Page 75 of Home: Posy 5

Cole jumped out of the vehicle as soon as Ash put it in park. Running around the front, he came to my door and opened it and held out his hands. I smiled at him as he helped me down, then let him lead me over to the new-to-me car.

"Do you know what kind of car this is, honey?"

"A gray one." I shrugged. "Why?"

He cracked up, and I heard my other mates laughing as they joined us.

"It's a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ. It has a four-star crash-test rating, handles easily, and is a quiet and steady ride," Wyatt listed as if he were filming a commercial.

"That's good," I murmured, then went into a daze as he and Cole started tossing out more details.

"Dudes, you're overwhelming her with stuff she doesn't need to know," Jayden finally broke in.

My savior!I linked him with a grateful smile, and he winked back at me.

"It's a good car for you to learn in, little flower," Mason summed up. "And once you're ready, we'll buy you any vehicle you want."

"Thank you!" With a broad grin, I gave him a hug, then went around and hugged each of my boys.

"Hahaha!" Ash pointed through the driver's side window at something. "Dad added a little safety feature of his own, I see!"

We all gathered around and saw strips of white paper taped to the gauges on the dash behind the steering wheel. Both had NO! written in dark red letters. Looking over at Ash, I waited for him to explain.

"One's the speedometer that tells you how fast you're going. The other is the tachometer that tells you the RPMs, or how fast the engine is turning. See those orange needles? He doesn't want you to make the tach go above two and a bit and no more than sixty-five miles per hour on the speedo."

"Sounds reasonable." I nodded.

"For you?Veryreasonable," Wyatt muttered.

"What was that, my fifth star?" I pretended not to hear him to give him a chance to correct himself.

"Nothing, cutie. Let's get unloaded and see what we can scrounge up for lunch, then you can have your first lesson."

"Yay!" I clapped my hands and ran back to Ash's SUV. Tapping on the back door, I called out, "Waffle, can you open, please?"

"We'll get it, baby." Mason put his hand on my shoulder and tugged me back a step as the door opened with a click. "You don't need to be wrestling with any heavy luggage."

"Okay, but I want my beach art before you smash it."

"Wow. Your confidence in me is inspiring," he said with a straight face.

"Don't feel bad, campfire. I'm not confident inanyof you when it comes to breakable things." I patted his elbow. "That's why I want to carry it myself."

He blinked rapidly for a few moments, then burst out with deep belly laughs that I rarely heard from him. Not sure what he found so amusing, I grinned as I watched him.

Not even two months ago, this man was like a statue carved from ice. Now, he smiled and joked and laughed, and I was going to do everything in my power to nurture his amazing growth.

14: Driver’s Ed

Posy

Ash and Wyatt wouldn't even let me turn the car on during the first half hour of my 'driving lesson,' and I almost wished I'd taken Jayden up on his offer to join us. Ash and Wyatt had been so excited, though, and I told my dragon I was good. I was pretty sure he knew what I was in for because he kissed my forehead and wished me good luck with a little smirk.

So I endured patiently while Wyatt sat me in the driver's seat, then crouched next to me outside the car and went over what every button and lever did. After that, Ash, who was sitting in the passenger seat, told me to sort out my seat and mirrors.

"That's the first thing you do anytime you get in the driver's seat of a car," he said with unusual seriousness. "In motion is the worst time to try to adjust either one."

I nodded, willing to trust them as the driving experts.

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