Page 35 of A Letter to Adaya
“I think Adaya needs some tea and a nap.”
“Just a nap,” Adaya countered. “I’ll have tea later.”
Carolina gave her a quick hug. “You go rest in Beau’s room. I’ll make sure the kettle is warm when you wake up.”
“Any change with Jesse?” Beau asked. Carolina shook her head. He placed his hand on Adaya’s back and gently guided her to the back bedroom. “Sit on the bed, sweetheart.”
She plopped on the bed, spreading her skirt so it wasn’t tight on her legs. Beau kneeled in front of her and put one of her feet on his leg.
“What are you doing?”
“Just taking your boots off.” Gently, he wrapped his large hands around Adaya’s ankles, his fingers working the buttons. Finally, they were loose enough to slip off with ease, and he set them to the side with a small smile of satisfaction. When he looked up at Adaya, he saw tears rolling down her cheeks and felt a pang of concern in his chest. “Don’t cry, kitten,” he whispered as he cupped her face, wiping her tears away gently with his thumbs.
His fingers lingered against her skin for a moment longer than necessary, feeling the warmth radiating from her cheeks, before falling back to his sides. He rolled back on his heels and stood in one fluid motion. Lifting her legs, he swung them up on the bed and covered her with the duvet.
Her hand reached out and grabbed his arm. “Don’t leave me.”
“I’m just going downstairs to see Nate. I’m not leaving the building.”
She pulled the comforter up to her shoulders and tugged it tight to make sure she was warm. Beau watched from across the room as her delicate toes poked out from the blanket, twitching ever so slightly. His throat tightened as he realized how beautiful she looked.
“Will you at least stay with me until I fall asleep?”
Beau paused for a moment and then moved to the far side of the bed. Shucking off his boots, he made sure he tucked her under the blanket, before he settled next to her on top of the covers, his arms stiff by his side. Adaya rolled over, her nose pressing against his upper arm. He heard her murmur something as she reached up her hand up from underneath the blanket to rub her nose.
“What was that, kitten?”
With a yawn, she settled down under the covers and murmured the words again. His ears strained to hear them, but his heart knew them the moment they came from her mouth.
She loved him.
His spirits had soared when she clung to him instead of pushing him away. Maybe that was what the scriptures meant by a couple cleaving to each other. With a smile, Beau moved his arm, cocooning her to his side. He shifted gently to not disturb Adaya, whose delicate snores were filling the room. Kissing the top of her head, he murmured the words back to her and closed his eyes.
In time, he too would say those magical words out loud to her.
His eyes fluttered open about fifteen minutes later, and it took a minute for him to realize where he was. Adaya had shifted her position and was now curled up in a ball near him. He carefully tucked the covers back around her before reaching for his boots. Tiptoeing out of the room, he quietly pulled the door closed and made his way down to the clinic where his brothers and friends were waiting.
Sliding into a chair, he tugged on his boots and listened to Nate give an update on Jesse’s condition. Nate had been honest when he said there wasn’t much to do now except pray and wait. It would be up to God and Jesse’s stubbornness if he woke up.
Beau shifted his weight and rhythmically pounded the floor with his heel to get his foot positioned correctly in the boot. The bells on the clinic’s front door tinkled as it opened, and a deep, bellowing voice filled the waiting room. He recognized Bass’s gruff tones, accompanied by the heavy thud of two sets of boots on the hardwood floor.
Bass and Whit passed through the back door of the clinic, where Carolina had set up a makeshift kitchen. An old enamel coffee pot bubbled atop a small black potbelly stove, filling the air with a pungent aroma.
“Any news?” Beau asked.
Whit walked over to the stove and poured a cup of coffee. “The judge should be here shortly.”
Beau raised his eyebrow. “That was fast.”
“Sam sent riders out today. I sent them out yesterday.” Whit took a swig of his coffee. “This is superb. I should hire Carolina to come and make coffee at the office.”
“Get your own wife to do it,” Nate teased.
“I don’t think she’s learned how to make coffee yet.”
“She can’t make coffee?” Bass said.
“Nope. Can barely cook either.”
