Hiya! This is a Promises, Promises short story prequel that takes place before the start of Promised Vow. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
Wren
“Have fun on your trip and let us know when you’re back,” my boss, Caleb, said as he pulled me in for a hug.
His husband, Zack, hugged me next. He handed me a pastry box from Caleb’s bakery and told me, “For the road.”
“I can’t accept this.” I tried to reject the box, but Caleb firmly pushed it back into my hand before tucking himself into Zack’s side.
A pang of longing shot through me at how easily the two of them came together like that. Caleb and Zack had married before I’d started working here at Sweet Buns years ago, and it seemed their relationship somehow got better with each passing year.
“You can and you will,” Caleb replied with a smile. “We wouldn’t have nearly as many customers if you hadn’t given us a shout-out on ‘A Wrenful Life.’”
A Wrenful Life was my channel where I vlogged about my life. I’d launched the channel around the same time as I started working at Sweet Buns. At first, I mostly recommended hidden gems in Corio City, but over the years, I’d expanded the channel to include my travels all around the states.
I did give Sweet Buns another shout-out when my channel got big enough to make an impact on local businesses, but what Caleb didn’t say out loud was the fact that he was a big part of my channel’s success, too.
If he hadn’t worked with my travel schedule this past year or so, I wouldn’t have had the time or funds to get to where I was today. Caleb was easily the best boss I’d ever had, which was why I still picked up a shift or two whenever I was back in town, despite now making enough from my channel to become a full-time vlogger.
That, and the fact that traveling was lonely. I loved seeing all the new sights and meeting all kinds of people, but something about being alone in a huge crowd made the loneliness crawl into my heart until I craved the comfort of the familiar.
And Sweet Buns was familiar.
Growing up in foster care, it was the first place that gave me the sense of a tight-knit group. My coworkers had become some of my best friends, and Caleb and Zack, who were only a few years older than me, were like the big brothers I’d never had. They were always making sure that I was doing okay and would be there for me in a heartbeat if I ever needed help.
I loved working at Sweet Buns, but no matter how happy I was there, the wanderlust never left me. Some people joked that I lived up to my name since I was small and flew all over, just like a real-life wren.
I believed it had more to do with my history of constantly moving from one foster home to another. There was never a place I’d belonged, and even if I’d found a pocket of space for me at Sweet Buns, I needed to keep flapping my wings to new sights.
Saying one last goodbye to my coworkers, I placed the box of pastries Zack and Caleb gave me onto the passenger seat of my van. I opened it to see it was packed to the brim with everything from breakfast sandwiches to my favorite strawberry white chocolate cookies Caleb made.
I snatched a cookie, a smile on my face as I took a bite, and started my van to head on my next adventure.
My trip this time was to the San Gabriel Mountains in northern Los Angeles, California. My last travel destination had been the bustling metropolis of Seattle, so I thought a more scenic route would be a nice change of pace.
Traffic wasn’t terrible, since I usually started my drive after the nightly rush hour. There were fewer cars on the road in the late hours, too, which was a nice perk.
The world was mostly silent except for the soft music streaming from my radio and the whooshing of the air as my van sped through it. Once I hit a smaller road, I rolled down the window to get some fresh air.
Out in the country, the night air was cool but not biting, and the crispness of it helped clear my head.
There was something about driving late at night alone. With the music blasted and windows down, it was so easy for everything else to fade besides the lightened path in front of me and my partner-in-crime—my van, Marge.
I loved being around people, especially those who cared for me, but I also loved these moments on road trips. It was a reminder that even if I was alone at this moment, I would be fine. And this solitude never lasted forever. Something even more amazing was waiting for me at the end of this path.
I sang along to the upbeat song on the radio, lost in the music, so I thought it was only my imagination when I heard some sort of whining sound.
Frowning, I turned off the radio but only heard the rush of the wind passing by and nothing else. I must have been hearing things. Besides, good ol’ Marge was a reliable beast who’d accompanied me on many road trips.
I continued on my way, thinking all was fine…until I saw the first signs of smoke coming from under the hood. Things went downhill quickly after that as Marge made more rumbling sounds, and I felt my control over the steering wheel falter.
“Shit, shit,” I cursed under my breath as I slowly stopped the van on the side of the road. Just in time, too, for Marge’s engine to die out along with my headlights, effectively casting me in darkness.
There wasn’t even a single streetlamp out in this neck of the woods, but thank god for the full moon or else I’d be completely blinded by the dark. Or maybe it was the full moon that was causing all these strange things to happen…
I wasn’t usually superstitious, but as I hugged my staring wheel and peered at the bright, full orb hanging in the sky, I couldn’t help but think about how dangerous this could have been.
If I’d fully lost control of my steering wheel before pulling off to the side of the road, or if my engine had abruptly stopped while there was a car behind me…
I slapped my cheeks to push those thoughts out of my head. What-ifs never led down a good path, and besides, there was no point wallowing in them.
If growing up in foster homes taught me anything, it was that nothing would get done if you didn’t do it yourself. I grabbed my phone to use as a flashlight and…fuck. It was dead, too.
