He sped through the trails that wound through the trees until we reached his house. After a very abrupt stop, we both hopped out and raced up the wooden stairs along the side of the cabin to a door. I refused to breathe properly until we were both inside where it was safe.
And warm.
“I’ll get you some dry clothes to change into and then get a fire started.”
The simple mention of a fire calmed my nerves. Between the sexual tension, the fog wall, and now the storm, they were fried. And the thought of getting out of these cold, wet clothes made me so thankful I could’ve kissed him. Except I couldn’t, because that would only lead to other things, and I wasn’t sure if either of us were prepared for that to happen.
Drew returned from his room with a folded T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts in his hand. “These are probably going to be huge on you, but at least they’re dry. And if you need any, I have safety pins you can use.”
“Thanks.” I took the clothes and followed his pointing finger to the bathroom.
There were moments when I could be shy, but then again, I’d guess that was the same for just about everyone. I was reserved and modest, not shy. Yet for some reason, Drew had the ability to turn me into a complete introvert without even knowing. Or trying, for that matter. I knew alcohol could easily make the shyness dissipate, but then we were back to the same reason kissing was a bad idea.
This damn sexual tension ruined everything.
“Where do you want me to put…” My words turned into drool when I came out of the bathroom to find Drew sitting on the couch. Shirtless.
For days, I’d wondered what his body looked like beneath his clothes, and now his bare chest was on display. Right there, smack dab in front of me. It was amazing. Perfect. Like a Greek god—or Roman god, whichever had the better body. I’m pretty sure I began to actively drool as soon as I saw him. He wasn’t burly, but I wouldn’t use words like thin or skinny to describe him. In fact, I doubted there was a single word to describe his body. One word wasn’t enough; it would have to be a series of adjectives strung together by lust:
Defined abs chiseled into a slim figure with firm pecs carved above, which smoothed out into two solid shoulders connected to arms corded with impressive yet inconspicuous muscle, all painted with the most beautiful olive tone.
I never said his description wouldn’t be a run-on sentence.
“Where do I want you to put what?” he asked as he stood, giving me the complete picture of sexy. “Your clothes?”
When all I could do was continue to drool, nod, and blink, he came to me and took the bundle of wet clothes from my arm.
“I’ll throw these in the dryer for you. Take a seat and get warm.”
Little did he know, I was already warm on the inside…thanks to him.
Then again, considering his smirk, maybe he did know.
Chapter Ten
August 19th, 1974
Dear Diary,
I have been looking for AC around every turn for over a month now, ever since seeing him at the ice cream shop. At the very least, I’ve wanted to explain everything to him. And I finally got that chance today. What I didn’t expect was for him to explain so much more to me…things I still can’t wrap my mind around or process. And the worst part is I’ve romanticized our meeting for a month and a half, only to learn just how wrong I was. I still don’t know how I feel about everything. Hopefully, I’ll figure it out soon.
With an envelope clutched in her hand, Emily climbed the steps to the back of the church, memories of her night with Andy fresh in her mind. Conflicting emotions battled within her, the same war that had raged inside since the day she discovered Andy was a Crowe.
Shaking off those thoughts, Emily pushed through the heavy doors and headed straight for the main office. She handed the envelope to the church secretary before ambling toward the pulpit. She hadn’t spotted Andy outside the building when she walked up, so she hoped he would be inside. That hope faded with each passing second.
A hushed sigh slipped through her parted lips as she dropped her head back, staring up into the open belltower. It truly was a stunning sight, yet she couldn’t admire it for its beauty. July fourth had produced a new meaning for that old tower, and as Emily stood there, gazing up at it from the very center of the church, she began to accept that she’d only been gifted that one night.
An interior door closed, echoing throughout the stone building and breaking through Emily’s thoughts. She dropped her chin and peered straight ahead, in the direction of the offending noise, only to have her ribcage grip her heart and seize her lungs. Standing in front of her was none other than Andy Crowe himself.
He took one look at her and froze, metaphorically paralyzed. At first, his feet refused to move, but the longer he stared, caught in the trap of her hypnotic blue eyes, he began to move toward her. His feet moving on their own. As if he had no other choice.
“Hey.” His gruff voice surrounded her in the same warmth it had that night.
Even though she had come hoping to find him, now that he stood right in front of her, words refused to form. Instead, she smiled in return and tried to regulate her breathing. Yet the more he approached her, the harder that was to accomplish.
“What are you doing here?”
Emily glanced over her shoulder and pointed to the office in the back. “My dad asked me to drop something off for him.”
Andy nodded, racking his brain for something to say.
Ever since he saw her sharing ice cream with Bobby Tisdale, he hadn’t been able to face her—not that he even knew how to find her. Regardless, he’d decided that it would be in everyone’s best interest if they simply pretended they’d never met. It was a perfect plan…
Until now.
Being face to face with Emily was harder than Andy could’ve imagined. He figured he’d walk past her in a crowd and feel nothing. Except now that his eyes met hers, he realized how wrong he was; he couldn’t just turn away.
“Are you working?” Emily asked, hoping to prolong this run-in for as long as possible.
Again, he nodded. Although, the lack of verbal responses didn’t affect his painstakingly slow approach toward her. One foot in front of the other, he carefully and cautiously moved up the three steps surrounding the pulpit until they stood within breathing distance of one another.
Surprising both Emily and Andy, the area around them lit up. Without warning. Without reason. It was as if the sun had moved in the sky to peek through the windows at the top of the belltower just to see them. Warmth swaddled them; light bathed them. Awe consumed them, and conviction filled them with a confidence neither had ever experienced.
“You see this, too…right? It’s not just me?”
Andy clasped her fingers and waited until her wide eyes met his. “It’s not just you.”
“Do you know what they say about this?”
“Yeah, that your angels are with you.”
Emily glanced around, unsure what to make of it all. “Has this ever happened to you? Or have you ever seen it? Or heard of it happening to anyone you know?”
A huffed laugh escaped his smiling lips as he crouched down to take a seat on the top step of the pulpit. Still holding her fingers, Andy used their connection to pull her down with him until they sat side by side, the sun still shining brightly on them.