Page 157 of Burn

“We’retotallyboyfriend and girlfriend now.”

Leaning in, his kisses my lips, tenderly. “I think we were long before today.”

He’s right. We were.

Outrigger

A stabilizing device that extends from a ladder truck to provide a wider weight distribution when the aerial ladder is raised and extended.

3 months later

I knew I needed to get Mila out of the city before the hotel reopened and she went back to work. Or maybe it was that I wanted some alone time with her before life interrupted our bubble of isolation I put us in following her release from the burn center. Could have been that.

When I was younger, my parents used to take us over to Alderbrook for the weekend during the summers as a weekend gateway. I hadn’t been there since I was fourteen but from what I remember, Mila’s going to love it.

Tucked away outside of Shelton Washington, Alderbrook sits right on the hood canal with views of the Olympic Mountains. When you enter the hotel, it’s like you’re coming into a lodge, which it is. A large fireplace in the middle of the lobby greets you. And a cat. Like an actual cat roaming around like he owns the place.

“Why’s there a cat walking around?” Mila asks, leaning down to pet it.

It hisses at her and rubs up against my leg. I don’t pet it.

Mila laughs, adjusting her purse on her shoulder to the other one. She still can’t carry anything on her left shoulder, the burns covering it too tender for touching. I frown, the reminder of that night and what I almost lost holding on longer than I care to admit. As much as you want it to, memories like that don’t just vanish overnight.

Moving toward the counter, the man behind the front desk greets us with a smile, but the cat is tangled in between my legs to the point I can’t step without stepping on it. I grin at Mila. “What can I say, I attract pussy.”

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head. “Your jokes are weak these days.”

Once we’re checked in, Mila grabs my hand and pulls me toward the door. I had plans of having sex, but apparently, she’s got different ones.

“I’m off my pain pills. Let’s go get me drunk and maybe I’ll sit on your lap and dip french fries in crack for the fun of it.”

I smile at my girl. I love that despite everything she’s been through she still finds a way to make a joke and bring a smile to my face.

“Only if you promise to put out later.”

Playful blue eyes find mine, winking. “Oh, I plan to, baby.”

At the bar, Mila orders a cranberry-ginger drop and I order three fingers of Basil Hayden’s Bourdon. I don’t drink much these days. Actually, this is the first time in a month I’ve had a drink.

It’s quiet in the bar as we stare out at the mountains surrounding the lodge, quietly talking about what the future holds for us when this chick at the table beside us insists on talking loud enough the people outside can hear her. I want to laugh because this reminds me of the night we met and the loud, obnoxious kid licking ketchup off his shirt beside us.

I tip my head toward Mila. “I’m going to tell her to shut up.”

“No, you’re not,” she tells me, her lips wrapping around the black straw in her drink.

“Watch me.”

Setting her drink on the coaster, her hand slaps over my mouth. “Don’t, Caleb.”

I take her hand away from my mouth. “I was enjoying a nice relaxing evening looking at the water with my beautiful girlfriend, and she won’t shut the fuck up.”

“Ignore her.” And then she distracts me with, “Do you think about that night at all?”

I don’t want to talk about this. I avoid it all together, but for her, I shrug and offer, “I try not to.”

Her eyes hold worry. “But I think we should.”

“Why?”

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