Gray looked back over his shoulder for the fifth time that morning. Aoife wrapped her hand around his and squeezed tightly. \u201cStop,\u201d she whispered. \u201cIf you look back one more time, I\u2019m going to make you turn around and go back there. Elton said they\u2019d be fine, and we\u2019ll be back by autumn. I promised Teca.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d he muttered. \u201cI\u2019m just still not entirely comfortable with just leaving them, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to come,\u201d Aoife said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted me to come,\u201d he countered, looking down at her with a faint, wry smile. \u201cI wanted to stay with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened around his hand again and he leaned in to let his lips brush her temple. She shivered, pleased and suddenly a little warmer than she\u2019d been before.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means a lot to me,\u201d she whispered. \u201cYou know that, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
After a moment\u2019s hesitation, Gray nodded. \u201cI hoped it did, anyway.\u201d He sighed and let go of her hand, sliding his arm around her shoulders. \u201cThough I am going to mention that this is going to be a very, very long walk if we can\u2019t somehow secure transportation. Michigan isn\u2019t close, much less its west coast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be all right,\u201d she said, hoping that she wasn\u2019t wrong about that. \u201cWe\u2019ll find something. We\u2019re not going to walk the whole way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, if we make it to the lakes, we might be able to float part of the way,\u201d Gray said, half teasing and half musing. Aoife laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t joke, we could. I know how to handle a boat.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smirked. \u201cMaybe we should alter course, then. There\u2019s a marina only a few miles up the highway and it\u2019s on the waterway. Might be able to make that work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid we pack enough food for that?\u201d Aoife wondered, glancing at his pack. They\u2019d planned to hunt and forage if they could on their trek to supplement what they\u2019d brought along.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s fish,\u201d Gray said with a grin. \u201cIt\u2019s worth looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was certainly right about that. \u201cOkay,\u201d Aoife said. \u201cLet\u2019s go and see where the path takes us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gray grinned even wider and squeezed her. \u201cAll right, then. That\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gray looked back over his shoulder for the fifth time that morning. Aoife wrapped her hand around his and squeezed tightly. \u201cStop,\u201d she whispered. \u201cIf you look back one more time, I\u2019m going to make you turn around and go … Continue reading