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It sounds far away, like someone’s calling me from outside my bubble of sleepiness.
“Hmm?” I murmur without opening my eyes.
“We fell asleep. It’s four o’clock in the morning.”
“Good, let’s go back to sleep.”
I snuggle a little closer, throwing an arm over his stomach.
“I think you’d be more comfortable in your bed. My neck’s sore from sleeping on this little couch.”
“Carry me to bed?”
“Anything for you, sweetheart.”
A kiss is placed on my forehead, then I'm lifted into the air like I weigh nothing at all. My hand clutches his shirt, finding hard muscle beneath my fingertips.
Wait…
Chad doesn’t have a firm chest. He’s not unfit, it’s just he doesn’t care enough to dedicate steady time to sculpting his body like this.
Slowly I blink my eyes open, gazing up at the man carrying me like I'm the most precious thing in his life.
“Nixon?” My voice comes out breathless.
“I’ve got you, Savvy. Go back to sleep.”
He pulls back my covers and lays me in the center of the bed then covers me back up. I drift back off to sleep quickly and fall into a dream about the man who’s owned my heart my entire life. It’s the best night’s sleep I’ve gotten in years.
Chapter 18
Nixon
I run a hand through my hair and let out a sigh. I forgot what it was like to hold Savvy in my arms. I forgot how she brings this sense of calm into my world whenever she’s around. I forgot how much I missed her.
Tugging my shirt over my head, I toss it on the floor. I fell asleep so much earlier than I normally would, but I'm exhausted just the same. I unbutton my jeans and let them fall to my ankles before I drop down on the side of the bed and carefully remove my prosthesis.
I'm more than thankful I’ve gotten so used to it that no one really knows I'm missing most of my leg. It’s what kept me away from Savvy. It’s what made me push away almost everyone I’ve ever known. I don’t want sympathy. I don’t want pity. I just want my life to go back to normal.
After I lost my leg, I fell into a deep pit of depression. I was barely nineteen years old when my life as I knew it came crashing down around me. I could no longer do simple things like squat down to pick something up off the floor. I can't just get up in the middle of the night and walk to the bathroom. Everything takes more time; more effort, and it was a lot to get used to.
For so long I wished I had just died when the truck exploded. Knowing I'd have to deal with my injury for the rest of my life was a hard pill to swallow. Looking back, I'm disappointed in myself. I was one of the lucky ones who survived. I might have lost a limb, but in comparison to some of my buddies, that’s nothing. I can live a normal life without my leg, I just needed to learn how to cope with my disability and I have.
I'm just as strong as I once was. I’m just as driven to get what I want in life. I'm almost the same person I was the last time I laid eyes on Savannah Catalino.
Sleep claims me once again almost seconds after my head hits the pillow. I slip into a dream about the blue-eyed woman in the room next to me. My dreams are always about her. But I guess that makes sense to dream about the one thing your mind is constantly focused on.
Even if she’s been an afterthought for the last few years, somewhere stored into the deep recesses of my brain, she’s been my goal. She’s what I’ve been striving for. Without her, I'm not sure I would’ve gotten through therapy for my leg or depression. I'm not sure I’d be the man I am today. I got better, I trained, I worked my ass off to become a man she’d be proud of. One deserving of the beautiful woman she’s become.
My eyes fly open when I hear movement on the patio. I rub the sleep from my eyes and push myself into a sitting position. The sun is just barely over the horizon, casting the world in a soft glow.
I massage the sore muscles of my stump; I normally don’t stand for as long as I have been lately. It’s not that I can't do it, I just need to work my way up to it.
Getting dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a Marine Corps sweatshirt, I head out on the balcony and smile when I find Savvy bundled up on the couch just like she was last night.
“If I didn’t put you to bed myself, I’d think you never moved from this spot.” I smirk. She doesn’t even glance up at me, she’s too engrossed in her studying.
“Don’t judge me. You know how I get,” she mumbles, flipping the card in her hands over.
