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He rolls his eyes again as he takes me by the hand and gives it a gentle, but firm tug. I let him lead me down the small walkway toward his car.
“You worry way too much about the little things, Red. Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me before?” he asks with a smirk as he opens the passenger side door for me. I give him an even stare, he blanches, and I immediately feel bad. I let out a soft sigh and force a bright smile onto my face. “No.”
He gives me a smug look before I finally relent and settle into the seat. Once Jori’s closed my door, I pull the seatbelt across my body and secure in place while I wait for my seemingly eager guy to get into the car and start our day.
“You’re gonna love this, Red. I promise,” he says once he’s strapped in and slides the key into the ignition. I lean over and give him a kiss on the cheek. He blushes and steals a grin in my direction before he pulls out of the spot obviously feeling a little better. The tiniest sign of affection makes him a happy man, and I do what I can to give him all of the affection I can afford to spare.
I settle back and once Jori’s on the road to adventure, he holds his hand out and I rest mine in his. I don’t know where we’re headed, but as long as he’s the one taking me there, I usually don’t have a problem following him blindly.
The scenery changes after a while which is something different. Harper’s Ferry always looked the same to me no matter where we’ve gone—trees everywhere, quaint, and our home away from Hell. I don’t know why we picked this place when we left Cold Spring. I think it was just the first place Jori finally stopped to get some rest after driving for so long and we took it as an “it was meant to be” kind of thing.
Kind of like us, I think with a quiet chuckle.
“What’s on your mind over there?” Jori asks, stealing a glance at me.
“Nothing, really. I was just thinking about how we ended in this place is all,” I respond with a shrug.
He clicks his tongue against his teeth and clears his throat.
I get his silence.
He doesn’t like talking about the past because that’s exactly what came so damn close to destroying us. He gave me a choice—as best as he knew how—and I chose to stay with him. It definitely took some getting used to, but after a year, I don’t see him as anyone other than the man that I love. The one that saved me from all of the shit storms I managed to keep getting sucked into.
“We’re almost there. I think,” he mumbles under his breath about twenty five minutes later. I don’t understand how we’ve been in the car for forty-five minutes and haven’t left the state yet. I never knew that Harper’s Ferry was apparently as big as it is.
“There it is, Red!” Jori says excitedly as he points at a welcoming little sign on the side of the road.
I narrow my eyes as I lean forward to read it.
Hillbrook Inn.
I smile curiously at him and he grins as he turns down the long driveway without saying another word.
Sometimes, the silence is a good thing, but when I don’t know what’s at the end of it, it can be kind of unnerving.
5
Once we’re inside the Inn, I realize that it’s a beautiful bed and breakfast. I glance around feeling a little shy because I know we can’t afford a place like this, but Jori seems damn determined to make sure that I do something besides sitting at home staring at Hoyt.
“Hey,” I say to him quietly with a nudge after he’s ringed the bell on the desk. “We don’t have anything packed. Is this a day trip?”
“Chill out, Red,” he replies with a grin as he wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Have a little faith in me, huh?”
I can feel the crimson blush starting to creep across my cheeks and nod. It has nothing to do with anything other than feeling bad for always questioning his motives. I know he’s a good man despite all the bullshit he’s been through, but some days … I don’t know. I guess I wish that we were still kids sleeping in the tree house where he would keep me safe from all of the dragons guarding the tower.
Things were simpler then.
True, we dealt with a lot of horrible situations during that time, but it was honestly just us. Even with the adults around, I didn’t really see anyone else but my best friend.
And had I opened my eyes, I may have seen Hoyt a little clearer too, I accuse myself.
I clear my throat and bite my lip to keep from letting the tears fall down my face. This is something that Jori wants to do and I refuse to ruin it for him by crying over something I didn’t even know I had tears left for.
“…reservation.”
I shake my head quickly and glance up at Jori. I hadn’t even noticed the kind looking young woman that appeared while I was lost in my own thoughts. But I’m also a little confused too because I don’t recall Jori ever discussing this with me, though he does like his surprises.
I slip an arm around his waist and gently dig my fingernails into his side. He gaps lightly, glances down at me, and when he sees the questioning look I’m giving him, he grins again.
