Page 67 of Sheltered
The first time I told her the truth about what she meant to me wasn’t going to be via a text message. For now, I’d keep it to myself. But soon enough, she was going to know the truth.
Harlow
“Oh, this feels so nice.”
It was Thursday evening, and I’d just curled up on the couch with Blaze. He’d come over after work tonight, and it was the first time I'd managed to see him since he left my place on Monday.
At my declaration, his arms tightened around me. “I can’t say I disagree, but your statement seems to be about a bit more than just the two of us finally being here together.”
I pressed my face into his chest and inhaled the scent of him deeply. After giving myself a moment to do that, I pulled back, tipped my chin up to look at him, and explained, “It was just a very long day today. I packed a lot of clients in, and there were a bunch of wraparound appointments, which meant that I’d put color on one client’s hair and have another client getting a haircut before that color could be washed out.”
“Sounds like you had a busy day.”
“It was. But I was also probably just anticipating being able to see you tonight, too,” I noted. “Monday feels like it was years ago.”
Blaze smiled at me as he lifted one of his hands to the side of my head and began stroking his fingers through my hair. “I missed you, too.”
He knew precisely what I was trying to say without me needing to say the words. I loved it. He paid attention not only to the things I said, but he also heard the things I didn’t say. And if it was in him to fix it or make it better for me, he did.
“How has your week been?” I asked, cuddling closer to him.
“It was okay. I’ve been putting a lot of my focus into this case over the past week, so I’m just glad to be here with you now.”
It made me feel terrible to know I was complaining about how my day had gone when Blaze was doing something that had the potential to stop crime happening in town.
“Have you had any luck?”
“Not as much as I’d like, but I’ve got some of the guys working with me on it,” he shared. “We’ve really only been actively investigating this over the last week, so I’m not too upset that we haven’t had any major breaks in the case just yet.”
“I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help.”
Blaze continued to play with my hair, still smiling at me. “You already do help me, Harlow. I’ve told you this before, but whenever you reach out to me throughout the day with a simple text, or whenever I get a chance to talk to you or see you, it helps. That’s all I need from you. That, and to know that you’re happy as ever while you go about your days.”
If there was one thing that could be said about Blaze, it was that he had this thing about him that made him refuse to accept the idea of me ever being unhappy. I believed he was the kind of man who’d always take the load—physical, mental, emotional, or anything in between—so I wouldn’t feel an ounce of stress.
He was beyond selfless, and I considered myself to be an extraordinarily lucky woman. For that reason, I thought it would be best to talk to him about something else that could be bringing him a bit of anxiety.
“Are you ready for this weekend? We have my dad’s birthday dinner on Sunday.”
“I am. I’m looking forward to meeting your family,” he replied.
My brows shot up in surprise. “You’re not worried?”
He lifted a curious brow in return. “Should I be?”
I did my best to shake my head in the position I was in. “No. No, I think they’re going to love you, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t feel nervous about meeting them.”
“Not at all. But I’ll let you know if that changes for me.”
It made me feel good to know that Blaze was looking forward to meeting my family and didn’t have any concerns about it. Considering the way he made me feel all the time, I’d never want him to experience any sort of distress over something like this when it wasn’t necessary.
For a few moments, the two of us stayed like that in silence. We exchanged several appreciative glances before I asked, “Would it be alright with you if we just stayed curled up on the couch and watched a movie tonight?”
“Nothing would make me happier,” he revealed.
I tipped my chin up, scooted myself closer, and pressed a kiss to his lips. Then I turned around to face the television as Blaze draped his arm over my waist to spoon me. I loved having him close like that so much, it didn’t matter to me what movie we watched.
We eventually found something, and while I stayed awake and watched it, I’d have been lying if I said my thoughts didn’t drift throughout. Not only was I aware of his big, strong body holding me protectively and keeping me warm, but I thought about how much my life had changed over the last month and how grateful I was to have met Blaze, too.