Page 44 of Sparrow

And if saying she was going to steal jewelry is responsible for that expression and the joy leaking out of her right now, I’ll let her believe it any day of the week. Hell, I’ll even add to the story, just to keep her laughing.

“So this is your mystery houseguest,” a voice says from my left.

I glance over to see that Gunner has appeared from somewhere, his beard shorter than it used to be and his hair looking like he actually put product in it.

Having Taryn around is good for my cousin, and I give myself a full second to appreciate that he, too, looks happy and fulfilled. Satisfied.

He looks at me with his eyes full of questions, and I shake my head firmly.

“Don’t.”

I don’t know what to think of Arden myself, and I sure as fuck don’t want to try to explain her to my cousin right now.

I’d rather watch her reuniting with her best friend and looking more at home in her skin than she has since we found her in that cottage.

Orion

Iwrap the ribbon around my hand and use it as a storage space, feeding the ribbon out as I walk so that it surrounds the tree with a bright yellow line of fire. When I’m done, I step back, feeling entirely too pleased with myself.

“You wrapped fucking ribbon around a tree,” I mutter. “Get over it.”

But I won’t, and I know it. I also won’t make myself. Because sometimes you have to give yourself the small wins, and right now, when we’re decorating for the summer festival, I’m inclined to be a little more generous with myself than usual.

I cast a glance across the green and see that I’m not the only one. Half the booths are already up and people are laughing and chatting like their work is done. The younger people are flirting with each other, taking the night as a chance to get out from under their parents’ eyes, and the older people are standing in groups and gossiping. No one is worried. No one is bored or wanting to get home.

This is exactly what I’ve always loved about this town. There aren’t that many people in Hawke’s Wood, which means everyone knows everyone else, and though that could lead to an atmosphere full of rivalries and competition, it hasn’t.

Somehow, it’s led to a town full of old friends and family, and little else.

And coming from my background, the happiness here sometimes feels like the universe trying to make up for what I went through as a kid.

There’s an electric feeling in the air, too, like the world itself is getting in on the action, adding its own sense of excitement, and I breathe in deeply, appreciating the smell of ozone and wet earth. The sky above us is dark and clouded, but down here, the lights are bright and the laughter is plentiful.

And I sound like a fucking game show host.

When I haven’t even had anything to drink.

I shake my head and turn back to my ribbon, but before I can go another loop, a loud crack sounds out across the landscape, the sky flashes bright with lightning, and the heavens open up. The downpour is quick and cold, accompanied by wind and thunder, and I freeze in place, surprised.

Then furious at myself, because I should have known this was coming. I’ve been thinking all night about how it feels like rain and how it’s been windier than it should have been. The signed were all there. I just wasn’t paying attention.

I quickly tie the ribbon off and turn for the pile of decorations in the middle of the park, breaking into a run. Many of the booths are secured, with their roofs already on, but anything left in the middle of the park is vulnerable to the water—and wind and lightning. We have to get everything in the clubhouse and quickly, if we’re going to save it from being destroyed. I want to protect the kids, too, and get any old ladies out of the rain before they catch cold. I want to⁠—

I skid to a stop when Arden, Sammy, and Taryn twirl into my path, their arms out and their faces to the sky. They’re literally dancing in the rain, the lunatics, and they’re laughing like they’re having the time of their lives. Arden is actually spinning around as she moves, her steps unsteady and her path the opposite of straight. She runs right into Taryn and nearly falls, and this just makes all three girls laugh harder.

And as Arden spins toward me, her face streaked with ran and her eyes alight with joy, I’m struck by how beautiful and alive she looks in this moment. She’s been beautiful since the moment we rescued her, of course, all abrupt angles balanced out by a childish softness, but her beauty is so much bigger right now, so much more stark, that it actually takes my breath away. She looks alive in a way she never has.

Like someone has injected her with some sort of magic potion and she’s just figured out what to do with it.

I stare, unwilling to stop myself, and knowing that even if I tried, I couldn’t. The girl is a magnet, drawing me like the North Star. My true north, I think. The thing that draws me no matter where I am.

It’s a ludicrous thing to think.

And yet.

Since she got here, it’s become true. She’s the first thing I notice when I enter a room and the one I look for before I leave. If she’s not around, my senses are searching for her, trying to make sure she’s near and safe, and when she smiles, the whole world holds its breath like it’s making sure I take the time to notice.

I’ve known the girl two days and I already feel more for her than I’ve allowed myself to feel about anyone in my life.