Page 70 of Somebody to Save
“No problem,” Maria, one of my associate attorneys, said. “Enjoy your time off, Mr. Crawford.”
Hanging up the phone, I pulled up to Addison’s apartment and slumped back in my seat for a second. The few days between Christmas and New Year’s, when most people were enjoying their time off and preparing for the next year, I was working some insane hours. Rather than forgetting what day it was in the whirlwind and the excitement of the holidays, I was glued to my laptop.
I’d wanted to give everyone as much time off as possible, even if it meant I was spending a little extra time working. And business was booming, which was really amazing for the firm but less than beneficial to my health. Or my relationship.
Which was why I’d taken matters into my own hands and was parked outside Addison’s place with a plan.
I shut off the car and stepped out into the cool evening air. I’dtalked to her not long ago, so I knew she was home with some unusual time off, too.
I knocked, and the door swung open a few seconds later, revealing a slightly disheveled Addison. Her pink hair was tied on top of her head, and there was red paint, or at least that’s what it looked like, on her left cheek.
“Umm…hi,” she said. “What—what are you doing here?”
Smiling down at her, I kissed her forehead and slipped around her. There were craft supplies laid out across her coffee table and the smell of hot glue lingering in the air.
“What are you working on?”
She closed the door behind me and hurried to my side as I stood in the middle of her living room. She grabbed the remote and paused the TV, glancing around her space.
“I’m making fake cakes and rewatchingSupernatural,” she said quickly. “But you didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”
Eyeing the fake cake, which looked impressively real, I noted the bucket of spackle and smaller containers of it, which she’d appeared to dye in various shades.
Addison tugged the arm of my jacket and stepped in front of me, waving her hand in my face. “Hello? Earth to Beckett. What are you doing here?”
“Can’t I just drop in on my girlfriend to see how she’s doing?” I smiled, but she gave me an unimpressed look. Running my hands down her arms, I intertwined our fingers. “I’m here because I have a surprise. So, pack a bag, baby girl.”
Her eyebrows shot to her hairline, and her jaw dropped in surprise. “What—I can’t justleave, Beckett. I have work and my grandmothers. I can’t?—”
Shaking my head, I grasped her cheeks and tilted her head higher so I could kiss her easily.
“I took care of all of it,” I explained before I kissed her again. “I spoke with Caroline, and I know you don’t have any events in thenext few days. I also talked to Gloria, and she agreed to cover for you. And Mary is going to be with your grandmothers. Everything is good. You have no responsibilities for the next three days.”
“You’re kidding?”
Shaking my head, I moved past her and paced into her bedroom. I flipped on the light and grabbed the same bag she always used from the top of her closet.
“Okay, I guess you’re not kidding,” she said as she followed me. “How did you manage this?”
Heading back into her room, I dropped her bag on her bed. “The only way we’re going to spend any significant amount of time together is if we make it happen. So, I made it happen. Now, pack, baby girl. We’re on a time crunch. Unless you want me to pack for you?”
I reached for her bag, but she covered my hand with her own, effectively stopping me.
“No, I will pack. Last time you packed lingerie and forgot pants.”
“Didn’t forget them, Bubbles. That was intentional.”
She shook her head and stepped between me and her bed, unzipping her bag and glancing down at the empty inside.
“Yes, I figured as much. What do I need to pack this time?”
“Nothing in particular or super nice. Comfortable clothes. Maybe some tennis shoes? Definitely something warm. Unfortunately, we’re not flying anywhere.”
She hummed and chewed her bottom lip as she often did when she was thinking.
“Well, that’s only partially helpful,” she quipped, then turned and planted her hands on my chest. “Now, you wait out here.” She pushed me until I was standing in her kitchen. “You’re too much of a distraction.”
“A distraction?” I asked with a laugh.
