Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
S leeping next to Palmer with Loki snoring at their feet was the first time she’d really felt at home since returning to Pride. This was where she had wanted to be. Where she belonged. Next to him. Then Loki let out a loud fart, and she had to cover her nose.
“Yeah, I forgot to warn you about that.” Palmer chuckled and covered them both with the blanket.
“What do you feed him?” She laughed as she shifted to look at Palmer in the darkness.
His hand came up and brushed her hair away from her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever I give him turns to gas.” He smiled. “I could kick him out of the bedroom but then he cries and scratches at the door.”
“No, he’s fine. My cats used to drop dead bugs in my hair in the middle of the night.” She chuckled.
“Why haven’t you gotten another cat?” he asked.
She thought about lying, but she answered truthfully.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to stick around.” She did manage to hold back the last part of her thought— until now .
His eyebrows shot up. “And now?”
She moved closer to him until their naked bodies were plastered skin to skin. “Now, I’m worried your dog will eat whatever cat I get.”
He let out a sound that was a mix of a sigh and a chuckle. “Fair. Loki does like cats and small dogs. Actually, he likes?—”
She stopped him by leaning in and kissing him. “Palmer?”
“Hm?” he said against her lips.
“Let’s not talk about your dog.”
He chuckled and then quickly rolled over, dislodging Loki from the end of the bed. The dog grunted and then lay in his own bed in the corner of the room.
Being here with Palmer, like this, with his hands slowly causing her skin to burn and heat, she forgot everything else. Time. Place. All of her worries, regrets, fears, everything faded into the background.
She woke to the sound of thunder and the dog whining.
“Loki?” she reached for the dog and lifted the blanket when the dog tried to crawl between them.
“He doesn’t like storms.” Palmer shifted so the dog could hide between them.
“My brother has a ThunderShirt for his dog,” she said. “He swears by it.”
“I know it’s strange but I usually just turn the television on loud and he settles down.” He glanced over at the clock. “But since it’s one in the morning, he’ll have to make do.”
“Here, try this.” She got up and retrieved the top she had worn under her shirt. “It might be small enough.” She sat down and put her shirt on the dog. Sure enough, it was a perfect fit, just a little snug. The dog immediately circled and curled into Palmer’s chest.
“That works great,” Palmer said, sounding surprised. “I’m definitely getting him his own shirt first thing in the morning.”
“First thing?” she teased.
Palmer chuckled and then sighed. “Okay, maybe after some breakfast.”
She lay back down and poked him in the shoulder and then snuggled as close as she could to the dog and the man.
The next time she woke it was to the sound of Palmer taking Loki outside. Before they came back in, she rushed to the bathroom to freshen up. When they did finally step inside from the rainy morning, she was making coffee for them.
Loki happily rushed to her for attention, then stopped and shook raindrops all over the floor.
“He has no inside manners.” Palmer laughed and handed her a towel to dry herself off. When she was done, he wrapped his arms around her. “Morning,” he said after he kissed her.
“Good morning.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His hair was wet from the rain and his eyes were glued to hers. God, he was so amazing. How had they avoided one another till now? Why had they avoided one another?
Then, before she could respond, he lifted her up into his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He backed her into the countertop and pushed aside the empty coffee mugs she’d found in the cupboard. His mouth covered hers, and his hands moved up her thighs, over her hips, around her entire body.
The night before, she had taken the time to appreciate everything about him. Enjoyed exploring his entire body, running her fingertips over every muscle. This morning, however, her patience was low. Her nails scraped against his skin as she yanked at his clothing.
When he finally embedded himself deep in her, a low growl emanated from her chest. She locked her ankles around him as the kisses and movements softened.
“Mine,” she thought she heard him say softly against her chest as she fell over the edge. Mine , she thought in return.
Half an hour later, she watched Palmer pile thick ham slices onto his plate from his air fryer. “Parker and Sara took me to Ireland my senior year and ever since then, this is bacon.” He motioned to his plate and winked at her. “How many slices?”
“One,” she said as he set two on her plate. “One.” She tried to pull her plate away.
“Trust me, you’ll be back for seconds.” He added eggs to his plate.
“I’m surprised you don’t have beans,” she joked.
“Oh?” His eyebrows shot up. “Have you been to Ireland?”
“Scotland,” she said. “Once, before… I moved to Pride. I went with my mother.” She fought back the sadness and pasted on a smile as she sat down at the bar top. “It’s the other half of our heritage, apparently.”
“You don’t have to do that, you know,” he said, sitting next to her.
“What?” she asked, trying to avoid his gaze.
His fingers gently nudged her chin until she was looking into his eyes. His thumb brushed the tear that had slid down her cheek as she’d remembered the week she’d spent in Edinburgh with her mother. The fun they’d had exploring the old town with the castle on the hill. All the wonderful food they’d had, the shopping, the laughter.
“Mask your sorrow. It’s okay to be sad. Your mother was pretty amazing.” He smiled slightly at her. “You were lucky to have wonderful times with her.”
She nodded, knowing his past. Suddenly she felt selfish and spoiled for having at least one loving parent in her childhood.
“See, there you go, now you’re feeling guilty.” He shook his head. “You don’t have to hide your feelings from me.”
