Take Me Away (Southern Bride 6)

“I am. You?”

“Yep. I didn’t realize how many souvenirs we actually bought for Liliana and Nolan.”

With a giggle, I turned and looked at him. He was staring out over the ocean, a look of complete contentment on his face. Turning, I leaned my hip against the railing to look at him. “I probably shouldn’t tell you about the two shirts I bought earlier, then.”

“For the kids?” he asked, a smile on his handsome face.

Nodding, I answered, “Yes. They were so cute, I had to get them!”

“Linz, I don’t think I can fit another thing in my suitcase, and from what I saw earlier when you were packing, yours was full as well.”

Reaching up onto my toes, I kissed him quickly on the lips. “Don’t worry, I already put them into my carry-on. I promise, I won’t buy another thing.”

Nolan stared down at me like he knew it was a lie if he had ever heard one. He smirked and kissed the tip of my nose. “Famous last words.”Nolan

Five months later – JulySTEPPING THROUGH THE back door of the house, I took off my cowboy hat and placed it on one of the hooks that hung in the mud room.

“Linnzi?” I called out as I walked through the small hallway that led to the kitchen. “Linz?”

The house was quiet except for the faint sound of music coming from upstairs. As I made my way through the house, I called out her name once more.

“I’m upstairs!” Linnzi called out.

As I made my way up the steps, I turned in the direction of the music. I thought at first that Linnzi was in my old room. We had finally gotten around to taking all of my old furniture out and replacing it with new stuff—we were changing the room into a guest room.

Suddenly, Linnzi popped her head out of the bedroom down the hall. Amanda’s bedroom.

I forced myself to smile, seeing as she was giving me a full-blown grin. “I’m in here,” she said.

Drawing in a deep breath, I stilled my nerves and made my way toward her. I went into the room often now, and the pain had slowly started to ebb. I still had a bit of a problem any time Linnzi wanted to fly anywhere. It was always the landing that got me, even though I had never had another incident like the one that had taken our daughter’s life and Linnzi’s memory.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I kissed her.

Her eyes sparkled like she was keeping a secret and wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold it in.

“Come in and see.”

As I stepped into the bedroom, my eyes went to the walls.

“You painted.”

She smiled. “Yep.”

“Why?” I asked with a slight chuckle.

“It needed a fresh look.”

I walked over to the large window and looked out. Summer in Texas could be brutal, but we’d had an unusual amount of rain, so the pastures still looked green. Horses dotted the front pasture, and I smiled when I saw the buckskin horse that I had bought Linnzi for her birthday running around, trying to get the other horses to stop eating and have a bit of fun.

“I like the gray—why did you pick that color?” I asked as I turned and leaned against the windowsill.

Linnzi bit into her bottom lip, and I felt my cock jump in my pants. My desire for this woman hadn’t lessened a single bit. As a matter of fact, every time I saw her I swore I fell more in love. Today she seemed to look especially beautiful. Her brown hair was pulled up and piled loosely on top of her head with a few strands framing her neck and the sides of her face. She wore jean shorts and a light blue t-shirt that made her blue eyes even more vibrant. Her cheeks seemed to be flushed as well.

“Are you hot?” I asked before she could answer my other question.

“No, I’m not hot. Why?” Her brows raised ever so slightly.

With a half shrug, I replied, “Your cheeks are flushed.”

She pressed both hands over her cheeks and laughed. “I’m happy.”

It was my turn to chuckle. “You’re happy? Why didn’t you paint the walls yellow then instead of gray?”

With a shake of her head, she whispered, “No, gray will work for what I have planned.”

We stared at each other for a few moments, and I had the strangest urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her senseless. “You look beautiful today.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she walked over to me.

I frowned. Not the reaction I was suspecting for my compliment, but before I could ask her why she was upset, she put her finger on my lips.

“Shh. Thank you for saying I look beautiful. I feel beautiful.”

I tilted my head and searched her face.

“I went to the doctor this morning.”