Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Gia. I don’t mind looking out for you,” he interrupts, and my stomach dances, but I ignore the feeling and take a sip of coffee. “Are you cold?”
“No, I’m good,” I tell him honestly. Even though there is a chill in the air, the sun is shining down on us and the warmth from it is enough to keep me comfortable. “Do you know what time it is? I didn’t see a clock anywhere to check.”
“It was eight when I came out a few minutes before you did,” he replies as I lift my mug to my lips to take another sip.
“This place is really beautiful,” I say, watching a small boat pass on the lake.
“I enjoy it.”
Looking over at him, I smile. “You fit here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I didn’t know you and just saw you once, I’d think you’d live in a place like this, surrounded by trees and quiet, someplace peaceful, where the rest of the world was kind of out of focus.”
“I’d think the same about you too,” he responds, and my head tips to the side.
“You wouldn’t think I came from a big city?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“I can’t picture you living in the city. You’re too soft.”
“I’m not soft.”
“Dimples, you’re softer than putty,” he mutters, but the way he says it doesn’t make it sound like a bad thing at all.
Ignoring his nickname for me I shake my head. “I always wanted to come here to visit Grandma, but my dad always had an excuse for why it was better for her to come to us. And my mom loved my dad, so she always gave him what he wanted. I wish she wouldn’t have,” I whisper the last part, thinking not for the first time that my dad was a jerk for keeping not only me but my mom from her mother and her home.
“I’m sorry about your parents,” he says quietly, and I turn to look at him, surprised that he knows. “Ma told me about what happened to them.”
“It—”
“Don’t say it’s okay,” he cuts me off, shaking his head. “Losing them had to be a blow.”
“It was,” I agree, holding my cup a little tighter.
“Do you have any other family?”
“My mom was an only child. My dad has two sisters, Holly and Christen. They both live in Oklahoma. Neither of them have ever been married and they don’t have kids.”
“Are you close?”
“I love them. We talk, not often, but they always call to check in and I do the same. But they have their lives there.”
“Did you have any family close by when you lost your mom or after you lost your dad?”
“No… well, my dad married Colleen not long after my mom passed away, and I stayed with her after my dad died, but we’re not close.”
“How long after your mom did he marry her?” he asks, and the question sounds growled.
“Not long. A few months.”
“Jesus.”
“It is what it is,” I reply, and he shakes his head but doesn’t say anything, which I’m thankful for.
“You gonna be okay going to the hospital by yourself today?”
My heart sinks that he’s not going to come with me, but I remind myself that he has a life and a job. He can’t be with me all the time, even if a part of me wants him to be. “I’ll be okay on my own.”
“I have to work or I’d be there with you.”
“I know,” I assure.
“When are they going to admit your grandma into the nursing home?”
“I’ll find out today when I go to the hospital,” I answer, still not happy with the idea of moving her there, even if it is for the best.
“Let me know and I’ll make time to be with you when it happens.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to, Gia. I want you to let me in. I want you to let me be there for you when you need me.”
“Colton,” I start, but he pulls his feet off the rail and stands.
Leaning over me, he wraps his hand around my jaw, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Let me in, Gia,” he urges, before bending at the waist and pressing his lips to my forehead.
My eyes close, and before I know it, he’s gone and I hear the door open and close. Opening my eyes back up, I can’t see much through the tears clouding my vision, but I don’t need to see anything, since I’m feeling everything.
CHAPTER 6
Sleep
Colton
ROLLING MY NECK ON my shoulders, I try to get rid of the tension gathered there while hot water pours over me. It’s been a week since Gia moved in with me. A week of having her in my space, under my roof, playing with my dog, making food in my kitchen, and taking up my every waking thought. I wanted her from the second I saw her, and that want has only gotten worse, meaning this last week has been torture. Resting one hand on the wall of the shower, I lean forward, closing my eyes.