Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I turned, excusing myself, and skirted around Luke. I could feel the anger rolling off him, but I ignored him, heading toward my dad and Aiden. I knew Luke wouldn’t follow.
Aiden clapped his hands. “This is incredible. What’s on the agenda?”
I smiled and shook my head, forcing my tone to be upbeat. “Rachel is in charge. I’m observing.”
“Gotcha. Grading it, I guess?”
“Yep. I’ll be over there, enjoying watching the antics.” I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Behave. At least somewhat.”
He grinned. “As if I’d do anything else.”
Laughing, I sat on the corner of the picnic table. Rachel was quick to organize some games. Aiden, Hunter, Ronan, and Liam all headed into the water for some volleyball, splashing and talking trash. Dad and some of the crew sat around the fire that was already going, a beer in his hand as he chatted with Jeff and Tyler. Rachel was perfect, making sure people were happy and, at the same time, performing tasks that needed to be done without drawing attention to it. She was going to ace this.
I tried not to watch Luke, but my gaze was drawn to him. He chopped wood, his muscles bunching and releasing as the pile grew. He had stripped off his plaid shirt, staying in just the muscle shirt that hugged his torso. I was grateful for my sunglasses and hat. I kept staring, unable to tear my eyes away, aimlessly scribbling in my book, pretending to observe everyone but him. My heart ached, being this close to him yet feeling a thousand miles away. Knowing I would never feel his mouth on mine again. Feel him moving inside me. Hear his voice murmuring my name.
To my horror, I felt tears fill my eyes. My mom slid beside me on the table.
“How are things going?”
“Great,” I managed to say. “Rachel is a natural.”
Aiden finished the game, leaving the rest of them to swim and cavort. He dried off, watching Luke, then went over, saying something and taking the ax. Luke shook his head, his voice drifting my way. “That’s big, Aiden. It’ll take a few hits.”
Aiden looked at him with a wry grin, lifting the ax and swinging it. The large piece split in two. Aiden handed him back the ax. “That’s how we old-timers do it.”
Luke threw his head back in laughter, the sound making my lips curl in shared amusement. He clapped Aiden’s shoulder. “Lucky strike.”
“Oh yeah, youngster?” He rolled his shoulders. “Let’s go, then.”
The younger guys came out of the water, all eager to get in on the action. My dad stood and joined them. “Let’s show them how it’s done.”
“Four against two?” Luke questioned. “Hardly fair.”
My dad took the ax. “I agree. We’ll give you an extra swing to make up for it.”
“Oh lord,” Mom muttered. “Here we go.”
I was pleased to see them treating Luke as normal. I was sure my dad had kept what he knew to himself, and I blessed him for his kind nature.
“I got twenty bucks that says the old men beat the boys!” Mom called.
“I’ll put twenty on the dads!” I yelled. It felt good to do something normal. Something fun.
Five minutes later, there was a pile of money on the table.
Jeff stood with his stopwatch. “Boys first. Each group has ten minutes.”
Rachel sat beside me. “This wasn’t on the agenda.”
I nudged her. “But what fun.”
“The boys” did well, the ax flying, changing hands quickly, the wood pile huge.
Then my dad picked up the ax, rolling his shoulders. “Let’s show them how it’s done, Aiden.”
Ten minutes later, the dads had won, their pile slightly bigger than the boys. There was a lot of trash-talking, shoulder-slapping, and good-natured ribbing, but everyone was laughing. All the men, including Luke, headed back into the water to cool off. I met Rachel’s eyes, fanning myself. “Maybe that should go in the plans.”
“You took some pictures,” she observed.
“Strictly business.”
She slid off the table. “I might need copies of a few of them.”
I smirked and stood. Mom shaded her eyes. “Where are you off to?”
Now that the moment of levity had passed, I needed to stay busy. “Just going to take a few pictures of the area.”
“Okay.”
I wandered upstream, taking some photos, then sat under a shady tree. I could hear the sounds of the campsite, but they were muted. I looked around with a lump in my throat. It was beautiful here, and I was going to miss it. Not only had I fallen in love with Luke, but this land. My goodbyes would be doubly painful when I left for good. My family might return for their adventure, but I wouldn’t be able to come back. It would simply hurt too much.
I wasn’t even sure how I was going to do it this time.
Hours later, the night sky twinkled, illuminated with stars. The fire burned high and bright. Callie, Jeff, and Luke had made an amazing campfire meal that was devoured by everyone. Even the boys were full. I forced myself to eat, to talk, and to smile. I wasn’t going to ruin this for Rachel or my family. Luke was quieter than he had been lately, but he put forth an effort, doing his fancy knife flips and talking as he cooked the steaks over an open flame. Tim pulled out his guitar and sang a couple of country songs, getting the guys to join him. Tears welled in my eyes as my dad pulled my mom to her feet and danced with her under the starlight. Then when they sat down, my mom handed my dad the guitar.