I thought about asking him what had happened that day, and what it was specifically that had caused such a break between our families. It was even on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t want to get into heavy conversation at the moment. He was unhappy, and I wanted to bring him out of it. I smiled with a short, quick nod. “Now, about that knife…?"
Simon’s eye perked up with a little bit of light back in them, and he shook his head while reaching into his pocket. "Allow me."
"I'll be careful! Besides, the scar’s tiny." I raised my palm to the front of his nose, showing him the wound in question. I’d received it after having cut myself when trying to carve my name the first time. He looked at my hand, his eyes going cross-eyed, and leaned in to give it a quick kiss. When he focused his eyes to mine again, I was happy to see his beautiful smile making its way onto his face. I suddenly felt his hand on my leg, and he ran his fingers against the scar on my thigh.
He shook his head. "You and your scars," he murmured, rubbing his hand over my leg again.
I wasn’t a fool, I knew he was baiting me, and I took it willingly. "Yes, and those don't include the ones you can't see right now." I winked and gave him a saucy grin.
Simon let out a noise between a groan and a short laugh. He shook his head at me, and his eyes smoldered. "You little tease.” His hands moved to my waist, and suddenly, I was being tickled.
“Simon.” I giggled. “Stop.” He was relentless, and I had to crumple to the ground to get him off me. He ceased with the torture and pinned my arms near either side of my head, hovering over me, and landed kisses all over my face before capturing my lips.
“Alright, enough of that.” I pushed him off me. Simon helped me to my feet, and I followed him to a good tree.
"There." He stepped to the side after a couple of minutes, and I ran my hand over the freshly carved tree.
"Nicely done," I said and pecked him on the cheek.
Simon looked down at me with a pleased smile. "I like how lenient you’re becoming with those kisses of yours.”
I blushed at being called out but held his gaze, because he seemed genuine in his remark.
He kissed my cheek. “We’d better get going, or they’re going to think I kidnapped you."
I laughed at the idea; it didn't sound so bad to me.
We stood on the small beach and looked out at the waterfall, which hadn’t changed since I was here last. It still fell from the trees above, into a big pool hugged by the forest on two sides. The water was deep at the fall, so we all enjoyed jumping from the top of it. The shore wasn’t as rocky as at the lake, and I wiggled my toes in the damp grass.
I saw Parker at the top of the fall, and he bellowed out a loud, "Wahoo!" cannonballing into the water below. Simon and I chuckled together at his enthusiasm.
Aunt Chantelle stood in the water and turned to us, placing a hand on her forehead to shade her eyes. "Hey, you two are missing out on all the fun." She turned back around in time to watch Uncle Borys jump.
I looked at Simon and smirked. It’d been far too long since I’d seen him without a shirt on. Now that he was a grown man, I was eager to get a peek at him. "Looks like it's time for you to get that shirt off already," I said, unable to keep the anticipation from my voice.
Simon tried to suppress a smile and tipped his head at me. "Ladies first."
He had me there. And after catching his eyes on me as many times as I had, I’d satisfy him. "Okay." I stepped back and wiggled out of my shorts. When my shirt was halfway off, I could feel it getting twisted up in my hair at my back. I tugged again, but it was good and stuck. Feeling like an idiot, I poked my eyes out of my shirt. "Care to help me out? I'm stuck in my hair."
“Turn around." He chuckled.
I did as I was told, and he freed my hair for me. When I turned to him again, I yanked my shirt off and tossed it on top of my shorts. I looked at Simon, and a small burst of laughter escaped me. He brought his eyes up to mine and smiled apologetically. "Sorry," he mumbled.
I placed my hands on my hips. "Well, you had your turn…" I gave him an expectant look and tipped my head at him. He grinned, looking me in the eye as he shed his shirt in one fluid motion.
My mouth dropped open, and my mind went blank. Simon folded his arms across his chest, letting me take as long as I needed to get my eyes back into my head. From his washboard abs to his bulging biceps, Simon was the whole package. He’d definitely grown into his body, and I just stood there, gaping.
