Page 94 of Escape
“You up for some sparring before this class starts?” I asked.
He cocked a brow. “I think the better question is, are you? I’ve been at this consistently for weeks. You’re the one who’s taken the break.”
“I guess we’ll just have to see.”
The next thing I knew, Greyson and I were sparring. And though he might have been a little quicker than I was, I still gave him a run for his money.
Then I taught a couple of classes with him, caught up with some other coworkers I hadn’t seen in weeks, and eventually left a little early to head back to the diner to pick up Josie.
As soon as I arrived, I got out of my truck and leaned against it like I had when I dropped her off that morning. Within three minutes of me pulling into the lot, Josie had pushed the door open and stepped outside. Her eyes immediately met mine, and there was a smile plastered on her face, an indication she’d either had a great day or was happy to see me. Maybe it was both.
But fuck, that look sealed the deal for me.
I was in love with this woman, and I was willing to do anything to make sure she continued to smile like that forever.
Josie bounded over to me, the pep in her step making me feel even more relief about how her day had gone. And once she was close enough to touch, I reached my arms out to her.
She threw her arms over my shoulders, planted a kiss on my lips, and said, “Hi.”
Smiling back at her, I replied, “Hi. Did you have a good day?”
“I had a great day. I got to see my coworkers again. Everyone was so nice to me, and I even shared some details with them about what happened. It felt good to share, which surprised me. And, bonus, I’m making money again. The best part about it is that it’s all mine.”
I squeezed my arms around her a little tighter, feeling so proud of her. “I’m so happy for you, honey.”
“How was your day?”
“Great. It was nice to see everybody again. They all asked about you, too, and they’re happy to hear you’re getting back on your feet.”
Josie tipped her head to the side. “That’s sweet of them.”
“A couple of the guys I work with want to stop in for lunch one day when you’re working,” I shared.
Her eyes rounded in surprise. “Really? That would be nice.”
“You’re okay with it?”
She nodded. “Of course. I mean, they helped to make it possible for you to be home all those weeks with me. I’d love to meet them sometime.”
“I’ll make that happen soon, then. How are you feeling? Tired?”
Josie exhaled deeply. “I certainly did a lot more with myself today than I’ve done in a long time.”
“And the shoulder?”
“It feels good. No issues.”
“Good. Do you want to go home, grab showers, and go out for dinner, or did you want a quiet, lazy night in?”
Josie hesitated briefly, something strange washing over her face. I was just about to ask her what that look was about when she said, “You choose. I’ll do whatever you want to do.”
“I want to take you out to celebrate your first day back to work being a success.”
“I feel like you like to find reasons to celebrate with me,” she noted.
I shrugged. “Can you blame me? Come on.”
After giving her another kiss, I took her by the hand, walked around to the other side of the truck, and helped her in. Then I drove us home so we could shower and get ourselves ready to go out for dinner.