Page 101 of Follow Me Down

“I did have one thing in mind, though it’s a bit of a drive,” he says, not elaborating.

“I’m up for a drive.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“Well, okay then. But only if you’re sure.”

Link makes a sound that sounds an awful lot like a whip.

“Fuck you, man.” Titus gives Link a playfully irritated look.

“Just saying...” He holds his hands up in front of himself.

“God I missed you two,” I announce, happiness welling in my chest. And I did. I missed all of this.

“We missed you more.” Link nudges me with his elbow. “Besides, this fucker was unbearable without you, so thank fuck you got your father squared away, ‘cause I was thinking I was going to have to find a new place to live.” He winks at me.

Titus shakes his head, turning to stick one of the bowls of oatmeal into the microwave.

“I wish you would do that anyway,” he mutters under his breath, still loud enough that Link can hear him.

“Hey! I heard that!” He leans back in his stool, his hand flattened against his chest. “You wound me, T. You wound me.”

“Ignore him.” I giggle. “He’d be lost with you and he knows it.”

“Did you hear that? Your girl says you’d be lost without me,” Link gloats.

“Don’t let it go to your head.” Titus turns, shaking his head.

I smile, feeling like I haven’t been able to stop since the moment we got here last night. Everything about this feels right. More than right. It feels perfect.

I knew from the moment that I met Titus Driscoll that he was going to change my life. I just didn’t realize how much or how quickly it would all happen.

He’s given me so much more than he will ever know. Not just a home, but a family. And the strength to finally stand on my own two feet. I like to think I’ve had even a fraction of the impact on his life that he’s had on mine. Without him, there’s no telling where I’d be.

——

“Where are we goingexactly?” I ask, my head turning back as we pass a highway sign that says Atlanta, fifteen miles.

We’ve been driving for nearly three hours, yet he still won’t tell me where he’s taking me.

“You’ll see.” Titus grins at me from the driver’s seat.

“You do that a lot, you know.”

“Do what?” He plays like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

“You’ll see,” I mock in my best Titus impersonation which I completely bomb.

Titus drops his head back, laughter rumbling through his chest.

It’s so crazy to think that just yesterday I was at the mall with Christy, feeling like my life was over. And now here I am, the man I love at my side, the open road in front of us. It’s like a dream...one that I never want to wake up from.

“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going... again?” I pout.

“It isn’t that much further. Patience, babe. Patience.” He throws me a quick glance before his gaze goes back to the road.

---