Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
The memories hit quick and out of nowhere. We were checking out at the grocery store when I could see her in my mind walk into prom in a gold dress that made my jaw drop. I drove her to Ocean’s Bay three weeks ago for a fast-food burger and flashbacked to being seventeen, catching a glimpse of her lying out on the shores of the lake where all the kids used to hang out. I don’t know what she was thinking, dressed in a bikini so small that I almost jumped off a boat to cover her up. She’s lucky I didn’t, or that one guy swimming around her would have been taken out.
It was when I picked her up from the hospital last week that I stopped in my tracks. Seeing room 8 had everything coming back in full color. Her sitting with a patient I had brought in from a fire out on Dunlap. Neither of them saw me, but as I watched from the corridor, I could see the relief my girl brought reflected in the patient's eyes. That happened more than two years ago, but she had my heart all over again.
Tangled in the sheets next to me, my angel sleeps in such peace that she occasionally snores. Grinning, I slide over, pulling her back to my chest, my heart singing as she wiggles toward me in her sleep.
Just when I’m able to find sleep, the sound of a bulldozer breaks the silence. Shit. Rolling to my back, I scrub a hand over my face and release a heavy breath.
She sits up with a start, planting her weight on her elbow. Fear wrecks her forehead as she looks at me to protect her. “What is that?”
“Sorry, I forgot the crew was scheduled for this morning.” I kiss the top of her head and get out of bed.
“What crew?”
I grab a pair of shorts from the floor and a T-shirt from the chair in the corner where she tossed it last night. “The construction crew. You once said you wanted a paved road. I want you here, so we’re paving it.”
Rapid blinks are followed by a gaping mouth. She closes it, and then opens it again, staring at me while I put on a pair of socks. “What do you mean you’re paving it? It’s a mountain. The road is like a mile long.”
“Right. It’s only a mile. It’s a smaller mountain.”
She’s staring at me again as if my words don’t make sense. “Brandon.”
Not a question. Just my name. “Autumn.”
She rolls her eyes, but I get a little laugh at least. “You don’t have to do that. It will cost a fortune. I can manage the road in my car.”
“Actually, you really can’t. And speaking of cars, we’re going to pick out a new SUV for you. One that has four-wheel drive and can handle a little off-roading. I’ll take you out to the backroads and teach you how to drive defensively in case of an emergency.”
Her eyes widen when she turns to look out the window, tilting her head to get a better listen to what’s happening outside. My attention follows, realizing all this information is probably a lot to process first thing in the morning. Her gaze returns to me with a line digging deep between her brows, and she asks, “You’re paving the road, and I’m getting a car?”
“In summary, yes.” I tie my sneakers but look up at her again. “I need to know you’re safe.”
Sitting up, she crosses her legs and stares at me. “Why am I not safe in my Corolla?”
“Your Corolla is fine. It’s you in the Corolla driving like you’re racing at Daytona that is the issue.” I come to sit next to her on the bed, reaching over to rub her leg. “I know we never talked about it, so maybe I’m jumping the gun here and assuming too much. I want this to be your home, Autumn. I want you to feel comfortable and keep your stuff here and make it your own. But I need to know you’re safe when you’re coming and going from here. So if that means paving the road and making sure you’re in a vehicle that can manage the incline and the descent on a daily basis, I’ll take care of it.”
“You can’t just take care of it. It’s expensive.” She slides over and onto my lap, resting her head against my shoulder. With her arms encircled around me, she says, “We haven’t talked money, but you’re a firefighter. I know the general salary is similar to mine here in the Cove. Anyway, I’m getting some backpay raises, and I’ll trade in the car for something sturdier that us sea-level cove dwellers never needed, if it will make you feel better.” Her smile is potent enough to make me say fuck it to the crew. They can bulldoze the entire mountain if it means I get twenty extra minutes being inside her.