Page 117 of Crimson Love

“I see.” The doctor clears his throat and stands to move to the door. “No offense, Jett, but I hope I don’t hear from you. I’m always happy when my cases turn out as good as this one.”

I reach out to shake his hand. “You changed my life. I appreciate it more than you know. But I also hope I never see you again.”

He smirks. “I wish you all the best.”

Once he leaves, I turn to hold my hand out for Lennon. “You told on me for driving and having sex. I thought I could trust you.”

She takes my hand and comes straight into my arms. “Sorry about the sex part. That was embarrassing, and I couldn’t control it. I knew you were having sex too soon. But I refuse to apologize about telling on you for driving. You did steal my car.”

“I stole your stolen car,” I amend. “That makes it okay.”

I turn to walk out of the doctor’s office. We have a drive back to town. They hardly handle organ transplant cases at the Winslet Community Hospital. We’re almost an hour from home.

Home.

That word hasn’t popped into my head since before I left for bootcamp right out of high school.

We push past the front door and slip on our coats. The snow is no joke in these mountains. We’re getting another dump. Lennon pulls her jacket around her tighter.

I pull her to my side as we walk through the parking lot to keep her warm. “You need a heavier coat.”

“I had no idea how cold it got here. I bought this one thinking it would get me by. Since I haven’t left the confines of the manor in days, I haven’t needed one.”

“I’ll take you shopping after our next stop.”

“What’s the next stop?”

I open the passenger door for her and help her climb in. “We have an appointment with a realtor.”

She stills right before she hooks her seatbelt. “A realtor?”

I shrug. “I can’t live at the manor forever, and despite my recent life changes, I’m a really shitty pet owner at the moment. The animals need a yard. And you’re sure as hell not going back to the library basement. So, yeah, a realtor is on the agenda.”

She’s got one leg out the door, so I stand here in the snow until she comes to terms with our next appointment. I knew this would happen, which is why I didn’t tell her sooner. “What are you going to look at?”

“We have an appointment to see houses in town, though there are only three for sale in Winslet and none of them have a big enough yard or are as private as I’d like. We’re also going to look at land.” I push her the rest of the way in and slam the door.

When I climb in next to her and crank on the heat she turns to me. “Land?”

I put it in reverse and back out of the parking lot. “Winslet is small, and no one ever seems to leave. I’m not trying to be morbid, but unless someone dies, homes rarely go on the market. At least that’s what the realtor told me. But there are a few plots of land for sale outside of town. I’m not sure where we’ll live in the meantime if we decide to build, but we’ll figure that out later.”

She doesn’t say anything and turns to stare out the windshield at the snow coming down in waves.

I keep talking to fill the space. “Then I’m buying you a new coat, hat, and gloves. We’ll find you some boots too. You’re not prepared for winter.”

She continues to sit there in silence. It’s all I can do to keep my eyes on the road and not stare at her.

“Lennon?”

She doesn’t look at me. “Hmm?”

“Baby, say something. You’re giving me PTSD from when you were poisoned. I can’t take the silence.”

She pulls in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to compute the fact that you’re meeting with a realtor and the you turned into a we.” I hit the brakes and pull into another parking lot so I can give her my full attention. “Look at me.”

She turns to me, and her expression is set to worried. “What?”

“Remember just a few hours ago when you asked me to lead you into my dreams?”