Things just didn’t want to go my way tonight. I growled my frustration, but then remembered the emergency kit Zack had forcefully given me when I’d first started taking these long road trips.
Bless Zack and his always-be-prepared mentality. It was what made him one of the best restaurant consultants in Corio City.
The emergency kit should be under my seat, so I reached under, and when my hand landed on something, I pulled out the rectangular bag and opened it. I hadn’t used the thing since I got it, but I recalled Zack saying there were useful things like a first-aid kit, jumper cables, and—aha! I pulled out the flashlight and was thanking the heavens when light filled the van.
I took this small blessing as a sign that things would start turning in my favor. With an optimistic smile, I hopped out of my vehicle and popped the hood.
Smoke billowed into my face when I lifted the hood, causing me to cough as I used my hand to try to dispel some of the fumes. When it finally cleared, I could see what was under Marge’s hood.
Shining the small beam of light over all the vehicle’s mechanics, hoping to spot what the issue was, dread slowly started to creep up my spine as I clearly realized how over my head I was.
Who the hell was I kidding? I knew nothing about cars, much less vans. It was the reason I had Marge checked out by professionals before every trip now that I could finally afford it, but I’d gotten really sick right before this trip. I hadn’t had a chance to go to a mechanic before needing to leave if I didn’t want to get too far behind my filming schedule.
Who knew the one time I didn’t take Marge to get serviced, she’d throw a fit and leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere?
I shined the flashlight down both directions of this stretch of road. There was nothing out here but trees and whatever creatures that lived in them. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen a single car or another human being on this street, and the last sign of civilization I saw had to be miles back where I came from. It was much too far to walk this late at night. I was sorely regretting choosing this small road instead of sticking to the main highways. And now I was stuck here with no way to call for help.
Bad luck really did happen in batches.
I sighed, resigned to my fate of sleeping in my van for the rest of the night and hopefully catching a passing car when it turned light out.
It wouldn’t be so bad, and it wasn’t like this would be the first time I’d be sleeping in Marge. I’d renovated the back of the van so it was fit to be lived in, but I usually parked Marge in a well-lit parking lot or secluded spot for the night.
I didn’t like the idea of being so out in the open on the side of the road, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, I guess.
Giving up on trying to self-diagnose Marge, I closed the hood and returned inside the van. Making sure each door was manually locked since the key fob wasn’t working, I crawled into the twin-size bed and buckled in for the night.
This was just a small bump in the road. I’d get the car fixed and be on my merry way.
But all that could wait for tomorrow.
Chapter 2
Jordan
By the time I’d finished reviewing the contract for our team’s next project, my phone clock proclaimed it to be way past working hours. It was a good thing that tomorrow was the one day I took off from work.
Maybe my brother, Jones, had a point when he’d called me a workaholic the other day. He’d claimed I had no hobbies other than work and I…couldn’t refute him. At least from the way my current life was going.
It wasn’t like I had no interests. I used to love going on hikes in the nearby mountain ranges or just exploring the woods that surrounded my cabin. Grabbing drinks with friends used to be a weekly thing as well, but at some point, those weekly meetups stopped, as did the hikes.
My life started revolving around work.
That was just how it was when you owned a business and had employees you had to think about. Especially now that my business had grown significantly, with even more people counting on me for a paycheck. Or maybe that was what I told myself to make myself feel better.
Instead of acknowledging how empty my life was, I pushed myself into work. It wasn’t like there was anyone waiting for me at home, anyway.
I wasn’t unhappy with my life. I had a good set of friends, and my family was a loud bunch who felt like they never gave me a moment of peace, but being a divorcé and workaholic wasn’t how I’d imagined my life at thirty-five.
My marriage ending was for the best, since Susan and I were disastrous together, especially toward the end of our relationship. And it wasn’t like I particularly wanted children either, but I still couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something.
What that thing was, I had no clue, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still a gaping void that I’d chosen to fill with work. At least working was more productive than brooding over this fictitious thing that I was supposedly missing.
Sighing, I turned off my computer and locked up the office, preparing to head home. I’d purchased a piece of land outside of Kither Springs a few years after starting my company.
The fifteen-minute drive was pretty peaceful considering it was the dead of the night, and there wasn’t a single car on these country roads. Which was why I was surprised to see the van parked on the side of the road right before the turn onto my property.
I slowly pulled to a stop behind the van in case whoever drove the car needed help. Help thy neighbors and all that jazz, though I’d never seen this van before, so it probably wasn’t someone from town.
Nevertheless, I still went to check out the vehicle in case someone needed help…and also to make sure it wasn’t some creeper who had bad intentions right by my property.
I used my phone to light the way, but all the windows were covered with something that blocked me from looking in. That was even more curious. Did someone abandon this van here? But what for?
“Hello? Is anyone in there?” I called out and knocked on the door just in case.
The sound of something crashing was heard, which meant someone was definitely inside, and I’d clearly startled them.
Silence followed, and when I didn’t hear anything after a minute, I called out again. “Are you okay in there? Do you need help?”
