Page 27 of Losing Hope

“Uh-huh.” He bent and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Good. Let’s eatthen.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the spicy scent of him invading her senses.

“Besides, I always wait at least five days before I ask a girl to marry me.” He chuckled as he watched her eyes fly open wide and ducked when she moved to throw a pot holder athim.

“You are such a jerk!” She stomped her foot when her soft artillery missed its target.

He waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe, but how many jerks do you know that have abs like this?” He looked down and pointed at his stomach.

She laughed and smiled broadly. “You. Just you.” She walked up to him and ran her hands over his stomach and then around his waist to pull him into a hug. She turned her head and placed a kiss on his chest, right above his heart where the Faith tattoo sat, reminding her of the obituary she read moments ago. A wave a sadness washed over her, causing her to squeeze him just a little tighter.

He placed a kiss on top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her. “Youokay?”

She pulled back and gave him a smile. “Yep. Let’seat.”

They worked together to set the table and move the food and coffee over, as well. When they were seated and had begun eating, she asked what he wanted to do for the day. It was another gorgeous day; the sky was crisp blue, the sun reflecting off the waves of thelake.

“I know you mentioned sailing yesterday, but I remember you saying something about a covered bridge? I’d love to get some pictures of that. I bet it’s beautiful with the foliage.”

She smiled brightly and nodded her head. “Sure! There was one bridge in particular I was thinking about, but there are several around here. We can spend the day driving around doing a covered bridge tour if youwant?”

“That sounds great, especially with you as my guide.” He gave her a wink, his green eyes twinkling with delight.

She got up and started walking into the kitchen. “Let me grab my phone and check the weather to see if this is supposed to last allday.”

She walked back to him, phone in hand, as she searched the weather site. Her brow furrowed as she read the report, a frown marring her face. “Hmm, today is going to be great. In the high seventies and sunny, but it looks like thunderstorms are rolling back in tomorrow morning.”

He shrugged casually. “That’s good then, right? All clear for today.”

“Well, when were you thinking of leaving?” She put her hand up to indicate she wasn’t finished when she noted the look of concern on his face. “Not that I’m trying to get rid of you!” She walked over and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Not trying to get rid of you atall.”

He yanked her down onto his lap, earning a surprised yelp from her as he did. “Good, ‘cause I like being here withyou.”

She was surprised to realize that she was very happy being with him, as well, and smiled in relief that he felt the same way. “It’s just that you said something about needing to be back by Wednesday.”

He had begun trailing small kisses on her neck as she was talking and didn’t pull away as he answered. “Uh-huh, and it’s only Sunday.”

“Mmm, that feels nice.” She was momentarily distracted by his warm lips and pulled his head up so she could kiss him again. After a moment, she pulled her head away. “Listen for one second. Okay?”

His eyes were on her mouth, his tongue slipping out to slide across his bottom lip in hunger as he nodded his head. “I’m listening.”

“I was thinking we could drive back tomorrow, but if you want to stay until Tuesday, we can take the jet, getting you home in time for Wednesday.”

His brows raised up in surprise, all thoughts of kissing her vanishing. “Wait. You have a fucking jet? Exactly how rich areyou?”

Her shoulders rose a fraction as a small grimace fell on her lips. “I don’t know. Rich. It’s the company jet. Does it matter?” No way was she going to tell him that it was her father’s plane. Every time she brought up her father buying something for her, he got weird.

“You get that I’m just a regular guy, right? I joined the military because we didn’t have enough money for me to go to college, and I used the skills I learned there to become a photographer. I’m not Ansel Adams.”

She pushed off his lap to stand up and look down at him, her face pinched in anger. “Does it seem like I care about how much money you may or may nothave?”

He shook his head, his lips forming a tight line, his eyes turning a bit darker. “No, you don’t. But we aren’t exactly living in the real world right now, so I want to make sure you realize who I reallyam.”

“And you think how much money you may or may not have defines who you really are?” She could feel her cheeks heating as her anger began to boil at the surface. “Or that it defines what kind of person Iam?”

He was quiet for a moment and then shook his head, his frown back. “No, you seem to be an exception to therule.”

This time, she shook her head and stomped her foot, as well. “Listen, you! I’m not sure what your hang up with money is, but get over it when it comes to me. I like you because you picked me up when my shoes were sinking in the mud, pulled a tree out of the road in a raging storm and still smiled about it, and because you started a fire for me when it was cold. You cooked for us and can kiss like nobody’s business! I couldn’t give a shit how much money youhave.”

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