Ross
With Benji’s bleating,it was no wonder I couldn’t hear anything. Though that wasn’t the reason I stood outside my shed, staring wide-eyed at my phone. Instead, it was the blood rushing in my ears, making it impossible to think straight or concentrate.
He loved me.
Then the dick went and put the phone down as though it wasn’t a big deal and was something he said every damn day.
The pounding in my ears slowed. My focus shifted to my heart tripping over itself and that flip in my stomach whenever Dan did something that made my whole body want to vibrate with feelings for the man.
A smile spread across my lips.
He loves me.
My laughter sounded abrupt in the wide space, even startling Benji enough to shut him up. I shook my head, grin still in place, already imagining Dan’s reaction once reality smacked into him and he realised what he’d said to me.
No matter how he handled it or played it off, this was a big deal, but hell, I wanted him to say it to my face and not almost on autopilot.
But still.
He. Loved. Me.
And there wasn’t a chance I’d let him take it back.
Not that I expected he would. Even without the slip of those words, I’d hoped, maybe even expected us to be on the same page.
A loud bleat rent the air, reminding me of where I was and what I should be doing.
Dan’s parents had got caught out and needed rescuing. Getting a move on, I threw a tow rope in the tray, not quite sure the condition of their car or what had really happened. I dashed to the house to collect my wallet and keys before heading over to them.
The route was set, and fifteen minutes into the drive, everything seemed smooth sailing. There was a little water at the dip near Brice’s place, but the water markers signalled it was super shallow. I carried on, thinking about Dan and hoping he was okay. Even though he’d sounded a little pissed off about his parents, his concern had radiated down the line. It was understandable, both his frustration and his worry.
Aware the location Dan told me was coming up, I slowed, already assuming that where they were, the road would be cut off.
In Alan’s defence, I’d never known this patch of the road to be so deep you couldn’t cross safely, and I expected he’d assumed the same thing.
I spotted their car in the distance, angled in a ditch, water covering its rear end and reaching the front bumper. Another vehicle was parked this side of the water, a couple of guys talking to who I assumed were Hazel and Alan. As I drew closer, I exhaled. It was definitely Dan’s parents. They were safe.
I could only see the face of one of the men. I didn’t recognise him. He was a little taller than Alan, probably a few years older than me, and sporting a beard that I was a little envious of even from a distance.
He said something to Alan, who laughed, then looked over at me, giving me a wave.
As soon as I pulled up, I hopped out. “You guys okay?”
Hazel took the few steps in my direction and hugged me, giving me a tight squeeze. “Thank you so much for coming to get us. I swear it’s a good job; else I would have hitched a lift and left Alan here.”
I hugged her back, pressing a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, Hazel. No worries. Lucky I headed out then. Who knows what trouble Al would get into else.” I snorted good-naturedly. “Hey, Al.”
Alan sent me an apologetic smile and shook my hand. “Thanks for coming, son. I’ve gotta say, I’m relieved you came and not Dan.”
I laughed. “I’ll bet. Best run for cover when he sees you, though. Not sure he’s going to let you live this down for a while.”
“Don’t I know it.” Alan then glanced in the direction of the blokes who he’d been talking to when I arrived. I followed his line of sight, my eyes widening a fraction when my gaze connected with Nick’s.
“Nick?”
A slight pink spread across his cheeks, and he bobbed his head at me. “Ross. We came across Mr and Mrs Madison here, not realising this way was cut off. They said someone was on their way to collect them.”
“Right, yeah,” I said, pulling myself together from the surprise of seeing him here. A flick of my stare to his side landed on the man I didn’t recognise. Before I could say anything else, a car door opening caught my attention.
