The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska #1)(106)

*

As love stories went, Graham was pretty sure this one sucked.

The gas pedal wasn’t his friend, and the planes coming in low over the inlet just rubbed this deeper into his soul. But he couldn’t ask her to stay. Zoey was a strong, beautiful, independent woman, and he couldn’t ask her to give up her life for his, no matter how much he wanted her. Even if he did, she’d say no. This wasn’t a movie, there wasn’t anything he could do, and adding that bit of rejection would only sour what had been the most bittersweet goodbye of his life.

There was a long drive between Anchorage and Moose Springs, and it was probably going to take every single one of those miles to convince himself that this was the right thing. He’d had to let her go. And after her, there would never be another tourist. Locals only, he was done. Graham couldn’t do this to himself again. After her…

The road blurred, and Graham cursed, pulling over into the bird sanctuary just south of Anchorage. Across the road was a gun range, and the dichotomy of the two normally made him snort. Right now, nothing seemed funny. Nothing was right, nothing was good, nothing in his life fit anymore, not the way they’d fit. Somehow, for some reason completely beyond him, Zoey had fit him, and he’d fit her perfectly.

He wanted her shyness, her enthusiasm, her bravery, her recklessness, her strength. Her atrocious attempts at karaoke. Her arms around him as he slept. Zoey had the kind of drive Graham had never had in his own life, an ability to keep pushing on where he would have—where he had—rolled over and given up.

Inhaling a hard breath, Graham rubbed his fist over his chest.

He hoped she found someone who loved her this much. Someone who thought it was cute when her glasses slipped on her nose. Someone who liked her tucked beneath his arm. Someone who gave a crap when those gorgeous eyes filled with tears. Someone Graham would have to kill, because the idea of her with someone else made him want to punch something.

The heart in his chest was clawing its way out, abandoning him for her. And his ass was sitting in his truck, doing nothing.

Paralyzed. Torn between fighting for what he needed and the fear of losing his dream again. She was art school all over, and he was sitting here and just taking it.

“Jake, I think I need a little help here.” At Graham’s soft whistle, the border collie hopped the seat divider, wiggling into his lap. Wrapping his arms around his puppy as tight as he dared, Graham picked up Jake and hugged him for a really long time, face buried in a furry neck.

After he had been thoroughly bathed in kisses, Graham sighed and returned Jake to the back seat.

“Get yourself together.” Dragging his palms over his face, Graham shook his head. “It’s just a girl.”

His girl. The only girl he ever wanted for the rest of his stupid, freaking life.

Hands shaking, Graham set the hazard lights and pulled out his phone. It rang twice before she picked up. “Hey, Ash, I need a wingman right now. I just dropped off Zoey.” Graham’s voice was ragged and harsh in his ears. “Tell me to keep driving.”

“Are you asking me for permission to be an idiot? Because you’ve never needed my permission before.”

He didn’t say anything, unable to formulate a sentence that didn’t start and end with how messed up this was.

There was silence, then Ash added softly, “Graham? You love each other. It’s okay to be upset. She’s probably crying right now too.”

Well. It was one thing for him to be upset, but when it was her? That just wouldn’t do.

“Ash, I think I’m going to go do something stupid.”

“Thank goodness.” She exhaled heavily. “What took you so long? Easton put a hundred down that you wouldn’t even make it to the airport.”

“I like to draw things out and make it hard on everyone.” Graham spun a three-point turn in the gravel, his suspension system protesting when he backed over a curb.

“Go get her, cowboy,” Ash said, hanging up the phone.

That was exactly what Graham was planning. He had no idea what he was going to do when he got to her. He had no clue what to say, but he figured he’d start with, “Here’s my heart and guts on a silver platter” and go from there.

“Come on,” he snarled as the traffic grew heavier as he got closer to the airport. “Come on. How many people are leaving today? Is it mass exodus from Anchorage day?”

The airport was small, but this was the height of the tourist season. With so many visitors taking morning flights, the single road in and out of the airport was jam-packed with cars.

Smacking his hand on the steering wheel in frustration, Graham was forced to slow to a crawl. “Seriously? There was no one here before!”

Her plane was leaving soon, and he didn’t have time for this. Graham’s heart buried itself somewhere below the bench seat. Finally, he’d had enough. Pulling to the side of the road, he hit the hazard lights.

“Come on, buddy,” Graham said as he got out and opened the door. Slipping a leash on Jake, he tucked him into the crook of his arm and started running.

Graham was more of a stand and chop things type of guy rather than a sprint half a mile type of guy, but he wasn’t too out of shape. Breathless but still alive by the time he reached the terminal, he ignored the long line of people waiting to get their tickets and cut his way in front.

“I need to get back to the gates,” Graham told the airline attendant at the desk. “It’s an emergency.”