“If I’d known that giving you fish was all it took to—”
“Shut your face, you ugly bear.” She sassed him back with a wink then snatched up one more piece of fish before moaning and shaking her head. “Gotta put this away right now, or I’ll never stop.”
Tail or not, she was a typical siren, and there was nothing she liked to eat more than salmon. He’d known it, which was why he’d made it. Her smile had been worth all the effort of finding sockeye when it was out of season. She was worth getting up at the ass crack of dawn to go hang out in an empty, frigid stream in the faintest hope of finding a straggler swimming through. It had taken two weeks before he’d finally caught a pair of them with enough meat to make the effort worth it.
Licking her lips, she pushed the box away and reached in for her final gift. That last one had taken him the longest to make. He’d been roaming the woods of his property one morning when he’d stumbled across the four-leaf clover, and an idea had popped into his head almost immediately.
Her mouth formed a tiny O when she pulled out the chain with her fingers. She stared at the clover, trapped in a clear coat of resin. “August.” She looked at him, and he couldn’t mistake the tears shimmering in her eyes for anything other than shocked joy. “I love it.”
His siren wasn’t much for jewelry. She wore a pair of freshwater pearls in her ears, but that was about it. He’d never seen her with anything really flashy. It was why he’d decided to combine her favorite color, emerald green, with something soft and understated but also unique. Just like her.
Crushing the necklace to her breast, she gave him a tremulous smile. “I love it. I mean, I really love it.” Unhooking the latch, she slipped it around her neck then tossed her arms out wide. “How does it look?”
The pendant rested just above her heart, and his own ached with tenderness.
Words were trapped on his tongue, words that once spoken, couldn’t be unspoken. August didn’t know what he should do at that moment.
As if sensing his confusion, she gave him a swift smile and nodded. “Okay, my turn. Open yours now.” She pushed her box toward him and effectively shut the door on that moment.
Cursing himself for being a coward and not seizing the chance when he had it, he pulled her box toward him. Unlike him, she had not wrapped it, which oddly pleased him. Jackson knew him just like he knew her. She’d known he wouldn’t have wanted anything too fussy.
Flipping open the lid, he stared at the bags of deer jerky crammed inside the box. He said nothing at first until finally, he tossed his head back and laughed to the rafters. If his brothers could only see him, they would be baffled.
August didn’t laugh. Not really. He was a steadfast kind of guy, content with his lot in life. Get up, go to work, eat food, go to bed, start it all over again the next day. That was life.
He’d never realized just how gray and dull his world was until Jack had breezed into it and splashed everything with a kaleidoscope of colors. She’d woken him up from a lifelong stupor to the possibility of more.
“I know how much my bear loves his deer. Do you like it?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “I love it.” It was a simple gift for a simple man. And that’s what made it so perfect.
She smiled happily.
They settled into a comfortable silence. But inside of him, the tension grew because he knew that at some point during the night, if she just stayed long enough, he would finally be able to say it.
Opening his mouth, he tried, but when she looked up at him, he froze. Instead, he said the first thing that popped into his head. “Why Jackson Rose?”
The question made no sense, but she seemed to get it. Shrugging, she sipped tentatively on her beer. “My mother let my father pick my first name. I think she tried to soften it by putting Rose in there, but yeah... not really.”
He chuckled. “I like
“Shut your face, you ugly bear.” She sassed him back with a wink then snatched up one more piece of fish before moaning and shaking her head. “Gotta put this away right now, or I’ll never stop.”
Tail or not, she was a typical siren, and there was nothing she liked to eat more than salmon. He’d known it, which was why he’d made it. Her smile had been worth all the effort of finding sockeye when it was out of season. She was worth getting up at the ass crack of dawn to go hang out in an empty, frigid stream in the faintest hope of finding a straggler swimming through. It had taken two weeks before he’d finally caught a pair of them with enough meat to make the effort worth it.
Licking her lips, she pushed the box away and reached in for her final gift. That last one had taken him the longest to make. He’d been roaming the woods of his property one morning when he’d stumbled across the four-leaf clover, and an idea had popped into his head almost immediately.
Her mouth formed a tiny O when she pulled out the chain with her fingers. She stared at the clover, trapped in a clear coat of resin. “August.” She looked at him, and he couldn’t mistake the tears shimmering in her eyes for anything other than shocked joy. “I love it.”
His siren wasn’t much for jewelry. She wore a pair of freshwater pearls in her ears, but that was about it. He’d never seen her with anything really flashy. It was why he’d decided to combine her favorite color, emerald green, with something soft and understated but also unique. Just like her.
Crushing the necklace to her breast, she gave him a tremulous smile. “I love it. I mean, I really love it.” Unhooking the latch, she slipped it around her neck then tossed her arms out wide. “How does it look?”
The pendant rested just above her heart, and his own ached with tenderness.
Words were trapped on his tongue, words that once spoken, couldn’t be unspoken. August didn’t know what he should do at that moment.
As if sensing his confusion, she gave him a swift smile and nodded. “Okay, my turn. Open yours now.” She pushed her box toward him and effectively shut the door on that moment.
Cursing himself for being a coward and not seizing the chance when he had it, he pulled her box toward him. Unlike him, she had not wrapped it, which oddly pleased him. Jackson knew him just like he knew her. She’d known he wouldn’t have wanted anything too fussy.
Flipping open the lid, he stared at the bags of deer jerky crammed inside the box. He said nothing at first until finally, he tossed his head back and laughed to the rafters. If his brothers could only see him, they would be baffled.
August didn’t laugh. Not really. He was a steadfast kind of guy, content with his lot in life. Get up, go to work, eat food, go to bed, start it all over again the next day. That was life.
He’d never realized just how gray and dull his world was until Jack had breezed into it and splashed everything with a kaleidoscope of colors. She’d woken him up from a lifelong stupor to the possibility of more.
“I know how much my bear loves his deer. Do you like it?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “I love it.” It was a simple gift for a simple man. And that’s what made it so perfect.
She smiled happily.
They settled into a comfortable silence. But inside of him, the tension grew because he knew that at some point during the night, if she just stayed long enough, he would finally be able to say it.
Opening his mouth, he tried, but when she looked up at him, he froze. Instead, he said the first thing that popped into his head. “Why Jackson Rose?”
The question made no sense, but she seemed to get it. Shrugging, she sipped tentatively on her beer. “My mother let my father pick my first name. I think she tried to soften it by putting Rose in there, but yeah... not really.”
He chuckled. “I like
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