When no reply came, a tinge of fear that a bad guy could be inside and my calling out to them might have ruined whatever nefarious plans they were brewing. It was late, and this random van was parked in the middle of nowhere. It was a horror movie waiting to happen.
The sound of the door opening had me putting up my guard. I was a pretty big guy, and I could probably take on whoever was inside…probably.
I raised my arms in preparation for whoever might pop out, mostly because this was what I saw people in fighting movies do. I might have been strong from working construction all these years, though fighting was never my thing, but it was better to do something with my arms than nothing.
It felt like it took forever for the door to open, and I really didn’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t a face dotted with freckles and wide blue eyes on the tiny man who was currently glancing up at me with a wary expression.
He flinched, and I realized I was shining my phone light directly into his eyes. “Sorry,” I said and dropped both my arms. The light flashed toward the floor, and I heard the stranger let out air through his mouth.
“Are you okay? I was on my way home and saw your van here. Did it break down?” I asked and shone the light into the van in case someone else was hiding in there or something. The man didn’t look like he wanted to do harm, but one could never be too careful.
The inside of the van looked like it’d been converted into a portable living space with a twin-size bed tucked in the back and a small kitchenette where the other door should be. That made me wonder if this guy was living out of the van.
I frowned. He barely looked old enough to be out of school, much less living by himself on the road.
The small man nodded. “I’m okay. Marge, not so much,” he said with a sad sigh.
“Marge?” I flashed the light inside the vehicle again. I hadn’t seen anyone else in there earlier, but maybe they were injured and tucked away behind something.
“Marge,” he replied as he lovingly patted the side of the van. “She’s a reliable lady, but her engine seemed to have given up halfway through our trip. She might be throwing a fit ’cause I wasn’t able to squeeze in a spa day for her before this trip.”
My brows furrowed deeper. A spa day for a vehicle? What the hell was this guy talking about? What I could conclude was that he was having van issues.
“Is there anyone I can call to come get you? Your parents, maybe?” I asked.
Why he hadn’t called them himself in the first place, who knew, but I should at least offer. I hope I wasn’t dealing with some runaway kid…
He shook his head, and I wondered if I’d imagined the slight slump of his shoulders.
“It’s just me, but if you could help me call a tow truck or something, that would be awfully kind of you. My phone died, and I have no way of charging it.”
Well, that explained why he was sleeping on the side of the road instead of calling for help. It also made me wonder what he meant that it was just him. That he came on this trip alone, or if he’d meant it literally…
I might have an empty house, but I couldn’t imagine not living close to my loud, but loving family. I didn’t know this guy’s situation, but a tinge of sympathy washed over me.
“If you want, I have everything I need to tow your van in the back of my truck. Where do you want the van towed to?”
The stranger bit his bottom lip, and the action caught my attention. It was the first time I noticed how plump his lips were, and with him nibbling on it, the color came back to them, turning them into an alluring red.
In fact, the man himself was alluring. He was about a head shorter than me, with big, sparkly eyes and an innocent vibe that had my protective instincts rising. And I blamed that damn innocent expression and his lack of a plan for the next words that came out of my mouth despite knowing the very real stranger danger and all that.
“If you want, my cabin and property are just down the road,” I said, pointing to the barely visible mailbox on this side of the road a couple of feet down.
The stranger looked surprised, probably at the fact that his van had broken down right in front of someone’s house. The lone box, as well as the pathway onto my property, were hard to notice if you didn’t know someone was living there, and that was just how I liked it.
“We can get your van off the side of the road, and I can take a look at it in the morning if you want. I’m not a professional, but I know a thing or two about vehicles. You can stay the night in my guest room, and we’ll get you all sorted out tomorrow morning.”
He hesitated, and the protective side of me was proud that he didn’t immediately accept a stranger’s offer. I didn’t have bad intentions toward him, but that couldn’t be said for the next stranger who extended him help.
I let him trust his gut and think it over. A part of me wanted him to say no so I was reassured he wasn’t the type of guy who’d carelessly accept help from just anyone, but the other part of me hoped he’d agreed so I’d have the peace of mind knowing he wasn’t sleeping in his cold van right outside my property. Based on how he was bundled up, I’d dare say he had no heating source inside his van, and the temperatures were pretty nippy tonight.
Those wide eyes peered up at me, probably trying to judge my character. I wondered what he saw. A gruff giant of a man who looked like shit from the lack of sleep and overwork these past few weeks from scrambling to secure this project?
I scratched my unkempt beard self-consciously. It’d grown out longer than I preferred, and the coarse, curly hair tickled my palm.
Finally, the man nodded and said, “If you’re sure it’s not an inconvenience—”
“It’s not an inconvenience,” I immediately answered, though there were a hundred other things I should be doing tomorrow instead of agreeing to help a stranger with his van. Now, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do more.
“Okay, then. Thank you,” he said, his face lighting up with a smile that was almost too blinding in the darkness. It did something to my chest.
Stir up the heartburn from overworking, maybe?
“I’m Wren,” he said suddenly with his hand outstretched.
“Jordan,” I grumbled and accepted the handshake.
