Page 38 of Don't Hurt Us
“Have you looked outside lately?I think we got over a foot of snow.”
“No,” she groans, shaking her head without lifting it up from the cushion.“I don’t want to deal with this right now.”
“Why don’t you guys stay the night?I’m not comfortable with you driving in this much snow.The weather report says the roads are terrible.”
“Where would we sleep?”
“Well, I have three spare bedrooms.You can each take one.But the last one is messy so you should probably just sleep in my bed.”
She peeks one eye open and I grin at her.I’d love to have her crawl into bed with me and snuggle all night long.
“Did it actually snow or are you just trying to get us to stay?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you, gorgeous.You’re exhausted.I don’t want something to happen to you if you drive home.If you really don’t want to stay here, I’ll drive you guys home in my truck and in the morning I can bring you back here to get your car.”
“That’s such a hassle for you.”
“Nothing’s a hassle when it comes to keeping the woman I love safe.”
The words are out of my mouth before I even know what I'm saying.Sure, we’ve only been dating for about a week, but I’ve been lusting after Sydney for years.Honestly, I think I fell in love with her long before Rob even walked out.
I'm not embarrassed or upset I said the L word, but I'm worried about how she’ll react.
“Don’t say a single word.”I hold up a hand to stop her response.“I’m not looking for you to return the sentiment, but what I said is true.I love you, Sydney.I don’t want anything to happen to you.So, either stay here or I’ll drive you home.”
“We’ll stay,” she whispers without another word.
“This is awesome!”Danny’s smiling ear to ear when I show him my childhood room.
It’s still decorated the same way as when I lived in it.The place is full of baseball decorations and trophies.There are a few bats still resting behind the door and the bottom of the closet is full of my old mitts.
I’ve thought about cleaning this room out and redecorating.Something to make this look like a spare bedroom and not my childhood preserved for eternity.The only thing that’s stopped me is all the good memories these items bring to mind.Every memory makes me think of my parents and that’s not a connection I'm willing to give up.
“This was my room when I was a kid.”
“Really?All of this was yours?”He stares up at me with wide eyes.
“Yup.Every bat and mitt I’ve ever had.I’m sure there’s at least two dozen baseballs hidden around the room and in the closet.”
“I’ve always wanted a room like this,” he whispers as he spins to take the entire space in.
Dad made sure all the rooms were large.He wanted me to have enough space for all of my things to stay in my room.Mom hated clutter in the main areas of the house and I still keep my house the same way.
“Then why don’t you make your room like this?”
“Mom says we can't afford it.”He frowns and drops his gaze to the ground.
I make a mental note to talk to Sydney.If he really wants to redecorate, I’d happily fund it.He’s so excited about this room.Jeez, if I can convince her to move in, he could have this as his bedroom and keep all of my old stuff.
“I'm going to make sure your sister and mom are settled in.”
“Ok.”He settles on the end of the bed and plays with a mitt that was laying on the pillow.
“Hey, Danny?”
“Yeah?”He glances up at me.
“Feel free to explore and look through whatever you want in here.I'm sure you’ll be able to find some cool things.”
