I nod. “It helps if you have a spare though.”
Her jaw drops. “You’re kidding me.”
“I wish I were.” I feel like a defeated asshole.
This puts a damper on our almost perfect day. We’re stranded in the rain, and instead of tacos, I’ll be giving her Maven’s fruit snacks as the final course.
“No big deal. We’ll call a tow truck. I’ve been in bigger messes than this in my sleep.”
“One problem with that.” I pull out my phone to show her the screen. “No service. Tell me you have something.”
She snatches her purse from the floorboard and rifles through it before finding her phone.
Horror takes over her face when the screen comes to life.
“For real?” she shrieks, throwing her hands up in the air. “We’re in the ass crack of no-man’s-land stranded with no spare tire. This is straight out of a horror movie.” She turns around and lays her gaze out the back window. “Swear to God, if a meat-truck-driving serial killer pulls up, I’m making a run for it.”
I grind my teeth, my heart crashing with anguish and guilt from putting her in this situation. I gave my dad my spare last week and forgot to replace it.
Her face softens when she peeks over at me. “Shit, sorry,” she whispers over the pelting rain hitting the windshield. “That was too dramatic for this situation. I tend to do that at times.”
“You’re fine. I’ll take dramatics over you wanting to kill me.” I turn around in my seat and snatch a jacket from the backseat. “I’m going to see if I can manage to get service in the field over there.”
She points out the window. “It’s pouring. There are no streetlights. We should wait until the storm calms before going out.”
I put the jacket on. “What if it storms all night?”
She starts to unbuckle her seat belt. “Then, I’m coming with you.”
I stop her and snap it back in place. “The fuck you are. Stay here, and I’ll be back in a flash.”
I jump out of the truck despite her protests and hold my phone in the air while sprinting toward the field. The rain comes at me sideways while I wait for the service bars to light up on my phone.
Come on! Come on!
I jump, nearly losing my phone, when a crack of lightning bites through the dark sky. I can barely make out the truck in the downpour and am still messing with my phone when I notice the bright shine of headlights getting closer.
My attention snaps away from the car to the truck at the sound of a door slamming. I scream her name and race toward her when she starts running to the side of the road, waving her hands in the air. The car flies by, splashing her with water, and her shoulders slump in failure.
Fear and anger splinter through me like the storm.
“Have you lost your mind?” I scream, snatching her by the waist from behind and swinging her into my arms. I hover my body over hers to protect her from getting more soaked and tighten my hold on her shivering body while walking us from the street back to my truck. “They could’ve run you over!”
My breathing halts, dying in my throat, and a chill colder than the rain zips down my spine when she rotates herself in my arms. My hands stay on her wrists as she glares at me before jerking out of my hold with a huff.
“I was flagging them down for help!”
“You running out in the street, waving down some stranger, does not fucking help me. You keeping your ass in the heated seat in the safety of my truck is what helps me.”
“It was worth a try!”
The way her voice cracks makes me feel like shit. We lock eyes. She’s staring at me like she’s searching my soul, assessing the situation in my eyes, unsure of what my next step will be.
I suck in each breath she expels, inhaling her sweet scent, nearly panting at the sight of her dripping wet in front of me, neglecting the shitty situation we’re in. Her shirt is soaked to her skin, her hard nipples peeking through the thin tee, and I lick my lips, mentally tasting her.
My next step should be getting her inside the truck, out of this chilly ambush of rain, but goddamn it, I can’t break away. I run a hand through her hair and smooth it down before lowering my fingers to her cheek. She shuts her eyes and relaxes into my touch.
I inch forward, my chest brushing against hers, and she lets out a soft moan. The sweet sound runs straight to my dick.
“Dallas,” she whispers, eyes still closed, “what are we doing?”
I can’t stop myself from chuckling. “We’re standing in the rain.”
“No,” she croaks out. “What are we doing?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Dallas
Willow’s question shakes me back into reality, and I drop my hand from her face.
She wants to have this conversation now.
In the pouring rain.
I chuckle.
This situation sums up our relationship.
Bad timing. Unexpected. Not sure what the next move is.
I run my hands down her arms when her teeth start to chatter. “We need to get you in the truck,” I say, squeezing her shoulders.
I move around her to open the door. She nods timidly, her front teeth biting into her soft lip, and turns her back to me to climb in. I stand behind her, helping her up, and make sure she’s secure.
“I managed to get one bar in the middle of the field. I’m going to try to get in contact with a tow company, so I need you to refrain from leaving the car. I don’t give a shit if a parade starts coming down the street.” I nod my head toward the dashboard. “Turn the heat on high. I have clothes in my gym bag in the backseat for you to change into.”
“Got it. No getting out of the car.” I go to close the door, but she stops me. “What if a serial killer is running toward you with a knife?”
This woman and her fucking questions. Where does she come up with this shit? “You lock the doors and let me deal with it.”
“I’m trained in martial arts, you know. I was a junior green belt. I would be a great help.”
“Look at you, badass. Keep your eyes out for killers and promise me you’ll stay in here.” I can’t believe I’m standing in a fucking storm and taking the chance of getting struck by lightning to entertain this conversation. Willow gets me swept up into her world, her words, and I can’t seem to walk away. “Promise me you’ll stay in here.”
“My promises don’t mean shit, remember?”
“Make them mean something.”
I slam the door shut and let out a sigh before jogging back to the field. I ignore the rain as I hurry back to the same spot and dial the number as fast as I can, hoping that not only the service stays connected, but also that Willow keeps her ass planted in the truck.
I make it through and give the tow company our location. Then, I shove my phone into my pocket. I stop to search the dark sky and twist my wedding ring while rain drips from the tips of my fingers to the mud underneath my boots.
I don’t move. I only think.
My mind hasn’t been fighting back the painful thoughts of missing Lucy today. I haven’t felt like a failure of a husband since I knocked on Willow’s door this morning. I haven’t cursed the world for my loss. The constant guilt and anger didn’t seep through me when I saw the happy family in the booth across from us at the small diner we ate lunch in.