Natalie wasn’t the only one feeling trepidation over the future. He’d never wanted to imagine a future without Kim, but it appeared he would have to start.
He always kept his promises, even when they broke his heart.
Chapter 10
When Natalie heard someone rapping their knuckles in a peppy tune on her back door, she knew it was Blake. She took a moment to compose herself.
She’d spent an hour rearranging the items in her kitchen pantry after her chat with Andy, but it hadn’t done much to shove Andy’s concerns to the back of her mind. In fact, she was having a tough time receding to the quiet, numb place she ran to whenever she became too frazzled, too charged with emotion.
The sweet dog was already at the door, barking with animation, pawing excitedly at the frame. Blake smiled at her when she opened the door. The alluring scent of truffle fries hit her nose, followed by the char of hamburger, and she looked down at the picnic basket he was carrying.
“Did you eat at Ajax earlier?” she asked.
“Without you?” He shook his head. “No, I haven’t been back there since we went together. But Aspen is only forty minutes away, so I thought I’d bring you something special as a way of saying thanks for agreeing to do the catering this weekend.”
He opened the picnic basket—she recognized it as the one she’d bought for them when they were dating. She tried not to think of how thoughtful it was that he’d brought one of her favorite possessions from their home. Inside lay her favorites: the tavern’s signature cheeseburger and truffle fries.
“The chef said you could broil the fries to make them crispy again,” he told her.
A flash of pain tore through her chest. “Thank you.”
He dug into the basket for a stainless steel frozen container—something else she’d bought for them—and thrust it out to her. “Open it.”
When she did, her knees went weak. “You brought me their salted caramel and banana milkshake?” Hadn’t she just eaten a few of her secret stash of caramels in the laundry room after coming home from Black Lake?
His smile was lop-sided. “It is your favorite. And I stopped at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and bought you an English toffee apple.”
Now she was deeply suspicious. “But you never approved of me eating that much sugar…” She bit off the words when we were together.
He barked out a laugh. “I was full of myself. I just want you to be happy, and little makes you happier than food.”
Andy’s words came back to her like a wave, powerful and impossible to fight. Blake did want her to be happy. Maybe it was time to stop fighting that quite so hard. “Thank you,” she repeated, her throat clogged with emotion.
The smile turned into a besotted grin, the one she remembered from their courtship. He was embarrassed, but happy to have pleased her.
“And I brought Outlander on Blu-Ray. I was hoping we could have dinner and watch a few episodes together.” He bounced on the heels of his feet as he awaited her decision.
Outlander? Memories swirled around her like a powerful hurricane. She’d read the bestseller in high school and had immediately fallen for Jamie, the sexy, soulful Highlander hero…just like her mother, who’d passed the book along to her, and the rest of the global population who’d read it. The book was one she turned to whenever she needed a quick fix after a crappy day. She remembered the day Blake had finally asked her about it in bed.
She’d shared the whole story with him, and then, without intending to, she poured out her fantasies about Jamie. Always keen on pleasing her, Blake jumped out of bed to claim the red plaid throw she’d bought for the downstairs couch. When he returned, it was tied around his corded waist.
They weren’t the Fraser colors, but it didn’t matter. And she didn’t even laugh when Blake uttered the worst Scottish accent imaginable. Later her laughter died completely when he kissed his way
He always kept his promises, even when they broke his heart.
Chapter 10
When Natalie heard someone rapping their knuckles in a peppy tune on her back door, she knew it was Blake. She took a moment to compose herself.
She’d spent an hour rearranging the items in her kitchen pantry after her chat with Andy, but it hadn’t done much to shove Andy’s concerns to the back of her mind. In fact, she was having a tough time receding to the quiet, numb place she ran to whenever she became too frazzled, too charged with emotion.
The sweet dog was already at the door, barking with animation, pawing excitedly at the frame. Blake smiled at her when she opened the door. The alluring scent of truffle fries hit her nose, followed by the char of hamburger, and she looked down at the picnic basket he was carrying.
“Did you eat at Ajax earlier?” she asked.
“Without you?” He shook his head. “No, I haven’t been back there since we went together. But Aspen is only forty minutes away, so I thought I’d bring you something special as a way of saying thanks for agreeing to do the catering this weekend.”
He opened the picnic basket—she recognized it as the one she’d bought for them when they were dating. She tried not to think of how thoughtful it was that he’d brought one of her favorite possessions from their home. Inside lay her favorites: the tavern’s signature cheeseburger and truffle fries.
“The chef said you could broil the fries to make them crispy again,” he told her.
A flash of pain tore through her chest. “Thank you.”
He dug into the basket for a stainless steel frozen container—something else she’d bought for them—and thrust it out to her. “Open it.”
When she did, her knees went weak. “You brought me their salted caramel and banana milkshake?” Hadn’t she just eaten a few of her secret stash of caramels in the laundry room after coming home from Black Lake?
His smile was lop-sided. “It is your favorite. And I stopped at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and bought you an English toffee apple.”
Now she was deeply suspicious. “But you never approved of me eating that much sugar…” She bit off the words when we were together.
He barked out a laugh. “I was full of myself. I just want you to be happy, and little makes you happier than food.”
Andy’s words came back to her like a wave, powerful and impossible to fight. Blake did want her to be happy. Maybe it was time to stop fighting that quite so hard. “Thank you,” she repeated, her throat clogged with emotion.
The smile turned into a besotted grin, the one she remembered from their courtship. He was embarrassed, but happy to have pleased her.
“And I brought Outlander on Blu-Ray. I was hoping we could have dinner and watch a few episodes together.” He bounced on the heels of his feet as he awaited her decision.
Outlander? Memories swirled around her like a powerful hurricane. She’d read the bestseller in high school and had immediately fallen for Jamie, the sexy, soulful Highlander hero…just like her mother, who’d passed the book along to her, and the rest of the global population who’d read it. The book was one she turned to whenever she needed a quick fix after a crappy day. She remembered the day Blake had finally asked her about it in bed.
She’d shared the whole story with him, and then, without intending to, she poured out her fantasies about Jamie. Always keen on pleasing her, Blake jumped out of bed to claim the red plaid throw she’d bought for the downstairs couch. When he returned, it was tied around his corded waist.
They weren’t the Fraser colors, but it didn’t matter. And she didn’t even laugh when Blake uttered the worst Scottish accent imaginable. Later her laughter died completely when he kissed his way
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