Page 83 of Somewhere You Belong

“Okay,” she whispers back, and that’s good enough for me.

When we get to the front of the line, I help her into our seat and secure the safety bar across our laps.

“I cannot believe you got me on this thing,” she mutters.

I drag her closer to me, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. “Trust me. It will be worth it.”

The seat jolts and we begin to propel up into the sky.

“Oh my God! This is how I’m going to die, isn’t it?” Her knuckles turn white as she grips the lap bar. It never fails to amaze me how strong this woman appears on the outside, but how human she truly is.

And I’m honored that she allows me to see that.

I glance over at Willow, chuckling until I notice that her eyes are closed. “Don’t shut your eyes, Goose. You’ll miss the view.”

When her eyes pop open, the gasp that leaves her lips is everything I wanted from her in this moment. “Oh my God, Dallas.”

“This is how Carrington Cove is meant to be seen.”

Down the coast in front of us, lights start to pop on, illuminating the town in orbs of bright white and yellow. The sun has cast the sky in a hue of pink that grows to dark blue above us as the sun dips below the horizon, letting night take over. But our town still stands out against the backdrop, like a photograph you might see in a magazine.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life.”

“And you won’t see anything else that will ever compare.”

I’ve seen this view many times before, but with this woman by my side, it feels different. Monumental.

Purposeful.

After a few moments of silence, she turns to me, her eyes meeting mine. “Thank you for tonight, Dallas.”

“Thank you for trusting me to come up here.”

Our seat jolts to a stop, swinging slightly as another couple gets off below, leaving us frozen in time at the top of the ride.

“Sometimes I still can’t believe that I’m here in the first place.” Willow stares back at the view.

“All because of a house, huh?”

Her head dips down. “Yeah.”

“Are you happy with the progress so far?” I ask, trying to distract her, but also curious about where her head is at.

“I am. Penn has done a great job. I know you didn’t look around the other night, but it’s such a stark difference from what was in there before. He wants to start on the floors next week.”

“Sounds like things are moving along then.” I gently trace her bare shoulder with my fingers.

“They are. I think he’ll be done in about a month.” Her phone buzzes in her purse, interrupting our conversation.

And it’s probably a good thing because the thought of her leaving is making me tense all over again.

A month? Things are definitely moving quicker than Penn thought they would.

She silences the call and slips her phone back in her bag. “Sorry.”

“No worries. You can answer that if you need to.” I drop my eyes to her lap.

“No. I don’t want to ruin this moment.” She looks back up at me.

---