An Unexpected Gift (Insta-Spark)

Another round of laughter escaped my mouth, and I swept her into my arms and kissed her until she was breathless. “Not happening. I was teasing. I’m taking you home to Nova Scotia, I’m taking care of you, and you are going to let me. Understand?”

Her cheeks flooded with color. “Fine. No need to get all handsy and bossy, Evan.”

I grinned. “Why don’t I show you just how handsy and bossy I can get?”

Her eyes widened, and the grip she had on my arm tightened. I dropped my gaze to her mouth and I began to lower my head, when the doorbell sounded.

“Leslie and Tom,” she murmured. “Bad timing.”

“Nope,” I said and kissed her fast. “Let’s get you packed and get on the road. We’ll revisit this later.”

She giggled as she slipped by and patted my ass.

“So bossy.”

I followed, feeling happier and lighter than I had in years.

She did that for me.

With a frown, I cast a last look at the boxes in the back of the SUV I had rented. There were six of them, plus two suitcases. That was the entire contents of Holly’s life, sitting in the back of the vehicle. Three of the boxes held things from her parents—the rest were hers. I was determined her life would no longer be so empty.

I shut the liftgate and hurried back into the house. I stopped at the kennel waiting by the door and peered in at Chester. He hadn’t been overly pleased at being placed inside the carrier, but he stared back at me, calm and resolved. I poked my finger inside and chuffed his chin. “You’re gonna love it there, Chester,” I promised. “Lots of rooms to wander around in and places to lie in the sun.”

Then I went to find Holly. She had been quiet since Leslie and Tom had left, their goodbyes filled with promises of visits and keeping in touch. I liked them both and hoped they would follow through. I wanted Holly to stay close to people who cared about her.

I found her in her bedroom, opening drawers and cupboards, making sure she had everything. A small bag sat on the bed, the mittens I gave her resting beside the bag with her coat. She already had the soft hat on her head, pulled low on one side, giving her a rakish air. The blue looked pretty against her hair and skin. I leaned against the doorway, watching her. She was pale, her teeth caught in her bottom lip, and for a moment I felt a flash of guilt.

Was I pushing her too fast?

“Holly.”

She looked up, a smile appearing. “Hey.”

“You almost ready?”

“I was just checking I hadn’t left anything.” She sighed. “Not that I had a lot to bring.”

I crossed the room and grasped her elbows. I bent and kissed her forehead, my lips lingering on her skin. “We discussed this. None of it matters, Holly. What you bring or don’t bring. As long as you’re with me, all of this is just stuff. We’ll replace what you forget, and we’ll build a whole bunch of new memories.”

I felt her tension ease. “I know.”

“Is it too much, Angel? Do I need to slow down?” My heartbeat raced as I waited for her answer.

“No. I do tend to overthink things.” She laughed, not meeting my eyes. “Since my parents never really thought things out, I sort of took over that job.”

I folded her into my arms, relieved. “You have me now. We’ll worry about them together.”

She leaned back, her smile genuine. “Together—I like that idea.”

“Ready to start our adventure?”

She leaned up on her toes and kissed me. “Ready.”

I slowed down as we passed the diner. It was still closed, but John had a private family party going on inside. “Did you want to stop?”

“No. John wished me well, and to be honest, I think it was the right time. His wife has been wanting to change the hours and close at eleven, instead of being open twenty-four hours. That would mean a lot of hours being cut back, and without me he can give the other girls my shifts. It used to be really busy all the time, but since they built the bypass he doesn’t get as many truckers in at night. The regulars who have come for years, but not a lot of new people.”

“Makes sense.” I squeezed her hand, watching the way she peered over her shoulder at the building fading into the background. I knew, no matter how happy she was to be coming with me, she was going to be sentimental about leaving. “It’s sort of our place, isn’t it?”