The following day Dani woke up to the wonderful smell of bacon and coffee. She glanced at her bedside clock, surprised to see it was nearly nine am. She had never slept this late. However, they did stay up very late last night. She felt a blush come over her cheeks as she remembered a certain moment. His hand against her cheek, how he looked at her, leaned into her.

It was probably just the wine, she told herself. It had to be. But something changed after that moment, and she knew he felt it too. They didn't talk much after that. They just sat together and watched the flames dance.

Neither of them seemed to want the night to end; it wasn't until she could hardly keep her eyes open that she reluctantly bid him goodnight.

She heard him come in only a short time after her. As her head hit the pillow, she thought she'd pass right out, but instead, she'd had a night of tossing and turning. A certain someone haunted her dreams, and she couldn't get his image from her mind. He looked at her like...no one had ever looked at her. It nearly melted her right there and then.

She groaned a little as she got up and stood. Her legs were sore from the hike the other day. She stretched them out as best she could and slipped on her favorite oversized sweatshirt over the leggings she'd gone to sleep in. Her hair was a ratty mess from tossing and turning, and she probably still smelled like a campfire, but she was too hungry to care.

She headed to the kitchen to find Gavin sitting at the table with Kiki. He was eating a piece of bacon, and Rocco was frying some eggs on the stove.

"Hi, Auntie Dani!" His little face just made her mornings every time. She smiled brightly back at him.

"Good morning, Tiger." She patted his head.

"Good morning, sunshine." Rocco turned to glance at her, his trademark smirk back in place.

"Morning," she said, stifling a little yawn.

His eyes lingered a second longer than they should, and she felt that weak feeling in her knees again. He was wearing a sweats and a tee shirt and hadn't looked like he'd showered yet.

She made her way over to the coffee pot and poured herself a mug while he finished the eggs.

"So, what's the plan for today?" She asked as she made her way to the table. She cringed just slightly as she sat down.

"You, okay?" The look of concern on his face took her aback.

"Oh, I'm fine." She assured him. "My legs are just sore from that hike, still."

"Then the plan is to take it easy today." He slid a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. "Protein will help. You sure about the climb this weekend?"

"I'll be fine after a day," she promised with a short chuckle. "All the running around with Gavi has given me some strong legs."

"I 've noticed," Rocco said, and then his eyes widened as if he didn't mean to. He got up quickly to get Gavin's plate, leaving Dani with flushed cheeks again. 

The tension slowly lifted as Rocco set Gavin's plate down and sat down across from her. Gavin chatted the morning away about the fish he caught yesterday. He was so excited he hardly ate anything before he insisted he got down.

Once they'd finished eating, Dani got up to clear the dishes, but Rocco stood up and placed his arm over hers.

"I got this." He said in that velvety smooth voice of his. "Go relax."

"That couch does look pretty cozy," she commented gratefully.

"Then go sit. Enjoy your coffee."

She went and sat down with the book she'd brought with her. Gavin was sitting on the floor near her, coloring. It was chilly, so she pulled her sweatshirt over her knees.

"Are you cold?" Rocco was at the fireplace before she could answer.

"Thank you," she said as he started the fire. "I like it here. It reminds me of the good memories of camping with Dad and Jillian when we were small."

"I feel closer to my mom and dad here too." He said, his eyes shifted towards the fireplace. "My mom especially. She loved nature too."

"I bet she was an amazing woman," Dani said.

"She was," Rocco said. "She was so loving and warm. She loved baking and always had an apron on, but that didn't mean she couldn't keep up with two boys. She taught us to fish and ride our bikes. She even once showed Dante and me how to make mud castles on a boring, rainy day. It was one of the best days we ever had."

"I wish I could've met her." Dani mused, "She sounds so amazing."

He looked over at her. "She would've loved you."

There was a silence between them for a long moment.

Finally, he got up. "I better get those dishes done."

"I can always just do them later," she offered.

"No, you don't. You're off duty today, Valentine. Enjoy your book."

"Auntie Dani, I can read with you?" Gavin was climbing up on the couch beside her, and she snuggled him up close.

"This book is kind of boring for you. Why don't I tell a story about Gavi-Tiger and Kiki instead?"

"Yay!" Gavin said happily.

Rocco chuckled a little. "You know, my mom rarely ever finished a book either."

**

After finishing the dishes, Rocco helped himself to a very long, cold shower. His body was buzzing simply from being so close to Dani. He'd been aware of his attraction to her from the start. She was a beautiful woman. How could he not notice?

He'd just done such a good job of pushing it away and pretending it wasn't anything more than that, him noticing. But it was almost like someone had poked a hole in a tire; the air was seeping out now, and there wasn't any way to get it back in. He wasn't sure what to do about it. 

The cabin was warm and toasty when he exited the bathroom. He went into the living room to find Dani and Gavin curled up on the couch together, napping. They both looked so serene and peaceful.

I want auntie Dani to be my mommy. His son's words haunted him and would for a while. He wasn't the only one longing for her to be so much more than an aunt, a nanny, and a friend.