In the next few moments, something changed inside Sophia. Words, feelings, pain that she’d never expected to let loose flowed from her until her dried tears stained her cheeks and her chest felt strangely much lighter.
Palmer held her, listening to every word while she finally unleashed everything she’d been holding onto for months. She let everything go for probably the first time in her life.
“I didn’t mean to unload on you,” she said between sniffles.
Palmer chuckled, the sound vibrating against her cheek.
“Trust me, I know how it feels to finally release it all.”
She leaned back and wiped her eyes so she could see him. “You do?”
He nodded. “After I came to live with my brother, they set me up with a counselor. Well, Parker and I went together. We both had… issues to work through.”
She nodded, understanding completely. “It helped?”
It was his turn to nod. “Very much. I’d never thought that just talking to someone would help. It did. You feel drained, tired, and oddly lighter. Right?”
She assessed her own body, her mind, her heart, before nodding slowly. “Yeah.”
He smiled. “I know just what you need to get over this hump. My official prescription is more coffee, a walk on the beach with an unruly dog, followed by a bowl of ice cream and, after that, a very long nap.” He winked.
“Sounds like a foolproof plan,” she replied, her lips curving into a smile as Loki bounded to the door, tail wagging with excitement.
After a second cup of coffee, they stepped outside, the salty air brushing against her cheeks as they made their way towards the beach. The rain had turned to mist, which danced around the waves. The sunlight barely broke through it, casting an ethereal glow over the shoreline. Loki bolted ahead, a blur of energy, digging in the sand and chasing shadows like his life depended on it.
Sophia stuffed her hands into the pockets of Palmer’s sweats, their familiar warmth a strange but comforting sensation. She glanced at him as they strolled, his easy stride and relaxed demeanor making her feel at ease.
“So, does this prescription work for you too?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Every time,” he said, his voice low and soothing against the sound of the waves. “Especially the walk part. It’s hard to be stressed when you’ve got all this. Emotions tend to stick around, even though you feel like you’ve gotten rid of them by letting them out. They’re annoyingly persistent.” He gestured to the ocean, the horizon stretching endlessly ahead of them. “The view is calming.”
They walked in companionable silence for a while, the rhythmic crash of waves filling the silence between them. When they reached a large piece of driftwood, Palmer slowed and gestured towards it.
“Perfect spot to sit for a bit,” he said.
Sophia perched on the log, drawing her knees up and hugging them as Palmer sat beside her. Loki trotted over and nudged her hand with his muzzle, and she scratched behind his ears.
“This is nice,” she said softly, gazing out at the water.
“It is,” Palmer agreed. “Sometimes you just need to slow down, you know? Let the world spin without you for a little while.”
She turned to him, her chest tightening at the sincerity in his expression. “I think I forgot how to do that,” she admitted.
“Well, consider this your refresher course.” He nudged her shoulder lightly with his.
“With my mother gone, I’ve just buried myself in work. I didn’t think there was time for much more. Now, putting things together for the baby shower, I realize life doesn’t stop. It can’t.” She rested her chin on her knees. “My niece or nephew is going to come along no matter what. The crushing weight of my mother’s absence is felt, there’s no doubt about it, but this child will never feel as deep of a loss for her as we do.”
“They will only get the benefit of the wonderful stories you and your brother tell them about her. In their memories, she’ll be an angel, watching over them, loving them from afar.”
More tears rolled down her cheeks. “That’s a beautiful thought.” She used her coat sleeve to dry her face.
They lingered there, watching the waves roll in and out, until Loki decided it was time to move on. He barked impatiently, a stick in his mouth, wagging his tail like it was the best find in the world.
Sophia laughed and stood. “Guess he’s ready for the next part of the prescription.”
Back at Palmer’s place, the warm lights spilling out from the windows made it feel cozier than ever. She followed him inside as Loki darted to his bed, settling down with the treat that he’d gotten for leaving the prized stick outside.
“I have to head to work,” Palmer said, glancing at the clock. He looked almost apologetic as he grabbed his jacket. “Rain check on the ice cream and nap part?”
Sophia smiled. “Definitely.”
He walked her to her car, lingering at the driver’s side door, as if reluctant to see her go. “Drive safe,” he said, his voice soft. Then he kissed her until she felt her entire body heat.
“Later,” she promised before slipping inside.
On her way home, she pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store. Her heart was set on ice cream, and she’d run out at home a few days ago.
She stepped into the store and took in the familiar place. In the past years, things had changed in the building. The old owner of O’Neil’s Grocery had willed the place to Wyatt Auston. The man had modernized the store with a few new self-checkout registers to go along with the two manned ones. They offered a huge selection of pre-made meals and baked goods that were easily better than anything she could cook.
Today, though, she chose a carton of her favorite ice cream and grabbed a boxed frozen pizza for later.
Back at her place, she put the pizza in the freezer for later and scooped out a generous bowl of ice cream, making sure to put a lot of hot fudge and pecans on top. She turned on a movie and enjoyed her treat, covering herself with a blanket while the movie played.
Maybe Palmer was onto something with his prescription after all. If only he and Loki could be there to spend the rest of the day with her, it would have been the perfect day.