"Are you about done?" He said with a laugh.
I shook my head and stared at him a little longer. Simon cleared his throat, and I finally snapped my mouth closed. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged. “I’m not even sorry,” I said with a laugh, and I meant it too.
He chuckled again. "Come on, let's jump."
We waded through the water to the short path leading to the top of the fall. Amy jumped as we made it to the top, and only Trent remained. He was smiling as he watched Amy jump, but his face turned smug when he saw us. He turned away quickly and threw himself off.
"That guy seems a little weird," Simon commented, as though he didn’t know what to make of Trent.
"He is," I said dully, pulling him forward.
Bryce came up behind us and started talking with Simon about the deer he’d seen that morning. Bored in the first ten seconds of the conversation, I paced to the edge and jumped, falling twenty feet before I plunged into the water. When my feet hit the ground, I jumped up from the bottom and popped my head out of the water. The splashing and the mist were thicker than I’d anticipated, causing me to squint to keep the spray out of my eyes. I felt a hand come around my arm and pull me to the side. I blinked the water away and focused my eyes again to see that I was behind the waterfall. I was pushed so my back was against the slimy stone wall, and Trent placed himself in front of me.
"Trent, get away from me. What are you doing?"
He looked upset and confused. “What’s your deal?" he hissed at me. "You think that guy’s into you? He doesn't really care about you."
"Let me go, Trent." I was angry now; he had no right to speak to me about Simon. He didn't even know him.
"What do you want with him anyway, huh? You're a tease Katie, a tease, and once he's gotten what he wants from you, he's going to leave you all over again."
I gaped at him. How did he even know about Simon leaving before? Amy must’ve told him. I glared, unable to keep myself from defending Simon. "He’s not you, Trent. You’re a real piece of work, you know that?" I hissed. "Now get your hands off me." I shoved him away and slipped aside.
"He's no good, Katie—"
I slapped him so hard across the face that my hand was stinging as I swam away before he could force me to stay.
Remembering the heavy mist on the other side, I dove below the water until I was sure I was close to the shore. When I surfaced, I marched to dry land and pulled a towel from Simon's backpack, wrapping it around me as I kept my back to the water.
I tried not to let Trent’s words get to me, but in truth, they hit home. The fear that Simon might leave me again was something I’d pushed away. Now that Trent had opened that door to my worries, I’d be hard-pressed to close it again. I sighed. It was easy to get caught up with Simon when we were together, but that dread, that feeling of being abandoned all over again, was creeping slowly in. I was irritated Trent was able to get such a rise out of me. How typical, though—he always liked to push my buttons for some reason, and he knew exactly how to do it.
"Kate?"
I jumped and twirled around. Simon was walking toward me with a grin that disappeared the moment he saw my face. His immediate concern was touching, but I was still feeling out of sorts.
"What's wrong?” he asked. “Did you get hurt?" I couldn't find my voice, so I shook my head. He was unconvinced. "Are you sure? You look upset."
I glanced in Trent’s direction, and Simon followed. He frowned and stepped in front of me, taking my upper arms gently in his
hands. “Kate?” he asked softly with his eyes searching mine.
Anxiety was quick to fill my stomach at the thought of telling Simon what happened. I remembered the instance when Simon had gotten upset at Bryce for forcing me off the cliff at the lake, and Bryce had only been messing around. What would be Simon’s reaction now if I told him about Trent?
I tried to smile. “I took care of it.”
Simon watched me closely, and I was certain he didn’t fully believe me. “Is this guy causing you problems?” he asked quietly. “Or making you uncomfortable?”
My short laugh was shallow, and I shrugged. “He always makes me uncomfortable.” Simon frowned, but I shrugged the situation off. "Simon, it's fine, really. Just Trent being Trent."
A small, pained look in his eyes told me he was hurt I wouldn’t tell him the details. I felt bad, but there was really nothing to do about Trent.
