by Vivian Arend
“Here. I’ll put that in Grandpa’s room.” Yvette reached for the box in his arms.
He chin-lifted toward the residential spaces. “You lead. I’ll follow.”
Yvette leaned past him to smile at her grandma. “We’ll be back in a minute, Grandma.”
“That’s fine, sweetheart. We’ll be here.” She put another cookie on the plate and pushed it closer to her husband. “There. That’s one of your favourites.”
Floyd’s new room was only a few steps away. Yvette pushed open the door and let Alex in first.
It was a simple setup with the bed along one wall and a wardrobe on the other. There was just enough room for a single reclining chair and a table pushed against the wall. A small private bathroom was the only other door in the space. But there was a large window with a deep windowsill, and a number of pretty objects were lined up there for Floyd to enjoy.
Alex placed the box on the table and reached for the quilt in Yvette’s arms. “Here. I’ll put that on the bed if you want to deal with the rest of what’s in the box.”
“I don’t even know what’s in the box,” she confessed, but she made the trade. “I hope this goes well.”
He hadn’t had much chance to ask specific questions, but he knew enough about the place to understand without having been told. “I take it your grandpa needs extra help? He’s not safe in the independent living section anymore?”
“No.” Yvette placed another picture on the windowsill then opened drawers in the wardrobe. “My grandma will continue to live in their old apartment. She said that she’ll come here to spend time with him every day. No reason why she can’t do her knitting sitting here just as well.”
Alex nodded as he looked around the small space and considered the cozy apartment room where he’d met them five minutes ago. “It’ll work out, and I’m glad. But it’s a sad stage of life in some ways.”
He straightened from smoothing the quilt to find Yvette with her arms folded over her chest and sadness in her eyes.
Her head tilted. “Can I get a hug?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” He wrapped her up, pressing a kiss to her forehead before easing her head against his neck. “They’re good people, and this is a good place. You don’t have to worry about them.”
“I’m not,” Yvette insisted quietly. “It’s just…”
She squeezed him tight as she took a breath in and let it out slowly.
Alex stood and held her. Let her think and let her feel. “We can talk about this more later if you want. I’ve a feeling if we don’t get out there soon, though, your grandfather’s going to eat every one of the cookies at the table.”
A small laugh escaped. “You’re right.”
She eased back far enough to kiss him softly then caught him by the fingers and pulled him back into the common room.
Grandma Geraldine was chatting with a woman on her left. Grandpa Floyd appeared to have finished his coffee and his cookies and was now relaxing in his chair, head nodding slightly.
Alex settled to his right, Yvette beside him. Yvette joined in the conversation with the ladies.
Alex listened without interrupting, looking around at the workers and residents and quietly being there while Geraldine began this new part of her life and a new stage with her life partner.
He’d meant it when he told Yvette that the lodge was a good place. He wasn’t worried at all about Floyd—he’d be well cared for. Well loved.
Only, it was a change. More so than anything Alex had ever had to face…
Which brought up memories from his past. Hell, every part of life, every season had challenges. Had good and bad, but both of those were better to face with someone who truly cared.
For Floyd, that was Geraldine. Plus Yvette, and if Alex was truly going to be a part of her world, that meant that this elderly couple sitting nearby needed to be a part of his world as well.
It was an inspiring moment that hit deep inside him.
The ladies were still talking. Looking for distraction, he discovered a rolling tray set against the wall behind them, and he pulled it over to examine a partially begun game of checkers. He examined the board, trying to figure out the best next move.
He glanced up to discover Floyd watching him intently.
One shaking finger slowly extended over the edge of the wheelchair and nudged a checker to a new position. Then Floyd leaned back and pretended to be asleep.
Oh. It was going to be like that, was it? Alex glanced at the ladies, but none of them were paying any attention. He grinned at Floyd and silently moved his own piece.
Alex waited. It took a little bit before one eye peeked open. The next instant, Floyd’s face lit up with an enormous grin before the smile vanished. Intently, he leaned forward, reaching over the game—
He picked up one of his men and triple jumped Alex’s pieces, wiping out half of the men he had remaining.
Alex blinked. The hell?
He glanced at Floyd then bit back a chuckle of amusement. Because the old man was once again easing into the cushions on his chair, eyes closed. A soft snore rumbled as if he was asleep. Whether it was fake or real, the man had killer timing.
Alex was still chuckling as he and Yvette took their leave.
She paused beside her truck, looking thoughtful. “You still want to come over?”
“Definitely. You need to open day twelve.”
It was a warm enough day that Alex settled in the Adirondack chair and groaned as he stretched his legs out. “That feels good. Just let me relax for a minute or two.”
Yvette chuckled as she tossed him a quilt then settled in the chair beside him. “Rough night?”
“Maybe I’m just getting old,” Alex confessed. “Staying up late or getting up early aren’t the problem. It’s the staying up late and getting up early I’m finding a little less entertaining.”
Her gaze met his, and a sweet smile crossed her face. “Thank you so much for coming with me today. It meant a lot.”
