Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
The smell of her perfume mingles with the hearty aroma of her cooking, and I'm hit with a strange sense of longing. This girl has me feeling things I never thought possible. Caleb Maverick, the cranky asshole who doesn't do feelings, is falling hard. There's denying it.
"So you're one of four, huh?" I ask as she rambles about her siblings, pride and love in her eyes. They sound like a riot.
"Uh-huh." She grins. "I'm obviously the coolest."
I chuckle, shaking my head.
"Do you have any siblings?"
"A younger sister, Constance. She's a pain in my ass."
Sutton throws her head back, laughing loudly. "You're wrapped around her little finger, aren't you?"
I shrug, not denying it. "She's still a pain in my ass, Sunshine."
"Does she live here?"
"Nah. She lives in Santa Maria."
"California?"
I nod. "She just went to work at a winery there. Are your siblings all down south?"
Her brows furrow. "How do you know I'm from down south?"
I set my fork on my plate, smirking. "Sunshine, if that fucking accent didn't give it away, the food definitely does. I haven't had authentic southern food in years." I eye her appreciatively. "This is all fucking delicious."
"Thank you," she whispers, a pretty blush climbing up her cheeks. "I enjoy cooking. It's relaxing."
"Well, you're fucking incredible at it."
She smiles shyly at me.
Koda jumps up on my leg, barking at me. I tear off a bite of chicken and slip it to him. He immediately attacks it, inhaling it like he hasn't eaten in four years.
"Will you stop feeding him?" Sutton cries through a laugh. "He's never going to let me eat in peace again, Caleb."
"He's fine, baby."
"Says you. He doesn't terrorize you all day, every day."
I fight a grin as the pup races off, barking at something in the living room. "You didn't answer my question. Are your siblings all back home?"
"Yeah."
"Where's home?"
She hesitates for a long moment and then sighs. "Tennessee."
"I grew up in Georgia," I pause. "I spent a while stationed at Fort Benning."
"You were in the Army."
"Rangers," I say, nodding. "Been out for ten years now."
She reaches across the table, laying her hand on my arm, and I feel my heart beating faster at her touch. Fuck, what she does to me. "I know you guys don't always like to be thanked for your service because of the things you saw and did, but I'm a southern girl. Regardless of what you saw or what you did, you did it for us, and that matters. So I'm going to say it anyway. Thank you, Caleb."
Her words hit me hard, and I find myself choking up, unable to respond. No one has ever thanked me for my service like this before. I clear my throat, trying to compose myself. "Thank you," I finally manage to say, my voice hoarse.
She smiles softly at me before leaning back in her chair. "So, tell me more about your time in the military," she prompts and then hesitates. "I mean, if you're okay with talking about it."
"I'm good, baby. I wasn't for a long time, but that was a long time ago. I handled my shit." I take a deep breath and launch into some of the stories from my time in the Rangers.
She listens intently, gasping and laughing at all the right moments. I can't remember the last time I talked so openly about my experiences with anyone. I've always kept most of that shit buried deep, refusing to pull it out and reexamine it. But it's nice to revisit the easier memories now.
We don't touch the darker shit. I think she knows I shy away from those. I think she probably even understands why. But I appreciate the hell out of her for giving me a reason to remember the good times. It's been a long fucking time since I did that.
As we finish our meal and move onto the homemade apple pie she made for dessert, I find myself opening up even more. She asks questions that no one has ever asked before, wanting to understand what it was like for me on a deeper level.
"I'm sorry if I'm prying," she says as we finish our pie. "I grew up around guys who spent a lot of time in the military. I think you all deserve to be heard, but no one ever really gives you the floor and lets you speak. We're too afraid of what you might say."
"It's okay," I assure her with a small smile. "It feels good to talk about it."
She nods before looking down at her watch. "Oh crap, it's getting late. I should probably stop bugging you."
I check my own watch and realize that it's almost midnight. Time has flown by. "Shit. I need to get the pumps going."
"I'll help." She jumps up from her seat.
"Nah, Sunshine. You keep Koda occupied," I negotiate. There's no way I'm letting her crawl around under the house with all of that water down there. God only knows what's slithering around in it. She's safer in here with her crazy little dog, who is currently passed out at her feet with his paws straight up in the air.