“You’re incredible.” I looked down at Nova. “And you, my little friend, are going to be the perfect distraction while Daddy is at work, aren’t you?”
“All part of my master plan.”
“Thank you, Boden, for everything. You are the biggest blessing, and I love you so much.”
“You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go.”
“Good, because you’re stuck with me.” I chuckled.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way. Now, I came up with the name Nova, but if you want to change it, we can.”
“No, I love it. Does it mean anything?”
“Nova in Latin means new. I looked at it to mean new beginnings.”
“I think it’s perfect.”
“It’s you and me; we’ll face whatever the world throws our way together. Now, tell me, did the jump accomplish what you were looking for? Did you feel alive, free, and unrestrained?”
“Oh yes, I might just be crazy enough to want to do it again.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Chapter37
Lakelyn
4 months later
“Is the blindfold really necessary?” I asked as Boden backed his truck out of Brooke and Luke’s driveway after dropping Nova off for the night.
“For this surprise, yes.”
“You and your surprises.” I smirked.
“Just indulge me, beautiful.”
“As long as we are together, that’s all I care about.”
Boden had just come off the night shift, and to say I was looking forward to date night was an understatement. He’d asked me to be ready by seven and to dress warmly. I secretly hoped he was taking me to the lake property, but I figured we would have brought Nova if we were heading there. It was her favorite place to get her zoomies on as we attempted to play fetch. Maybe one day, she’ll learn to drop the ball willingly for us. I smiled.
“All right, sit tight. I’ll come around and get you.”
Boden opened my door and scooped me into his arms.
“Okay, now you really have me confused. How come I can’t walk?”
“All part of the plan, my dear. Can’t have you tripping and becoming a human burrito again.”
The memory painted a broad smile across my lips as I recalled the ridiculousness of my clumsiness. The recollection wasn’t the only thing that filled me with amusement. What transpired afterward was just the beginning of when I started to fall for him.
Boden put me down, and I waited with bated breath, only to have it stolen when he removed my blindfold. I gasped in complete disbelief as the landscape before me came to life.
As I’d hoped for, he had brought me to the lake.
Strung from the trailer, crisscrossing the length of the property between the trees, were strings of globe lights with Edison bulbs that cast a warm glow overhead.
“Just give me a sec.” Boden squeezed my hip while I stood stunned, soaking in all the beauty that was no match for the night’s brisk air.
