by T. S. Joyce
“Barf,” Ryder drawled. “I’m going to barf my margarita.”
She knew he was drinking.
Ignoring Ryder like a pro, Weston said, “You’re here early.”
“Not as early as I wanted to be.”
“I was going to come pick you up in a few minutes.”
“Well, I didn’t want to wait any longer to see you.”
“Still barfing,” Ryder called. “And now you’re blocking my view of beautiful mother nature. Can you move to the right by like, seven miles?”
Unable to help herself, she cupped the scruff on his cheeks and grinned. “Happy birthday, Weston.”
He buried his face against her neck and chuckled warmly. “Thank you.”
“I got you a present.”
“I thought you got me a present,” Ryder called.
Avery sighed as Wes settled her on her feet, then pulled him by the hand up onto the porch. Carefully, she tugged two small, newspaper-wrapped presents from her purse and handed them to the guys.
Ryder set his empty glass down with a clunk and tore into the wrapping.
“It’s not much,” she warned them, suddenly feeling self-conscious. What if this had been a terrible idea, and they hated it?
Ryder reached his gift first and plucked the orange bear paw beer bottle opener from the newsprint with a frown. “What am I going to do with a keychain like—”
“Ryder,” Weston murmured, holding up his shiny blue one.
“Oh my God, you got us matching beer bottle openers,” Ryder said, his eyes huge. A gleeful grin took his face as he began securing the ring to his keys.
“Avery?” Weston asked. “How much money do you have left?”
She ducked her gaze in shame and refused to answer. It didn’t matter. She wanted to do this for them.
“How much?” Weston asked, gentler.
With a sigh, she answered, “Ninety-eight cents.”
“To your name?” Ryder asked.
She nodded once.
“And you spent money on these?” Ryder asked.
Another quick nod as Weston slid his hand around her waist and hugged her to his side.
Ryder cleared his throat loudly once, twice. He stood and hugged her and Weston in a quick, rough bear hug that nearly cracked all her ribs. In a hoarse voice, he said, “I like you more than Bart now.” He jogged down the stairs and pushed his keys into his back pocket as he escaped toward the ATV garage.
Ryder liked her more than a worm in a pile of cat crap, so she’d just been promoted to eleventh best friend. She shouldn’t be this touched, but her eyes went a little misty.
By the time she turned around, Weston was wearing that crooked grin she adored.
“This is the best birthday present,” he murmured, hooking the shiny beer bottle opener to his keychain. “Is the bear paw cut-out because of my dad?”
“Yeah. And your crew, and the crew you grew up in. And the first day I saw you here, you were drinking a beer, so I knew you liked the stuff. You told me in a letter one time that your favorite color was blue. I picked up Ryder’s this morning. I asked Lexi what his favorite color was, and they only had one orange bottle opener left.” She kicked at the edge of a floor board with the tip of her hiking boot. “I don’t want your relationships to be stressed because of me.”
Weston shoved his keys in his front pocket and pulled her into a crushing hug and rasped his beard against her neck. “You just did more than you even know, Ave.”
“It’s just a keychain,” she said, blushing with pleasure as she hugged his neck up tight.
“Nah, don’t do that. Don’t downplay it. You spent the last of your money on me and my best friend, fixing something I’ve been failing at all day. I can tell you just made Ryder really happy. And you made me really happy, too. The thought you put into this… I’ll always think about how sweet you are when I see it on my keys.”
“Good,” she murmured happily. But his eyes were still off. Still a little too hollow for her liking and pitch black, like his raven was all riled up, and for what? He sounded okay. She traced the dark circles under his eyes and frowned. “What’s wrong? Did you not sleep well?”
The smile drifted from his face, and he gave his gaze to the woods. Cupping his cheeks again, she brought him back to her. “You can tell me. Did you have a vision? Do you want to talk about it?”
“Yes, and no I don’t want to talk about this one. Not now. Let’s leave this one alone, okay?”
