Page 17 of Falling for the Mountain Man
Oh. Oh no.
Her eyes flick toward me, and as she takes in my appearance, her nose scrunches.
And here I wanted to tell her everything, but I think my current state is worth a thousand words. But I don’t want her to assume and try to put the pieces together by herself. I don’t want her to misunderstand.
“Kallie—” I step forward, and the cool air of the room licks at my knees. It’s impossibly cold on the mountain in the morning, and there’s no doubt that a fire hasn’t been started. “I can explain—”
“You guys weresoloud.” Setting her cup down with a thump, she shoves her hand through her hair and yanks like she’s frustrated. “I’d think you were keeping this a secret, but there’s no way. Not after that.”
My cheeks burn at her words, and just like that, I want to melt into the cracks of the floor and disappear.
Hearing Ryder’s steps growing from behind, I look back, relieved that he’s now dressed. He doesn’t look mortified when he sees Kallie’s caught us in the aftermath. Rather, he looksrelieved.To him, it’s probably better to rip off the band-aid.
Well, I wanted to work my way up to telling her the truth. Now, I’m too busy hugging myself to find the right words.
Kallie only seems to prickle up when she sees Ryder. It’s like the first push to a long string of dominoes.
“Good morning.” He doesn’t point out her frown, but looks between us. “So, we’re going to talk this out like adults. Because that’s what we are. Adults.”
“Right.” She moves to stand, her chair scraping behind her. Rounding the table, she keeps a good amount of feet away from us. If she gets too close, she may see more than she wants.
Though, I think it might be a little too late for that. Ryder wasn’t shy with his mouth last night.
“Okay, so I knew you had a little crush on him. I mean, literally all of my friends did growing up.” She doesn’t bother to hide the grimace on her face. “As gross as it is, I can admit that we’ve got good genes. It’s one of those things that come with being his daughter.”
Like she realizes she’s getting off track, another over-dramatic groan leaves her lips.
I freeze up at the realization that I’ve already been caught. I don’t know at what point she put the pieces together. “You knew?”
“Well, yeah.” She lets out a huff of air, laced with exasperation. “No offense, but you’re not exactly subtle about it. I’ve caught you staring at that picture of him from last year’s trip on the boat. Like, many times.” Her attention swings fully to her father, and I can feel the heat of Ryder’s gaze burning into the back of my neck, a silent, heavy pressure. “But you…” she continues, her voice hardening. “You’re supposed to be the responsible one. You knew she’d be lonely here. She needed to be around people, not—”
She waves a hand in the space between us, a frantic, dismissive gesture as she struggles to find the right word.
And that’s when the second realization hits me, colder and clearer than the first. The anger in her voice isn’t aimed at me. It’s targeted with laser precision at Ryder.
She’s always clung to my side, always played the part of an overprotective friend. She’s my other half, has been from the day she crashed into my life with way too many pieces of luggage than a roommate should have, and a heart of gold.
The other women in our rental barely knew of my existence. But Kallie, she put super glue between us and stuck to me like no one ever before.
And now, her father might as well have pried us apart to put himself right in the middle.
Despite the floor feeling like it’s tilting, despite the humiliating tremor in my legs that threatens to buckle, I force myself to step forward. Before I can speak, I feel the warmth of Ryder’s hand on my shoulder.
“Kallie.” His voice cuts through the tension, low and firm, but devoid of anger. It’s a tone that commands a room, and it instantly halts her next words. He moves to stand beside me, his shoulder brushing mine—a silent, solid wall of support. “Look at her. Really look. Do you see someone I took advantage of? Or do you see the woman I care about?”
My stomach instantly clenches, trying its hardest to subdue the butterflies that want to flap around at his words.
Kallie’s mouth opens, then closes, her anger momentarily derailed by the sheer, unvarnished truth in his declaration. She then squints. “I know you care for her. You’ve taken care of her the same way you have for me. I mean, you have to admit, it’s crazy. It’s—”
“I love her,” he corrects himself and sighs. “But not in a way a man like me should. I know it’s crazy, but that’s how it is. Once it starts to blossom, it doesn’t stop.”
Lips parting, I look up to find him staring back. Just like a cage being burst open, the butterflies go crazy.
He continues, his gaze locked on his daughter. “You’re right. I am the responsible one. And that means being responsible with her heart, and with yours. This wasn’t me filling a void of loneliness. This was me finding the other half of my soul in the one person who already felt like family.”
Tears well in Kallie’s eyes, the anger melting into a confusion that hurts more to see. “I just… I love her,” she whispers, her voice cracking as she looks at me. “She’s my best friend. And I love you.” Her gaze flicks to her father. “And this… it feels like you’re stealing her away.”
All this time, I was worried Kallie would hate me and leave my side. Now I’m thinking we’re more like two sides of the same coin. Both feeling the same way.
