Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 122097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Because this is everything a man could ever want in a second chance.
When I come, I do not pull out. And I’m not gonna regret that tomorrow. This is the woman I will marry. I don’t care that she doesn’t want a husband. So when she’s calmer, and I’ve got my face buried in her neck—kissing it, nibbling on her ear—I let her know this.
I say, in a soft, soft whisper, “When the trying times come, we will hold hands. And when the heavy times come, we will walk them together. And when the depressing times come, and you feel the burden of life to be so vast and wide that you feel forsaken, I will be there to carry you. No matter how long it takes or how far we must travel, no matter how many miles it be, I will carry you, Lowyn McBride. I will carry you.”
She is holding her breath that whole time I’m whispering. And when I’m done, she lets it out real slow. “That’s a Revival wedding vow you just recited, Collin Creed.”
And I just smile into her neck as I squish us together on the couch. “Indeed it is, Miss McBride. Indeed it is.”
She turns her whole body into me. Burying her face in my chest. Pressing herself up so close to me, I can feel her heart thumping in her chest.
And this, I think, is probably the best night of my life. And for the first time in more than a decade, I slip into sleep without a single thought of how much blood I have on my hands.
I startle awake, rubbing my eyes and groggily trying to open them. “What the fuck is that noise?”
Lowyn groans beside me, pulling my arm over her head to try to cover her ears, not the least bit interested in waking up.
But I can’t help myself. I would love to stay on this used couch from the Seventies inside her store, but that noise… “Oh, shit.” I sit up, taking Lowyn with me.
“Mmmmmmm,” she protests.
“Lowyn, get up. We slept through Saturday.”
“What?”
I’m already on my feet, buttoning my trousers back up.
“What are you talking about?” Her question is sexy as all hell because her voice is so… low, and deep, and filled with satisfaction.
“Listen.” I point to the ceiling.
She squints her eyes. Like this might help her hear better. And then I say the words with the loudspeaker outside. “‘When you look upon the hills, the sun shining on the peaks, and you hear the rumble in the distance, don’t you ever forget that behind it comes the glory. And as that rumble resonates into the echo on the water, let it be a sign! A sign that the righteous will find comfort in the brave. And the danger will exist only in the damaged. Because when you give yourself to something higher, you will feel the relief that comes with the emptiness of anger and you will know, in your heart, that the blessing of grace is now upon you!’”
And then I look at Lowyn, who is standing now, her hair all askew and a little bit of dribble at the corner of her mouth. She manages to say a few words. “Is that what I think… but… it’s not Sunday. We could not have slept two nights, Collin! It’s not possible!”
“Those are my daddy’s words.” For some reason, I’m upset about this. Like… borderline angry about this. “Why the fuck is my daddy’s voice booming through the town loudspeakers when it’s Saturday morning of opening weekend and there is no fuckin’ Revival scheduled?”
Lowyn pats at her hair, still trying to wake up. “I don’t know. What’s goin’ on?”
“Put your panties back on, Lowyn. We’ve got to go.”
“It’s Saturday.” I’m looking at Collin when I say this. He’s brushing his teeth in my little McBooms bathroom using one of the new toothbrushes I keep stashed here. “There is no Revival on opening Saturday. There has never, in the history of this town, been a Revival on opening Saturday.”
Collin shrugs, spits, rinses his mouth, and turns the water off. I hand him a towel to wipe his face. He does that grin at me. “How should I know, Lowyn? I just got here.”
“I know. I’m just thinking out loud. It’s just weird.”
“You know what else is weird? My daddy’s voice coming out of those speakers. Why the hell are they using my daddy’s sermon when he’s not even the preacher no more?”
“Well, they never stopped using that one. Even after he was fired. It’s the call to Revival now. That little snippet of his Easter Day Revelation sermon has been playing non-stop, in some fashion or another, for thirty-five years. I guess it was just too much tradition to part with.”
I can’t tell how he feels about this. He looks a little bit annoyed. But then again, he looks a little bit composed. Is he pissed, but trying not to show it? I can’t tell.