Page 85 of Spiritwarrior

Starting the truck, Sophie could see his expression when the dashboard lit up.

“When we get home tonight, we need to have a talk.”

Sophie looked away from him. Here came the part she had seen coming—he was going to tell her that he had been mistaken about her being his soul mate.

Fighting back tears, she turned her head to look out the window so he couldn’t see she was upset.

“Scoot over here.”

“What?”

Jody brought the truck to a stop before entering the main road. “I said, unbuckle your seat belt and slide over here next to me.”

His gentle voice had her following his directions.

Unbuckling the seat belt, she slid across the bench to sit next to him, then found the middle seat belt and buckled herself back in. Once she was settled, he pulled onto the road.

His hand went to her thigh. “I want to talk about our future tonight. I don’t want to wait months for me to propose to you. I want us to get married.”

Her eyes flew to his face. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m serious. I didn’t want to propose this way, but I’m not going to have you thinking all day I am going to stop seeing you. I love you. I want to get married. Do you still hate me?”

“No,” she admitted.

“Do you still hate yourself for wanting me?”

“No.”

“Are you just going to leave me hanging? Are you at least starting to love me?”

“Maybe a little,” she teased him, not knowing it was possible to be this happy.

“How about, tomorrow, you close the diner early and we go pick out a ring?”

“I haven’t said yes.”

“You will,” he teased her back.

“How do you know?” She loved bantering with him almost as much as she loved him.

“I read it in the stars.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

“Can I get a refill?”

Ignoring the customer, Jody didn’t remove his gaze from Sophie. Another hour, and she would be safe on the mountain.

“Excuse me. I want a refill!”

Sophie cast him a curious glance before breaking off a conversation with Lily and Rachel. Both women worked part-time at the thrift store. Rachel hadn’t worked there for a while as far as he knew.

Rachel was Greer’s sister, which had him wondering if she was working there by chance today, or was she working today because Greer asked her?

He had spent the day on pins and needles, waiting for what the dark star had warned them about to unfold.

“What’s wrong with you today?” Sophie asked, coming up to him. “You’ve been acting weird all day.”

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