I count the obnoxiously loud beats of my heart as the seconds tick by with no response.
“Or not,” I say after I can’t take it anymore. The man has completely shut me out, and I have no idea why. “Did I do something to offend you earlier?” I finally ask, unable to take the tension.
“No,” comes his simple reply.
I grit my teeth, on the verge of either yelling at him to show some damn emotion or bursting into tears at his sudden rejection. Instead, I decide to take a page from Wilder’s book and ride in silence.
When we get to the parking lot where I left my car, I hop out of the truck almost before it’s stopped moving. I can’t believe this is it. He’s really not going to say anything to me?
I turn, giving Wilder my back.
“Ari,” he blurts.
I look at him over my shoulder, my stomach twisting into knots when I see betrayal mixed with hard determination. We stare at each other, and I can’t for the life of me figure out what happened between waking up in bed with the grumpy, sexy-as-hell mountain man of my dreams, and now.
I finally break the silence. “My offer for coffee and breakfast is still open. I’ll be at Walnut Street Cafe for the next hour and a half getting caught up on emails and updating my blog. If you want to say goodbye…” I take a deep breath, blinking back tears. “I’d love to see you again.”
Wilder opens his mouth, and my heart leaps, wanting all his words. Then he closes it again and simply nods.
I slam the door shut and fumble for my keys, unlocking my door and starting my car in a rush. I have a ticket for parking here too long, but that’s the least of my worries at the moment.
Making my way back through the tiny town, I see the familiar red and black sign advertising Walnut Street Cafe. I pull into one of several empty spots and park my car before resting my forehead on the steering wheel.
I allow myself a respectable six-and-a-half minute cry session and then clean myself up with some makeup remover wipes in my glove box. My eyes are still red-rimmed, but there’s not much I can do about that. Maybe the barista will think I’m just tired.
As I order my coffee and sit in one of the side booths, I wonder if I’ll ever see Wilder again. I don’t even have his phone number or any way to contact him.
That can’t be it, right? Our story isn’t over. It can’t be.
9
WILDER
“Fucking fool. Goddamn idiotic, lovesick fool,” I mutter to myself as I drive through town.
I shouldn’t have let her go. That became evident about three seconds after she drove away and left me looking like the biggest dickhead in the entire universe.
Why couldn’t I say anything? I wanted to tell her how much our time together meant to me, how she’s healed me in so many unexpected ways. But when I opened my mouth… all I could think about were excuses why we would never work.
For starters, I don’t have the internet. I don't even have a cellphone, just a satellite phone that only a select few people know the number of. Dammit, Ari isn’t one of them. Isn’t that like, step one of courting a woman? Getting her number?
Jesus,courting. That’s such an old term, but dating feels too juvenile for what we have.Fuck. I fucked this all up and did everything backward.
Speeding through a yellow light, I hit the gas and turn left into the Walnut Street Cafe parking lot. Thank fucking God, Ari’s car is still here. I had a few errands to run before coming straight here to apologize and beg her to give me another chance.I wanted to ensure I could come through on all the promises I’m about to make. I never want to disappoint my woman again.
I climb out of my truck and beeline for the front door, grunting when I run into two old ladies. They stare way, way up at me, then look at each other and giggle. I suppose I probably look a bit insane at the moment.
Inside the cafe is a cute little setup, but I don’t have time to pay attention to any of the details. Not when I have to find the love of my life. My eyes catch hers, those gorgeous green irises cloudy with tears.
I did that to her. I have to make it right.
I see her breath hitch when she recognizes me, and I head straight toward her, knocking over a chair on my way. I’m not sure if anyone was in it or not. I’ll have to apologize later.
“Wilder,” she starts, sliding out from the booth she was sitting in.
“Ari,” I breathe seconds before cupping her face. Green eyes shine back at me like she can’t believe I’m here. “I’m having Wi-Fi installed on the mountain. And cell towers.”
She furrows her brows, and I know I’m not saying any of this in the right order.
