I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 129

Sophie stared at the damp patch her tears had left on Gavin's shoulder. She tried to brush it away, but the moisture had already soaked into the navy blue fabric, looking like a dark ink stain.

"I'm sor—"

Before she could finish the apology, Gavin's lips crashed into hers, silencing the word entirely.

He refused to let a word of distance exist between them.

Even though they were tucked behind a row of bushes, they were still on hospital grounds, with people walking by everywhere. This was way too public. Panicking, Sophie shoved at his chest, stepping back. She ducked her head, tugged on his shirt hem, and muttered, "Let's go."

Once they were in the car, Gavin suddenly changed his mind. "I'm taking you somewhere."

He took a sharp left at the next intersection, heading straight south toward the mountains.

"Are we going to The Blue Ridge Mountains? It's so late..."

There was barely any traffic heading into the mountains at this hour. The lanes heading back into the city, however, were packed with a massive line of cars returning from daytime fishing and picnicking. Who drove into the mountains in the middle of the night?

"Our research institute held a conference at this lodge once. The cabins are really unique. I think you'll love it."

"We're staying the night?" Sophie looked down at her tiny purse. "But I didn't bring anything!"

"The lodge has a little convenience store. We can buy whatever we need."

Sophie looked down at her sundress, her anxiety spiking. "But I don't even have pajamas!"

Gavin's spontaneous detour had completely thrown her off balance.

"You need pajamas?" Gavin gasped with mock innocence.

"You..." In the darkness of the car, Sophie couldn't clearly see his face, but she could easily picture the wicked smirk plastered across his lips.

When this man was serious, he was incredibly intense, but when he wanted to be playful, he was absolutely shameless.

Sophie felt like this drive was even longer than their last trip to The Great Continental Divide. They drove through the twilight, past sunset, and well into the pitch-black night, yet they still hadn't arrived.

The winding mountain roads were completely devoid of streetlights, leaving Gavin's headlights as the only illumination piercing the darkness.

The serpentine curves were terrifying. Some hairpins felt like full 180-degree turns, with sheer cliff faces on one side and a gaping abyss on the other. Sophie's heart hammered against her ribs, her hand gripping the grab handle in a white-knuckled death grip.

"Scared? Relax, I'm practically a semi-pro driver. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Seeing Gavin turn his head to look at her, Sophie wanted nothing more than to physically lock his skull forward. "Keep your eyes on the road!"

Gavin chuckled and stopped talking, focusing entirely on navigating the treacherous curves, though he thoughtfully dropped his speed.

A cluster of warm lights flickered in the distance, and the road finally began to widen.

Hearing Gavin's voice, Sophie turned around. He was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, flashing her an undeniably suggestive smile.

She ducked under his arm to step further inside. "It's actually really cute. It looks exactly like Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother's house."

"Are you afraid I'm going to turn into the Big Bad Wolf?" Gavin laughed, the deep, rumbling sound vibrating pleasantly in his chest.

Sophie ignored him, leaning over the windowsill to gaze up at the night sky.

It had rained the day before, leaving the mountain air impossibly crisp. There weren't many stars out, but the moon was full and blindingly bright. The moonlight cascaded down like liquid silver, painting the grassy clearing below in a shimmering frost.

It dusted her hair in silver too, making her flawless complexion look practically luminous under the glow.

Gavin walked over and stood quietly for a moment, simply admiring the view, before wrapping his arms around her from behind.

The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom—he had already started filling the soaking tub.

"Look at how beautiful the moon is. The view is stunning, I'm right here holding you, and there are so many wonderful things to look forward to. You should let yourself be happy."

Sophie turned around and buried her face in his chest.

"Sophie, the past is in the past. Your mother lost control of her emotions because she was carrying too much pain, but she loves you."

"I know," Sophie nodded against his chest.