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Cock-a-doodle-doo!
“Is that a rooster?” Andrew mumbles into my hair. A small sliver of light peeks into the room between my bedroom curtains, awakening us from our first night together.
“His name is Fernandez. I’ve been wondering where he is.” I say, rolling over and snuggling in close to Andrew’s chest, breathing in his scent.
He leans down to kiss my forehead. “Friend of yours?”
“More like frenemies.” I scoff. “He woke me up on my first morning here, and I haven’t seen him since. I’ve been worried about him.”
“Worried enough to name him, I see,” He jokes.
“It makes it harder to hate him if he has a name. I have no idea where he belongs. I didn’t know you could have chickens in city limits, actually.”
“I don’t think you can,” he answers, pulling me in tighter. “If I remember correctly there was a fight about that at a city council meeting.”
I look up at him. “Do you think he’s lonely? Maybe we can find a farm to take him to, so he has some friends.”
Andrew rolls me onto my back and lies on top of me, kissing my nose. “You’re really worried about him, aren’t you?”
I nod. “I am. Life is really lonely when you don’t have a community. I don’t want Fernandez to be alone.”
He kisses my lips gently. “You are so freaking weird.” He says with a sigh. “But I really like that about you. I’ll see what I can do about finding Fernandez a place to go.”
“Thank you.”
He rolls over next to me and pulls me close. “I could get used to this.”
As soon as I hear those words, my heart drops into my stomach. As much as I enjoy what is happening at the moment, I really enjoyed last night even more. After dinner, we sat down on the couch to talk. Except there wasn’t much talking at all. We quickly picked up where we had left off the night before, this time with no interruptions.
Shivers run down my skin as I remember him carrying me to my bedroom, where we had some of the most incredible sex of my life. It’s insane to me because usually there is something awkward about your first time, but not with him. Everything was just so natural. There was no learning curve. Almost as though we already knew one another’s bodies. Afterwards, we fell asleep in each other’s arms like we’ve done it a million times over. I’m not afraid to admit that I would love to replay last night over and over at least a million more times. It’s clear that I’m falling for him, and it terrifies me.
Once again, I’m facing the fact that I’m going to have to give up what I want for the man I want to be with. He’s most likely going to settle in Fawn Creek, and live out the rest of his days alongside his family. Which means, if I want him and we make it work, I will be right here too. It’s crazy, isn’t it? All these years I couldn’t wait to get out of this town, to build a new life. Now, everything I want in life could be possible right back in this same old place. The only question is, am I ready to be back here?
We lay in silence, staring into each other’s eyes for a few moments. He runs a finger along my jawline and smiles softly. His eyes hold a bit of a sparkle that I haven’t seen since the day we met. I hate thinking that in a few days this will all be over and who knows what will happen between us? I wish I could freeze time.
When we finally separate, he rolls over to check the time on his phone. “I hate to say it, but I’m going to have to go. I’m doing some more work at Drip today.” He slowly climbs out of bed to get dressed. As he pulls on his jeans, he looks down at me with soft eyes. “Can I see you this afternoon?”
“Yes, please.” I whisper as he leans down to kiss me goodbye. I let my fingers graze across his torso. The touch of his skin under my fingers sends shivers down my spine.
“I can’t wait.” He whispers back.
My stomach turns again as I watch him leave.
Me too. And that’s what I’m afraid of.
Chapter 19
Avery: Hey, can you see if your parents have any folding tables we can borrow for this weekend?
Me: Way ahead of you. I’m about to go over there and see what they’ve got.
Avery: Perfect!
Just before I walk to my car, I open the mailbox and find an envelope addressed to me from Harrison Law Firm. I frown down at the return label, confused as to why I’d be receiving anything from a lawyer’s office. For a second, I consider not even opening it yet. It’s been an incredible morning, waking up next to Andrew, and whatever is in this envelope would surely ruin it, right? Fortunately for me, I have just enough anxiety that I couldn’t possibly move on with my life without knowing what is inside.
I take a deep breath and open the seal, preparing for the worst. However, inside, I find a letter regarding Hazel’s estate. The letter reiterates the fact that I was named as her sole beneficiary, as far as her house and half of the contents of her bank account. I had fully expected it to take another six to eight months before the funds were going to be available to me. However, because all of her bills had been taken care of, including funeral expenses, there was nothing else to wait for. Enclosed with the letter is a check. A check for one hundred and twenty thousand dollars.