This man matched his name perfectly. His small frame and even the way he spoke carried a musical lilt that tickled my ears in a pleasant way.
As our hands touched and a tiny tingle of electricity flowed through me, I knew there was a lot more to this man than the eye could see.
Chapter 3
Wren
One thing you had to learn fast in foster care was how to judge people correctly, and I’d say I was decent at seeing a person’s character.
It was the same the first time I wandered into Sweet Buns and met Caleb. Something inside of me told me that Caleb was good, and that was the reason I’d applied for a job there. And now I got the same feeling when Jordan made his offer. My gut hadn’t steered me wrong so far, so I decided to trust it again.
Jordan quickly hooked Marge to the back of his truck. I felt bad that I mostly stood there and watched instead of helping, but honestly, holding the flashlight up for him was probably the only thing I could do without being a hindrance.
Afterward, I hopped into his truck as he towed me and my van a few feet down the road I’d been stranded on. True to his word, a mailbox was hidden, almost out of view, right until Jordan turned onto a small path beside it.
“I thought I was at least an hour’s walk away from anyone else out here. I can’t believe my car broke down right outside your property,” I spoke absentmindedly. “Do you live out here all by yourself?”
“I do, but my brother’s property is adjacent to mine just over there.”
He pointed in a direction to his left, but all I saw were thick shadows of trees.
“You have just enough nature separating your houses so you’re not right under each other’s noses, huh?”
That earned me a soft noise that sounded like a mixture of a snort and a chuckle. I glanced over to study his profile.
He was a giant of a man, who’d easily towered over my five-foot-eight, with a scraggly, curly beard covering half of his face. That, along with the deep, dark circles under his eyes, told me this man desperately needed rest, but even still, the exhaustion on him couldn’t mask his highly rugged handsomeness.
A few minutes later, Jordan parked outside a little cabin. I should be worried this was a horror movie in the making. I mean, c’mon, a dark cabin in the woods? But the place I assumed was his home had none of the foreboding feelings of a crime scene waiting to happen. Instead, it was more charming than anything else.
When we pulled up, the cabin’s automatic lighting system highlighted the gorgeous porch that wrapped around the entire cabin.
I was admiring the place and the work that had to have gone into it when Jordan suddenly appeared beside me.
“You want to get anything out of your van?” he asked and gestured to where he’d already unhooked Marge from his truck.
I quickly went to retrieve my most important item—my vlogging camera—and my backpack, which had my toiletry bag and a change of clothes.
Jordan was waiting by the front door when I turned around again. Half his body was bathed in warm, artificial light as he waved me over. My body followed the call to his side and was met with a very modern interior. I had to look out again to make sure this was still the cabin and not some high-rise apartment building.
“Not what you were expecting?” Jordan asked. He wasn’t smiling, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. I’d only known the man for less than an hour, but something told me the man didn’t smile or laugh much, which had me wanting to see if I could pull one out of him.
“It’s not, but strangely, it fits,” I replied.
“Fits me or the cabin exterior?” Jordan asked back, his lip faintly furling up under his beard.
I pretended to think about it with a finger to my chin. “I’m still working that out,” I teased, then added, “But the place is beautiful.”
Much like the man himself, but I didn’t say that part out loud.
His lips curled up again, and this time, the small smile that graced his face was unmistakable. I was completely unprepared for the impact that one tiny smile would have on me. My heart felt like it was going to shoot out of my chest, warning me that I should probably look away, but my eyes were glued to him, wanting to see more.
Jordan had an almost loving expression as he looked around the place, and I wondered how it would feel to have someone look at me like that. How would it feel if he looked at me like that…like I was special?
“Thanks. It took me a while to build, but she turned out pretty okay,” he said with that same soft smile as he patted the door frame.
I was captured by that smile again that it took a second for his words to sink in. “Wait. Do you mean you built this cabin?”
He nodded, and I turned to look around the place again with a newfound appreciation that the man behind me had a hand in the construction of the place.
Jordan came beside me and started telling me about how he and his friends had slowly worked on the cabin when they had free time. He talked about the project with so much passion in his voice. There was pride, but there was no arrogance in his tone like he was trying to show off. He was simply sharing something he loved with me. I’d always loved a man with a passion.
When we landed back in the kitchen on our tour. Jordan was still bright-eyed as he talked about the custom tiles he’d used to make the backsplash. All the tiles were white, but each piece had a different shape that he’d said was something called a brutalist design.
It looked pretty darn cool, if I did say so myself. But no matter how interesting the art was or how much I wished I could listen to him talk for just a bit longer, my damn body betrayed me, and I let out a yawn.
Jordan immediately noticed, and the awkward cough he let out had me cursing my exhaustion.
“I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear me blab on. You must be tired,” he said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. The air around him changed from the excited way he was when he was talking about his home to the more stoic and cold demeanor he’d had when we first met, and I hated that so much.
“No! You’re not blabbing. It’s just been a long day on the road,” I said, speaking softly in the hope he could hear my sincerity. I took a step closer to him. “I really enjoy hearing you speak. It’s clear that you put your heart into this place. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
Jordan was quiet for a second, and I almost thought I’d said the wrong thing, but then I caught the tint of red on his ears. The red almost blended in with his dark skin, but then he gently used his thumb to rub his ear as if trying to hide the heat blooming there.
