Page 41 of Somewhere We Belong

She nodded. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” I said, walking to the barn.

While Sol played with Hula Hoop, I did some much-needed barn maintenance. After I brushed our horses and gave them all treats, I realized it had been almost an hour.

“Sunflower, we gotta go get your momma,” I said, dusting myself off.

“Already?” Sol pouted.

“It’s been almost an hour.” I grinned.

I swear, she was a master manipulator, and it was so easy to give in to her.

“Five minutes, please!” She put her pig next to her little face giving me her best puppy dog eyes.

“I’m going to go get your momma, so you have till then, ok?”

“Ok!” she squealed, kissing Hula Hoop.

I shook my head, smiling as I walked away. Sol was always the best part of my day, and not having her here had made me wonder if I did want kids. I never wanted any because I was afraid of how much of my trauma I would pass along to them. Now I looked at Sol and wanted to help Nova give her the best childhood she could ever have. She deserved that, like so many other kids. But sadly, people, like my parents, never saw us as children, but just as workers. Our lives were a transaction, and I hated that.

I walked into the house to see Nova leaning against the island, drinking something. Her eyes were closed, setting off alarms in my head.

“Are you ok?” I asked softly.

Nova looked over at me with red-rimmed eyes.

“Yeah, I just get dizzy sometimes,” she said, looking defeated.

“It’s only been a month since you fell.” I stepped up to her, cupping her cheeks.

It felt natural to comfort her.

“I know, but I was hoping—” Her lip trembled. “I was hoping it wasn’t going to take so long. Being out of work for so long is hurting my finances.”

“Nova,” I said, wiping a tear away. “If you need help, we can always help.”

“No, I can’t ask you to do that, not when you’ve helped me so much.” She put her hand against my chest. “This is my dilemma and I’m just tired.”

“You don’t have to do this on your own,” I said, leaning forward.

“I have to,” she whispered, her eyes getting bigger as they looked down at my lips.

Before I could process what I was doing, I leaned forward, kissing her softly, wishing I could ease her burden. Her lips were soft as she pressed against me. Our kisses were sensual, and I licked the seam of her lips, needing more. She opened herself to me, igniting a need in me that had me deepening the kiss immediately.

Nova moaned, kissing me back with equal fervor. Running a hand through my hair as I weaved a hand around her waist to bring her closer to me. She fit perfectly against me, soft and full of curves. It felt right to have Nova in my arms and her lips on mine. Like rain after a drought or the first blooms of spring, she was the missing piece in my stained glass that I didn’t know was missing. Our kiss grew frantic as she pulled me closer until the sound of someone pulling up pushed us apart.

Nova’s eyes were wide in disbelief.

“Oh god, oh god.” She touched her lips. “I’m so sorry. Fuck, oh no, Shit! I’m so sorry, Theo!”

She pushed past me, running out the door as I stood there in shock. What the hell had I done? Atlas and Colt’s voices snapped me out of it with guilt crashing into me. I was an awful boyfriend.

Nova high-tailed it out of our house, leaving Atlas and Colt confused. They walked into the house and the moment I saw them, I knew I couldn’t keep this a secret, but something held me back. I wished I didn’t feel guilty about the kiss.

13

nova

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