Page 10 of Reckless (Adventures in Love 3)
“Cybil was worried about her,” he says, and I nod in agreement, thinking that’s an understatement. Cybil considers my parents hers, so when my mom ended up in the hospital, it didn’t just affect me; it affected her as well. Maybe even more so, since she lost her mom when we were just teens, and the fear that came from even thinking of losing mine was a lot for her to handle. “I’m glad she’s doing all right.”
“Me too.”
“Are your mom and dad still looking for land up here?”
“Always.” I sigh.
“I bet even more now that you’re going to be here.”
“No.” I laugh. “Don’t get me wrong—they are happy that I’m going to be here when they do move, but right now all they really care about is being closer to their first grandbaby. Cybil and I no longer factor into any of their decisions.”
“Claire is a cute kid, so that’s understandable.”
“She’s the cutest,” I agree. “Did you see her little teeth?”
“I did. Got about a dozen photos from Tanner the day they popped out.”
“Aww, he’s a proud daddy.”
“He is,” he agrees, and I tip my head to the side.
“What about you—are your parents close by?”
“Dad’s in New Mexico. I’m not sure where my mom is; I haven’t spoken to her in a few years.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s life.” He lifts one shoulder. “I have a sister in Seattle. She has twin boys; they come during the school holidays and hang out if I’m not working.”
“I was wondering why you had bunk beds. I thought that maybe when you were feeling nostalgic about your military days, you would sleep in your guest room,” I tell him, and his head falls back as he laughs.
“No, I don’t miss those days.” He motions to my plate. “Are you done?”
“Since it would be inappropriate to lick the plate, I guess so.” I get another smile before he takes my plate and his to the sink.
“After I clean up, I’ll get dressed, and we can head out.” He looks at me over his shoulder. “You might want to put on a few more layers; it’s cold out and even colder when you’re heading through the snow with the cold wind hitting you.”
“How long is the ride to where we are going?”
“Depending on the snow and if any trees fell overnight, maybe twenty minutes. Hopefully by the time we get back, it will have warmed up enough to get some of the ice off the roads so I can get you up to Tanner’s place.”
“Great.” I hop down off the stool I’m on and head for the room I stayed in last night. I find Caz asleep on the upper bunk when I enter and walk over to rub the top of her head before I dig through my bag for a pair of my baggy sweats and another long-sleeved thermal and put both on. Once I’m dressed, I find Pebbles where he’s fallen asleep on the couch and take him outside to potty, this time making sure to use his leash because I’m not an idiot. When I get back inside, Maverick is dressed in jeans with a navy-blue sweatshirt, and even though I tell myself that I’m not disappointed that I don’t get to look at him in all his shirtless glory anymore, I know that’s a lie.
“Ready?” he asks when he spots me in the living room taking off Pebbles’s sweater.
“Yep.” I follow him to the door and put on my hat and coat, then startle when he grabs one of my hands and lifts it between us. “What . . .”
“Your hands will freeze if you don’t have gloves on,” he says, cutting me off before I can ask what he is doing, and begins to put one large mitten on my hand, then uses the tie on the wrist to tighten it so it doesn’t fall off before doing the same to the other. “All set.”
He lets my hand go and opens the door. I walk past him with my palm pressed against my stomach, which is fluttering, and head down the steps. When we reach the yard, he walks around the side of the house, and I notice then that there is a large shed just out of sight. I stand back as he opens the door and watch him as he uncovers a large black snowmobile. Until this minute I never realized how big they were, but up close they are huge, just about the size of the Jet Skis my parents own.
Once he has it started, he drives it out of the shed, then hops off and heads back into the metal building. He appears a minute later with two shiny black helmets. I take one from him and put it on over my hat, since it’s big enough, then fuss with the buckle under my chin until he swipes my hands away.
