Page 63 of Same One
How was Tabian just naturally good at everything? He was the sexiest man alive already, but now he was bonding with Bay? There was something so innately attractive about a man who had nothing to gain from effort with an attitude-riddled teenager, but who sat in the uncomfortable moments and gave the kiddo a chance to get them out of it.
She’d just watched it all evening as they’d set up camp and eaten dinner, and she was in awe. Tabian was a man who just knew what to do, and because of that, she got to relax around him. She didn’t have to be on the lookout, or worried about saying something uncool, or in fight-or-flight mode. She could just ease herself into a peaceful moment and appreciate it, and goodness it had been so long since she’d known peace.
To the chatter of the boys in the woods, she dressed out of camera-range and pulled on a thick hoodie over her night clothes. She shoved her feet into a pair of old off-brand wool-lined warm boots and made her way to the cooler. She grabbed a pair of beers for her and Tabian and an orange soda for Bay and set them on the table near the fire. She dragged her and Bay’s camp chairs from the outer edges of the camera space. He’d said he was turning off all the cameras soon so they could just enjoy the rest of the night.
In town, her habit in quiet moments would be to grab her phone and check emails, or social media, or messages. She did it to avoid her own thoughts, but out here, she denied the urge. She sank into her chair and draped a blanket over her legs, arched her head back and looked up at the sky. It was almost dark, and she could see two stars up in the sky. She bet God was going to put on a show in the sky tonight when it was full dark. There was no light pollution out here to hide the stars.
The echo of laughter reached her ears, and the smile that stretched her face felt so good.
This was the moment.
It was the moment when she knew everything was going to be okay. It was the reset moment. She and Bay had been like a tea kettle on the verge of whistling with heat but tonight had been like taking them both off the stove and letting their temperature return to normal.
Tabian was doing this.
She knew her heart, and she knew it was too soon, but she loved him already. How terrifying, after everything she had been through with Zane that she fall in love so quickly like this, but there was nothing she could do about it but run.
She didn’t want to run.
She wanted to lean into this feeling and absorb every ounce of good mojo Tabian provided them with and hope she could repay him in the same way.
There was something so peaceful about quiet woods, dotted with the laughter of her boys, where everything was just…okay.
After everything, her life was okay.
She’d found her place after all, and she knew she was just at the beginning of it, if Tabian kept building with her.
There was something so comforting in knowing that.
Sure, they might go back home, and the tension could rebuild again. She could C-minus this entire stepmom gig again and Bay could go back to his love-hate relationship with having her tell him what to do. But for tonight? For tonight, all was well, and she was learning to sink deep into the embrace of all-is-well moments.
When they returned, Bay was hungry again, for the fourth time tonight. They set armloads of firewood near the big tent and Tru stood to dig through the grocery bags and find the marshmallows.
“What are you doing?” Tabian asked quietly as he approached.
“Helping?”
He slipped his fingertips to her hip and leaned down, kissed her lips gently, and twitched his head back toward the chair. “I saw that smile when you were just sitting there. Relax. We’ll take care of the rest.”
“Okay,” she said softly as she watched him head back to join Bayen at the back of the truck. Why had that made her so emotional? Tabian just took weight off her plate without even trying and was letting her keep her peaceful moment.
Oh, she loved him.
Slowly, Tru sank back into her chair and opened her drink, took a sip.
When Bay and Tabian returned to the fire, Tabian stoked it and added a couple more logs. Sparks flew into the air, and crackled and popped as the smoke billowed straight into the sky. She’d missed the smell of earth and campfires, and the sound of frogs.
But most of all…most of all…she’d missed the sound of Bayen’s laughter. He’d been chuckling all night at Tabian’s one-liners. He’d even dished it back a couple of times.
Out here, his wolf seemed settled. His eyes hadn’t lightened all night, and his smile was easy.
“How long has it been since you camped with anyone?” she asked him curiously.
Bay was stabbing marshmallows with a thick piece of metal wire. “Uuuh, since my dad.”
“A year?”
He cleared his throat. “I should’ve specified. Since my dad took me when I was little.”
