Chapter 51 Jada
“Jada,” someone whispered. “Jada.”
My eyes flared open, my gaze darting around the dark, unfamiliar room.
“Jada, it’s me,” Bryce whispered, and my mind started coming back online. We were in his family bedroom. But he wasn’t lying next to me; he knelt on the floor on my side of the bed.
My eyes strained to see the old-fashioned alarm clock on the nightstand, but it was too dark. “What time is it? Did you fall out of bed?”
“It’s about three,” he whispered. That’s when I realized he was fully dressed in a black pair of sweatpants and a matching hoodie. “Come on, I have a surprise.”
“Can it wait until nine?” I mumbled.
He grinned, perfect teeth catching moonlight. “It could, but it won’t be the same. Trust me.”
I let out a little groan, even though I was becoming more alert with each second that passed. “Okay, I guess so.”
“Great, I have an outfit for you at the foot of the bed. I’ll be waiting in the hallway.”
“An outfit?” I asked through my hazy thoughts, but Bryce was already going out the door, giving me privacy to change. Rubbing sleep from my eyes, I got up and looked at the black pile amongst the blankets.
It was another pair of sweats, almost identical to his. But he’d gone as far as including a pair of fuzzy socks and slip-on sneakers.
Had he been this thoughtful? I wondered. Or was that Maya?
And what was this exactly? The clothes were appropriate for some kind of late-night heist and not much else.
Fortunately, they fit perfectly—something I wasn’t used to experiencing in my big and tall body. A small flutter of gratitude went through me for that.
When I opened the bedroom door, I found Bryce leaning against the wall in the hallway just as he promised. Then, he whispered, “Follow me.”
I did as he asked, noting the steps he took on the way downstairs.
It seemed like he knew how to avoid all the creaks in this old house, which was so at odds with his Boy Scout persona.
Bryce Madigan sneaking out at night? Breaking the rules set by his seemingly strict father?
The thought intrigued me more than it should have.
We quietly made our way outside, and he led me to his truck under the glow of a buzzing floodlight. Finally, not worried about anyone hearing us, I asked, “Bryce Madigan, why are you so good at sneaking out?”
He held the passenger door open for me with a gleam in his midnight eyes. “I was young once.”
My lips twitched because this was the first time I felt young in a long time.
I got in the truck, and he shut the door for me. As he walked along the front of the cab, I admired his profile catching all the pale light of the moon—strong jaw, statuesque nose, a head full of short, thick hair. He was incredibly handsome, and it struck me that he was mine.
He got in and put the truck in drive. I was tired still, so I sank back in the seat, watching his headlights pan over dirt roads.
The truck was already blissfully warm, hot air pouring from the vents.
The warmth and the subtle bounce of the road were helping me fall back asleep.
But when he started to turn off the road onto nothing but grass, I sat bolt upright. “Bryce, the road is that way.”
With a low chuckle, he said, “I know where I’m going.”
My eyebrows rose. “You’re taking this nice pickup off the road on purpose?”
“That’s what trucks are made for,” he countered, easily steering through the illuminated pasture. Small animals scurried out of the light, and I even saw a tuft of black fur with a white stripe down its back. “A skunk!” I cried out excitedly. I’d never seen one in real life before.
Everyone acted like Texas was this big Wild West wonderland, but all I knew of Texas were the cities I’d lived in.
Bryce said, “Hopefully it doesn’t...” Then a strange smell filled the cab. “Spray us.”
“I thought skunk smell was supposed to be the worst in the world?” This wasn’t pleasant, but my eyes weren’t exactly watering either.
“It’s not so bad when it’s dissipating like this, but close up?
” He shuddered. “One time, Dad’s old dog Gracie got sprayed, and we thought something had died.
Searched the whole damn house for an animal that holed up and rotted, only for her to plop in my lap, stinking to high heaven.
She got dish soap and peroxide baths twice a day for a week before the stench went away. ”
I chuckled at the thought of Bryce and his four brothers taking turns giving their dog a spa day. “Sounds fun,” I said sarcastically.
“Totally.”
We hit a bump that bounced me nearly out of my seat, and my hand flew to the handle by the door.
“Sorry about that,” he murmured.
“Guess that’s what happens when you go off the road!”
Chuckling, he said, “Don’t worry. We’ll be there soon.”
I nodded, but kept a firm hold on the handle.
I wouldn’t admit it, but it was kind of fun to be exploring like this.
In high school and college, I used to go on midnight excursions with my friends, but adult life was different.
You worked, you came home. Every now and then, you went to a club and let your hair down for a night.
Whimsy and adventure like this were rare. At least, they used to be.
“Here we are,” Bryce said, putting his truck in park.
Looking out my window showed more of the countryside, ghostly in the moonlight, but then I turned and looked out his window and saw a pond with a rowboat resting in the mostly still water. Only a few ripples broke up the surface, reflecting his headlights and a half moon overhead.
He turned off the truck, washing us in silvery darkness.
I pushed the door open, looking in the grass for any hiding skunks before stepping down. Then I glanced up and nearly gasped. I’d never seen so many stars before. They dotted the sky like God had taken a paintbrush, loaded it with white paint, and splattered it at an inky black canvas.
Just then, a streak of light shot across the sky. A shooting star! My lips tipped into a giddy smile. I’d never seen one before!
A deep sense of longing filled me—I’d make sure baby girl got to see things like this in her life too.
Footsteps sounded in the grass before I heard Bryce’s voice near me. “I always miss the stars when I’m in the city.”
I glanced over at him, seeing his head tipped back, moonlight washing out his pale skin. “It’s a different world,” I agreed. I could see why he loved his home so much. The expanse of untouched countryside exuded wonder and magic.
As my gaze slid over him, I noticed a bag hitched over his shoulder. “What’s this?” I gestured at it.
His eyes twinkled like they belonged in the sky. “Part of the surprise.”