It must’ve been a bad one then. She hated this, hated that he had to endure something so awful. Hated that he couldn’t get good sleep. Hated that he felt like he couldn’t talk to her about it. She leaned up and pressed her lips gently to his. “When you feel like it, I’ll be waiting.”
“Hmm,” he said against her lips. He pulled away suddenly and said, “I got you something, too.”
She let off a playful gasp and linked her hands behind his neck. “Something like what?”
She could feel the relief wafting from him at her willingness to let the last conversation go. It wasn’t her way to push a man who didn’t want to be pushed, and Weston seemed to be happier when their chats were lighter. So was she. Joking with him made her feel so delightfully normal.
Weston grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the shop. “Come here quick. I hear the first car of the tour coming up the road.” As Weston led her inside, she could hear it, too, the faraway roar of a truck engine, or perhaps an SUV.
On the desk in the office sat a beer can vase of small-stemmed wild flowers in purples, blues, and yellows.
“Weston,” she whispered as he handed it to her.
“I called my parents this morning and told them about you. Told them about the way the council used you without your knowledge, and my Da told me I should make you a knife and pick you flowers.” Weston ducked his grin to the floor. “I’ll work on the knife, but the flowers I can do today. I haven’t ever been anyone’s first, you know? I want today to be special for you.”
Avery hugged the blue beer can of flowers to her chest and smelled them to hide her mushy smile. “I’ve never gotten flowers before. And I’ve never had a knife. Will you teach me how to use one?”
“Hell yeah, woman. I’ll have you comfortable with a blade. We’ll get you on that chainsaw as soon as you feel ready. There’s this, too.” He handed her a white envelope. “I’ve decided we’re doing paychecks once a week now instead of every two weeks. I cut Ryder his first check this morning, too, just so you know I’m not giving you special treatment.” Weston slipped his hand to her waist and rested his cheek against hers. “You’ve done really good work, Avery. I’m glad we hired you.”
And then he left her there, stunned. The door up front closed, and she set the flowers down gingerly and opened the envelope. There were two pieces of paper. The first was her paycheck. She wanted to cry when she saw the numbers. Not because it was riches, or anything like that, but because this was the first paycheck she’d ever earned. She’d worked hard and earned her way, and she didn’t only have a dollar to her name anymore.
She was going to be okay.
Carefully, she set the check on the desk and unfolded the other piece of paper.
Weston’s handwriting was chicken-scratch, just like when he’d been a teenager, but she could read every word easily.
Ave,
I should’ve written to you way before now, but I dropped the ball a decade ago. Here is the first letter of many to come. I promise I won’t disappear on you again. I’ll be someone you can depend on, and I know it’ll take a while for you to trust that again, but I can be patient. I’ll earn it back. So, it’s my birthday, but that isn’t the best part about today. The best part is that first thing this morning, out in the woods, I got to Change with you for the first time. And then you gave me even more. I got to touch you. I got to kiss you, and be with you. I got to be your first, and it was one of the biggest moments in my entire life. Keep this in your box with my other letters. Someday
, when we’re old and gray, it’ll be fun to go back through these and piece together our story.
Later gator,
Weston
P. S. You said you were going to make me fall in love with you.
Done.
Avery stood with her hand over her mouth, a shocked sound stuck in her throat as she read the last line.
Weston was in love with her?
He’d even signed it like he used to when they were pen pals. Later gator, and she would respond on hers by signing after awhile crocodile.
She could hear people outside now, talking and laughing with Weston and Ryder, so in a rush, she pulled a piece of computer paper from the printer and scribbled across the middle.
Weston,
I love you back. Always have.
After awhile crocodile,
Ave
She folded it in half, set it in the middle of his desk, zipped her paycheck and his letter into her purse, and grabbed the beer can vase of flowers because she wanted to look at them all day. She set the bouquet by the cash register out front and booted up the system so she could start checking in the tour. There was a stand of tourist sunglasses on the counter, and she caught a glimpse of herself in one of the reflective lenses. She was grinning from ear-to-ear, and for a shocking moment, she didn’t recognize herself. Had she ever smiled like this before?
