Page 93 of Unexpected Love

“I told you not to go see him. I didn’t want you to have to look that bastard in the eye, not after everything he’s already done.” He toes off his shoes as he drops his keys on the side table by the door before moving around the couch to stand in front of me.

“I know, but it wasn’t right, Gage. You didn’t deserve to be there, and I could fix it.” I want so badly to be in his arms right now, but I keep myself where I am. “You would have done the same thing for me,” I whisper.

Without warning, he cups my cheeks in his hands, pulling me forward and into a searing kiss. My hands fall to his waist, holding his shirt in a grip so tight my knuckles hurt.

If I’m honest, I was terrified this evening, not just when I was pinned against that wall at Murphy’s but standing in that police station waiting to find out what would happen to Gage. Afraid that he might blame me for everything he was going through. I know it was stupid of me to think for even a second that Gage would blame me, but in that moment, I was afraid of losing him, and I couldn’t have that.

“I love you more than I ever thought possible.” Gage pulls back. Still holding my face in his hands, his eyes bounce between mine. “And you’re right. I would have done the same thing and more, so it’s not fair for me to hold it against you.”

“You’re my favorite thing,” I repeat the words he said a week ago, finally understanding what he meant when he said them.

Gage is everything I love about the world and my life, all wrapped up in one beautiful soul, and I’m so incredibly lucky to have found him. I know there’s still so much for us to learn about each other, and if I’m being honest, I’m excited to learneverything I can about this man. He was made for me, just like I was made for him. I feel it all the way to my very bones.

thirty-seven

GAGE

“You doing okay?”

“What do you think? It’s winter, and we’re hiking a literal mountain!”

“Rebel.” I can’t help the chuckle that escapes.

“Don’t laugh at me.” Ava stops so quickly I almost run into her. She whirls around to face me, arms banded across her chest. “Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about romance, not roughing it in the woods.”

She looks adorable, bundled in her winter gear, the tip of her nose pink from the cold. I step into her space, resting my hands on her hips.

“You did see the cabin we’re staying in, right? That bathroom and kitchen are not roughing it.”

“Gage!” She stomps her foot like a toddler having a temper tantrum, and I can’t help but laugh as I pull her in for a kiss.

“While we might be hiking a mountain, it’s a very small one, and I promise we’re almost there.”

The glare she shoots at me doesn’t have as much heat as she wants. I know it’s winter and a little cold, even with the layers and the fact that we haven’t stopped moving, but I know she’s having fun.

I could have planned some romantic getaway for the two of us this weekend, but in the almost two months since we talked about going for a hike, we never found time for it. Ava’s tried every other hobby that’s been even mildly interesting to her and every hobby her friends and brother have suggested, but hiking with me just hasn’t happened.

It might have been a little selfish of me to plan this particular weekend getaway, but I originally wanted to rent an RV.

Besides, the longer we’ve hiked, the more relaxed Ava has become. This last month, since everything happened with Brian and her parents—while not necessarily stressful—has been busy. There are only a handful of evenings I can recall that someone wasn’t at my house or we weren’t over at someone else’s place for dinner. It’s like everyone in our lives wanted to make sure we weren’t alone.

It was ridiculous, but I loved them all the more for it.

This is the first three-day weekend I have off from the station since everything happened back in January, and I’m not taking it for granted. The second I knew my schedule for this month, I ran to Abbey to make sure Ava could take today off. While there are very few nights we don’t spend together in one of our beds, I’m desperate for some alone time with Ava. Seventy-two hours of uninterrupted time seems like a dream. And introducing her to one of my favorite pastimes feels like the best way to spend Valentine's.

“Is it really that terrible?” I bend and kiss the tip of her nose.

Her body relaxes, and her arms fall from her chest, wrapping around my waist instead. “No, it’s not. I just wish it were a little warmer.”

“We’ll stay in the cabin the rest of the weekend. I just really want to show you this view.”

“You’ll build me a fire and let me crochet on the couch while you make dinner?” The gleam in her eyes has me laughing again.

I’ve laughed—really laughed, not just something to help lighten the mood—more in the last month than I have in the last three years. And that’s all thanks to this woman in front of me. The peace I feel with her is something I used to only find when I was outdoors. It’s something I craved and searched for in every hike and camping trip, and it’s something I never thought I could feel every minute of every day. But I do. Just the thought of her—doing whatever she might be at any given moment of the day—brings me peace.

“Yeah, Rebel. I’ll build you a fire.”

“Okay.” She presses a kiss to my lips, lingering there for a few seconds before pulling away. “Show me this view.”

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