Page 74 of I Choose You
24
Claire
My stomach grumbled. Loudly. We were finally back in town after being on the road from New York for the last eight hours. Besides some snacks we’d picked up at a gas station, we hadn’t had any real food since this morning. Combine that with our lack of food while we were holed up in the hotel, and I was at risk of becoming hangry.
Reid’s cheek twitched when my stomach protested its lack of contents again.
“Do you want to grab something to eat before we head home?”
Home.
Calla Bay had quickly become a home to me, more than any other place I had lived. I loved staying at Wyatt’s cozy house. I loved the smell of the ocean air when I passed by the waterfront downtown. I loved the friends I had made, Maeve and Scarlett especially. I loved…
Shoot.
Reid had forced his way into my heart, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to entangle it from him when the time came.
“Yeah, there is no way I’m making dinner tonight.” I smiled at him. “You have to be starving too.”
“Oh, I am. You just can’t hear me over all the sounds you’re making over there.”
I swatted him on the arm. “Shut up.”
“It’s okay, I’ll get you fed in no time.”
Reid reached out and took my hand in his. His rough skin pressed against my soft palm. I pulled my hand away from where it was joined with his and brushed my fingers across his. He tried to twine our fingers together again, but I wanted to explore him more. Every single piece of him. I wanted to study it and memorize it so I could keep it with me.
My fingertips traced a path up each finger individually, massaging his knuckles and the grooves between each finger. I flipped his hand over, my thumb making wide circles across his rough palm. I took my time, focusing on the pressure points of the hand, pressing lightly in some spots and deeper in others.
He looked at me, his eyes reflecting my emotions back at me.
I finished my exploration of his hand and intertwined my fingers through his.
The roads through town were covered in a thin layer of slushed ice. It wasn’t nearly as bad here as it had been in Buffalo. Reid carefully navigated the U-Haul, keeping his speed low as we made our way to the diner.
The setting sun was making the already cold temperature turn frigid. I jumped out of the U-Haul just as Reid was rounding the truck to help me out. An icy patch caught my foot, and my arms pinwheeled behind me as I tried to keep my balance.
Reid rushed toward me, reaching for my arm to stop me from falling.
The back of my head hit the side of the truck as my feet came out from under me. I landed on the ground with a loud “umph.”
“Love, are you okay?” Reid asked, his lips pursed tight together as he tried to contain his laughter.
“Ugh,” I laughed, rubbing the back of my skull.
“Come here.” Reid hauled me to my feet, his hand gently stroking my hair. “That was some fancy footwork you had.”
“And graceful too, right?” I asked. Reid’s soulful eyes shined back at me, his cheek still cocked in amusement.
“Absolutely.”
He held my hand as we walked up to the diner. Every set of eyes was glued to us as the people by the windows stared, so I offered them a bow.
Inside, the diner was warm and cozy. Sheila didn’t seem to be working, but the waitress told us we could sit wherever we wanted, so Reid led me to a table in the back, his hand still holding mine.
“Everything looks so good. I am so hungry,” I said when the server brought us the menus. Comfort food, loaded with butter and carbs. Meatloaf, chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie… I was pretty sure everything here came with mashed potatoes. “The turkey dinner plate sounds amazing, but that chicken pot pie is calling my name.”
It hit me that I hadn’t been paying as much attention to what I ate since I arrived at Calla Bay. In Connecticut, eating nothing more than salad or a small portion of high-end cuisine was the norm. I was tall and relatively thin, but I knew I had put on a couple of pounds since being in CallaBay. Frankly, I could have probably used the extra weight, considering my height.
