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“Good,” she said. “I didn’t want anyone to think I was after you or your money.”
Hell, he wanted her to go after him. Even his money. It would be all right as long as he had Cristina by his side.
“Come on, let’s sit closer to the fire and enjoy the night breeze and sky,” he said taking her by the hand and leading her to the comfy sofa next to the flames.
With a sigh, she sank down and relaxed. “I haven’t been away from the apartment since before Wyatt was born. It’s nice getting away.”
“You’re welcome to come anytime,” he said.
She shook her head. “Oh, yes, until you get a girlfriend who is not going to appreciate the fact that I have your son. She’s going to be jealous.”
“There is no one,” he said, thinking she was who he wanted. Just the smell of her close to him was intoxicating.
Lightning flashed across the sky and a boom of thunder resounded. He counted between the flash of light and the sound. It was something his mother had taught him. She said that would let him know how far away the storm was. If that was true, the storm was only five miles away.
A shudder rippled through him.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he said hoping she wouldn’t think him weak. Once you saw the power of a tornado, they terrified you. “Storms make me nervous. My brother Adrian required that every home be built with either a storm shelter or a safe room. The safe room is in Wyatt’s room, if we need to take shelter.”
He reached over and turned off the fireplace. The wind had started to blow a little harder and he didn’t want the sparks from the flames to spread outside the patio area.
“I can’t imagine what you went through and you were so young,” she said.
If it hadn’t been for the housekeeper and his older brother, they would’ve gone into foster homes. Thank goodness, they all had stayed together.
His phone suddenly went off with a weather alert. He yanked it out of the holder and hit the button. “The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for the residents of McLennan County. A tornado is on the ground heading east.”
“That’s close,” she said.
“It’s about five miles away,” he said glancing at the radar.
His phone rang. It was his older brother.
“I’m calling everyone and telling them to head to their shelters. We have confirmed reports of a tornado on the ground. It’s less than a mile from us.”
Oh no, not again.
“A mile,” he said, his voice cracking.
He started to shake as the memory of that day in high school all those years ago overwhelmed him. That had been during the day, now it was nighttime and he wouldn’t be able to see it coming.
“We’re on our way,” he told his brother. “Have you spoken to everyone?”
“Not yet. Be sure to take the radios I bought for everyone. That way we can communicate,” he said.
“Talk to you soon,” he said hoping his stubborn younger brothers would listen and get in their storm shelters.
Standing, he took her by the arm. “Come on, we need to get Wyatt and get in the storm shelter. The tornado is less than a mile away.”
She walked to the patio door and glanced outside. I don’t see anything, it’s so dark. Just then a transformer exploded and he knew that sometimes happened as a tornado ripped across the countryside.
“Come on, we need to get in there now,” he said grabbing her by the arm and pulling her inside the house.
When they were in, he rolled Wyatt’s baby bed while she opened the door to the safe room.
“Get his diaper bag,” she said. “The formula. It’s in the refrigerator.”
