Page 19 of Found By You

“All right.” I grin. “Just be careful getting out. This part of the driveway has a slope and—You know what, wait, I’ll come around,” I tell her, hearing her faint laughter as I get out and close the door behind me.

I stride around to her side and open the door. She pulls her jacket on, a humorous glint in her eye. “You know I’m not made of glass, right?” she teases.

I reach my hand out to help her down. “You are to me,” I say, my heart stuttering at the admission. “I don’t know what kind of falls a pregnant woman can take, but I don’t plan on finding out.”

She smiles, placing her delicate hand in mine. I keep hold of her hand, loving the fit, the feel, the beat of her pulse against mine. We walk hand in hand up the slight slope to the front steps. I release her hand only to grab the snow shovel propped against the railing.

“Does the porch go all the way around?” she asks, watching me shovel off the steps.

“Yeah,” I grunt, setting the shovel off to the side and reaching for her hand again. For a split second, I think about dropping my hand. After all, the porch is covered, and the steps are clear. There’s no reason for me to hold onto her.

Maci doesn’t seem to question it, though. She takes my hand as we ascend the steps and I open the front door, gesturing her ahead of me. A wave of curiosity hits me at showing her my future home—the layout, the plan. I shouldn’t care what she thinks. She’s a perfect stranger, stuck here by the fault of her car.

She’ll be gone before I know it.

Why does that sound so…painful?

I go through the motions of showing her the entire place. Explaining the divisions of the rooms by the bare framing for the walls, the open concept I’m aiming for on the first floor. She engages in everything I say, asking small questions, and commenting on how amazing the view is from the kitchen that faces out over the mountain and surrounding forest.

“So, yeah. That’s it so far,” I finally say once we return to the entryway.

Maci turns away from admiring the stone fireplace in the living room. “Thanks for giving me the early tour.”

“Anytime.” I grin, gesturing to the door. “You ready?”

She takes my hand as I lead us out the way we came. Closing the door behind me, I glance up to see my brother pulling in beside the barn. Her grip on my hand loosens when she sees him, but I hold tight. Half not wanting her to slip, and the other not wanting to let go.

The majority being the latter.

Levi hops out, beaming his signature boyish smirk and looking like an idiot for not shaving that damn mustache yet. “Hey, bro. ‘Bout time you plowed this,” he says, then points to Maci like he’s five. “Who’s this?”

Levi and Rhett look a lot alike. Similar to Butch and I, they might as well be twins. Standing a few inches shorter than me, he’s lean and broad, built for construction. He’s growing out his hair and going through some ‘mustache only’ phase—looking like a seventies porn star if you ask me.

I shift my gaze to Maci pressed closer to me than she’s been all day. My chest puffs out. “This is Maci,” I say, not bothering to expand any more than that. “Maci, this is my younger brother, Levi.”

Levi extends his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

She shakes his hand with a cautious smile. “You, too.”

He lifts his chin to the house at our backs. “I didn’t know you were finally letting people in to check the place out,” he says, sending me a slick wink. “What’d you think so far, Maci? Think Duke will fire us?”

“It looks great,” she says. “I’m in love with the windows.”

“Yeah, those were a bitch, but Duke insisted on the bigger ones with better insulation.” My brother nods. “Better watch out, he’s a tyrant to work with,” he adds on a chuckle.

Maci peers up at me, biting her lip to keep from smiling too big. “He’s pretty bossy, that’s for sure.”

I grin, squeezing her hand before turning my attention to Levi. “Did you talk to Rhett about those two-by-fours yet?”

“Yup, talked to him a few minutes ago. He needs you to sign off at the lumber yard before they close at two. Said he was at Whitetail Motel fixing a heater.” He checks his phone. “Ma said you were stopping by to plow. Guess Dad’s beater plow is done. About time, that thing is like a hundred years old.”

I rub my chin. “Yeah, I better get over there.”

Levi pulls out his keys and heads for the barn, yelling over his shoulder, “It was nice meeting you, Maci. I’ll see you later at dinner, bro.”

We’re back in the truck and hitting the road toward my parents’ house a few minutes later. “Sooo, does your brother do porn or something?” she asks.

“Fuck, no.” I boom with laughter. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees it, though. He says it’s in right now. Whatever that means, but I don’t see it.”

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