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Me too, buddy. Me too.
Back in the house, Spartan goes to the couch and grooms himself. Suppose licking his coat clean is his form of preparation. Whatever. If it keeps him out of my hair while I make dinner, I won’t complain.
I get to work on dinner. Tonight’s meal will be easier than usual, so I get more time with Autumn. From the freezer, I grab a bag of waffle fries. Then grab the turkey burger patties I set in the fridge to thaw. After setting the temperatures on the oven and stove, I toss the fries on a baking sheet and take the burgers out of the package.
Once both start cooking, I grab the pretzel buns and burger toppings. I slice up tomato, onion, and pickle, then tear up a few leaves of lettuce.
Just as I close the oven door after stirring the fries, Spartan barks like a banshee.They are here.I turn down the burner and head to the door. The second I open it, Spartan shoves past me, practically knocking me on my ass, and runs for Clementine.
“Sparty!” Clementine hugs his neck while Spartan licks her like a fiend.
“Let’s go inside, pumpkin.”
“Sparty, come on. You heard Mama, let’s go inside.” And just like that, Spartan runs into the house with Clementine on his haunches.
I open the door farther and let Autumn pass. She looks like my girl but exhausted as hell. Maybe more drained than me. The dark half-moons under her eyes appear tattooed like permanent makeup. Her cognac irises more transparent than usual; as if the fire in them almost burned out. And her frame seems thinner, cheeks more hollow, lips less pouty.
Seeing Autumn like this wrecks me. Tears me limb from limb. Going forward, I don’t care what the hell is happening, we won’t spend this much time apart. Not when it slowly crushes us all.
I shut the door and turn to face Autumn. Before either of us says a word, Autumn steps into me and wraps her arms around my waist. Without hesitation, I snake one arm around her center while the other presses her close to my heart. Resting my cheek on her hair, I inhale deeply and bask in her perfume. One that has slowly faded from my sheets. One that reminded me she was here not so long ago. Time ticks on as we stand unmoving near the door. We shift to inch closer together but don’t move otherwise.
Too soon, I lift my cheek from her hair and inch back slightly. Autumn peeks up, her lips a breath away from mine, and I see a hint of the fire returning to her intoxicating irises.
“Hey,” I whisper, gaze locked on hers.
“Hi,” she whispers back. “Missed you.”
“Missed you more.”
A small half smile perks up the corner of her mouth before she pushes up on her toes and presses her lips to mine. Warm and soft. Exactly as I remember.
Autumn kisses me sweetly as she curls her fingers in the cotton of my shirt. I frame her face and trace my tongue across the seam of her lips. As if we kissed thousands of times, Autumn opens up for me and tangles her tongue with mine. The kiss is slow and meticulous while we taste each other for the first time in far too long.
Far sooner than preferable, I break the kiss. Autumn slowly opens her eyes and stares up at me with hunger for something other than food. As much as I want to gift her that, now is not the time.
“Come on.” I take her hand and start toward the kitchen. “Help me finish dinner.”
I flip the burgers one last time and add cheese to each. Autumn gets plates from the cabinet and starts assembling toppings and condiments for everyone. Once the fries come out, we add the patties and fries to the plates and sit down to eat. Spartan whines as I go to sit, reminding me he needs his dinner too.
Over dinner, Clementine shares all the school stories I missed throughout the week. She tells me about one boy who always picks on her—says her clothes are weird or she doesn’t have normal hair. I softly chuckle and tell her that is what boys do when they secretly like girls. The face she makes—as if a foul smell sits under her nose—is the cutest thing ever. Oh, how I missed my girls.
Once we finish eating, I set the plates in the sink and tell Autumn to ignore them. Clementine and Spartan get cozy on the chaise as we find a movie to watch. As the intro ofFinding Nemolights up the screen, I lie on the couch and create space for Autumn to lie beside me. Rather than lie with her back to my front, she settles in so we are face to face.
Minutes pass and neither of us says a word. We simply lie here and study the patterns of the others’ irises. I get lost in the swirl of honey and cognac and love. Memorize the fan of her lashes and arch of her brow. Autumn leans in, lifts her hand to cup my cheek, and I close my eyes a beat before our lips connect.
The kiss is soft. Gentle. A reminder of the connection we share. It isn’t lust driven. Not one ounce of it. The root of our bond is incomprehensible. Stardust and luster and vitality. An invisible force of life and love.
I break the kiss and hold her gaze. Although I could keep my lips on hers for days, I also want more than just the physical. I need to know her heart. “How are you?” I whisper-ask.
Her eyes drop to my lips as she swallows. “Better now. Until my appointment yesterday, I couldn’t catch my breath. Thought everyone I loved would be stolen from me.”
I lift a hand to her cheek and stroke a thumb across her more prominent cheekbone. “Won’t let that happen.” And I mean it. With every ounce of strength I possess—mentally, emotionally, physically—I will not let anyone hurt Autumn. Or Clementine. Ever.
“How can you be so sure?”
I lower my hand and press my palm to the left of her sternum. For a moment, I stare at my hand as it cradles her heart. “Autumn, you and Clementine mean more to me than anyone.Anyone.” Her eyes glass over as she tucks her lips between her teeth and swallows. “No matter what obstacles pop up, I will be here to help you, to help us, overcome them.”
She releases her lips as a tear rolls over the bridge of her nose and splashes on the couch. “But what if he t-takes her?” she croaks out.
