Novak Raven (Harper's Mountains #4)(38)

And then he left her there, stunned. The door up front closed, and she set the flowers down gingerly and opened the envelope. There were two pieces of paper. The first was her paycheck. She wanted to cry when she saw the numbers. Not because it was riches, or anything like that, but because this was the first paycheck she’d ever earned. She’d worked hard and earned her way, and she didn’t only have a dollar to her name anymore.

She was going to be okay.

Carefully, she set the check on the desk and unfolded the other piece of paper.

Weston’s handwriting was chicken-scratch, just like when he’d been a teenager, but she could read every word easily.



Ave,

I should’ve written to you way before now, but I dropped the ball a decade ago. Here is the first letter of many to come. I promise I won’t disappear on you again. I’ll be someone you can depend on, and I know it’ll take a while for you to trust that again, but I can be patient. I’ll earn it back. So, it’s my birthday, but that isn’t the best part about today. The best part is that first thing this morning, out in the woods, I got to Change with you for the first time. And then you gave me even more. I got to touch you. I got to kiss you, and be with you. I got to be your first, and it was one of the biggest moments in my entire life. Keep this in your box with my other letters. Someday, when we’re old and gray, it’ll be fun to go back through these and piece together our story.

Later gator,

Weston

P. S. You said you were going to make me fall in love with you.

Done.



Avery stood with her hand over her mouth, a shocked sound stuck in her throat as she read the last line.

Weston was in love with her?

He’d even signed it like he used to when they were pen pals. Later gator, and she would respond on hers by signing after awhile crocodile.

She could hear people outside now, talking and laughing with Weston and Ryder, so in a rush, she pulled a piece of computer paper from the printer and scribbled across the middle.



Weston,

I love you back. Always have.

After awhile crocodile,

Ave



She folded it in half, set it in the middle of his desk, zipped her paycheck and his letter into her purse, and grabbed the beer can vase of flowers because she wanted to look at them all day. She set the bouquet by the cash register out front and booted up the system so she could start checking in the tour. There was a stand of tourist sunglasses on the counter, and she caught a glimpse of herself in one of the reflective lenses. She was grinning from ear-to-ear, and for a shocking moment, she didn’t recognize herself. Had she ever smiled like this before?

The landline rang, the front door opened, and the chaos began. Big Flight was officially open, and she was on the clock. She was earning her own money, gaining independence by the day, and now she had the love of a good man. Real love. The kind she hadn’t even dared to dream of. The kind that wasn’t supposed to exist for a female raven shifter like her.

This feeling was better than flying.





Chapter Seventeen


Two long back-to-back ATV tours meant Avery hadn’t seen much of Weston all day. Between groups, Wes had run in to refill on bottled waters, given her a quick kiss, and ducked back out to the new riders to start their safety and mechanical lessons. Ryder hadn’t even given her the evil eye or made devil horns on his head. And once, when she’d handed him a cold water bottle and the lunchbox of snacks he liked to devour between rides, he even smiled and told her, “You don’t suck, woodchuck.”

She pulled another hot pink Big Flight T-shirt from the box, folded it neatly, and put it with the right size on the long, multi-tiered table Weston had made. She’d asked Ryder about putting more tourist-friendly souvenirs in the shop to gain an extra stream of revenue for Big Flight, and he’d approved it. The stuff she’d ordered came in while the boys were out, and she wanted to surprise them with how good the shop looked. There were T-shirts, water bottles, post cards, jewelry from the local reservation, and on the back wall were even a few paintings from local artists.

Outside, the sound of laughter and excitement echoed as the riders shut down their engines. They would probably linger, snapping pictures near the ATVs like the other groups had done before they headed inside to fill out surveys, shop for souvenirs, and say their goodbyes.

She would get to see Weston soon. A trill of anticipation zinged through her body and landed in her chest, creating a soft fluttering sensation. Avery folded the last shirt, stacked it precisely on the pile of larges, and began to break down the cardboard box.

The door swung open so hard it banked against the wall and made her jump. “Oh, shit,” Weston muttered, steadying it. His white T-shirt was damp with sweat, his camouflage baseball cap on backward, and a pair of reflective sunglasses had been shoved up to rest on his forehead. Along with his goofy grin, he looked silly and sexy. The hollowness from earlier was gone as he jogged over to her and pressed his lips against hers.

His dark whiskers were scratchy now, and she giggled when he dragged her closer. He was smiling big against her lips and, God, she loved this. She loved that he was so open with his affection. The Novak Raven surprised her. He wasn’t at all like she’d imagined.

“Sweaty man,” she punched out through her laughter.

Uncaring, Weston wrapped his rock-hard arms around her so she couldn’t escape and wiggled his damp shirt all over her.