Chapter 8 Taylor #3
placing trays with bowls of popcorn on the bed.
Austin came over to where she stood lounging in the doorway. “I didn’t make the root beer floats yet. I’ll do it when I get out of the shower.”
She reached up and ran her hands over his sculpted chest. “I can make them. That way we can just start the movie.”
“You keep that up, we’ll be starting something else.”
Her hands stilled, and she slowly dropped them. “Since I know neither of us is ready for that yet, I’m just going to keep
my hands to myself, tip on out of here, and go make the drinks.” She lifted one finger and did exactly that, his laughter
trailing her.
Once she finished, they curled up in his bed with their snacks and started the movie. The two of them laughed, sang, danced,
and quoted nearly the entire movie. Taylor laughed so hard that by the time it ended, her side ached. Afterward, they talked
into the wee hours of the night.
Taylor woke with a start, and it took a moment for her to get her bearings.
Why am I still in Austin’s bed? She must have fallen asleep.
The space next to her was empty, and she reached for her phone to check the time.
Ten o’clock! And where was Austin? She flipped the covers back—he must have pulled them over her—and went to the bathroom to clean up.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Austin said as she exited the bathroom.
“Good morning. What time did you get up?”
“I slept in until eight.”
She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Eight is not sleeping in. That’s just ridiculous.”
He smiled and shrugged. “Military life. I can’t sleep in as much as I used to.”
“I guess.” Taylor loved the days she had a chance to sleep in and took full advantage of them. “What time do you want to leave?”
“I started breakfast when I heard you get up, so we can eat and take off afterward.”
She patted his cheek. “Aw. You’re so sweet. That’s why I like you.”
“Is that the only reason you like me?”
“No. You’re smart, a true friend. You make me smile when I’m sad or upset, listen without judging, help me think things through.”
Taylor placed a hand on his chest. “And you have the most amazing heart.” She came up on tiptoe and brushed her lips across
his. As she started down the hall to her bedroom, she paused and turned back. “It doesn’t hurt that you’re sexy as hell.”
Tossing him a bold wink, she continued to the room. She’d shared only a fraction of the reasons she liked him, and the list
seemed to grow longer the more time they spent together.
Later, as they strolled hand in hand on the beach, Taylor felt a contentment that had been missing from all her previous relationships.
With Austin, she could be herself without worrying about how her actions would be perceived. They didn’t need to fill every
moment with conversation, and everything was simply . . . easy.
After stopping a few times to take pictures of themselves together, Austin said, “Let’s sit for a minute.” He unrolled the
blanket, sat, pulled her to sit between his outstretched legs, and wrapped his arms around her. “We need to talk.”
A frisson of fear crawled up her spine. “Are you getting ready to be deployed to somewhere dangerous?” She tried not to worry about something happening to him, but she failed most of the time.
She’d already lost the two most important people in her life, and she didn’t know what she would do if she lost Austin too.
One part of her wondered if it would be safer not getting involved, but she realized that whether or not they were involved romantically, she would still be brokenhearted if something happened to him.
“That could be a possibility sometime down the line, and I promise to do everything I can to stay safe. But what I wanted
to talk about is what being with me while I’m in the military will be like.”
Taylor believed he would, but she recognized that he wouldn’t be able to control every circumstance, and it scared her. Rather
than give a voice to those fears, she said, “You make it sound like it’ll be different than it already has been.”
“The difference this time is our relationship has changed. There will be times when I can’t tell you where I am or where I’m
going to be, and we may not be able to talk. While we were just friends, it wasn’t a problem.” He shifted her until she was
sitting across his lap. Tilting her chin, he held her gaze. “But as the woman who is quickly taking over my heart, I need
you to know that wherever I am, you’re with me. Hopefully there will come a time when you’ll be with me in some of those places,
but even if you can’t, you’ll never have to wonder whether I’m thinking of someone else. I won’t. I can’t. You’re everything
I’ve always known I needed but was afraid to hope for, and I don’t take that lightly. During those times that we can’t talk,
know that I’m still thinking about you and counting the days until I can hold you again. You will never be out of my mind, heart, or soul. You’re mine, Tay, and you will always be mine.”
Taylor couldn’t hold back the tears. No one had ever said anything so powerful and meaningful in her entire life.
“I love you so much, Austin. You’ll never be out of my mind, heart, or soul either,” she said on a broken sob.
“I know we won’t always be able to be together, and I can deal with that because I know you’re coming back to me.
” The night they decided to try this dating thing, when he’d suggested that maybe things hadn’t worked out with other people because it was their time, she’d thought, Maybe.
Now she knew for certain. No other man made her feel the way Austin did.
Not one of them could make her happier, could make
her smile so much, and feel safe and cared for like he did. Taylor wanted forever with him, and she prayed they’d have it.