Simon nodded finally and turned his lips up. He kissed my forehead and when he met my gaze once more, his expression was serious. “I can see you’re hesitating with me, and I understand that. But I want you to know you can tell me anything, talk to me about anything, alright? That’s always been our way.”
“Not always,” I muttered before thinking. I bit my tongue and cursed Trent for ruining this pleasant outing for me with reminders of my troubles.
Simon’s head drew back with mild surprise. He drew a breath and nodded slowly.
I didn’t want this strange distance between us. I did want to open up to him with everything. I sighed and looked down, a little tired and flustered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I just…” I stared up at him and bit my lip, knowing I had to say it. “I need to talk with you, Simon. Not now—maybe tonight or something, when we have a minute alone.” I folded my arms against the chill of the breeze and saw my aunt making her way through the water toward us. When I turned my attention back to Simon, he was trying to read me; I could see it.
“You’re not having second thoughts about us, are you?” he asked.
I shook my head instantly and took a step closer to him. I did want him; I just needed things from him. Even with his eyes full of uncertainty, I slid hands up and held the back of his neck to gain his full attention. “I have some things I want to discuss. It’s nothing too damning.” I smiled a little, hoping to ease the uncertainty in his eyes, and even though my aunt was almost upon us and we were in full view of everyone else, I stretched up and kissed his lips. Simon’s quiet sigh caused me to shiver, and I kissed him again. His hands wound their way to my waist, and he seemed to be as lost in the sweet moment as I was.
My eyes flew open when Simon was suddenly ripped away. Bryce and Parker had snuck up on us and were howling with laughter as they carried Simon off and tossed him in the water. I wasn’t a good advocate for Simon. Rather than getting upset on his behalf, I laughed with my aunt, who now stood beside me. Simon was smiling good-naturedly when he surfaced, but it was short-lived when Parker dunked him right away.
“Parker!” I frowned. “Leave him alone.”
It was Bryce who told me to make myself scarce while they beat some sense into Simon. I knew he was just messing around, but I also didn’t want my cousins scaring him off. I was sure to do that on my own; I didn’t need their assistance.
“Well,” I said lightly and turned to my aunt. “I’m going to head back to shower and change. Simon needs to go to town and fill up his gas can, and I’m going to ride with him.”
"I think I'll come with you and leave the others to it," she said, waving goodbye to Uncle Borys. We linked arms and hit the trail back to camp. "This had been quite a trip, this year, hasn’t it?" Aunt Chantelle commented as we walked.
I laughed a little at her understatement. “It really has.”
“Do you mind if I ask how things are between you and Simon? How did it go when he took you to the hospital, aside from seeing the kids?"
I looked at my aunt with a grimace. “I should’ve known better than to take him there with all the women. You should’ve seen Angie, eyeing Simon like she wanted him for dessert. They were a bunch of hens pecking at the rooster.” Aunt Chantelle had a good and proper laugh at my grumbling, and I finally smiled. “I suppose, other than that, it was good. He was sweet with the kids. And afterward, we got dinner and took it back to my apartment.”
Aunt Chantelle did well with feigning patience, but I could see in her eyes that she wanted more. “And did dinner go well?” she asked casually.
I thought about dinner and how I’d ambushed Simon with questions. He’d been honest, open, and vulnerable in a way that made me feel for him the way I used to, but also in a new way. I nodded, and glanced at her. “It did go well, I think. Although, I put him on the spot. When we were eating, I asked him outright what he’s doing here, and I’m surprised he didn’t choke on his food.”
Aunt Chantelle’s eyes widened, and she smiled in surprise. “Oh, the poor man.” We came to a rocky part of the trail and let go of one another to maneuver our way down. “What did he tell you, then? Why has he suddenly returned?”
I couldn’t help but smile. My heart was tugged when I remembered Simon telling me I was the reason he’d come back. I grinned at my aunt as we came together again after the rocky bits and linked arms once more. “He says he’s here for me.”
My aunt gasped and even paused her steps. “He said it outright, just like that?”
