Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Hey.” Fingers touch my cheek, and I open my eyes to find Roman in front of me. “We’re here.”
Here. My eyes go over his shoulder out his window to the landscape beyond, and my lips part in awe. Past the dirt and tumbleweed covered ground are jagged mountains in red and brown stone that look like they belong on Mars. It’s breathtakingly beautiful with the blue sky above.
“Do you need any help getting out?” Billy asks.
“We’ve got it,” Roman tells him without looking in his direction.
“All right, when you return from your tour, lunch will be ready,” he replies before exiting the helicopter.
“You okay?” Roman asks quietly, unhooking my belts.
“Now that we’re on the ground, yes.”
“I’m proud of you for not screaming.”
“How’s your hand?”
“Not broken.” He grins, leaning in to touch his mouth to mine before he gets out and helps me down from my seat.
As my feet hit the solid ground, I look around in amazement. It feels like we’ve stepped into some type of simulation. Nothing looks real, not with the lack of human life all around us and the background of nature in muted tones.
Taking my hand, Roman walks me toward a waiting SUV and a guy standing by the open back door.
“Mr. King,” the man greets, and I look up at Roman, expecting him to tell the guy to call him Roman since the formal greeting feels out of place. But when I see the look on Roman’s face, and he dips his chin instead of saying hello, I know he won’t suggest that. I also know that if I didn’t know him like I do, I would probably call him Mr. King as well.
Once we are seated in the cool dark interior of the vehicle, he reaches past me for my seat belt to hook me in, then grabs my hand.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“Are you taking me to a spacecraft that will launch us into orbit?”
“No.”
“Then I won’t remind you that I hate surprises.” That gets me a smile, and my body instantly relaxes seeing it.
As we drive, I look out the window at the landscape, the colors and vibrancy distorted through the tinted glass of the windows. I want to ask to roll down the window, but I know it’s too hot outside for that request. When we arrive in an open area with a jagged rock formation in the distance, we park, and the driver gets out, opening the door for us to exit.
“Would you like me to come with you?” the driver asks when Roman gets out, then turns to take my hand and help me down.
“I think we can manage,” Roman mutters, linking his fingers through mine.
“Thank you, though,” I add because it’s obvious Roman has a difficult time using or accepting words of gratitude.
“Any time. See you when you get back.” He gives me a small smile before getting back into the vehicle.
With the sun blazing above us, we walk up a steep incline toward a jagged hole in the edge of the rock face. The sneakers Roman insisted I wear now make sense. When we reach the hole in the rock that looks like a crack going down the middle, I follow him inside without question. Surrounded by red stone with only a stream of light seeping through above us, the air is much cooler than it is outside.
“This is… This is amazing,” I whisper in awe as the stone opens up in the middle of a cavern, where twisted walls of red sandstone reach up toward the blue sky above us. “Have you been here before?” I twirl in a circle, trying to take everything in, even knowing it’s impossible to capture every detail.
“No, but I read about Secret Canyon as a kid, about how the wind and rain were able to carve this place out of the stone. I’ve always wanted to see it in person but never had the time,” he says quietly, and I stop to glance at him and find a look of wonder on his face that I wish I could capture with my phone.
“Thank you for bringing me.” I walk toward him and wrap my arms around his waist, and he doesn’t hesitate to pull me in tight. “It’s beautiful.” I lift my eyes to his and am amazed to find they look even brighter in here.
“I told you you’d like this surprise.”
I roll my eyes, then look around again as he laughs softly. I let him go so we can continue walking, my fingers brushing the stone that is both smooth and rough. When we reach another open area, this one smaller than the last but just as extraordinary, I stop to look around. There is nowhere else to go except back to where we came from, and I instantly regret not thinking to bring a piece of my mom with us today.