Page 74 of Somebody to Save
Nodding, I lost my footing and almost slipped over a wet rock. Beckett was there, though, his arm hooking around my middle and catching me before I could hit the ground and likely slide into the freezing water.
“Holy shit,” I muttered, holding onto him for dear life as my heart rate tried to even out once again. “I saw my life flash before my eyes,” I joked.
Beckett chuckled and shook his head. “Let’s walk up in the trees,” he said and headed away from the stream bank. “Less probability of slipping and falling into freezing water.” The ground was much more even in the trees, but it had been nice to walk along the stream bed for a while. “You were talking about wanting a sibling,” Beckett reminded me.
“Yes, all my friends had siblings, and I wanted that so bad. Even when they fought or complained at length about the pesky younger sister or annoying older brother, I didn’t care. Like you and Andrew, I liked the idea of a built-in best friend.”
Beckett nodded thoughtfully and ran his free hand—the one that wasn’t holding mine—through his hair. “But you have Bri, right? You said she was like a sister to you.”
I smiled at the thought of my best friend. “Yes, she is. Bri moving in next door was the best thing that happened to me as a kid and one of the best things to happen to me ever. Sheismy sister. I love her unconditionally. We’ve been there for each other through everything. Good, bad, or ugly—she was always by my side.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” Beckett said, and I squeezed his hand. I couldn’t wait to introduce them. Bri already loved Beckett because he treated me so well, and she knew how happy I was. And Beckett loved Bri for very similar reasons.
“I can’t wait for you to meet her. She might be back in a few months for her mom’s birthday,” I said, and contemplated my next thought and whether it was really something I wanted to voice. But holding back wouldn’t help either of us. And if I hadn’t scared him off yet, I knew my odds were pretty good that he’d be able to handle almost anything I threw at him. “But before Bri, I was pretty lonely,” I admitted. “I had a hard time making friends after my parents died. Kids are mean, but they were also young, and they couldn’t understand that I lived with my grandmothers and my parents weren’t around.”
“Shit, baby girl,” he muttered, but I waved him off.
“Yeah, it sucked, but I made it through. It also made me realize how much I would want to give my kids siblings. Although Nana went about it the completely wrong way, she was right. I do want kids eventually. So, when I have them, however that happens, I definitely want at least two.”
Still focused on each step and staring intently at where I was going so I didn’t slip or trip a second time, I managed to sneak a peek at Beckett. But he wasn’t fazed.
“Two is a good number,” he agreed, and I rolled my lips to suppress my smile as much as I could. But he caught on quickly and tugged me closer as we approached a clearing. The trees dispersed, opening to a large grassy area and the most spectacular view of the mountains and hills beyond.
“Wow,” I muttered. “This is incredible.”
“I’m glad you think so. This is my favorite spot. And it’s even better in the fall when all the leaves change. Come on.”
He tugged me farther into the clearing and closer to the slight slope. We were far enough from the edge that I didn’t feel anxious and could enjoy the view.
Beckett shrugged off his backpack andfinallyunzipped it. He pulled out a cream-colored blanket and spread it out in front of us, then reached back in the bag and grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“Dang, you came prepared,” I said, smiling down at the cute little setup.
“I’m always prepared, baby girl.”
He returned my smile and kissed me before kneeling on the blanket and tugging me down beside him. My stomach flipped in excitement, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
“The sun’s going to go down soon, so we won’t be able to stay for too long. But I thought it would be nice to watch the sunset before it gets too cold.”
He handed me a glass, which was actually a plastic cup shaped like a wine glass, and poured me a generous amount. He poured himself a glass and carefully set the wine bottle in the grass next to the blanket.
I folded my legs beneath me and held my wine in both hands as he stretched his legs out next to me and rested most of his weight on his arm behind me.
“Would you want to live somewhere like this?” I asked, taking a slow sip of my wine and letting the fruity flavor linger on my tongue. He always picked out the best wine. I wasn’t a fan of super dry or tart, but anything he poured for me or picked was the perfect amount of sweetness.
He took a sip of his own drink and looked out at the view and the sun that was kissing the edge of the horizon. “Full-time? Maybe one day, but not anytime soon. Maybe when I’m closer to retirement.”
“I mean, aren’t you already pretty close, old man?”
Beckett’s jaw dropped, and I giggled at his reaction. He acted offended, but I just leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You can’t get too mad,” I argued. “It was my first and only ‘old man’joke.”
“Better be,” he muttered, but I could see the laughter in his eyes. “Anyway, this place will stay in our family. My parents will sign it over to me and Andrew in the next few years. And I know neither of us has plans to sell it.”
“You’d share it?”
He nodded and leaned over, dropping a kiss on my shoulder. “Yeah. I guess we’d always planned to spend time here with our families during the holidays or trade off vacation if we wanted to.”
“I think that’s really cool. It’s close enough to the city that it’s an easy drive, but it’s far enough away that it feels like you’re in a different world.”