I bit my lip and shrugged, keeping my shoulders up. I nodded. “He said he’s thought of me every day and has missed me.”
After a moment, she smiled softly and gripped my arm. “That’s so sweet.”
I tugged her forward to keep walking and took a breath. “He also said he was in a really bad accident last year.” Aunt Chantelle made a noise of surprise, and I went on. “Simon decided afterward that life was too short to keep on the path he was living. He didn’t like his job, his life, and for whatever reason, his parents never approved of him wanting something else. When he wanted to leave and start anew, they were really upset with him, and they haven’t spoken to him since.”
“Oh my word,” Aunt Chantelle said gravely. She glanced my way and shook her head. “That is too sad, but I can honestly say their reaction doesn’t surprise me. They’re people who like things the way they want them, and when they don’t have that control, they react without thinking things through. I will say they most likely regret their behavior now.”
“I don’t know if you’re right. You’d think they would’ve come around by now. I just can’t imagine why they were so upset with him wanting a change in his life.” When I looked at my aunt for a response, her lips were set and her focus was forward. She had something to say and was holding it in; I could see it. “What is it? You can say; I won’t tell Simon what we’re discussing.”
She looked at me for a moment as though deciding whether to say what she wanted to. I could see the second she changed her mind and turned her lips up for my sake. “It’s nothing. But I am glad for you, where Simon is concerned.”
We were close to camp now, and I untucked my arm to stretch as I wondered what she had wanted to say but wouldn’t.
“Has Simon spoken with you about what’ll happen when this trip is over?” Aunt Chantelle asked gently. “Is he here just to reconcile, or is he wanting something a little more serious?”
I opened the trailer door for her and sighed. “I don’t know. When he was telling me everything at my house, I just assumed that’s what he’d want. But we really never talked about anything in the future between us.” I sat in the booth at the table, and she sat across from me.
“Katie,” she said seriously as she handed me a bottle of water. “I don’t mean to put a damper on your reunion with Simon; I know he means a lot to you. You used to get so sad after our trips each year, and it hurt to see you that way.” She reached across the table and took my hand, giving it a squeeze. Aunt Chantelle looked into my eyes. “But you really must discuss this before you get in further with him. You were jus
t a girl back then, and think of how hurt you were when they left for good. You’re already struggling with a bit of sadness and feeling empty at times; you really don’t want to add to that…”
My eyes were filled to the brim, and I blinked with a watery smile. “He makes me feel whole, Aunt Chantelle.” My smile wobbled, and I shrugged. “I can’t even explain it, but it’s like his return filled that void, that emptiness we were talking about just the other day.” I wiped my thumb under my eye and took a shaky breath. “I know it seems fast to say that, but I’ve been wondering if he wasn’t the reason I was feeling that way all along.”
My aunt came to my side of the table and sat beside me, taking me in her arms. “I just want you to be happy, honey. And I know your mom would want that too.” She pulled back and smiled. “It sounds to me like you’re in love with that man, and if you are, there’s no fighting it; all you can do is fight for it. You’ve known him all your life, so it’s not as though you’re strangers. You just have a little catching up to do, that’s all. Even some newlyweds don’t know each other as well as you and Simon do already.”
A forced back a small sob and took a shaky breath. She was right, of course; I loved him. I loved him then. I loved him when he was gone, and I loved him still. But that didn’t always guarantee the feeling would be reciprocated. I sniffed lightly. “What if he doesn’t more? What if he just wanted to reconcile and be close friends like we once were?”
Aunt Chantelle’s lips were pressed together, and her kind eyes were so motherly. She rubbed my cheek, “I think that’s something you should find out sooner rather than later.”
I nodded.
“Another thing to consider is what you’ll do if he wants a future with you. Will you follow him to Montana? Leave your job and your life at home for him?”
I blinked in surprise. “I haven’t thought any of that through.”
She laughed a little and hugged me with a light sway. “I suggest you think about it. If you’re going to have that conversation with him, you might want to know where you are with everything first.”
Everything for You (Unforgettable) Page 16
