"Stop looking at me like that, or I'm going to get mad", Brad threatened, scowling at his love.
Paige had her brow furrowed and kept scrutinizing his face when she thought he wasn't looking.
"You have a bruise", she grumbled, looking guilty.
"I've had worse".
"Steve and Bre will notice".
Brad stopped rummaging through the shoes by the front door and stood, meeting her eyes.
"What do you want to tell them?", he asked.
"The truth, I suppose. Or, most of it, I guess. That I had a nightmare and accidentally elbowed you in the face...except it wasn't really an accident".
"It was", Brad insisted.
"Not really. I mean, I was half asleep still, and didn't realize it was you...but I was really trying to hurt you".
"Only because you thought I was that bastard".
"Right", she admitted.
She still hadn't told him the details of the dream and he hadn't pushed.
"Let's go", she said, motioning to the front door. Brad snagged his running shoes and stepped aside for Paige to grab hers. He set the house alarm and they started out walking toward the river path. They could get on it a couple blocks away and it made for a beautiful run. Today was a perfect spring day. No clouds and an estimated high of sixty eight.
After a block of walking, Paige started running, and he matched her pace. He always let her set the pace, for several reasons. He preferred for her to not run alone, if at all possible, he didn't want to her to push herself and get injured, and it gave him a good indication of how she was feeling inside. The faster and harder she ran, the rougher she was doing mentally.
He was incredibly proud of how far she had come- mentally, emotionally, and physically. She was getting strong in every area, but that didn't mean he didn't still worry about her.
Today was already a fast pace, but it was a controlled fast, not a desperate one. She didn't talk, so he let her just run, and ran by her side.
They made it to the end of their normal route and she quickly turned and headed back without slowing. Brad easily matched her pace but she didn't seem to be tiring, either.
When they made it back to where they had gotten on the path, she stopped running and started walking, breathing hard and continuing back home.
"Great endurance today, babe", he complimented her, wrapping one long arm around her shoulders.
"Thanks", she replied. "Are you going to go farther?"
Sometimes he would continue on the trail back the other direction for awhile as she started walking.
"Nah, I'll get enough of a workout today helping Steve with drywall".
"For sure", she agreed.
When they got back, they took a shower together, then had a snack before Brad gathered the tools he thought he would need, and they headed over to Steve's.
...........................................................................
Bre opened the front door when Brad and Paige arrived, and Maggie scooted out onto the porch, her entire body wiggling with excitement.
"Maggie!", Paige squealed, exploding out of the passenger side of the Durango and meeting Maggie at the bottom of the porch steps.
Paige immediately dropped to her knees and gave Maggie rubs and hugs, and kisses on her smooth golden head, as Maggie wrapped herself in circles and tried to lick her face.
YOU ARE READING
The Neverending Hangover
Romance*Second in the Fire Whiskey series* 'I had been amazed at the connection Brad and I had, and our connection was inexplicable, but this with Rev was something else. It was different but just as impressive. Was I cursed or blessed to have two amazing...