The landline rang, the front door opened, and the chaos began. Big Flight was officially open, and she was on the clock. She was earning her own money, gaining independence by the day, and now she had the love of a good man. Real love. The kind she hadn’t even dared to dream of. The kind that wasn’t supposed to exist for a female raven shifter like her.
This feeling was better than flying.
Chapter Seventeen
Two long back-to-back ATV tours meant Avery hadn’t seen much of Weston all day. Between groups, Wes had run in to refill on bottled waters, given her a quick kiss, and ducked back out to the new riders to start their safety and mechanical lessons. Ryder hadn’t even given her the evil eye or made devil horns on his head. And once, when she’d handed him a cold water bottle and the lunchbox of snacks he liked to devour between rides, he even smiled and told her, “You don’t suck, woodchuck.”
She pulled another hot pink Big Flight T-shirt from the box, folded it neatly, and put it with the right size on the long, multi-tiered table Weston had made. She’d asked Ryder about putting more tourist-friendly souvenirs in the shop to gain an extra stream of revenue for Big Flight, and he’d approved it. The stuff she’d ordered came in while the boys were out, and she wanted to surprise them with how good the shop looked. There were T-shirts, water bottles, post cards, jewelry from the local reservation, and on the back wall were even a few paintings from local artists.
Outside, the sound of laughter and excitement echoed as the riders shut down their engines. They would probably linger, snapping pictures near the ATVs like the other groups had done before they headed inside to fill out surveys, shop for souvenirs, and say their goodbyes.
She would get to see Weston soon. A trill of anticipation zinged through her body and landed in her chest, creating a soft fluttering sensation. Avery folded the last shirt, stacked it precisely on the pile of larges, and began to break down the cardboard box.
The door swung open so hard it banked against the wall and made her jump. “Oh, shit,” Weston muttered, steadying it. His white T-shirt was damp with sweat, his camouflage baseball cap on backward, and a pair of reflective sunglasses had been shoved up to rest on his forehead. Along with his goofy grin, he looked silly and sexy. The hollowness from earlier was gone as he jogged over to her and pressed his lips against hers.
His dark whiskers were scratchy now, and she giggled when he dragged her closer. He was smiling big against her lips and, God, she loved this. She loved that he was so open with his affection. The Novak Raven surprised her. He wasn’t at all like she’d imagined.
“Sweaty man,” she punched out through her laughter.
Uncaring, Weston wrapped his rock-hard arms around her so she couldn’t escape and wiggled his damp shirt all over her.
“Quit,” she squealed. “The customers will see!”
Looking around, he released her and said, “Whoa, this place looks different.”
“Good different or bad different?”
“Looks great.” He fingered the edge of a purple T-shirt with the Big Flight lettering in bright pink across the front. “When did you order all this?”
“Ryder and I were working on it the first couple of days I worked here. We did rush shipping. I hope you don’t mind. Ryder said it was okay and cut the check.”
“No, yeah, that’s fine. This is a good idea.” Looking impressed, he nodded as he scanned the room. “You did good, Foley.”
She snorted. “Last names now? You sleep with me and then resort to calling me by my last name?”
Weston cracked a grin and leaned down, nipped her lip, and squeezed her ass hard. “Yep.” He waggled his eyebrows once and strode toward the office, his thick-soled boots echoing on the wood floors.
The letter! He was going to see her response to his letter. She hadn’t given it much thought while he was out for the day, but now a wave of nervousness blasted through her.
Act busy!
Avery turned for a stand of jewelry she’d just arranged and studied her favorite piece, a shiny turquoise ring set in sterling silver. It matched her eyes, and she considered purchasing it with some of her first paycheck, on the off-chance that Weston would think it was pretty on her.
She wasn’t really seeing it right now, though, as she touched the cold stone with her fingertips. She was imagining Weston’s face when he read her note. I love you back. Always have.
