Page 64 of When You Saved Me

Charlie had brought me back to life and while I clung to the lightness in my chest, I was also terrified that something bad was going to happen. The fear ate away at me. It was like a gnat flying around, biting me every chance it got. It was too small to see how to get rid of it, but it was there. Sucking the joy out of the moments I shared with her.

Staring at the ground, I shook my head. I needed to figure my shit out because I saw the shift in her last night too. The look in her eyes had told me she was falling. That she was in this for the long haul.

And I wanted that too. Charlie saw through the razor-sharp barbed wire I kept around myself to the person I was before war and tragedy had tainted my existence. More than that, though, she helped me become that version of myself again.

I needed to be better for her.

I had to be.

Or I’d lose her. I knew it.

“Come on, boy!” she called to Casper who was taking a tentative step into the snow that was now only a few inches thick on the ground. Charlie was hesitant to let him outside after the hawk debacle, but I assured her that he was safe with me outside.

That didn’t stop me from having a talk with him aboutnot venturing into any trees though. The little rascal was starting to grow on me. I liked having him around. I liked having both of them around.

A sinking feeling hit my stomach as I thought again about what it would be like without them here.

It would be quiet.

Too quiet.

Before, I had enjoyed the silence this house brought me. It kept my mind clear of things I didn’t want it to stray to. Now, the thought of silence had goosebumps skittering along my spine.

I needed to convince her to stay. That as crazy as it was, I was falling in love with her and the last thing I wanted was to be parted from her.

My chest ached as those bright blue eyes met mine from across the yard. So vibrant. So full of life. God, I hoped I wouldn’t suck it all from her. I hoped this wasn’t a fluke and that the parts of me she’d uncovered last night would stay visible. That I would be brave enough to stay in her light and not retreat back into my darkness.

She deserved to see the best of me.

Those long dark red tendrils of her hair fluttered in the wind making her look even more angelic against the white winterscape. I’d always thought she belonged on a beach somewhere. A place in the sunshine that would darken her adorable little freckles and show the shine of her hair. Somewhere that matched the warmth of her smile.

But after these weeks with her, I’d come to realize that she was exactly where she was meant to be.

With me.

“There you go! Don’t be scared, Casper!”

I smiled as Charlie patted her thighs, coaxing the little fluff ball to venture closer to her. When he finally made it all the way to Charlie, she scooped him up in a hug and spun around. Laughter—glorious, easy laughter—flitted through the air, lightening my chest and chasing away the remnants of my demons.

“You’re such a brave boy!” she crooned. Bringing her face close to his, she nuzzled her nose against Casper’s before looking back at me.

“What’re you doing up there all alone?”

I smiled. “Just watching.”Watching every little thing you do because you’re so damn perfect.

With a hand on her hip, she pouted. “That doesn’t sound like very much fun. Why don’t you come out here with us, Grumps?”

Oh, with pleasure, Sunshine.

Anywhere Charlie Banks called me to, I would follow. If Johnny or any of my military buddies were here to see me, they’d say I was pussy whipped. While I wouldn’t argue with them—I’d give my left nut to make sure I could claim Charlie’s sweet pussy as my own for the rest of my life—there was more to this than just sex.

Shemeantsomething to me. And I wasn’t sure the last time a woman—if any—had that kind of impact on me.

Setting my coffee mug on the railing of the porch, I trudged through the snow and stopped right in front of her. “Here I am, at your command.”

She booped my nose with her pointer finger. “Now, isn’t this much better than being up there missing out on all the fun?”

Looking around us, I inhaled a heavy breath of the cold air, feeling it line my lungs with a needle-like sting. “And what sort of fun do you have in mind?”

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