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“Not really,” she says. “I’m studying biology. I’ve always been interested in learning how things work, and we’ll never know exactly how life works.” She shrugs. “That’s why it’s so intriguing.”
She’s the thing that’s intriguing. She’s the most intriguing thing I’ve ever seen.
I glance over at the fireplace as a strange, protective, primal streak runs through me.
No firewood.
This won’t do.
I smile as I jog to the door.
“Wait right here.”
“Where are you going?” she shouts after me.
“If you want to sit in front of a roaring fire, then we’re gonna need some wood.”
I head out to the deck and bound down the stairs. There’s a shed back here that the former owners left. I rumble toward it and tear the door open. My eyes land on an axe—a big, shining blade catching the reflection of the setting sun.
I grab the handle and set the axe free of the nails it was hanging on.
“Adrian, are you serious?” Emma says as she leans over the railing of the deck with her eyes wide and her lips spread into a huge smile.
“I am absolutely serious,” I say as I grip the handle, my mind set on one thing.
“You’re wearing the wrong clothes!” she laughs.
“I don’t care,” I holler over my shoulder.
“Oh my God, yes! Go Adrian, the doctor with the axe!” she shouts. “I love it! He’s coming alive!”
She’s absolutely fucking right I’m coming alive.
“If you want a fire,” I shout over my shoulder, “then I’m giving you a fire.”
She’s still cheering me on as I grip the handle with pride. I throw her a smile, and her eyes light up like two huge, blue twin moons.
I know what I have to do.
I’m going to chop down the tree my helpless Emma was tied to. I don’t want anyone to touch it ever again. It’s sacred. It’s mine now. And I’m going to burn it.
I make my way down the rest of the stairs, taking two at a time and grabbing on to a big rock, hauling myself past thick branches.
I spot something on the ground near where the fire was. It’s a black canvas backpack that’s been burned badly, and there are drawings and a notebook on the ground near it. I crouch down to see what all of this is. The drawings are beautiful.
I look up to see Emma looking at me intently. These must be her sketches. A few of them seem to have been lost in the fire, and some have survived with just the corners singed away, but there are many more that are intact, either etched on pages of the notebook or loose sheets tucked inside the bag, but they’re here.
This is very fine work. Detailed sketches of birds, moss, trees, seashells. I grab the notebook and shuffle the loose pages together, putting everything in my back pocket to return to Emma.
I look over my shoulder one more time to see her standing on the deck, hands on the banister, standing on her tip-toes in those sexy combat boots with her wild raven-black hair blowing behind her.
Now that she’s in my house, she isn’t leaving.
I’m gonna make her want to stay here for fucking ever.
I’ve never even had a woman inside this house. I always took that as some kind of huge sign, something that meant I’d never have a partner to share my life with. I was okay with it because my life was dedicated to helping people. That has always been my true pride and joy.
Up until this morning, I had everything I even wanted. Now with Emma in my life, I know I was dead fucking wrong.
