AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I missed you,” she whispered against his lips.
He responded by pressing his groin against her so she could feel his bulge. His hard flesh radiated heat through his soft wool trousers.
Speaking of which… “Are these clothes new too?”
“They’re from a thrift store. A girl in Braddock helped me shop.”
A twist of jealousy surprised her. Now that he was such a hunk, he’d probably get lots of attention and who knew what would happen.
“They look really good on you.” She rubbed her cheek against his. “I miss your beard though, and the rest of your hair. Not enough to invite that grocery bag inside,” she added quickly.
He chuckled, then gently drew her away from his cheek. “My skin needs to toughen up. It’s used to hiding under an inch of insulation.”
She touched his jaw lightly. “Poor skin. That really looks painful. I can’t believe you did that for my mother.”
“Did what?”
They jumped apart. Mom stood in the doorway, arms folded, eyebrows lifted.
“It’s nothing. It’s just…Galen got a haircut.”
She turned her eagle gaze over to Galen, who straightened his shoulders under the weight of her attention. Even so, he still looked rattled. She had the effect. “Why would you do that?”
“I was overdue for one.”
Nice. He was actually handling her mother relatively well. Maybe all those bear encounters had been good training.
“Not because you wanted to impress me?”
“That too.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Because…” he stammered. “Because…”
“Be honest with me. That’s more important than a haircut.”
Oh, for God’s sake, her mother was in full interrogation mode now. Brenda opened her mouth to rescue Galen, but he preempted her.
“I have a crush on her,” he blurted.
What? Her eyes went wide and her mind blank. A crush?
When he continued, he sounded much steadier. “Have for a while. From a distance.”
She blinked at him, suddenly rethinking all of their interactions. “Mom, can you give us a minute?”
When her mother didn’t move at first, she physically shepherded her back to the dining room.
Mom dug in her heels. “Are you manhandling me?”
“I’m gently guiding you back to the dining room. I need a moment of privacy to discuss my life in my kitchen.”
When she got back to the kitchen, she found Galen downing a big glass of water. He turned to meet her gaze, which he held steadily.
“How long is a while?” she asked. “Is that why you remember seeing me move into my classroom?”
“Yes. That was the first time I saw you. So yeah, since then. I didn’t know who you were at first. Then I found out, but…I didn’t do anything about it.”
