Page 95 of When Sky Breaks
I don’t move an inch as he comes around to my side and opens the door. My hands encase in his, the chilly air swirling around us.
He leans in and I’m bombarded with his clean scent and the warmth in his eyes. “Do you trust me?”
I ping my gaze back and forth between his, and every band around my heart expands until they break. Finally free to give him the one thing he’s been searching for, I press a kiss to his soft lips. “Yes.”
That one word opens a floodgate. August clicks the belt to release me and tugs me in for a kiss deepened by his raw emotions. His fingers dive into my hair and hold me still as he steals any breath I might have had.
Once he ends the kiss—much to my disappointment—and brushes my hair back, he gathers me from the truck with all the enthusiasm of a little boy.
“I need you to close your eyes,” he says, biting his bee-stung bottom lip and lacing his fingers with mine.
A shiver travels down my spine at giving him this ultimate show of trust. My eyes flutter closed, and I let him lead me down the gravel road, the rocks uneven under my boots. My foot snags on a large object, likely a rock, and I stumble, but August grabs me under the arm and hugs me to his side.
“You okay?” he rumbles.
“I’m good. Just don’t let me go.”
He pulls me tighter against him as we continue.
“I won’t,” he says, and I know he means more than just this walk.
All I hear is the rustle of tree leaves, a lone hawk’s call, and the soft intake of air from the two of us. It’s calming, and my heart is full. I don’t need a date with August to know I’m right where I want to be. His presence is enough.
August stops and messes with something before telling me to stay put. I clasp my hands in front of me while I wait, the anticipation making my stomach buzz.
There’s a grunt and the sound of thuds on metal. His voice comes from slightly above me. “Open your eyes.”
They spring open and my gaze travels up the side of a rusty railroad car to August, standing with a hand outstretched. Before any memories slam into me, he grabs my hand and helps me into the car. I hold on tight to his bicep as I survey the inside, my mouth dropping open.
A blanket is set up with a mountain of pillows next to one of those heaters that run on propane, so the normally chilly interior is warm and cozy. There’s a picnic basket, a cooler, and a vase with pretty fall flowers, like the ones he left on my porch.
“It’s not a fancy restaurant, but I thought we could watch the sunset in real-time.”
“Just like when we were younger,” I say, my voice full of wonder.
August nods and scuffs his feet against the metal floor. “This time without all that pain.”
That’s a day I can’t forget. It started off amazing with him showing me a sunset and allowing me a bit of freedom after being suppressed by my family. But afterward, my dad caught us walking home and I think the look of sheer terror on August’s face—on my behalf—burrowed deeper than the slap I received to my cheek. He had a front row seat to my abuse and couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
He erases his sad expression and turns, bending to pluck up a flower from the vase. “But first.”
Snapping off the leaves, he places a mauve dahlia behind my ear, his warm fingers skating over my skin. “Perfect,” he says as he shifts it slightly, the petals brushing against my temple with the movement.
There’s a quiet murmur in my heart, building and building until it’s a confident voice echoing in my chamber.
I can’t stop the sunrise or the sunset, and I can’t stop from tumbling back in love with the man in front of me. The fall is far and wide, my breath spinning like a storm in my chest as I study his face, his fingers purposeful as they finish arranging the hair behind my ear.
Everything’s been leading up to this cataclysmic moment. I don’t know where he ends and I begin; our lives forever meant to intertwine.
Before August, after August, it doesn’t matter anymore. All I see is him and all he sees is me.
“Hungry?” he asks, pulling me from my revelation.
The smell of food makes my stomach growl. August laughs and steers me to a fluffy pillow on the blanket.
“I was too nervous to eat much today.”
He pauses his movements of grabbing something from the basket, a lock of hair sliding into his eyes. “I make you nervous?”