“I was glad to do it.” The words came easy. Now Alex wondered about the other revelation that had come to him.
Before he could say anything, though, Yvette spoke up. “How are your parents doing?”
“Good. Really good.” Especially after Davis had contacted him with a full update on everything he was taking care of. It seemed leopards could change their spots. “I think there are still moments that Dad overdoes it, but that’s kind of par for the course with him.”
“It’s really nice that you went out there to take care of them.” She made a face and paused. She seemed to be struggling to find words. A soft shrug lifted her shoulders. “You have a really great relationship with them.”
“They haven’t always been perfect, but they’ve always tried.” She didn’t seem in a hurry to get on with opening up her Advent calendar, and Alex had nowhere he needed to be for a while. A chance to talk seem long overdue. “They pretty much saved my life.”
Her eyes were full of wonder. Seriousness there, and concern. “You were a foster kid, right?”
He nodded. “My mom wasn’t the best. My birth mom, that is. She shouldn’t have been a mom in the first place, so I don’t really think any less of her. When she gave me up, getting placed with the Thorne family set me on a whole different path than I would’ve travelled otherwise.”
Yvette nodded slowly. “I’m glad. They sound like neat people.”
“They’re my family. I officially took their last name as mine when I turned eighteen because I wanted to make that point.” To Alex, that said all that needed to be said. Only, she still seemed to have something on her mind, which he could completely understand. “Are you worried about your grandparents?”
“My grandma, a little,” she confessed. “Really, at this point, my grandpa doesn’t remember enough to be upset long-term over anything. Plus, being around trained caregivers will help a whole lot more in those moments when he does react badly. My grandma couldn’t keep dealing with sundowner’s syndr
ome and physically caring for him.”
“Your grandmother knows you’re here. She seems the type who will ask for help if she needs it,” Alex reassured her.
She nodded. A small motion, but firm. “I’m very glad I came out to Heart Falls when I did.” She met his gaze straight on and steady. “I got to have time with my grandpa before he got too forgetful. I regret all the years we didn’t have together.”
“Why did you not have them in your life?” The words escaped before he realized it might be a little too personal. A little too sensitive, then the thought that he wanted all of her returned. Not just her joys but her sorrows.
He wanted to be there, to be there for her, which meant he needed to know what was wrong and what was right and what sorrows he needed to share to lighten her burden.
Yvette stared at her hands. “My parents cut ties with my grandparents over fifteen years ago. Closer to twenty. I’m not exactly sure, because we didn’t live that close, so in some ways it made sense. Us kids noticed when Christmas presents didn’t arrive. And birthday presents, and no more phone calls.”
That bit of information shocked Alex.
“Your grandparents stopped trying to get in touch with you?” All sorts of terrible things rushed into his mind. “What happened? Why did your parents do that?”
Yvette took a big breath, curling the quilt tighter around her shoulders before she met his gaze firmly. “My mom insisted that they were doing what was best for our family. That we needed to be together and one unit, unified. That spending time with Grandma and Grandpa was not a part of being a healthy family.”
Jeez. Alex had friends who had cut ties with their parents. Sometimes it was because of blatantly terrible stuff, like sexual abuse or neglect. Recently, a lot more were situations where it simply was in a person’s best interest to no longer listen to voices of people who had priorities vastly different than the new path they were trying to walk.
Only, that didn’t explain why Yvette had come to Heart Falls to renew the relationship with the people who had been cut off…
Oh.
He examined her closely. “I’m guessing that at some point you decided your parents’ decision to cut ties wasn’t really in your best interest.”
“I think the estrangement was more that my grandma and grandpa didn’t approve of the way my mom and dad acted. It caused less guilt to not have the voice of reason hanging over their heads.”
Alex sat forward in his seat. “Are you okay?”
She wrinkled her nose, thinking hard. “I am. Honestly. There are just certain moments when, as an adult, it hits really hard that some of the people who should care for us don’t. Yet, a lot of people who, when there’s no reason why they need to care, do. I’m working through that.”
They were too damn far apart for this type of conversation. Alex patted his lap and opened his arms. “That’s the part about being an adult that both sucks and is wonderful. But you don’t have to work through it over there, all alone.”
She shook her head even as she dropped the quilt and crossed to his side. Then she was curled up in his lap with her head against his shoulder. “Thank you again for coming with me today. I know it meant a lot to my grandma. She’s who I want to focus on now.”
With Yvette in his arms, her warmth resting against his chest, Alex breathed in deep and soaked in the pleasure of her trust. Because that’s what it was, having her there after what she’d just confessed.
“It was my pleasure.” A thought occurred to him. A wicked, wonderful thought. “Cuddle in for a bit, but then it’s time for you to open the next day of your calendar.”
Something inside her ached, but strangely, contentment grew as well. The old pain wasn’t wrapped up in a tangle of barbed wire, sharp edges cutting into her every time she moved.
Her family had hurt her. Still hurt her, if she were being honest.
It was an injury, and it was still there but as if the wound had been washed clean and begun to heal.
Forget pretending that it had never existed—being able to honestly say she could move forward was a dream Yvette hadn’t dared to dream yet.
