Page 48 of North

“Me too,” King admits. “But he did and he swore me to secrecy, and here we stand. I’m only telling you this much because I’m seriously concerned about the guy. That teddy bear was creepy as hell.”

“Do you think McLendon sent the bear?” I ask, hoping it’s okay for me to be part of the conversation. I am, after all, a part of this Titans family by virtue of sharing the same blood as Rafferty.

And now as… North’s girlfriend?

“I have no clue,” King says. “But that wasn’t the only incident.”

“Shit, that’s right,” North says. His eyes come to me. “Back in November, a fan threw a water bottle at Penn and called him a traitor, or something like that. We just thought it was an angry Spartans fan since he left that team high and dry when he came to Pittsburgh.”

“What in the hell could he have done to cause such enmity?” Mazzy wonders. “I know he’s sort of reclusive, but he seems like a good guy when he’s in player mode.”

Before anyone can answer, one of the mushers walks into our circle. “Hate to break up the party, but we’re ready to get going. Anyone feel confident enough to do some steering?”

“Me,” North says quickly and we all laugh.

We down the rest of our cocoa and head back to the sleds for the return trip. All the guys take a very short stint on the back, mushing and steering, but then Northis settled warmly behind me once again.

The ride feels even faster this time, the dogs tearing through the snow with unrelenting energy. North’s arm wraps around my stomach, holding me tight to him. It’s a steadying presence that feels more reassuring than I’d like to admit.

When we finally return to the starting point, I feel a strange mix of exhilaration and exhaustion. As we help unhook the dogs and thank the guides, I realize something surprising—I enjoyed this. Not just the sledding, but the whole outing. The couples, the conversation, the shared experience.

It felt normal.

No, that’s not quite right. It felt special, but natural.

“Ready to head out?” North asks, his voice breaking through my thoughts.

I nod, falling into step beside him. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

We say our goodbyes, which consist of warm hugs and fist bumps, along with promises to do another couples outing to include Rafferty and Tempe when she comes home for a visit.

As we walk back to the truck, I glance at North out of the corner of my eye. He’s coughing again, a little harder this time, and I feel a tug of worry.

“You sure you’re not getting sick?” I ask.

“I’m fine,” he insists, but his voice is hoarse, and I don’t believe him for a second.

As we climb into the truck, I make a command decision. “Let’s swing by the grocery store.”

“What for?” he asks, starting the engine and then immediately succumbing to another coughing fit. “I thought maybe we’d go out for dinner.”

“I’m making you homemade chicken noodle soup,” I say, my expression no-nonsense and not to be trifled with.

North’s expression turns gooey soft, and it’s clear that I just hit a home run in the feels department for him. I think about making a sarcastic quip to dull the connection, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I kind of like making him happy.

CHAPTER 17

Farren

Something startles meawake and the first thing I notice is the emptiness of the bed. I blink into the darkness, confused for a second, and the bedside clock reads just a little past midnight. North’s house is unfamiliar, even though I’ve been here for a couple of days now. My hand brushes over the spot where he should be, and the sheets are cooled to the touch, suggesting he’s been gone some time.

“North?” I call softly into the quiet room.

No response.

I toss the blanket off and pad out into the hallway. We have settled into the routine of sleeping naked because we’re normally collapsing into an exhausted heap, but there was no sex last night so I’m wearing one of his T-shirts and my panties are intact.

What started out as a cough while dogsledding soon turned into so much more. North went through a period of chills, so I had him layered up in sweatpants, a long-sleeve thermal T-shirt and a sweatshirt on top of that. Hehad body aches and nausea and could barely keep down the soup I made for him.

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