Page 14 of Raven
“Well, I wanted to speak with you about that,” I answered, and she sat back, giving me a skeptical look.
“I’m not living here, if that’s what you think. I have a place to live, and I can’t move in with you. We just started,” she paused and moved her hand in the air back and forth between us, “whatever this is.”
I took her hands and said, “This is forever, and I figured you would feel that way. So, I sort of did something.”
“What?” she asked.
I stood and offered her my hand. She looked at it, then me, before slipping hers into mine and standing from her seat. Gently, I tugged her toward the door leading to the garage and she followed behind me with some trepidation. And when we got to the closed garage door, I pressed the button and turned to look at her.
“Please remember I did what I thought was best.”
When the door rose, she looked out and back at me before looking again. The tale end of her little trailer was visible along the side of the open door and she walked out. Her eyes grew wide and she looked at me like I was crazy.
And I probably was, but the thought of her being alone, in the shitty place, so far away from me, made me nauseated. What of something happened to her? What if she got sick again? What if she needed me?
When she got the full view of her trailer and truck backed into the side of my house, she asked. “What did you do?”
“I did what I thought was best, and I have no doubt your pissed about me moving your place. But here, I know your safe, you don’t have to pay lot rent, and if you need me, I’m just inside.” She looked over her shoulder to me like I’d lost my mind, so I added, “Until you’re ready to move in with me.”
I smiled at her and half expected to get yelled at. My mother always said I was impulsive, so when she started laughing atthe trailer sitting in my side yard, I thought maybe I’d done something wrong.
Sydney walked over to me and wrapped her arms over my shoulders as she pressed to her tiptoes. The smile on her face was beautiful as she said, “I guess I should have expected this.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me as I asked, “So, you’re not mad?”
She glanced at her trailer then brought her green eyes back to me as she replied. “I should be, but honestly, I’m not.”
She shrugged and I explained. “Nothing is hooked up yet, so you might want to stay inside tonight, but tomorrow, Jigsaw and Animal are coming over to help me get everything set up for you.” I quickly added, “I have a spare room with an attached bathroom so you don’t think I’m trying to get you into my bed.”
Sydney raised her eyebrows and said, “You’re not?”
“Not unless you want to, but to answer your question. My bed is always open for you,” I pulled her closer as I leaned over and whispered into her ear. “But only when you’re ready to give yourself to me full. Mind, body, and soul.”
I felt her shiver against me as I placed a soft kiss below her ear. The tips of her fingers slightly squeezed against my back and as much as I wanted to scoop her into my arms and carry her into my bed, I meant what I said. I didn’t want part of Sydney—I wanted it all.
Pulling back from her, I looked deeply into her eyes. She seemed happy, and that’s all I could ask for now. She looked over her shoulder at the tiny trailer and said, “I need to grab some clothes from inside.”
“I ran an extension cord so your fridge stayed cold, and I can grab a light from the garage.”
She nodded and I reluctantly released my hold on her waist as she lowered her arms. When she tried to pull away, I heldonto her sides and gave her a simple peck on the lips, wanting her to know this was for real. Not some passing faze.
Smiling, I walked into the garage and grabbed the flashlight from my workbench before returning to her. The sun was already moving behind the trees and the camper was tucked off to the side, so it was dark inside as we walked to the door. She glanced at me and seemed embarrassed as she opened the creaky door and stepped into the small space.
I hadn’t been inside longer than it took to plug her fridge into the power supply, but I saw how cute she had made the space. The trailer rocked as she moved around and when she returned with a small bag over her shoulder, I offered her my hand to help her down. She reached out and took my hand into hers as she stepped onto the driveway.
I closed the door behind her and walked her back inside. I pressed the button to close the garage door behind us as we walked into the kitchen. Guiding her through the living room and down the hallway, I opened the door next to mine at the end of the hallway and allowed her to walk in first.
Turning on the light, I watched as she looked around the space. It’s never been used, but my sister helped me decorate it last year, so everything was more girly than I was used to. Sydney looked at me after she placed her bag onto the bed.
“My sister insisted on decorating the room last year,” I explained as she ran her hand over the floral comforter. “We can change it if you don’t like it.”
Sydney shook her head and replied, “It’s only for one night, but I was curious why everything seemed to be . . .” she paused and seemed to be searching for a word.
“Frilly?” I asked and she nodded.
“I was thinking girly.”
“That too,” I joked and gave her a quick tour of the room and the bathroom, showing her where the towels and guest suppliesmy sister bought. “It’s going to be dark soon. Do you want a snack before your next dose of medicine?” I asked as we walked out of the room and back into the living room.
