“Things are working out how we deserve,” he said. “We’ve done our bad. It’s time for the good.”
Her eyes softened, and she leaned into him. “Speaking of good, is everything ready for next week’s opening at the park?”
“I just left Addie. She’s working out the finer details. Noah was on the bouldering wall. He wants to test everything and make sure the activities are ready to go.”
“Things really are perfect.”
That was a fucking understatement. “We have each other. We’re safe. And we have Peanut on the way.”
She laughed, but there was a hint of tears in her eyes. “Maybe we had to go through all the crap, just so we could feel this.”
“Maybe.” But if he could have taken all that hard stuff away for her and made it a bit easier, he would have. They were here now though, and nothing was going to break them ever again.Shewas his priority. She’d always be his priority. “I love you, Indie Reed.”
“I’ll always love you.”
He lowered his head and kissed her, and there it was, everything he’d come home for, right in that kiss with his wife.
CHAPTER 34
Noah dropped from the granite wall with a controlled thud. He’d been bouldering all morning. An attempt to both personally test out another of the park’s activities and exhaust his body.
Exhausting his body was the only thing that seemed to quiet his mind some days. But hell, even exhaustion didn’t always work. Dark thoughts from his past tried to sneak in too often. Things he needed toleavein the past, dead and buried.
He shook his chalky hands before lifting the crash pads from the ground and taking them to the new wooden lockbox they’d installed. It made more sense than carrying the equipment through the mountains every time guests wanted to use the cliff edge for bouldering or rock climbing.
Once everything was packed up, he checked the time on his phone. Ten a.m. Addie would be here and working. They could go over the booking system. Or at least, she could dumb it down enough so he understood the basics. He had no damn clue with that stuff, and Colt wasn’t much better. The woman was making herself irreplaceable around here.
He set off on a jog through the forest.
Since he was a kid, every time the world got loud, he got moving. Although, back then, he didn’t have much to worry about.
Now? Now there were days when he practically had to destroy his body just to get two seconds of peace.
He shook his head. He needed to stop thinking about it. He’d gotten therapy. He was out. That should be enough.
When he neared the office, he slowed to a walk and took out his phone. He hit his youngest sister’s number.
Three rings before Bonnie answered. “Noah. Hi.”
Every time he heard her voice, she sounded more relaxed. More willing to talk to him and like the little sister he remembered. “Hey, Bonnie. How are you doing today?”
“I’m good. Just…keeping busy at work.”
He frowned. There was hesitation in her voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Not nothing. There’s something. I can hear it in your voice.”
There was a short pause. “I’m just worried. They’ve cut funding at the shelter, and I’m afraid my job will be axed.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, shit.”
“Well, you know, there are plenty of jobs here in Amber Ridge.” At least, he was pretty sure there were. He had no idea about jobs at any shelters though. Surely there was a local women’s shelter, but whether they had any openings, he didn’t know.
There was a heavy pause.
