Chapter 10

10

KANE

G illian was nowhere to be found. I realized halfway through my search of Sweetheart Falls that I was wasting my time.

First, I'd gone up to the overlook. That was the most likely place to find her. She would have headed back up and tried to set up the tent I'd taken down last night. There was no sign of her there.

So I'd taken a ride through downtown. But with no idea what kind of vehicle she drove, my only hope was that I'd happen to see her walking around in a parking lot or on the sidewalks of downtown.

Finally, hanging my head in defeat, I headed up to my cabin. That was when the surge of adrenaline started to fade and it hit me that this was truly over.

She was gone, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

The silver sedan parked in front of my cabin threw me for a second. I never had company, and I'd skipped having a driveway put in when I had the cabin built. That meant the driver had to park on the grass.

That car could only belong to one person. Still, I tried not to get my hopes up as I parked my bike and walked to my front door. It could be my first-ever door-to-door salesperson. But that would mean the unwelcome visitor was inside my cabin.

I always locked my doors, but I didn't today, just in case Gillian came back. Maybe she'd gone for a stroll—or with her injured ankle, it would be more of a hop—around the property, and I'd missed her.

I was on guard as I pushed open the door, but I was instantly hit by the smell of bacon. That was accompanied by a sizzling sound that told me someone was cooking.

The dark clouds that had hovered over me parted, revealing the sun. Everything was fine. Better than fine. The love of my life was standing in my kitchen, wearing only a towel, her wet hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Gillian turned and gave me a big smile. "I hope you don't mind. I made myself at home. I needed a shower, plus I was starving."

I tossed my keys onto the table I kept next to the door and went straight to her, wrapping my arms around her and giving her a kiss so intense, she moaned against my lips. And that got me turned on all over again.

But she pulled away before I could undo the towel and lift her up on the counter to make love to her a fourth time. "I made pancakes." She pointed to the counter with the spatula she was holding. "I can't find the syrup, though."

I was surprised she was able to pull pancakes together. I knew I had bacon. I kept that on hand for when I craved a BLT, but I definitely didn't have pancake mix. She'd done it the old-fashioned way—eggs, flour, and whatever else went in pancakes. Hell if I knew.

"I have jelly," I asked. "Would that work?"

Gillian eyed the stack of pancakes next to the plate with a napkin absorbing the grease from the bacon. "What about peanut butter? Maybe some chocolate syrup?"

I stared at her a long time. Weird food cravings? Maybe I'd gotten her pregnant last night. It had occurred to me too late that we hadn't used protection our first time. I'd gotten so caught up in the moment, it had completely slipped my mind.

It was too soon for her to have cravings related to pregnancy, though, and we definitely used protection the second and third times we'd made love. It was just that one slip up.

"Don't knock it until you try it," she said.

And that was how I ended up sitting across from her at my kitchen table with pancakes slathered in peanut butter and chocolate syrup in front of me.

"It's not bad, but I prefer maple syrup and butter," I said.

She made a face. "In college, my roommates and I always had waffles with peanut butter and maple syrup. I figured it would translate to pancakes, but maybe not so much."

I laughed. "I was starting to worry we might be incompatible in our food preferences." I shook my head. "If you're going to move in with me, eventually we'll have to work that out."

Gillian tilted her head. "Is that an invitation to move in with you?"

She said it in a teasing way, but I was dead serious. "You can move in with me right now. I'll hire the moving van."

Her head straightened at that. "I can rent a place in town. You know, while we date and make sure I don't drive you crazy."

"You drive me crazy, but in a good way. And I don't know about you, but this is the real deal for me. When I woke up to find you gone this morning, I thought I'd lost you. I went looking for you."

She sucked in a breath. "I knew I should have left a note. I thought I'd be back here before you were up. I wanted to tell my parents I'd met someone and that I'm moving back to Sweetheart Falls."

"You told your parents about me?"

She nodded. "My dad. Which is the same as telling both of them. He'll go straight home and report everything I said."

"Should I brace myself for an angry father to show up at my door with a shotgun?"

For a second, I was afraid she might take offense to my question, but her smile widened and she shook her head. "No. My parents might have been strict, but they're also pretty chill when it comes to things like that. They just always wanted what was best for me."

"Well, I grew up in a household that was the opposite of that."

I stopped there. I'd tell her more about my past later. For now, she just needed to know one thing.

"You're always safe with me," I said. "I'll protect you and give you everything you've ever wanted."

"Everything I've ever wanted is right there." She pointed at me. "The rest doesn't matter."

And those words made me the happiest man alive. As I took another bite of peanut butter and chocolate pancakes, they tasted even sweeter than ever because I knew they were made by the woman I loved.