Page 26 of To Regret a Raven

Fisher clearly did not get the memo from that visit, but still, he’d changed in the weeks that followed. Loosening up. Smiling. Responding to her teasing with his own lingering looks that caused her stomach to swoop and her heart to flutter.

And now, as Fisher stepped out from the opposite end of the shelf she was perusing, a shy, crooked grin stretching his lips, it threw her back instantly to the way she had felt when he used to look at her like that.

It was like they’d gone back to the very beginning. Not starting over, per se—more like how it felt to return to the beginning of a favorite book after speeding through it a first time. You already know where the pitfalls are hidden and which parts will likely be your favorite. But you also know the plot and the history, and you can enjoy it with your eyes wide open. No more surprises.

Drie hadn’t been sure after the diner. Or even after the swings. In the weeks following, she had been careful. She’d begun responding to his messages. And even though she had not yet accepted his breakfast offer, Drie began walking down to thepark each night after a while, just like in the beginning. To chat about life or exchange stories from work and class—or simply sit, side by side, enjoying the vision of the changing seasons. But with every evening she spent by his side, she felt her defenses falling, bit by bit.

And now, seeing the hesitancy in his steps as he moved into the aisle and the cautious hope in his eyes to see her return, a newfound peace stole through her, settling her nerves. Drie didn’t know what would happen next, but she knew, in her gut, that he wasn’t going to hurt her like that again.

He pulled to a stop, barely a foot away, his eyes searching her expression. “You’re here,” he said.

She nodded. “I, uh, saw that the new Ledger book was out. Though I’m guessing y’all have probably run out of copies already?”

He bit his lip with a quick shake of his head. His hand stretched between them, an offer, and Drie smiled as she accepted it, letting him pull her along behind him as he led her toward the back office. He glanced around for witnesses before nudging her forward into the dark space that smelled like dusty shelves and moth-eaten pages.

“Am I allowed in here?” she asked, blinking at the sudden light when he flipped on the desk lamp, casting a warm glow over the ancient wooden desk barely visible beneath mounds of paperwork.

“Boss is out of town this week. As long as you don’t turn me in, she’ll never know.” He said, reaching into the drawer beneath the desk, then straightening with the newest Ledger book in hand.

“You didn’t,” she breathed, striding quickly across the space and around the desk to grab the hefty book from his hand. Her personal copy had been canceled due to over-selling, and everywhere she’d looked was sold out, but there it was—theconclusion to the Creature series. “You won’t get in trouble for holding this?”

He shook his head with a sheepish smirk. “I bought it from the library. Employee perk.” He shrugged. “Just in case you, uh, came looking for it.” She blinked up at him. “I didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

Tears sprang forward as she held his gaze, and his eyes widened in sudden horror, his hands coming up to cradle her face as he wiped one errant drop off her cheek. “Drie, I’m sorry. Is this too much?”

“No,” she choked out, laughing softly. “It’s not too much. It’s perfect.”

Fisher swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he brushed back a strand of her hair, running his thumb along her temple, down to her jaw. “You can have anything you want from me,” he whispered. “You just have to ask.”

The room grew smaller as her eyes flitted between his, seeking the blatant truth she found reflected in that steel blue. And as Drie looked, she became conscious of how close they stood in the cozy office, the warmth emanating from his body, the gallop of her heart beating out of her chest. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips as her gaze fell to his mouth, the mere memory of his touch heating her blood.

“You’ve gotta stop looking at me like that,” he murmured into the space between them.

Her hand snaked up to rest against his chest, and she paused, feeling the thundering beat of his heart, mirroring hers. It fueled her confidence, knowing he was right there with her.

“Why?” she whispered back, unwilling to break the spell of the moment. “Whatever I want, right?”

He groaned at the teasing words, his fingers tightening in her hair. “And what is it that you want, Drie?”

She lifted the hand higher, up to the scruff of his jaw, relishing the way he leaned into her touch as she dragged a thumb across his bottom lip. They’d get there. In time.

“I want to meet your family.”

15

CHAOS

“So wait.” Drie laughed. “Let me get this straight. Your cousins’ names are Sawyer, Connor, Thatcher, Ranger, Archer, Cooper, Walker, Parker, andTrapper?”

Fisher nodded. “And Shepherd.”

“Shepherd doesn’t end with anR, though.”

“Yeah.” He grimaced, flicking on the blinker as they turned down a side street into a quiet little neighborhood with thick sycamores casting shade over the road. “It’s a whole thing.”

Drie snorted. “Please, do tell.”

He sighed, shooting her an amused side glance as he parked in front of a simple one-story house with a yard full of kid toys and a sidewalk so covered in chalk that the base grey was no longer visible.