He grabbed a blanket hanging over the back of the couch and tucked it around them. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on Gavin's cheek. As he pulled back, he found himself so close to her. Her long lashes rested against her skin as she slept peacefully. She looked like an angel. He longed to kiss her forehead, her cheeks, her lips...

He practically jumped back.

What is wrong with you? He nearly laughed at himself. He was acting like a lovesick, hormonal teenager!

He decided to take a walk and clear his head. Dani had talked about nature setting things right, and he always believed that, too.

So why was nature pulling him closer and closer to the one woman he couldn't be with?

**

Dante and Lexi arrived in the early afternoon the next day. They were all gathered in the kitchen while they unloaded their stuff.

Gavin was beyond excited to tell them about everything he'd done. He was talking a mile a minute, and Dante just listened with an amused look as he went on.

Lexi started unloading a bag full of margarita stuff as Gavin talked.

"Did you bring enough tequila?" Dani teased, raising her eyebrow.

"I hope so." Lexi frowned as she surveyed the two bottles she'd brought.

"I think she was kidding, Lexi." Dante laughed.

"Oh, whatever." She shrugged. "It's a vacation!"

"Yeah! "Cation!" Gavin mimicked.

"That's right!" Lexi gave him a high five.

"I see big trees too, Lexi!" Gavin told her, and her eyes widened as she listened to him. "You did? Oh my god, I want to see the big trees!"

"Glad you mentioned that," Rocco said. "I was hoping you two could take him there tomorrow. Dani and I want to climb the summit."

"Oh, sure!" Lexi said. "But are you freaking crazy? That's a big climb."

"Last time we did it, it took hours, Rocco," Dante reminded him.

"I know." Rocco shrugged casually. "You don't mind having Gavin for the day?"

"No, it's all good; just wondering if you can handle it, old man." Dante teased, and Rocco scoffed in response.

"Does it look like I can't handle it?" He lifted his shirt and flexed his abs.

Dani nearly spat out the iced tea she'd just sipped. It took great effort to tear her eyes away, and when she did, they met his.

He'd caught her, and his eyes twinkled a little in amusement at having done so. His smirk quickly followed. She felt her cheeks redden and looked away quickly, but what was done was done. It wasn't the first stolen glance and wouldn't be the last.

All day yesterday, a buzz hung in the air between them. She was so aware of his presence, so tuned into it. She knew she would have to figure out a way to stop this pot from boiling over, but she didn't know how. Every time he looked at her, it made her entire body react. How does someone shut that off?

"Don't worry, guys." Lexi started unpacking another bag loaded with cheese, chips, salsa, and other snacks. "You can carb load tonight. You'll be just fine."

"Rocco will," Dani said. "I might struggle a little."

"Have you ever climbed?" Dante asked, and Rocco looked over at her as he did.

His cocky little expression melted into one of concern. Somehow, that was worse than his smoldering looks. When did he start getting so caring about her?

Truthfully, she was a little nervous about the hike. This was going to be a challenging climb, and she would feel it for a while, but she was excited about it as much as she was looking forward to being there for Rocco while he made the climb to say goodbye to his marriage. She was also hoping during the climb she'd get a moment to say goodbye to her beloved aunt.

"There's some big rocky cliffs in my hometown I've climbed." She nodded. "Not a mountain, but... I never back down from a challenge."

"That a girl!" Lexi grinned.

"What do you think, Gavi?" Lexi asked him. "Will you take Uncle Dante and me to see the big trees tomorrow?"

"I will!" Gavin promised.

"It's a date then!" Lexi chirped happily.

Her phone started going off, and she grabbed it from her pocket. "It's Bobby. I'll be right back."

She dashed outside in a hurry, and Dante grimaced as the door shut. "Should've picked a cabin without cell service."

"Dante!" Dani exclaimed.

"Well, come on. I didn't sign up for a weekend of Bobby this and Bobby that," he complained.

"It's a new relationship," Dani said. "She's bound to talk about it a lot."

"It's not a relationship yet! They've dated a few times." Dante said with a defensive note to his voice.

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rocco; he also looked a little taken aback.

"I'm going to go close my eyes for five. It was a long drive." Dante muttered as he got up and headed towards the rooms.

"Don't wallow for too long," Rocco called after him. "Gavin wants to go fishing later."

"I don't wallow!" Dante responded before the door clicked shut behind him.

"Uh-huh." Rocco chuckled a little.

"Uncle Dante is mad?" Gavin frowned, looking after him.

"No buddy, he's just a brooder," Rocco said.

"What a brooder is?" Gavin asked.

"Someone that's asking for some tickles!"

Rocco crept towards him with his hands out, and Gavin squealed and ran for the living room but Rocco caught him in seconds and started tickling the little boy while he squealed and laughed. He then rolled over and let Gavin win for a while. Gavin sat on his chest, tickling him while Rocco laughed out loud.

Dani watched them with a soft smile on her face. Gavin looked so happy, and she felt that same joy. The love between them was something she'd never get tired of.

She couldn't help but wish this trip would never end.