She’d never said or written that to a man before.
“Avery?” Weston asked from right behind her, and she could hear it. She could hear the crinkle of the paper in his hands.
Slowly she turned around. Too scared to look in his eyes, she looked at his dusty boots instead.
“I’ll keep this with my letters,” he murmured in that deep, rich baritone voice of his.
“You kept my letters?” she asked.
He lifted her chin and nodded. “Yeah. I asked my Ma to send them to me. They should be here in a few days.” His bright green gaze flicked to the ring on the jewelry stand over her shoulder. “You like that?”
Heat rushed up her neck and landed in her ears. Avery shrugged. “I think it’s pretty.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but the door swung open hard again and hit the wall.
“I’m gonna have to fix that,” he murmured as Ryder led the chattering, dust-covered tour into the shop.
Avery bustled behind the counter and began handing out surveys and answering questions while Weston charmed the masses right along with Ryder. Two of the couples handed them tips and shook their hands, and for a moment, Avery just took it all in. The clients were happy, Weston and Ryder were happy, and outside, the sun was sitting low in a cloudless sky over the vibrant green Smokey Mountains. She had her first paycheck sitting in her purse, the work day was almost done, and she would be spending the night in 1010 instead of the back of her car.
Life couldn’t get any better than this!
And now she actually looked forward to going back to the heart of Harper’s Mountains with Weston. Why? Because for some reason, she felt safe here, and that was a really big deal.
They said goodbye to the tour, and she closed up the shop while the boys took care of the ATVs out near the garage. When she locked the front door and readjusted her purse on her shoulder, a white diesel truck rumbled under the welcome sign. For a moment, she thought it was a late tour, but Harper was driving, and Lexi sat in the front seat. And behind that truck was a big black one on mud tires. Wyatt pulled his pickup in a wide loop around the yard as Ryder and Weston jogged up the dirt path toward them.
“What’s this?” Weston called over the noise of the engines.<
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“Obviously, it’s your birthday party,” Ryder said. “Since you broke our pancake bro-date this morning with your emotional constipation, I begged Lexi to make us pancakes so we can have them for dinner.”
Weston hooked an arm around Avery’s shoulder and hugged her close to his side. “Are we riding out somewhere?”
“We can!” Ryder said, his eyes going wide like that was the greatest idea on the planet. “ATV’s are all gassed up, we have shit for a bonfire, and enough booze to fill the Nile. We gettin’ wild tonight, old man?”
Weston snorted and explained, “Ryder is five years older than me.”
“Not according to maturity,” Wyatt said, leaning on the back of his truck.
“He’s got a point,” Ryder deadpanned.
“You want to finally get on an ATV?” Weston asked.
“Me?” Avery asked. “Like…my own ATV? One I get to drive?”
Weston laughed and nodded. “I won’t make you hang off the back of mine. You’re wearing the right shoes for it,” he said, looking down at her hiking boots. “It’ll be fun.”
“ATVs tonight?” Lexi asked. “Hell, yes. First, though…” She pulled down the tailgate of Wyatt’s truck. “I have a birthday surprise for you.”
A giant pile of water guns in all shapes and sizes sloshed forward.
“Oh. My. God. You are the perfect woman!” Ryder crowed, bolting for the arsenal. “You just gave me a boner!”
“Ryder Croy, this is Weston’s birthday present,” Lexi growled, tugging on a huge soaker Ryder was trying to strap to his back like Rambo. “He should get first choice.”
“I…need the…biggest gun,” he gritted out, struggling to pull the soaker out of her hands, “…because I have…the biggest penis!” Ryder yanked the trigger and squirted Lexi right in the face, then froze with an oh-shit look on his face. “Accident,” he murmured.
And oh, when Lexi opened her eyes again, she looked mad as a hornet.
Everyone in the clearing went still for a moment, attention on what Lexi would do. Then, as if there was some unspoken, ready, steady, go, everyone bolted for the water guns.