Aiden

Aiden

O nce I couldn't hear the rain anymore, I knew I needed to get up and check on the house. I did not, however, want to stop snuggling with the woman I'd been obsessed with for almost a year. Not when I had been handed a second chance with her. I loved how it felt to have Mindy in my arms, her lips on mine, and making her feel safe. Letting out a sigh, I kissed her forehead. “I should really go upstairs, see what the damage is, and make sure it’s still safe for us to stay here. Do you want to wear your wet shoes and come with me, or do you want to stay down here?”

“I want to come with.” Her answer was immediate as her head snapped up, the lust immediately being replaced with worry and determination..

I nodded. “Okay. It’s going to be dark, though.”

Mindy swallowed and nodded as she glanced over at the lantern. “I know, but I’d rather not be alone down here. I’ll be keeping that light real close. In the grand scheme of things, I think wet shoes are the least of my worries.”

After sitting us both up, I walked back over to the washer and dryer, digging through the basket for a pair of socks. When I found them, I grabbed her raincoat, walked back across the room, and handed them to her. “I don’t know what to expect up there and don’t want your arms getting all scratched up.”

“Thanks.” She slid on the socks and then her shoes before shrugging into her coat and picking up the lantern. “Ready?”

I turned on the flashlight that was still miraculously attached to my belt and let out a steadying breath before making my way upstairs. I paused for a moment as my hand landed on the doorknob. “Here we go.” I turned it and gave the door a push, relieved when it opened.

At first glance, I didn't see a ton of damage. The house was still standing.

There’s a good sign.

I looked up and let out another sigh of relief. “Well, the ceiling is here, so in theory most of the roof should be there.”

Mindy let out a tense chuckle behind me. “I hope so.”

When she gripped the back of my shirt, I turned slightly to see her face, looking for any signs of panic. “You still okay?”

She nodded. “Yep. Just feel better holding onto you.”

No complaints here. I gave her a reassuring smile, not wanting to open my mouth and admit how amazing it felt to know that touching me made her feel better. “Hold on as tight as you want.”

As I turned back around, I took a better look at the kitchen and saw I'd been right when I guessed which windows had broken. The sink was full of shards of glass, and after stepping farther into the open concept space, I saw how the dining room window had a tree branch coming through it.

I walked forward, smelling grass and wet dirt in the air, and realized a couple of the loud thuds had been from the dining room curtain rods hitting the floor and a chair getting knocked over in the wind. Then I looked to my right, at where the front door had been.

Should have been.

But it was gone.

The entire front right hand corner of the house was gone .

“Holy shit.”

I nodded at Mindy’s comment, barely registering that she had wrapped her arms around my waist. “You can say that again.”

“Well, I can start sweeping up the glass.”

I turned to face her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close to me. After taking a deep breath, taking a moment to appreciate the sweet smell of her hair. “I’m not about to put you to work on cleaning up a mess that isn’t yours.” A small chuckle came out as I remembered how our evening started. “You haven’t even had dinner yet.”

She let out an incredulous laugh and shook her head. “Only you would apologize for saving my life and not providing a nearly in-flight snack.”

This woman.

“I did provide a safe place to hide from the storm, hugs, kisses, and liquor, so that has to count for something.”

A smirk tugged at her lips, and even in the dim lighting, I could have sworn her cheeks went pink. “That you did.”

What I wanted to do was kiss her senseless again, but all I ended up doing was running my hands through my hair and letting out a tense breath. “I want to walk around the house and see the rest of the damage. I’d feel better if you stayed here, but I don't want you to be in here alone, either.”

She glanced around and nodded. “I have the lantern here. I’ll be okay for a couple of minutes.”

After kissing her forehead one more time, I headed to the back door and braced myself for chaos as I opened it. There were broken pieces of wood, drywall, siding, and who knows what else scattered all over the yard, and while there was some damage to the garage, the roof was still there, as well as all the walls.

I glanced to my right and nearly wept for joy when my truck was still sitting in the driveway. The windows didn’t look great, but they were still there.

I’ll take the win .

Careful of the debris all over my yard, I ran to the garage and grabbed both my pairs of leather work gloves, a small chainsaw, hammer, nails, two old tarps, and brought it back to the house. Mindy was sweeping up broken glass and putting it in the garbage can when I poked my head in the back door. “I’m going to cut up the branch and get it out of here.”

She glanced up. “Okay. Need any help?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so, but I'll let you know if that changes.”

As I rounded the outside corner of the house, ladder and chainsaw in tow, I stopped mid-step when something reflective caught the light from my flashlight. I knew I didn't have any yellow reflectors at the end of my driveway.

That can’t be.

Putting down the tools, I started walking down the packed gravel path when Mindy's curious and slightly shaky voice stopped me.

“Aiden?”

I turned toward the house and saw her in the kitchen window. “Yeah?”

“Where are you going?”

“I saw something weird, and I wanted to get a closer look.”

“I’m coming with.” Mindy disappeared from the window, and moments later, she was rounding the corner of the house, electric lantern in hand. When she reached my side, she slid her hand into mine. “I saw the yellow reflection, too.”

We walked to the end of my driveway, and Mindy stumbled as my flashlight illuminated the horrifying scene in front of me. Wrapped around the power pole closest to my house was a four-door black car.

Her hand tightened around mine. “Mindy?” When she didn’t respond, I turned and pulled her to my chest, holding her tight with my free arm. “That’s your car, isn’t it?”

She nodded, not taking her eyes off the carnage. “I could have died tonight. I--”

I cut off her words as I shifted so I was standing in front of her and kissed her. “But you didn't. I found you and brought you here. I protected you, just like I promised.” I pressed a kiss onto her forehead. “I’m so damn glad I happened to look outside earlier when I did.”

Mindy wrapped her arms around my waist. “Talk about a lucky twist of fate.”

A smile crossed my face as I nodded. “One I'm not going to waste.”