I took a step back. “I’ll be fine. I can walk.”
Drake looked at my leg. “Old Man Rooster is talking with the Twiner sisters out front. You’ll pass right by them.” He shook his head. “I’m sure that’ll give them something to talk about for a while. You’ll be the star of the weekly Twiner’s Tellings newsletter.”
His smirk caused me to take a deep breath. He knew I hated being in the newsletter. Hated it. And in the two years I’d been gone, Drake had only been in it once. Secretly, I scoured it for any news. Was he seeing someone? Don’t think about that. It doesn’t matter.
Lurking outside the Red Onion was not how I wanted the Twiner sisters to find out I was back in town. The rumors would fly rampant.
“Lead the way.”
Drake handed me a towel from his back pocket. When working at the bar, he always had one tucked in his jeans. “It’s clean. Hold it to your cut, and I’ll carry you. We don’t want you leaving a trail of blood up the stairs.”
Without an argument, I took the towel. Drake’s strong arms wrapped around me, and he easily picked me up.
I yelped. “It’s—”
“I don’t remember you being this jumpy.”
I clamped my mouth shut. I was a nervous wreck around him. What do I say? Any kind of explanation would only make the situation look worse than it was. “I promise I wasn’t lurking.”
“Then why not come inside to see Teagan? You nervous to see me?”
Of course, Drake was straightforward. He always had been. We’d known each other since we were babies. When I was a junior in high school, he’d stopped to help me change a flat tire on the side of the road. From there, we started hanging out. With my father’s blessing, Drake took me out on our first date. He was two years older and had wanted my father’s approval since I was still in school.
Why did Dad change his mind?
Drake shifted his hold on me as he climbed the stairs, which brought my thoughts back to the oh-so-familiar feeling of being in his arms. Goosebumps formed along my skin where he touched me. Two years apart from him did nothing but amp up my desire for him.
He paused at the door. “Why are you nervous, Lex?”
Lex. He was the only one who ever called me Lex, and it still did things to me—made me feel like I was his.
Outside the door, we stared into each other’s eyes. “You know why I’m nervous. It’s been two years since we saw each other, spoke to each other.”
“Don’t be. I’m still just me. The same man I was two years ago.”
Regret surged through me, and I blinked a few times. “Yes, of course. I figured a large crowd would be awkward after what I did. I deserve it if you hate me.”
He opened the door and walked inside, still holding me. “I could never hate you.” The softness in his voice brought me up short, and I blinked several times to clear my thoughts. Gently, he set me down. “Let me get the first aid kit. It’s in my room.”
“Thanks.”
My body instantly missed his touch. If only I could be back in his arms. He deserved to know what happened two years ago. But the knowledge that my Dad didn’t approve of him might hurt him more. Drake had loved my dad. They’d been close. Which was why my father’s last letter telling me to end things with Drake had gutted me. How could I even consider spending the rest of my life with a man my father didn’t approve of? Dad and I had been close, and I respected his opinions above anyone else’s.
I shook my head and tried to get my thoughts straight. Drake’s place was just as I remembered—manly. The furniture was solid wood and handmade by Drake’s father, Ike. Things were tidy-ish as usual. The shirt he wore yesterday was on the back of the couch where he probably removed it to watch T.V. And a beer bottle sat on the table. I had so many memories of us here together; cuddled on the couch as we watched a scary movie, making love by the fireplace, celebrating when I’d been accepted into college. It had taken me three years to save up enough money to go to college at twenty-one to study nursing. Being a nurse had been a dream of mine since I was a little girl.
Drake reappeared in the doorway and paused while our eyes met. Time had been good to him. His T-shirt hugged his muscles and showed off how broad he was.
With a quick shake of his head, Drake snapped out of it and brought the first aid kit to me. Quickly, I set to work cleaning the cut and putting a Band-Aid over it. “Good as new. Thanks, Drake.”
“Anytime.”
A few moments passed as we stared at each other. I knew I should leave, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Finally, Drake said, “Teagan told me about the clinic.”
I smiled. “Yes, Skagway is going to finally have a doctor. Hollis is amazing.”
Something shifted within Drake, and he expelled a breath, taking a few steps back while raking his fingers through his hair. “Welcome home, Lex. It’s a good thing you’re doing.”