Novak Raven (Harper's Mountains #4)(43)

Avery smiled at him gratefully for being so nice to her and relaxed back against him, rested her cheek on his, and listened to Ryder talk about the life-sized painting of him and Lexi on a pirate ship that he wanted to commission for their engagement photo.

Weston had only asked because she was the only woman here who had been left out of the wedding conversation. He was just trying to make her feel included, but now that she thought about it, yeah—a small, intimate ceremony was the new dream.

But only if it was with him.





Chapter Eighteen


Today had been the best day of Avery’s life.

She cast another glance over at Weston who was laying under her car, changing the oil. He’d been working on her Civic for the last hour, telling her stories she’d missed out on in the years they hadn’t written each other. Most of them were about his Gray Back Crew and how much trouble he and his friends got into when they were kids. She liked those best—the ones that included Wyatt, Ryder, Aaron, and Harper. She felt like she was getting to know them better. She enjoyed imagining she’d grown up alongside of them in Damon’s Mountains with the normal childhood they’d had.

She liked knowing that, for other people, good childhoods had existed. Maybe it should’ve made her jealous, but it really didn’t. Instead, it made her happy.

She rolled over onto her side on the blanket he’d laid out for her beside the Civic. From here, she had a perfect view of the sexy southern half of him from the top of his abdominals down, and that man had blessed her greatly by taking off his shirt before sliding under the car.

“What was your mom like?” she asked.

“Uuuh, let’s see. She was quiet, strict. She was a worrier. I was her only raven boy, and Da was so protective of me it definitely rubbed off on her. I got away with less than the other kids in the trailer park, but I didn’t mind. I knew it was just because they loved me. She was really good at cooking. Still, when I go home to visit for holidays, I just eat the entire time I’m there. I’ve tried to make some of her recipes over the years, but my cooking can’t touch hers.”

Avery smiled and gave a soft laugh. “It’s because she cooked with love.”

“That’s what Da says, too.”

“I think I will pee my pants if I ever meet Beaston.”

“Oh, you will meet my Da, and no, you won’t pee your pants. For one, I’ve watched you grow tougher every day. You showed no fear around the Bloodrunners today, and I was so f*cking proud of how well you fit in. You held your chin up more when you talked to them and spoke your mind when you wanted.”

“The alcohol can be blamed for that.”

“Bullcrap, you’re coming into your own. It’s pretty f*ckin’ awesome to watch. Two, my Da isn’t that bad.”

“To you. You grew up with him, and you’re his son. He had no reason to maul you. I was made to betray you.”

“But you didn’t. You made me happy instead.” When Weston twisted sideways and peeked out from under the car, the light he’d hung from the undercarriage illuminated his half-smile. “Besides, I told you, I already explained you had nothing to do with whatever the council was planning. My Da has no problem with you anymore. He told me to take good care of you.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, in his own way. His exact words were, ‘If she makes sense to you, don’t let nothin’ ever hurt her, or it’ll hurt you worse.’”

Avery propped her cheek on her elbow and fiddled with a loose thread on the blanket. She was going to write that quote down on a scrap of paper and keep it in her treasure box. “I think maybe I won’t be as scared when I meet him now. Weston?”

“Yep,” he gritted out, struggling to tighten something under her car.

“Will you sleep beside me tonight?”

He let off a little growl that sounded much more feral than a raven shifter should’ve managed and slid out from under the car. “You don’t know what you’re asking, Ave. Trust me when I say you don’t want that.”

“But that’s why we’re out here in the middle of the night, right? You’re avoiding your visions? You’re avoiding sleep? You can’t just go forever without resting your body, Weston. It’s not good for you.”

Weston’s jaw was clenched hard as he stood and wiped his filthy hands on a cloth. His eyes were black as he ghosted her a glance.

With a deep frown, Avery sat up and asked, “Why is your raven so worked up?”

“I had a vision about you last night.” Weston rushed the words, as if he wanted to say them before he changed his mind.

Avery was shocked into silence. “A bad one?” she whispered.

“Yeah. No.” He upended a container of oil under the hood of her car and locked his other arm against the edge while it emptied. “I was awake when it happened, and it was a vision of the past, not your future.”

Dread dumped into her system, freezing her into place like an ice sculpture. “What did you see?”

“You in The Box, and you were—”

“That’s enough. I don’t need to know anymore.”

“You didn’t tell me it was that bad.”

“No one ever laid a hand on me—”