Strong Enough to Love (Jackson Hole 1.20)

He didn’t care that she’d tried to send him away. He’d already gone once. He wasn’t going again. Especially not after last night.

Holy shit. That had been both the most natural thing he’d ever done, and the most breathtaking.

Everything. She was everything. What he wanted, what he needed, what was good for him. All of that in one woman.

He wasn’t letting her go. Yesterday, he’d been uncertain, filled with guilt about hurting her. Uncertain if she’d take him back. But today? Today he knew he wasn’t going anywhere. That he’d never touch anyone else. That this was it.

When he reached the gallery, he stopped at the front window. Though a large photo of Grand Teton was suspended in front of it, he could see past the edge of

the frame to the long counter beyond. A girl with bright blue hair sat there, and beyond her stood Eve.

Yesterday, Eve’s hair had been down, a long brown curtain of silk that had slipped over his hands. But today it was pulled back in a careless ponytail, and his gut tightened at the familiar sight. How many hundreds of times had he seen her like that? Caught up in something, unaware he was watching, her head bent and brow drawn down with thought? How many times had he let his gaze drift to her neck and imagined kissing her there, at that tender spot just where her hair swept up?

He sighed as that old, dull ache beat in his chest. As much as he’d wanted to make love to her, it had been those small touches that had been the hardest to resist. His love for her had come so naturally that not acting on it had felt like blasphemy. It had killed him a little every day.

But last night had been a damned glorious resurrection.

He opened the door.

“Hi,” said the blue-haired woman, still clicking away on her laptop. “Can I help you?”

Eve turned before he could answer. He didn’t bother saying anything. She knew why he was here, and she didn’t seem happy about it.

“Oh,” the other woman said as she looked up. “Um.”

He cleared his throat and reached out a hand. “Hi. I’m Brian.”

She shook his hand. “I’m Grace. And I just realized it’s almost closing time, so...” She glanced at Eve, who nodded. Grace scooted off her stool. “Nice to meet you, Brian. I’ll see you later. Maybe. Or not. Um. Anyway, I’ll go now.”

Eve had been talking about him to this woman. He wasn’t sure whether to be worried by that, but he couldn’t deny the primal thrill he felt at the thought of Eve telling someone about him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as soon as Grace had grabbed her bag and disappeared out the door.

“I came to see you. I thought you could give me a tour. Show me what you’ve done.”

“I told you this was over.”

“And I told you it wasn’t.”

She walked past him to lock the front door. “You don’t get to dictate this, Brian. This time it isn’t up to you.”

He winced inside but kept his face blank. “I’ll just have to convince you, then.”

She shot him a cool, inscrutable look. It was meant to keep him at a distance, he supposed, but he’d already been at a distance. He’d be damned if he’d go back.

Eve retreated behind the counter and started straightening things. Brochures. Business cards. It had always struck him as funny, this nervous habit of hers, because her living space was so chaotic, the difference being that when she was comfortable and happy, she didn’t need things to be organized. He wanted her to be messy with him.

“Can I talk you into dinner?” he asked.

“Brian—”

“I’m not going away. I know you’re hurt. I’m sorry. I’ll apologize a thousand times, but I won’t leave.”

“So you’re going to stalk me,” she snapped.

“No.” God, he didn’t know how to say this without sounding psychotic. That he’d thought about her every single day. That she’d been everything to him, even when she shouldn’t have been. “After last night, Eve, I’m not giving up.”

Her jaw went tight. Her cheeks turned pink. She avoided his eyes and walked toward an office door to shut off the light.