Page 80 of Mountain Freedom
Jackson
I was in heaven.There was no other explanation.
But as the woman next to me rolled over, snuggling in even closer, all I could think was, if this was heaven, I was fine with dying. Because this had been the best damn afternoon of my life.
Allison and I had swam for what felt like hours, exploring the lake even as we explored each other, eventually shedding what remained of our clothes and enjoying a first time together that I’d never forget in my whole life.
Then we left the water, grabbed a blanket from my truck, and did it all over again on land.
Now we were cuddled up on that blanket, letting the sun warm us as we napped the day away. It was paradise, and I never wanted to leave.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you thank you for the flowers,” Allison murmured beside me.
“What flowers?” I traced a finger down her arm, marveling that we were here and this was real. All my dreams had come true, wrapped up in one beautiful soul that had chosen me.
“The roses.” She sat up on her elbows, leaning over and kissing me softly, her damp hair brushing the side of my face. “They were beautiful.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about? I didn’t send you roses.”
She gave me a blank look. “At the clinic. Yesterday. A bouquet of roses with a card…” She trailed off, turning pale. “Those weren’t from you?”
“Not me. Though you can be sure I’ll send you the next set. What did the card say?”
“‘Devotedly yours.’” She looked confused and slightly worried.
I frowned again. “That’s weird. Mike, you think?”
“Probably.” She shivered.
I pulled her into my arms again. “You’re cold. Maybe we should head back.”
But she was silent.
“What is it, sunshine?” I could almost feel her smile, even though I couldn’t see it.
“Sunshine,” she repeated. “I like that.”
“It’s how I’ve always thought of you. Like you were the sunshine in my life.”
She sighed. “That’s sweet. And the last thing I want to do is ruin today by dragging any nastiness into it.”
My muscles tensed. “What nastiness?”
She covered her face with a hand. “I didn’t tell you this, but the day of Russell’s funeral, I noticed that Mike had gone through my underwear drawer while he was at my house.”
A fierce protectiveness rose up in me. “What the hell? That’s creepy.”
“I know. I made him stay at a hotel and never even invited him upstairs, but he must have poked around while I was taking a call or something.”
I held her tighter. “You’re too nice. You should have slammed the door in his face. After all, you’d already told him you didn’t want to talk to him. For him to show up and demand your time after that was out of line.”
She sighed again. “I know. I hate confrontation. I’m too weak for it.”
“You’re not weak. You’re one of the strongest women I know.” I kissed her on the forehead. “And you’re mine. So you don’t have to fight any battles alone anymore. Now should we get you home and warm you up?”
She traced a finger down my chest. “Why would we do that when you can warm me up again right here?”
Another hour passedbefore we managed to get back to my truck. We drove straight to Allison’s with a plan to clean up and then go to dinner. But when we turned into her driveway and saw two county vehicles there, we exchanged looks, knowing our plans were about to change.
