Page 4 of Sudden Summer

Not a new revelation for me. No. Instead, it was one I’d thought about over and over a million different times throughout our friendship. My family was so goddamn pushy about it, I was still surprised she hadn’t run away from their constant comments about us. And yeah, I’d meant to make a move. To shift us from the friend zone into something more, but the weight of the world was always on Birdie’s shoulders. She’d basically raised her sister on her own after her dad took off. Her mom was—and let’s be honest, still is—flighty, at best. Probably why she nicknamed her daughter ‘Birdie’.

The car came to a stop right next to my truck, and out she stepped, looking absolutely dead on her feet. I wanted to run out and scoop her up, tell her I was running her a bath and that her plate for supper was being kept warm in the oven. But I didn’t.

I couldn’t risk everything falling apart with an admission like that. Because if I only ever got to experience this woman in this way, it was more than I fucking deserved. I wouldn’t let anything break us, not even my hope that something more might have once been in the cards for us.

“Hey, Cowboy. You waiting out here for little ol’ me?” she teased. Her hair was sticking out of the braid she had draped over her shoulder. I’d learned a long time ago when Birdie first started working at the hospital that the messier her hair was at the end of a shift, the more chaotic it had been for her.

I chuckled, bringing the bottle back to my lips. “Hey, Chickadee. Rough shift?”

She ran her fingers over her hair as she walked up the steps toward me. I thought maybe she’d head right inside and go get changed, but instead she stopped two steps away from me, took the bottle out of my hand, and drained it.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” I asked as she handed the empty bottle back to me. “You look exhausted.”

“Wow, thanks. You know just how to charm the ladies, don’t you?” Birdie quipped.

I reached out, taking her hand in mine. She squeezed against my hold playfully. “I just meant you shouldn’t have driven all the way out here if you were so wiped out.”

“Yeah, I know there’s no scientific data to support this, but I swear low pressure systems send everyone into labor. I delivered three babies during the storm. Dr. Witten delivered five over the last two shifts, including a set of twins. It’s just madness there right now.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to head to your place or come out here, but I did save you some steak and a baked potato. Feel up to eating?”

Sometimes, after a long shift, she wouldn’t eat until after she slept.

Her hand patted against my chest, and I knew what her answer was before she even opened her mouth.

“Okay.” I chuckled. “I’ll put it in the fridge for when you wake up tomorrow. Go on, head upstairs.”

Her smile was blinding, and my heart tripped over itself in my chest.

“Are you tired?” she asked, yawning as she looked over her shoulder out across the fields. “You had to move the herd before the storm came through?”

“Yes, to both of your questions. But I’ll take the couch tonight. Just gotta jump in the shower, and then I’ll get out of your hair.”

“It’s your bedroom, Beau.”

“I don’t think I’m responsible for the fancy, ice cold cooling sheets on the bed or the frilly lace curtains that got put up, though. You might as well enjoy them. And I’m not sure how it happened, but my bottom drawer is filled with your pajamas…” I teased.

“You’re always getting the short end of the stick in this deal. I feel bad.”

“Are you kidding me? Knowing you’re upstairs…knowing you're safe in my house. That’s the fucking dream, Birdie. I’ll sleep like a king on the couch. Always do. Come on.” I slid my hand against her shoulder, gently guiding her inside after I’d opened the door.

She took off up the stairs while I made my way to the kitchen, taking her supper out of the oven and dumping it into a container to keep it fresh until tomorrow when she could reheat it. There was a little more cleaning up to do from cooking, but it could wait until the morning. I didn’t want to keep her up with running the shower too late.

Right as I walked in the room, she was stepping out of the bathroom, in my shirt, and a pair of her sleep shorts. Fuck.

“Bathroom’s all yours.” She smiled as she pulled back the comforter and got into bed.

“Right.” I cleared my throat, grabbing some clean clothes out of my closet. One five minute shower set to the fucking coldest temperature I could get it to later, and I was soon towel drying my hair. I opened the bathroom door, expecting to see her fast asleep in bed.

But she wasn’t. She had every part of her body tucked into the blankets except for her eyes. As soon as her gaze met mine, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” I asked.

“Maybe you could…” Her eyes closed for a second, and I could feel the apprehension pouring off of her. Tossing my towel in the hamper, I padded towards the bed.

“What?” I tugged at the blanket covering her face.

“Can you stay? Can we snuggle?”