‘She was out?’ Paula’s meant to be on bed rest.

‘Dave was pushing her around in a wheelchair, said she’s going stir-crazy in the house.’

Poor Paula. I feel bad I’m not there helping out.

‘Is it all right that I know your dad’s a hunter?’ Oliver asks. ‘Or was it private …?’

‘No, I want you to know. When we spoke before, I was still freaking out and … I just didn’t know how to, like, summarise everything that’s been going on in a text.’

‘You could have called. I’ve been here. Even now, in the middle of the night.’

‘I know.’ I clear my throat.

‘Have you met anyone else interesting over there?’ he asks suddenly.

My mind whizzes—I haven’t mentioned Jaxon to Paula so there’s no way Oliver can know. ‘It’s Alaska, remember?’ I decide I can’t handle telling him about Jaxon now.

He nods and there’s an awkward silence.

‘So we’re still good?’ His voice is tentative.

‘For sure.’ I give him a weak smile. Everything is getting to me. I’m starting to feel overwhelmed.

‘Because,’ Oliver says slowly, ‘I’d be kinda heartbroken if anything happened to you …’

‘Me too,’ I say.

‘Because, well, the thing is …’

‘What?’ I ask, wiping a tear off my cheek.

‘Since you’ve been away, I’ve kinda realised … I am,’ he takes a breath, ‘in love with you.’

I soak in the words, tears now streaming down my face. When I wipe them away, I see my mascara smeared everywhere.

‘Sky?’ he says.

‘Hold on.’ I jump up to grab some toilet paper from the bathroom.

‘Sorry, Sky … was that too much too soon? I know we haven’t been going out long but—’

‘No, it’s not too much.’ I wipe my eyes. ‘I love you too. And all I want to do is come home and be with you. That’s all I want.’

His smile is huge. ‘We don’t have to wait too long, I’ll see you in a few days. And then I’m not letting you go. Literally. I’m bringing superglue.’

I smile back, wishing I could reach through the screen and be wrapped in his strong arms.

‘Can you tell me about your dad?’ he asks gently.

‘It’s so complicated,’ I say. ‘I just don’t know how I feel. I mean …’ I search for the right words. ‘He’s a good guy.’

‘Well, that’s a start.’

‘And he’s been really thoughtful about everything … getting me veggie food and … but—’

‘He’s a hunter,’ Oliver says. ‘That’s a tough one.’

‘Yeah. And I just don’t know if I can handle it.’

‘But he’s your dad, your actual dad, flesh and blood. I would kill to see mine and have him actually want to hang out with me and … it doesn’t matter so much what he does as long as—’