little.”
“Did your wishes ever come true?” she asks.
“I did get that bicycle I wanted when I was seven.” We both laugh at that, and I run a soft strand of her hair around my finger.
She exhales a contented sigh. “Are we supposed to keep our wishes a secret?”
“Yeah, we are,” I say, even though I’d like to know what’s going through that beautiful head of hers. I could probably guess. Haven wants to discover who she really is, but she doesn’t need a shooting star for that. No, I’m the man she needs for that because she might be a famous movie star, but things aren’t all sunshine and roses for her. It can’t be easy walking through life not knowing who you are or what you really want.
“When I was little, I used to see quite a few shooting stars out here on the lake,” I tell her.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before.” She blinks dark lashes over blue eyes that glisten in the moonlight. “Do they have a special meaning?”
I nod. “It’s an omen that you’re on a good path.”
She goes quiet for a moment, her lips quirked at the corner. “I like that, Ty.”
“Do you think you’re on a good path?” I ask her.
Her head drops, and she toys with the line on the fishing rod. “I hope so.”
“Do you want to just stay like this or try fishing?”
She sits up. “Fishing, of course. I can’t wait to reel in a big one.”
“Didn’t you already do that?” I ask with a wink.
“My God, that ego of yours!” She laughs. “I’m so glad you can back it up.”
Laughing, I remove our blanket and grab our gear. I open the toolbox and pull out some spinning bait.
“They don’t look like flies.”
“That’s because tonight we’re just going to cast. We’re not fly fishing.” Her mouth twists, and as I get our rods ready, I take a minute to explain the differences and the different techniques. “So you see, there’s quite a bit of skill involved in fly fishing, and we can’t really do it from this boat. Another time though, if you’re really interested in learning.”
“I’m interested in trying everything at least once.”
“Okay,” I say, and flick my rod to release the line. “Did you see how that was done?”
She nods eagerly, and releases her line. “Perfect, fast learner.” She beams at the compliment, and we both go quiet for a very long time, lost in our thoughts as a comfortable quiet surrounds us.
We listen to the sounds of nature as the sun’s long rays glisten on the lake. She shuffles beside me, breaking the quiet. “Tyler?”
“Yeah.”
“Tonight was perfect. The best night ever.”
Everything I feel for this woman comes crashing over me and I take an unsteady breath. “It’s about to get better?”
“Yeah, why?”
I gesture with a nod to the tight line on her rod. “You just caught a fish.”
14
Tyler
I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen Haven so relaxed as she helps herself to a big scoop of potatoes, and tries to listen in to all the conversations going on around the table. This is the second Sunday night dinner she’s had at our place, and she’s growing more and more comfortable with my family. She says something to Kylee, and gives baby Jesse a smile as he sits on Kylee lap as she feeds him purred carrots. He spits it out, and Haven just laughs as it lands on her blouse.
She wipes it away like it’s nothing and I’m glad that she’s not upset by it. For the last few days, we’ve been both working on the set, and at night back at the cabin, we’ve been going on the boat, which she loves, and falling into bed together every night. Tonight, however, I have something different planned for us.
Oh yeah, since things don’t get started until later in the day for her, tonight we’re doing something fun, something she missed out on during her childhood and I can’t wait to surprise her. Later this week, I have other things planned. We’re still discovering all her likes and dislikes, inside and outside of the bedroom, and I’m having fun watching her blossom. It’s a goddamn tragedy that she has no idea who she really is inside. All I know is I like this girl when she’s with me. I like how she trusts me, puts herself in my hands, understanding I don’t want anything from her, and this is not about tit for tat.
The best part in all