Page 58 of No Going Back

Branna smiled. “It was kind of a blur, but she was nice. Joe too. I like this town.”

Something settled deep in his chest. “Me too. Now that the asshole is in jail, how do you feel about moving here permanently with me? Here in this house.”

Her smile lit up the day, and she tried to sit up. With her arm still in the sling, it was a chore, so he helped her ease into a sitting position. “I would love to move here permanently with you. Here in this farmhouse.”

Sean leaned down to seal the words with a kiss. A kiss that flamed instantly. But she was dealing with a concussion along with her shoulder. He slowed the kiss and wrapped her gently in his arms. “Let’s hope this concussion heals quickly.”

She laughed. “We can probably figure out a way around the concussion.

He shook his head. “Not taking any chances with you. We’ll see what the doc says.”

His phone buzzed with a text, and he frowned at the unfamiliar number. Once he clicked on it, he smiled. “Speaking of the doc, it’s Lia. Checking in on you and asking if she and Joe can bring lunch in thirty minutes or if you need more time to sleep.”

Branna smiled. “Well, if we can’t have sex, we might as well have lunch.”

“I like the way you think.”

* * *

Branna liked Lia Moreno. The woman was kind, thorough, and straightforward. She examined Branna in their bedroom while Sean showed Joe around the place.

“The wounds are healing nicely. You should be able to go without the sling for a few hours at a time. Increase the time when you feel okay, but don’t be afraid to use it. You’ll heal more quickly if you don’t let it get too sore.”

Lia asked questions related to the concussion and did some simple checks. “Looking good there, too. If you take it easy, physically and mentally, for a couple of days, you should feel more or less normal.”

She grinned. “And before you have to ask, if you’re going to have sex, keep it slow and gentle. No headboard-banging or acrobatics for a week or so.”

Branna’s face flushed, and her mouth dropped open.

Lia laughed. “Everyone wants to know, but no one wants to ask. And the way you and Sean look at each other, I know you’d like the answer.”

Branna managed a laugh. “Thanks. That’s good to know.”

Lia’s face turned more serious. “And how are your emotions? How are you coping?”

She blew out a breath. “Better than I expected. Sean has been through some stuff, too. We talked a lot last night and this morning. I think I’d like to talk with a therapist at some point. I wasn’t coping well with my dad’s death before this happened. Without Sean, I wouldn’t have coped at all.”

“A therapist was my next suggestion. I know a few people who do online visits. I haven’t been in Vermont long, so I don’t have a list of people in nearby areas yet, but I can look into that if you’d feel more comfortable talking in person.”

Branna considered that. “I think I’d prefer online. That way, I can stay here and not worry about finding my way around another new place.”

Lia nodded. “Good idea. I’ll call you later with some choices, and then I’ll set you up. Now, let’s head downstairs and get you some food. We’ll see how the stairs feel. And no lying to your doctor.”

To Branna’s relief, the dizziness of the previous day didn’t return. The mild headache remained along with the body aches.

They found Sean and Joe in the kitchen, along with Jabba and a dog that rivaled him in size. The sight of the two of them snuggled together, taking up half the kitchen floor space, had her laughing. “Who’s the other yeti?”

Sean walked over to kiss her. “How are you? You walked down the stairs by yourself? You should have called me.”

Lia laughed and patted Sean’s arm. “She’s doing great, and we took the stairs carefully.”

He looked her over. “You’re okay?”

She leaned up to kiss him. “Yes. I’ll be back to normal in a few days.” She wanted to blurt out what Lia had said about slow and gentle sex, but not in front of the others.

Something must have shown in her eyes though, because his flared, and he smiled wickedly before he leaned down to kiss her softly. “I’m glad.”

Joe added. “Me too. Let’s dig into the food we brought.” The dogs didn’t even look up as the humans sat around the old kitchen table. “That’s Moose. Our local vet, Kimi Twinishe, had him stay with us one night and by morning, he’d become our dog. He eats his weight in food every day. Now that Kimi helped us figure out what to feed him, he doesn’t gas us out of a room nearly as often. But watch out for the tongue. He likes to lick everyone and everything. And I do mean everything.”

---