I don’t do sleepovers. Too personal. The only time it happened was when Ellie and I would accidentally fall asleep in our fort when we were kids, only to later get our asses chewed out by Paw and Ryland. They always worried about us encountering wildlife, especially with Cougar Mountain being so close.

I grin as I think about how much shit we got into when we were younger, usually thanks to Ellie’s hair-brained ideas. I always tried to take the fall when we got caught, but Ellie would never let me, and Paw was no fool. He knew how impulsive his granddaughter could be.

My nostalgia grows as I turn onto Main Street and come upon the first of many businesses which happens to be the flower shop, Ellie’s Garden. Just like her house, the white and pink building with blossoming window boxes and polka dot curtains is a charming representation of all that is Ellie.

She’s had a love for flowers for as long as I have known her, especially the wild ones that you can find in any field around here, but the dream of owning a shop came when Ryland decided to open the garage with the intent of eventually handing it over to me. Ellie decided then and there that she would open the first flower shop in Passion Falls and have it on Main Street too. That way, no matter where we lived later in life, we would always be close.

I was completely on board with that plan, and even though I was only thirteen at the time and Ellie was twelve, I was determined to make that dream become a reality. I saved every cent I made from that moment on, something that she never needed thanks to the money Paw left. An amount that took both Ellie and me by surprise.

My thoughts trail off as I come upon Dale Buford, the owner of Old Tyme Candy store, already out and about sweeping the sidewalk in front of the store.

He looks up at the sound of my truck and sends a friendly wave. “Mornin’, Gunnar and Bear,” he calls out.

Bear barks his greeting out the open window while I slow the truck and lean over the console. “How’re you doing, Mr. Buford?”

“Oh, I can’t complain. The weather is beautiful, peak season is upon us, and I get to work with my beautiful wife every day. Life doesn’t get better than that.”

Considering how much I enjoy spending time with Ellie, I can see why the man doesn’t want for much.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, I bid him a good day and continue down the road until I’m pulling up to the garage.

Ryland’s truck is already in the lot, despite the fact we don’t open for another two hours. Some days I wonder why he bothers to leave at all. I swear, he’s here more than I am, and I live here.

Not that I mind. He might have built this place for me, but I will always see it as ours. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have ever found my passion under a hood. Just one more thing I have to thank him for.

Bear barks impatiently as I shut off the truck and climb out. “Easy boy, I’m comin’.” Before I can make it over to his side, he leaps out the open window and races toward the side door, his tail wagging eagerly as he waits to be let in.

“Jesus. You act like you haven’t eaten in days.”

Woof.

Chuckling, I open the door and allow him to enter first.

He gives Ryland a quick greeting and then runs to his food dish that has already been filled.

“Figured he’d be hungry when I didn’t see your truck this morning,” Ryland explains with a smirk.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

He nods at my gratitude and then gestures to the front counter. “Some mail there for you.”

I haven’t lived with him for six years and yet I still manage to get mail there.

Walking over, I pick up the stack of envelopes and sift through them, sensing Ryland’s gaze on me the entire time.

“Late night or early morning?” he asks.

“Late night,” I answer, keeping my attention on the mail in my hands.

“Anyone I know?”

He knows damn well who because he knows I would never sleep anywhere else. I don’t even fuck women who live around here. Again, too personal, and if I’m being honest, I never liked the thought of Ellie running into anyone I’ve been with.

It has me realizing just how blind I’ve been when it comes to my feelings for her.

“I spent the night at Ellie’s,” I finally tell him. Might as well, it’s not like it will be a secret for long, not when she’s going to be walking around town pregnant with my child.

The image that thought conjures up sends a surge of heat through my blood.

“I guess that means you gave some thought to our conversation the other day?”

“Yeah, I did, and I’ve decided to be the one to give Ellie a baby.” I don’t bother explaining that I refuse to be a donor since he has probably already figured that out. He knows me well enough.

A hint of a smile passes over his face. “Sounds like a reasonable solution.”

“Yeah, if I don’t fuck it up,” I add on a dry laugh, unable to hide the lingering fear.

His head tilts in question. “Why would you be the one to mess it up?”

I shrug since I don’t have an answer. I just know if anything happens, it sure as hell won’t be Ellie’s fault.

My silence brings him forward. He takes hold of my shoulders in a firm grip, leveling me with his steadfast gaze. “Look, I know you haven’t always had it easy, especially before I came along.”

“Only before you came along,” I insert quickly, refusing to let him think for a second that he didn’t give me anything but the best.

He doesn’t acknowledge the correction, but he doesn’t need to. It’s there in the softening of his expression. “It’s normal to be afraid of the unknown, even more so for guys like us. We often self-sabotage thinking the things that have gone wrong in our lives are our fault, but that’s not always true. It definitely isn’t true in your case. You deserve this, Gunnar. You deserve Ellie. Just like she deserves you because we both know no one will take care of her and this child like you. It’s what you do best. It’s what you have always done best.”

His faith in me strengthens my own. It helps that he has an instinct for disaster and if he thought for a second I was making a mistake, he would tell me.

“Thanks, Ryland,” I choke out, voice rough.

“Anytime, kid.” He claps me on the shoulder, stepping back. “Who knows, maybe this is fate running its course for you two. After all, this is Passion Falls where the legend of true love resides …”

I grunt at that statement. “Says the guy who has lived here longer than I have and is still alone at sixty.”

He occasionally spent the night with a woman, but he never committed to any of them. I always wondered if that was because of me.

“That’s because I never had an Ellie to sneak out with to put the legend to the test.”

Shock rocks me to my core, every muscle in my body stilling at the knowledge reflected in his gaze.

“You two were never as sneaky as you thought you were. You might have pulled a few fast ones on Paw, but never on me.” Chuckling, he walks away, leaving me stunned by the revelation.

Ellie

The scent of fresh flowers envelops me as I start on the final bouquet of the enormous wedding order I’ve been working on for the past two days.