Page 8 of A Mountain to Climb
“Aunt? I didn’t know you have a sister.”
“I don’t. She’s your mom’s younger sister. She seems pretty nice and has nowhere else to go.” I see her walking toward us, and he notices my attention is elsewhere, so he turns around.
“Hi, Connor. My name is Lana. It’s nice to meet you.” She holds out a hand, but is left hanging when he just stands there, staring at her.
“Whatever,” he mumbles and runs inside our cabin. The screen door sounds like a gunshot when it slaps shut.
She goes from cheerful and excited to somber and heartbroken in a split second.
“I’m so sorry, Lana. I can’t believe he did that. I’ll get him and make him apologize. I didn’t raise him to be so rude.”
“No, it’s fine. Me showing up wasn’t what he expected.”
“That’s no excuse. It probably has to do with the fact that he doesn’t talk about Roxy.” I still can’t believe he was so awful to Lana.
“I understand. Maybe I should go anyways.” She turns to head back toward the clubhouse.
I can’t let her leave. I step forward and slide my hand down her arm, linking our fingers when our hands meet. “Don’t go.”
She turns around and looks up to meet my eyes. She looks so lost. “I don’t want to go.”
“Then stay,” I beg her. I lower my head and she instantly closes her eyes. Her lashes flutter. My lips meet hers and she inhales a small breath. I step just a bit closer and feel her hand grip the front of my shirt. Our lips lock fully and my body surges with energy. One hand is still holding hers, but I lift the other to grab the length of her ponytail, tugging it just a little, forcing her head back even more. I suck her lower lip in between mine and slide my tongue inside her mouth. Her kiss back turns up a notch and she’s with me at every turn.
I’m so engrossed in Lana that I don’t hear Connor come back outside.
“Pops, what the fuck!” Lana tries to step back, but my grip on her is so strong that she bounces back against me.
I let go of her hair and tuck her as close to my chest as I can. Her softness and curves fit my callousness like a puzzle piece. I meet Connor’s distraught eyes and am shocked to see tears. “Connor—“ I try to say more, but he cuts me off.
“Leave me alone!” he yells and turns around, running straight for the woods. When he gets angry, he has a habit of going until his little body is out of energy.
“I need to go find him.” I look down at Lana and she nods her head.
“I’ll come help.”
“Thanks.” I need to find my son so we can figure this out.
CHAPTER SIX
LANA
“Pops, what the fuck!” Connor yells from behind me.
Why the hell am I rounding first base with my newly discovered dead sister’s baby daddy? I try to disentangle myself from Mountain’s arms, but his grip only gets tighter. He lets go of my hair, but tucks me closer to his body. He’s so much taller than me, I practically slide underneath his arm like I was meant to fit there.
“Leave me alone!” Connor cries out and takes off running into the woods that surround the backyard. I’m not sure where he’s going, but I hope he doesn’t get lost.
“I need to go find him,” Mountain whispers as he lets me go.
“I’ll come help.” It’s the least I can do, since it’s my fault he’s running.
“Thanks,” he replies and we walk toward the trees.
“Any idea where he went? I don’t know my way around here like you do.”
We reach the edge of the grass and Mountain grabs my hand again. “Follow this path here, but don’t veer off it. It’s pretty much a straight shot to the fence line about two miles in. I don’t think he’ll make it that far, but with his energy, you can’t be too sure. I’ll jog ahead and hopefully catch up with him. If I find him first, we’ll circle back and meet you in the middle. That okay?”
“That’s fine. If I find him, we’ll stay put until you find us.”