My mind wanders to the future and what I want to do differently this time with Rina. Sure, we’ve recommitted to each other, but we’re mostly still hidden away, still keeping so much a secret. All I want to do is shout to the world that Rina is mine, and I vow to make it happen. I think about the little box still in my pocket and start devising a plan I think will show Rina how much I love her.
The rumble of his old truck comes down the driveway, and I stand to go meet Old Man Walters. He rolls down his window as I reach his truck and hands me a huge bag of food.
“Miss Kelly says it’s on the house.” He winks. It suddenly feels like everyone in town has been secretly hoping Rina and I would get together, and I have to laugh at how our obvious discontent for each other didn’t hide our feelings very well.
“I appreciate that, and you for driving it all the way here.”
“I just wanted to give you some advice from an old man who just wants to see you happy. Hold on to her, fight her fights, and stand by her side. The two of you were destined to be together, and you both deserve all the happiness in the world. You both pushed aside your own lives in order to take care of other people, and as admirable as that is, it’s your turn. I’m proud of you, Arlo. Now, stop living at the damn office and go love on your woman.” He smirks.
“Yes, sir.” I nod and hold out my hand to shake his. “Thank you. For everything.” I’m not usually sentimental, but if he hadn’t given me this job, I fear I would have been lost for far longer than I was. He brought me back to the town I love and the woman I was meant to be with, and in a way, I owe him so much.
“I expect a wedding invitation soon.” He manually rolls up his window with a chuckle, and I shake my head at his blatant assumption.
It does reinforce my idea, though.
Walking back into Rina’s house with our bag of food, I find her right where I left her.
“Hey, Emmerdeur, food’s here.” She groans, but rolls over, rubbing her eyes as she wakes up from her catnap.
“Tell me Kelly put a burger in there.” She groans as she sits up.
“Why don’t you find out, and I’ll get us some drinks.” I hand her the bag and grab some water for both of us before joining her in bed again.
She hands me a Styrofoam container, and I open it to find a club and fries, and I practically drool, realizing I haven’t eaten since breakfast.
We demolish all the food in the bag without saying a word, both of us feeling a little more human after eating.
“Oh my God, I think that was the best burger I’ve ever eaten.” Rina groans as she rubs her stomach, an action so cute I just want to kiss her. Instead, I grab all of our trash.
“How about I clean up and you jump in the shower?” I ask, trying hard to give her time with no pressure for anything from me.
“Thank you, that sounds amazing.” She climbs out of the bed and starts stripping before she reaches the bathroom, and I have to bite my lip to quiet the groan threatening to come out.
She looks over her shoulder with a smirk, and I arch my brow at her in return. Little minx knows exactly what she’s doing.
“Careful, Marina.”
“I think I like living a little on the edge,” she retorts, then starts the shower and climbs in once it’s warm enough.
As much as I want to join her, I need to clean up and change her sheets. I know she’s not focused on it right now, but having clean sheets that she didn’t wear outside clothes on will help her brain settle down and hopefully help her sleep better.
I make quick work of throwing them in the washing machine and finding a clean set to throw on. Is it perfectly made? No, but it’s clean, and I think that’s what’s important here.
I strip out of my clothes and walk to the bathroom, leaning on the doorjamb to watch her. Her head is on the tile in front of her as she lets the water sluice over her. The sound of my feet padding across the floor is the only sound before opening the glass door and sliding in behind her. My hand spreads across the expanse of her stomach as I pull her back against me. Her head tips back against my shoulder as she releases a heavy breath.
“It’s over, right?” she murmurs.
“It’s over. You did so fucking good, even if it almost gave me a damn heart attack.”
“I think I gave myself one honestly. That room… The one with all the pictures. I think it may haunt my nightmares for a while.”
“I’ll be right here to hold you through it.”
“This whole stalker thing has me questioning how I run my business.” Her hand slips over mine, intertwining our fingers against her stomach. “Maybe cut back on deliveries or hire out to do them. I know this isn’ta direct correlation to me doing deliveries, but it makes me nervous to think about something like this happening again.”
“We can make a plan and figure it out. I can make deliveries with you, or if the company can handle it, you can certainly hire out. You don’t need to decide right this second.” I don’t know if she wants options, solutions, or just to vent, so I’m trying not to barge in with my opinion on things that don’t need to be settled right this second.
“I was really scared,” she whispers.