I smiled as he cleared his throat again.
“I don’t usually talk this much,” Jordan commented.
“That’s a shame. You have a really nice voice.”
The shy expression he gave me in reply looked completely out of place, almost like he wasn’t someone who knew what being shy was. His eyes studied me as if trying to figure me out. There was a hint of interest in them I wasn’t unfamiliar with, but there was also a hint of hesitation there as well.
He seemed so put together. He looked like someone who had his life all figured out and had never met a mismatched pair of socks before, yet he also had this look of uncertainty that was freaking adorable on him.
As if catching himself, Jordan cleared his throat, and his face turned into an unreadable mask.
“You probably want to rest. I’ll show you the guest bedroom,” he said, then spun around and headed back to where the bedrooms were located.
His back was toward me, and I wondered if his current expression was as stiff as his shoulders. As he walked, his arms moved robotically in time with his feet.
I barely had time to swallow my laugh when he stopped and covertly glanced over his shoulder, probably waiting for me to follow.
I strode to his side, smiling and wondering how many more sides he was going to show me.
Chapter 4
Wren
I woke up on what had to be a cloud. There was no other explanation for why this bed was so soft that it was tempting me to never leave it.
After living in the city for so long, the quiet of being out in the middle of the woods was a nice change of pace. I could hear the morning chirping of the birds and the soft rustle of the wind as it hit the bedroom window. It was all very serene, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.
I lay there, basking in the sounds of nature, when I heard the clank of something that was definitely not natural. I curiously followed the noise to the front of the house and was met with quite the morning view.
The upper half of Jordan’s body was leaning over Marge’s hood, and his sexy ass was practically in the air, giving me a show. I leaned against a porch beam and whistled.
Should I be checking my host out when he’d been nothing but kind? Probably not, but I was only a man.
Jordan straightened and spun around at the sound. He looked surprised to see me. I only smiled back.
There was a beat of silence that I used to study his appearance. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that. His hair was cropped short, and he’d shaved last night too, which gave me better access to his face so I could appreciate his handsomeness.
He told me last night he was thirty-five, but he didn’t look eight years older than me. He exuded maturity and a coldness that had me wondering if something was troubling him. But there was also a youthfulness in his expression, especially as he stared at me wide-eyed and all adorable, as if he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing.
“How’s Marge?” I said, walking to his side. I peeked into the hood too, but everything looked normal to me.
Jordan smiled. It was a soft thing that only had one corner of his lips lifting in a small curve.
He patted the front bumper of the van and said, “Marge’s fine. Her serpentine belt broke, but she’ll be as good as new once we have that changed out.” He hesitated, then added, “Sorry, I should have gotten your permission before poking around under the hood of your van.”
“It’s fine. You can bend over like that whenever you want,” I said with a wink.
The utter look of surprise he gave me had me laughing. “Sorry, I’m just teasing. You’re cute when you’re shocked.”
Ah, and there was that adorably shy look again. It was one I could get addicted to.
Jordan flicked his gaze to stare at the trees in the distance. He couldn’t meet my eyes as he said, “I’ll order a new belt and get your van fixed in no time.”
“You don’t have to. You’ve already helped me so much by letting me stay the night. I can tow the van to a garage and get it fixed.”
Jordan met my eyes. “I want to help.”
There was a firmness in his voice that told me he wasn’t just being courteous by offering and had actually meant it. Why he wanted to help was beyond me, but I wasn’t about to turn down spending more time with the man.
I liked the little flutters I got under my skin every time I caught him peeking at me when he thought I wasn’t looking. Or when at breakfast, he listened attentively as I told him about my job as a travel vlogger. He was interested in my work, but it seemed to stem from the fact I loved what I did and he wanted to know more about my passion than anything else.
It felt like he was interested in Wren Allen, the person, instead of the famous content creator who’d made a name for himself. Having fame was great and all, but it also made me realize I couldn’t always trust the people who tried to get close to me.
My gut told me I didn’t have to worry about that with Jordan, and that he didn’t have ulterior motives in trying to help me.
Then again… Jordan’s eyes landed on my body for the nth time as he continued his phone call to try to get me a new belt for Marge. His eyes met mine this time, which had him quickly flicking his gaze away as he replied to whoever was on the other end of the line. The dark red tinted the tips of his ears again.
I smiled behind my mug of coffee.
Maybe there was an ulterior motive, but it wasn’t unwanted. Jordan wasn’t subtle about his interest in me, but it did make me wonder what it was he liked about me. Was he attracted to my appearance as I was his? My metaphorical feathers fluffed at the thought that he’d approved of my looks, but a part of me hoped that wasn’t the only thing he was fond of.
I knew I was easy on the eyes. I never had a problem finding a partner—whether it was a man or woman—but the issue always lies with keeping them. Maybe it was how I was constantly on the road or my willful personality, but none of my relationships ever lasted. Nobody wanted to be with someone as finicky as a bird.
