“Good morning,” I say before he wraps me in his arms with a welcoming kiss.
“Good morning,” he whispers back, then steps to the left so I can enter his home.
I walk in and head right to the counter, where he normally sets his keys, and grab them. Turning to face him, I hold them out for him. “Let’s go for a drive.”
He takes them and eyes me suspiciously. “Where to?”
“You’ll see. Follow me.”
I head toward his garage, and thankfully, he follows me without a question.
We both hop in, and he cranks the engine and looks at me for direction.
I hold out my hand to him. “Phone, please.”
He does as told, not asking questions, but I can tell he’s curious as to what I’m doing by the expression he’s giving me.
He backs out of the garage while I open his Spotify app to see what playlists he has saved to his phone.
I smile at the list that is simply an emoji of a guy wearing a cowboy hat and click it to play.
Once it starts over the speakers, I set the phone down and see him staring at me with raised eyebrows as he waits for his directions as to where we’re going.
“Are you familiar with Natchez Trace Parkway?” I ask.
He nods. “Of course I am.”
The historic route was used by the Native Americans and early settlers in the area since it links the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Mississippi rivers. I just love it because of the tree-lined roads and water, making it one of the most beautiful drives around.
“Good. Go there.”
“To the parkway? But where are we going?”
I place my head on the headrest and let out a breath. “We’re just going to drive, listen to music, and breathe.”
He blinks, obviously not understanding my thoughts.
I place my hand on his. “Trust me. It’s better than any therapy you could ever pay for.”
Silas
I stare at this beautiful woman in front of me. She knows something was happening with me yesterday morning in the shower, and she still has not pried to find out what it was about. Even though I tried to play it off like it didn’t happen when I called her this morning, it obviously concerned her, so here she is, trying to find a way to help me.
I inhale a deep breath and put the truck in reverse to pull out of my driveway and head toward Natchez Trace Parkway.
We drive the scenic road as music plays through my speakers. Not a word is said between us as I focus on the road and the lyrics and, like she said, just breathe.
As time goes by, I feel myself relax. The breaths I’m taking are deeper, cleansing my lungs more. My head feels clearer without a thousand things running through it about my job or the panic attack I had in the shower yesterday.
It’s just me, the road, the music, and my angel beside me.
Who knew something like this could be so healing?
I know this road can take us for as long as we want to go, which, at this pace, I’m totally fine with driving to Mississippi, but she has to get the girls, so when I see a place to stop and grab a bite to eat, I head toward it.
Once I’m parked, I reach for her hand. “This was perfect.”
She gives me her gorgeous grin. “I’m glad.”
