’s what I’m used to. That’s what I want.”

“Someday.”

I turn my head to look at Aaron’s handsome profile. We’re more than halfway to the restaurant now, and I wish time would slow down. I wish I had days and days to get to know him better, to learn every little thing about him.

“Someday,” I say, then quickly add, “After college.”

“In Anchorage.”

“In Anchorage.”

“Where my dad lives,” he says, offering me a playful grin.

“Where your dad lives.”

“I’m up there a lot, Reeve. Anchorage is my hometown.”

“I get that now.”

He glances at me. “Can I call you when I’m in town?”

My first instinct is to say no, but I hold my tongue and think about my answer before giving it.

The fact of the matter is, the boundary I’m trying to build by studying in Anchorage, isn’t actually withSkagway, it’s with my family. Heck, I want to return to Skagway someday and make my life there. But my grandparents? My dad? My older siblings? I want them to get along without me for a while. And when I return, I want them to see me as an adult who went out into the world and returned fully formed.

But Aaron? I think it’s possible that Aaron, for all that he shot me down four years ago, already sees me as a mature adult. He wouldn’t ask me out if he still saw me as a kid, right? Who Aaron is in my life is evolving. First, he was my crush. Then, he was my nemesis. Right this minute, it feels like we’re building something…and whether that something turns out to be a friendship or more, I’m not inclined to cut it off at the knees. Not now, anyway.

“Yes, you can,” I say.

“Really?” he asks, surprised.

“I mean, I’ll probably be busy with school and friends and all, but…sure. You can call me when you’re in Anchorage. Why not?”

“I’ll take it,” he says softly.

He turns into the parking lot of the Southern Lakes Resort and parks the car. When he cuts the engine, he turns to me, his features serious in the bright moonlight.

“I have to say something.”

“Okay.”

“I know we’re out tonight as friends, Reeve, but I need to be honest and tell you that I don’t see you that way. I don’t see you as a friend, and I don’t see you as a little kid, either. I know my timing sucks, but until you tell me to give up, I’m not going to.”

And that’s when I know—beyond any shadow of doubt.I don’t want him to give up.I have no idea what the future holds, but damn if I don’t hope it holds Aaron Adams somehow, someway.

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