I wasn’t exactly sure when it all started, but there it was. As real as my flesh. I loved Julia Collins.
My boots were still a little damp from the day before. I sighed, dreading putting them on. I’d never admit it out loud, but construction sucked. I missed cars, trucks, and the rumble of a diesel engine.
My mind returned to the future. The land, the business, and the family I’d dreamed of was starting to look real appealing again.
It’s Jules in my future or no woman in my future.
That much I somehow knew.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Julia
Pat took me stargazing. He knew all the perfect places for these kinds of things. Sunrises, sunsets, stargazing. He had such an appreciation for simple things. When I felt like I needed to be entertained, Pat slowed me down and forced me to just enjoy being alive. It was a new practice I wasn’t used to. But every minute with him made it a bit easier than the time before.
For the most part, he made me love being alive.
The nights were a little cooler. He’d brought blankets to throw in the truck bed and an extra for me since he knew I’d get chilly. We talked about our day for a while, about Sunny, and random other things. He held me close to his chest and kissed me in the moonlight several times.
Pat was a true romantic. Not like chocolate and presents and gimmicky stuff. He stopped and smelled the flowers in life, gazed at the stars, and held me as if he may not get another chance. He lived disconnected from technology and soaked in the moments. He lived life like every second was a gift and took me on the journey with him. In my mind, that is about as romantic as a man can get. I curled into his side, relishing in the attention and thankful for his beating heart.
Once silence settled over us, I asked, “How did you find this place?”
His chuckle vibrated his chest where my head was. “Long story, but let’s just say it involves some teenaged tomfoolery, alcohol, and vandalism. Not one of my proudest moments.” He tsked. “Field is beautiful though.”
I giggled.
“I have something I’ve been wanting to talk about.”
He took a deep breath to continue, but his phone’s text tone pierced the silence like sirens in the desert. The ringer volume was full blast and had been for weeks. Trying to convince him to turn it down a few notches was futile. He didnotwant to miss any alerts.
In one swift motion, Pat jumped at the noise and checked the screen. The screen light lit his face in the darkness. “Just Fray.”
“Pat,” I tapped his chest, stifling another giggle. “I don’t think the lab is going totextyou at 8:45 p.m. on a Saturday night.”
He sighed. “I know.”
Pat had been hovering over his phone the last two weeks, waiting for calls from DSS. We located Sunny through a department of social services in the greater Nashville area. But they wouldn’t let Pat see a hair on her head until he first confirmed paternity. They wouldn’t even confirm her last name or disclose whether she had been adopted or not.
Waiting for news like that was torture for Pat.
He wanted to believe Gracie was right about Sunny being his, but he was terrified she was wrong. Because of his record, if he wasn’t her biological father, there would be no chance of even meeting her. The thought gutted him. He had so much love to give, and he was ready to love Gracie’s daughter well. His or not.
I couldn’t wrap my head around being excited about having a teenager. If she were mine, I’d be petrified, not chomping at the bit. Pat knew nothing about kids. Nothing about teens. But he didn’t care. Just wanted to meet Sunny and love her if he got the chance.
I hoped he got that chance.
“What’s on your mind?” I attempted to jerk him back to his earlier train of thought.
He re-pocketed his phone. “You.”
A smiled played at my lips. “Me?”
“Yeah.”
“What about me?”
“I want to get to know you better.”
