Page 51 of Wrecked By You

I mimicked how he held the gun, supporting my right hand with my left, and then I squinted, trying to line up the barrel with a can.

Damon got behind me and showed me how to hold it so I wouldn’t get kickback. “I usually take a deep breath and then exhale and pull the trigger.”

I did what he said and pulled the trigger. I was shocked at how much kickback the gun gave me, and my bullet did not hit the can. “Well, that stank.”

Damon let out a light laugh. “It’s your first time. Listen, make sure that the supporting hand holds the gun steady. Of course, if you were to be shooting a gun at someone coming at you, you would just fire over and over until the gun is out of bullets. Because you don’t have time for breathing or thinking. You just aim and fire.”

My heart raced, and I thought about Kyle. Hopefully I would never have to do that.

We moved to the next section, where more cans were lined up. I marveled at it. “You guys line up a lot of cans for the next people.”

Damon nodded. “It’s just a courtesy. We will do it when we’re finished.”

I took the stance and then squinted, released a breath, and fired. I still didn’t hit anything.

“That’s okay. Your form looks good. Let’s go to the next one and try again.”

This time, I did what he said as he got behind me and corrected me a little bit with my positioning.

Damon took a step back and said, “Go ahead.”

I sucked in a long breath and then let it out slowly. I fired. This time I hit the can. I let out a little squeal.

He laughed and hugged me. “You did it!”

“I can’t believe it.” I pulled away and was ready to try again.

Damon lifted up the other gun. “Try this one. Each gun is a little bit different. But first I’m going to go set up the cans again.” He began walking away, and then he paused. “Remember, never let the gun stay up. You always point it down when you’re not firing it. I will go set up cans, and you can practice getting your position right.”

I did what he said, trying to point at a spot on the ground and practice lining it up with my eye.

It wasn’t long until Damon was back. “Let’s go.”

This time, I went into the stance and then fired. I didn’t hit anything.

“Go to the next one.” Damon ordered.

I moved down the line, pointing at each target and firing. I hit two of the cans out of six.

At the end, I grinned at him. “I’m just glad I could do it at all.”

Damon pulled out his phone and looked at it. “Mom says dinner is ready.” He reached out for the guns, and I was happy to give them to him. “We’ll have to come back another time, but you did great for this first time.”

On impulse, I threw my arms around his shoulders and stared into his blue eyes. “Thank you for teaching me. I will file the paperwork to get my own gun.”

He smiled and then bent and kissed me. Before long, his hands wrapped tighter around my waist and pulled me against him. I was lost, feeling like I was flying.

He laughed and pulled back. “We can’t be late for dinner. We have to go, even if I do want to keep kissing you.”

I pulled back and grinned at him. “Race you to the car.” I took off without warning.

He followed me, grumbling. “That wasn’t a fair start.”

We got back to his parents’ house and slipped inside. I smiled as he shut the door behind me. I wondered how I was lucky enough to date this man. He treated me so well. I didn’t know what would happen in the future, but I could honestly say I was grateful I had come back to Refuge Falls, if only to have a second chance with Damon.

When we got back to the house, everyone was busy, so I looked for his mom. I wanted to find out what I could do to help.

His mother came out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl full of rolls, and she said to Damon, “The boys are out back, and they’re all dirty. Will you round them up and clean them up?”