Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 138642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
“Grant! You didn’t...” Laughing, I flush as I hug the new coat to my chest. “It’s gorgeous. Thank you.”
“Had to do something before you froze to death,” he teases. “I ain’t having my girl turning into a Philia popsicle. Try it on and let’s go give it a test drive.”
I don’t know how it couldn’t be warm enough when it feels like a blanket that could beat back any cold. Plus, the gesture itself, knowing Grant cares so much about my well-being—and my absentmindedness.
With a happy sigh, I wiggle into it and let the snugness settle around me.
It’s like being hugged by a cloud, and it actually fits, too. Which should tell you right now that Grant truly is the ideal man.
Is there another straight guy on Earth who can buy his girl clothes in the right size on the first try?
“Give me a sec,” I say, fumbling for the door and my warm leather boots stowed away just under the coatrack.
It takes a minute to lace my boots, and then we lock up and head outside.
I instantly curl my hands into the crook of Grant’s arm, leaning on him gratefully.
He doesn’t say anything.
Neither do I, really, but we don’t need to.
It’s nice to just be together in the still, silent night. The whisper of snow charges the air with a peaceful, pure energy.
I don’t ask where we’re going.
It’s enough to be here with him, following his slow, strolling steps, breathing in the heavenly scents of my white knight and my shiny new coat.
This is the way we’re meant to be, I think.
We just took a long, hard detour getting here, but doesn’t it feel good?
I don’t feel the cold at all.
The jacket is too perfect, insulating and comfortable. It lets me enjoy the night and the soft glow of the streetlamps shining gold paths through the darkness.
When you forget the darkness, the heaviness of the Arrendells’ shadow over this town, Redhaven really is a beautiful place. Picturesque, cozy, and while I’ve experienced terrible loss and horrifying secrets here, so many people in this town are happy.
I’m glad I’m finally one of them.
As we walk, I’m so focused on how handsome Grant’s serene, quiet profile looks against the night sky that I don’t realize where we’re going until we step off the sidewalk and I feel grass crunching under my feet.
I tear my gaze away from Grant and realize we’re at the shore of Still Lake.
It sure lives up to its name right now.
Not even a whisper of waves. Completely glass-smooth, reflecting back the dark clouds until it’s nothing but a solid sheet of ink, this great shadow vault spread out before us.
Maybe for some that would be a dark image, but for me it’s like looking into a scrying mirror.
One where I get to imagine any future I want.
And the future I imagine now is peaceful, safe, and full of love.
Grant seems to want to linger, so I lean against his side, resting my head on his shoulder and watching the water.
When he finally speaks, the low rumble of his voice is a part of the calm night, blending into the smooth darkness like black silk.
“Have you thought about what you’re doing?” he asks. “Staying in Redhaven.” He clears his throat, a hint of almost boyish uncertainty creeping into that deep growl. “You are staying... aren’t you?”
“Yeah. I am.” There’s no doubt when I say it.
Under my cheek, his shoulder relaxes and I smile to myself, hugging his arm closer against me.
That lunk.
Not wanting to admit out loud that he was worried I was leaving again.
“So what are your plans?” he asks.
“A work in progress. I don’t really want to go back to being a nurse,” I say. There’s no doubt there, either. I’ve known that for a while now. “Cases like Mom’s, they’re rare, you know? Working in hospice, you’re mostly holding hands until death shows up. I’ve seen enough of that for one life.”
I rub my cheek on his shoulder, so grateful he wasn’t one more tragedy.
Neither was Mom or Ros.
“Go ahead and laugh, but I’m thinking about taking over Mom’s shop,” I admit. “I know she’ll want to go back to work once she’s out of the hospital, but I know what recovery after a second round of cancer is like. She won’t be able to manage alone. And Ros, she needs to find her own way instead of feeling obligated to take on the shop, especially if she was feeling so trapped that she fell into Aleksander Arrendell.” A chill breeze blows against me until I shiver, chasing me into Grant for warmth. “I think I need to do this. That shop is family. It’s home. And I think Mom would be happier knowing there’s someone to pass it on to who really wants it. So, yeah... I want to stay and make a few more memories there. Good ones.”