Jordan seemed the exact opposite of me in that way. He looked like the type who had no trouble keeping a partner around. He also looked like someone used to a routine and normalcy that I rarely had in my constantly changing schedule. It was probably what made him so dependable, and why it felt so comfortable being around him.
His gaze flicked to me again, but this time he wasn’t covertly checking me out but had a troubled frown creasing his brows.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Before I knew it, I was standing beside him, hoping to fix whatever was causing him to worry like this. It was probably because he’d been so kind in helping me last night and today that I wanted to return the favor however I could.
“It looks like there’s a shortage of serpentine belts. I called a few contacts and nobody’s able to get one until next week. I hope this doesn’t mess up your plans.”
Something tickled at my chest at the fact that he was still worried about me when he’d been doing nothing but help me this entire time. Had anyone cared for me like this before?
I laughed and couldn’t hold myself back from throwing myself into his arms. He was naturally shocked at having a stranger hug him, but I was pleasantly surprised when he pulled me into the hug, too.
While I didn’t really care about the gender of my partners, I loved being wrapped up in strong arms that held me tight, and Jordan was the perfect hugging partner. He was so much taller and bigger than me, and he made me feel downright tiny and protected.
I sighed into his hug, and he patted my back comfortably.
“Thank you for trying so hard for my sake,” I said, looking up at him.
His eyes softened. “I’m happy to do it,” he replied, voice gruff. “But I’m worried about your work being delayed since you were on your way to shoot videos for your channel.”
“I can do that anywhere. I was going to focus on nature, and there’s plenty of that around here,” I said lightly.
“There is. Kither Springs might not have much, but what it does have is plenty of vistas. I can show you around,” he replied.
His hand was now moving up and down my spine in a way that heated my entire body. I was dangerously close to leaning into him like a cat who’d found a heat source, but I managed to pull back at the last second and took a depressing step away.
Jordan’s hand lingered on my back, so I was still standing wrapped in his arms but far enough away so that I wasn’t tempted to do something indecent to my host. He made it so hard to keep my hands to myself when he was being so fucking sweet.
“I don’t want to trouble you,” I forced myself to say.
“It’s no trouble. And I want to spend more time with you.”
He said the last part so softly I would have wondered if I’d imagined it if not for the gentle gaze he was currently sending my way.
“I want to spend more time with you too,” I replied just as softly.
Jordan’s reply was a smile that made him look like he’d shed all his worries. It looked good on him, which only made me want to keep him smiling. Which I found wasn’t all that hard to do as we spent the rest of the day together.
We first went to town for an early lunch. Jordan seemed to know everyone in town as people kept stopping by to say hi to him. It was then that I learned he’d owned the biggest construction company in town. I knew he was an impressive man, but I hadn’t realized just how much.
After an enjoyable lunch, Jordan took me to see his favorite spots. First, we visited the springs the town was named after. Despite me telling him he didn’t have to help, Jordan insisted on carrying my spare camera to shoot B-roll for me.
I was so used to doing this alone that I never realized how nice it was to have someone with me on my shoots. Not just for the extra set of hands, but for the company as well. It wasn’t unusual for the loneliness to kick in when I was days into my trips, but with Jordan filling space beside me, it felt like it was us against the world.
We spent a couple of hours at the beautiful springs before heading up a mountain path Jordan said had the perfect sunset view at the top. I continued to film parts of the journey, but in between the filming, I got to know Jordan better.
He told me about his family, who all lived in Kither Springs. He had a younger brother who was around my age, which honestly made perfect sense for why he seemed so dependable.
Jordan was divorced, and while I was surprised to hear that, what shocked me even more was that he hadn’t had a relationship since the divorce.
“Someone like me, whose life revolves around work, must be boring to be around,” was the reason he’d claimed for not finding anyone else, but I called bullshit to that. Even if he was a workaholic, that didn’t mean he didn’t have other interests.
It was clear he was close to his family. And by the way he introduced the history of the springs and the trail we were walking, he obviously loved the outdoors. The man had hobbies that were far from boring.
Maybe I was way too attracted to him because nobody had ever held my interest like he did.
We made it to the peak of the mountain just as the sun was setting. Jordan found us a place to sit, and I set up my camera behind me, so it was mostly pointed at the sunset with me in the corner of the frame. I made sure Jordan wouldn’t accidentally be filmed before going to sit beside him to enjoy the sunset.
Jordan shot me a gentle smile, then turned back to enjoy the view. The light bounced off his dark skin, making him absolutely glow. I had to force myself to look at the sun, so I had some film of me enjoying the sunset instead of the man beside me.
But not even a minute later, I was turning to him again. I wasn’t the only one distracted, and my eyes met with Jordan’s. His smile turned shy, but he didn’t flick his gaze away this time.
His hand was at his side between us, and I boldly covered it with mine. Jordan smiled bright, the action somehow making his glow even more brilliant.
People used to say golden hour was the most beautiful time of day, and I never understood that until now. Cast in shades of gold and red, Jordan was slowly leaning in until I was forced to close my eyes. But even behind the darkness of my lids, I could still see the light dancing behind them. And the moment our lips touched, the lights exploded with magic.