She caught herself stroking the neckline of Alex’s coat, his skin hot under her fingers. The time they’d spent sitting together over the past couple weeks, sometimes necking, sometimes just lazily touching each other, made it too easy to consider giving in to the rising heat.
But first, something precious needed to be recognized. She slid her hand up to his cheek, lifting her chin until their eyes met. “I’m enjoying my present,” she admitted. “You’re very creative.”
He kissed her. Once. A small, soft press of their lips together. Just enough to set a flutter going in her heart.
“Good inspiration,” he teased. “Want to go get your key?”
Her legs were shaky. When Alex planted a hand on her butt to help her balance, copping a feel at the same time, the zing of lightning up her spine helped her to dance away, glancing back at him. “Handsy.”
“Any time. Anywhere,” he promised.
She laughed all the way to where the key hung waiting for her.
Alex stood beside the desk as she slid the key in and opened the small drawer in the back of the writing desk to reveal—
“A deck of cards?” She raised a brow. “Um, thank you?”
“Ha. That’s not just any deck of cards.”
She eyed him up and down, taking her time and enjoying the view. “A special deck made for strip poker?”
He grinned. “Not hardly. We’re nowhere near that stage.”
Disappointment shouldn’t have been the biggest thing to hit. “Okay, then. What’s the game? And the stakes?”
He caught her by the hand and led her into the cabin, pulling off his coat and boots and making his way to the table to shuffle the deck. “Questions and kisses.”
Well, she could get on board with part of his suggestion. “You’re a pretty good kisser. I suppose I can agree to that. But what does the question part mean?”
His grin only got wider. “I propose we play war. Best of three hands. Winner gets to ask a question; loser has to kiss the winner.”
He was a turkey. “That doesn’t sound as if anybody loses.”
“Nope. It’s a fast way to get to know more about each other, but I also really want to kiss you.” The heat in his eyes was enough to ignite her on the spot.
“But only the loser gets to kiss,” she reminded him.
“I’m a shitty cardplayer.”
She laughed, grabbing them both glasses of water before settling kitty-corner at the table. She took the half deck he proffered and placed it squarely in front of her. “Prepare yourself.”
His eyes flashed.
First card flip, she had a ten, he had a five. She slid the cards to her side of the table and snapped up the next card. A four, which he beat easily.
“Tiebreaker, for the first round of rewards. Go,” Alex said.
They both revealed their cards, and he beat her by one, eight to a seven.
Only, considering the way he’d set up the game, she didn’t think it was much of a loss. “What’s your question?”
Alex eased back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. His gaze drifted over her. Slowly, a teasing caress. Her nipples hardened, and her heart rate increased, just from the man being a cocky bastard.
It wasn’t fair.
Chances were, he would ask something totally embarrassing, and the heat in her cheeks would continue to rise.
“If you were going to take a vacation, would you pick a beach, a lake, or mountain cabin? Or something entirely different?”
Well, now. That was unexpected.
Yvette paused to consider. “If it’s vacation where I want to relax, I have to go with the mountain cabin. If it’s for adventure, I’d pick either the beach or somewhere with a lot of history. Museums, big churches. That sort of thing. Although I’ve never really done a lot of travel.”
His expression changed
. “Huh. That’s a good point. The relaxing versus adventure part.”
He reached for the cards, but Yvette clicked her tongue in warning. “Hold your horses, buster. My turn.”
Which is when she discovered a logistical error. Kissing him with the corner of a table between them was nowhere near the experience she was looking for. Not today.
“Come on.” She grabbed her cards, indicated he should do the same, then caught him by the hand and guided him into her bedroom.
He didn’t say anything. Just obediently sat on the spot she patted, his grin firmly in place. “You’re absolutely right. I’ll win even when I lose.”
“You were too far away from me before,” she explained primly.
Yvette leaned forward. Alex met her in the middle. She pressed a palm to his cheek and stared at his face before kissing him. Slow, steamy, but very much with her in control, because when she moved back, he stayed there. Eyes closed, grin spreading like honey on warm toast.
“I am so liking this game.” He all but purred it, dark eyes smoldering.
She nudged him with an elbow, hiding a smile. “Get your cards ready.”
He grabbed his stash but also wiggled back on the bed, sprawling comfortably. She sat cross-legged, placing her first card down.
A king. Alex laid down a two.
“Crap, that was a waste of a good card,” Yvette complained.
Her second card and her third were beat by his.
Once again, he looked her over steadily. Heat rising in his eyes as he considered his question. “What’s the one thing you want me to know about your body?”
She stalled. “Like, what?”
He was up on one elbow, cards pushed aside. He trailed his fingers up her arm until his heated thumb teased along her neckline. “What do you like in bed, Yvette? Slow buildup? Hard and fast? A little of both?”
Sex. After all the fooling around they’d been doing, putting sex on the table was the question.
Did she want it? Definitely.
His thumb rested at the base of her throat, teasing back and forth. She pulled her scattered brains together. “I don’t think I can tell you one thing. I don’t—”
