Page 126 of Wild Eyes
Excitement surges in my veins, and a sense of peace wraps itself around me at the prospect.
Yes. This is where I want to be.
When the car pulls to a stop, I leap from the back like an excited child. I don’t bother going for my suitcase. I don’t even close the door. Instead, I jog up the front steps to the farmhouse, flashes of my first day here flitting through my mind. The kids’ tea set. Bikes. West in his ridiculous apron.
I fling the door open. “West?”
“Sky?” He sounds surprised, and I grin as I kick my shoes off and go searching for him.
“Sky?” His footsteps thud as he jogs down the creaky stairs. “You back early?”
“Missed you!”
“Aw, Cherry, I missed you too.” They hit the landing and my heart stops in my chest. It’s only been a week, and I missed him. I’ve never truly missed a person.
It’s fucking gut-wrenching. I hate it.
“Hi,” I breathe as I take them in. Cherry is perched comfortably on West’s shoulder. Both of them look so happy to see me.
Suddenly, I feel a little uncertain about what I should do next. Throwing myself at his feet and sucking his dick seems a little extreme, considering the driver is probably about to bringmy bags into the house. And Cherry might pick up some new colorful language if she heard the mouth on West.
I settle on smiling at them, wide and relieved and unencumbered.
“Love you!” Cherry adds, right before…flying to me.
My parrot, who hasn’t spread her wings in years, swoops across the space between us and lands on my shoulder. Stunning me.
I stare wide-eyed at West as she nuzzles her head against my cheek. “Love you! Love you!”
“Did she just? Did you—are you a parrot trainer now?”
He scoffs, and I realize he seems just as alarmed as me. “We spent a lot of time together this week, but she has not donethat.”
Cherry’s body flexes as she takes off again. Back to West. When she lands, she pecks at his tightly cut fade. “Like you! Like you!”
I tear up watching this bird, who was treated so badly, finally feel safe enough to fly.
Cherry and I have been in this thing together for a long time, and watching her take a chance has tears spilling over my lashes.
She never likes anyone. But she likes West.
Again, she flies. Back to me, where she nuzzles and tells me she loves me. “Feed the horses?” She says it like a question.
“Feed the horses?” I stare at West, who is still staring at me.
His tongue darts out over his lips as his gaze rakes over me. “Yeah. Doing night check alone was depressing, so I made Cherry my assistant.”
I nod, lips pinched together, and look back and forth between the bird I love and the man I love.
Because I do. How could I not? Did I ever stand a chance? It wasn’t even a choice. It just is.
“Ma’am, I’ll leave your bags here at the door. Is that okay?”
I turn to the portly man who drove me all this way. “Of course. Thank you so much.”
Then he’s gone, and West’s eyes bore into mine.
“Get over here, fancy face.” He holds one arm out, and within seconds, I close the distance between us. My head on his chest, my arms clamped around his ribs. He grips me, holding me tight against his hard body, and I feel it again.