I leaned into the kiss, completely forgetting everything but the pretty colors and the magic of Jordan’s lips dancing against mine.
Kissing him felt safe. Like I was coming home.
Chapter 5
Jordan
“We should head back before it gets too late. I need to find a hotel for the week, too,” Wren said as he packed up his filming equipment.
I moved to help him, but I wasn’t really there. I was in my head, wondering why he wanted to stay at a hotel when he could stay with me. Unless the kiss had been a turnoff for him, despite meaning so much to me.
I wasn’t one to go around kissing someone I’d only met the day before, but he didn’t feel like someone I’d just met. Wren just felt…right. Like he’d gone on a long trip and was finally back where he belonged: in my life.
Was it crazy to think that way about a practical stranger? Yes, it was. I was someone who never made emotion-based decisions, but everything was telling me to put away my logical side for one and lead with my heart.
So, I took the leap of faith.
“I want you to stay with me,” I said when we had everything packed again.
The last rays of the sun still lingered enough for me to see the bright smile on Wren’s face. The doubt that had slowly crept up disappeared instantly.
“But I don’t want to inconvenience you.” He sounded worried, but he was still full-on beaming.
I gathered him into a hug. I’d been surprised when he’d suddenly hugged me earlier today, but now it was hard to imagine him anywhere but here. How could someone fit inside my arms so perfectly?
“You’re not. In fact, you’ll be doing me a favor by making me not overthink by staying with me,” I said honestly.
Wren grinned. “Yeah? And what’s that pretty brain of yours overthinking about?”
I hesitated, wondering if my real thoughts would scare him off. Wren’s blue eyes stared right at me like he could see under my skin. The way he looked at me was so…open and trusting, and I worried about him traveling all alone. I knew he was an adult, but that didn’t mean I could stop the overwhelming urge to protect him.
“I keep wondering if you’re as into me as I am you. Or if you didn’t like the kiss, and that’s why you’d rather stay at a hotel.”
Wren’s reply was another grin before going on his tiptoes to give me a sweet kiss that filled my heart with sugar.
“Oh, I’m definitely very into you. And that kiss? You don’t know how hard I’m holding myself back from keeping you trapped here all night just to kiss you.”
I chuckled and stole another kiss. When I pulled back, I said, “I really like that sound of that, but we don’t have camping gear. Maybe we can go home and then you can kiss me there…?”
Wren’s eyes widened for a split second before curving into a smile. “Yeah, let’s go home,” he murmured. He plopped one last kiss on my lips before skipping away. He grabbed his gear, then stretched out his hand to take mine as we slowly made our way down the mountain.
It was already getting dark, but I knew these trails well, and my phone’s flashlight provided more than enough light to get us home.
He didn’t stop touching me during the entire ride back. His hand drifted up my thigh whenever I needed both hands on the steering wheel. It was torture and bliss all wrapped up in a tiny package of a man.
When I hastily parked outside my cabin, I scrambled out of my truck and was at Wren’s side before he could even get his door opened. He had a wicked smile on his face that told me he knew exactly what he was doing this entire time.
I scooped him out of his seat. His arms flailed for a second before finding their home around my neck.
“Naughty,” I whispered against his lips, then carried him inside.
Wren held on tight. His laughs turned into a gasp when he bounced onto my bed. As I loomed over him, Wren scrambled to take off my clothes. When we were both fully naked, I heard Wren suck in a breath.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he said, eyes shining with lust.
“I should be saying that to you,” I replied.
Wren looked like a fucking wet dream laying on my bed naked and hard for me. I stroked his already leaking cock, and the sound that came from him had my own erection bouncing in excitement.
I didn’t know how far he wanted to take it tonight, but hell if I wasn’t hoping for it all. As if reading my mind, Wren lifted a leg in invitation.
“I really hope you top,” he purred. How could someone so innocent-looking be lust incarnate?
“Fuck, yes,” I replied, then sealed our lips. We were both breathing hot and heavy when the kiss ended. Wren was rubbing himself against my stomach, leaving behind a sticky residue on my treasure trail.
It was so fucking hot, I think a growl escaped me. I couldn’t be too sure, considering I was so turned on I could barely think straight. The only indication of my barbarian action was Wren’s soft chuckle as he wrapped his legs around me.
He ground up against me, moaning as if urging me to hurry the fuck up. I could take a hint, not that I needed the urging with how impatient I was.
I quickly grabbed the lube and condom from my bedside table and sent a silent thank you to my brother for forcing the items onto me by saying they might come in handy one day.
Wren rolled onto his stomach and used his hands to open his sweet cheeks for me. I had to squeeze my dick to keep from coming at the sight of his twitching hole. He was still dry but looked eager to take me.
However, I would never hurt him, so I took my time opening him up with my tongue and fingers. It didn’t matter how needy Wren’s cries were as he demanded I hurry up. I wasn’t going to let him injure himself from lack of prep.
Wren suddenly pulled away and flipped our positions. He grabbed a condom packet and used his teeth to tear it open.
