Page 73 of Escape

So, even though there was still an uphill battle before me, I was trying to look on the bright side. Things were heading in the right direction.

And I had Huck to thank for it.

As I moved away from the door and toward his truck, I couldn’t help but allow the feeling of gratitude to seep in and warm me even more than the heat of the sun.

Huck had been such a pillar of strength for me. He hadn’t once faltered, doing everything he could to support me. There wasn’t a chance I would have been doing this well without having someone in my corner, without having him.

I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to repay him, to let him know just how much it meant to me that he cared to be by my side as I tried to put myself back together and get on the right track.

I came to a stop in front of him, still smiling.

“How’d it go?” he asked.

Offering a slight nod, I was honest. “It wasn’t easy, but I’m actually excited about this. It already feels good to have an impartial third party to talk to about it. On the bright side, she’ll be able to offer advice to help me get past the things that are troubling me. So, I think it’s precisely what I need, even if I suspect it’s going to get more challenging as I come to more sessions.”

“I’m proud of you.”

Unable to stop myself—partly because I had the use of both arms now, but mostly because I just loved doing it—I lifted my arms over Huck’s shoulders and hugged him. As he wrapped his arms around me, keeping me pressed tight to his solid body, I said, “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. I hope you know how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

His fingers pressed in on the sides of my waist. “I’m always going to be here for you, honey. And you know what? I think, after all that you’ve done and how far you’ve come over this last week or so, that we need to celebrate.”

My brows pulled together as I continued to hold on to him. “Celebrate? How?”

He grinned, lifted his hands from my waist to my arms, and rubbed his palms against them. The tender touches from him always made me feel like I had butterflies in my belly. “Let me take you to lunch this afternoon.”

“Really?”

Nodding, he shrugged. “We’ve got to eat, don’t we? And you do deserve a reward for all the hard work you’ve been putting in, wouldn’t you agree?”

I couldn’t quite figure out if he was being nonchalant because he truly felt that way or if he didn’t want me to read too much into what he was asking me to do with him. Was he worried I’d look at this lunch out as something more than just him being a good guy who wanted to celebrate my progress?

Recognizing it wouldn’t do me any good to speculate on it, I ignored those thoughts and shared, “I feel like you’re the one who deserves the celebration. You’ve been working way harder than I’ve been.”

“I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one.”

Fair enough.

I let out a sigh. “Okay. Where are we going to go?”

Huck’s satisfaction and triumph were written all over his face. “Do you have a preference? Is there anything special you’d like to eat today?”

“Oh, man, I don’t know. You know what I haven’t had in a very long time?”

“Tell me, and it’s yours.”

“Pizza. I haven’t had pizza in ages, and I’d love nothing more than to sink my teeth into a cheesy slice right now,” I told him, my mouth watering.

Without another word, Huck took me by the hand, led me around to the other side of the truck, and helped me in. And before I knew it, we’d arrived at the restaurant.

I’d been so excited about this lunch date with Huck, about getting something that I couldn’t even remember the last time I had, that I hadn’t prepared myself for what happened when our server walked up to the table.

“Hello. My name’s Erica, and I’ll be your server today. Can I get you started with something to drink?”

My breath caught in my throat as Huck returned, “We’re actually ready to order, if that’s okay.”

“Sure. What can I get for you?” she asked.

“We’re going to have a large cheese pizza.”