“You’ve had your fun. Now it’s my turn,” he said as he suited me up.
I sucked in air through my teeth at his hot touch. His skin was flushed, and I wondered how much hotter it’d feel inside him.
He didn’t make me wait long before lining his hips up above my erection and spearing himself onto me in one downward motion.
Our cries filled the room. Wren took a minute to adjust and sat there, still. The need to move was unbearable…at least that was what I thought, but I understood the real definition of unbearable when Wren started rocking his hips.
With each motion, my need grew greater. My need to claim him—to own him—swelled until I couldn’t endure lying there anymore. I flipped us back over without much resistance. Wren was jelly under me. He hugged my arm like it was the only thing keeping him steady as I pounded into him.
“Jordan…I’m gonna—”
Wren moaned and was coming before he could finish his words. I swallowed his cries with a kiss. With one last thrust, I was brought over the edge too, with an orgasm so strong I was seeing stars. Wren kissed me softly as I came down from the high of the orgasm. He smiled sweetly and his hands that rubbed my back lit a fire under my skin again.
It was all too soon and too fast, but Wren had somehow carved himself a cozy place inside my heart like he’d been there all along.
“I think I’m falling for you,” I blurted out before I could think better of it.
Most would be turned off at such a declaration right after sex and so soon after meeting. It was so cheesy.
But Wren met me where I was. He laughed and kissed me again, whispering back, “I think I’m falling for you, too.”
Epilogue
Jordan
A year later
“My little birdie, are you ready?” I asked the love of my life, who currently had his ass in the air as he dug around in his closet for something.
If there wasn’t someone in the other room, I would have pounced on him and pounded him into the bed until he was walking funny. But there was no time for that, considering we were leaving Corio City today.
Wren had brought me here to visit the people he considered family. Caleb and Zack were a sweet couple who obviously cared for Wren, and just that fact made me already like them. Despite Wren not really being their employee anymore, they still welcomed him at the bakery with open arms.
This wasn’t the first time I’d met them, but the last visit had been rushed as we packed Wren’s things to move him to Kither Springs—officially.
Wren didn’t get rid of his two-bedroom apartment in Corio City, though, and let one of his old co-workers live there instead. This way, he always had a place to stay when he came to the city to visit.
His move to Kither Springs seemed to have set off some kind of chain reaction, which had put our sleepy town firmly on the map.
The videos Wren had made the first week we’d met had garnered millions of views from people who fell in love with the idyllic life of Kither Springs.
I loved our town and knew our residents were some of the best people, but I couldn’t really understand why someone would want to pack up their entire life to move to the middle of nowhere.
After watching Wren’s videos, my brother Jones even commented that he was able to see Kither Springs in a new light. He said something about how there was a sort of longing and beauty in Wren’s vlogs of our town, almost like he was in love.
I smiled at the thought.
Our town’s population kept rising to the point that investors were flocking here to capitalize on the boom. It confused the hell out of me, but I couldn’t complain since it meant more business for me and my employees.
Despite our company being busier than ever, I was working less than before. My company was my baby, but I realized the little birdie who flew into my life had become my happiness.
Wren still traveled often for his work, but he tried to keep the trips to a few days before returning home to me. And on the longer trips, he’d take me with him. It pleased me to no end knowing that he didn’t want to be apart from me, either.
With me being on the road more often with Wren, it meant that Jones was taking on more of a role in the company. I did feel bad for relying on him so much, but I had plans on how to reconstruct our positions to make it so my traveling didn’t affect the company so much.
“Ah-ha!” Wren exclaimed when he found what he was looking for. He turned around, a huge grin on his face as he held a gift box in his hand.
He walked to where I was sitting on the edge of the bed and stepped between my legs. My arms automatically wrapped around him.
“For you,” he said and held out the present to me.
I held him tighter. “Can you open it for me? I’m too busy holding my little birdie.”
Wren gave me an indulgent look but did as I asked. He opened the small box to pull out a keychain with a bird perched on a branch.
I looked at it with confused eyes, which only had Wren laughing and snatching my keys from beside me to attach his gift.
He pulled out another keychain of the exact same design from the box and attached it to his own keys.
“I got this on my last trip but forgot I left the bag I kept it in here. Look, it’s us,” he said with a grin.
I raised a brow. “I can see you’re the bird, but where am I?”
He beamed a bright smile as he pointed at the branch the bird was resting on. “You’re my landing place. With you, I know I’ll always have a place to return to and rest.”
Love for this man swelled inside of me until my entire heart belonged to him.
“I love you,” I said. It felt like the only thing I could say then.
Happiness blossomed on Wren’s face as he replied, “I love you, too.”
He leaned into me and planted his lips on mine. His kisses had become so familiar. It was a comfort I hadn’t known I needed.
When we pulled apart, I finally loosened my hold around his waist and stroked his soft cheek. He nuzzled his face into my hand.
“Where is our next adventure taking us?” I asked.
“Home. With you, anywhere we go is an adventure.”
His reply had me laughing and kissing him again and again.
Now and until forever.
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