One Spring Night

Chapter Thirteen

The storm continued pounding against the windows, leaving trails of reflective diamonds to drip down the glass. And rather than leaving marks of hard edges, the sparkling wet created a safe haven for Ben and Kara, a barrier between them and the cold, Kara thought.

A barrier that allowed her to remember what it had been like.

She'd let herself forget what it felt like to care for a man. She'd forgotten what it felt to feel this good. And from her toes to her fingertips, life—the delicious rush of it—flooded her.

As her mind meandered, she watched the glow from her outdoor lights shimmy through the bold drops. The array of plump prisms clinging proudly to the glass, illuminating the bedroom as if it were their golden purpose to give light, she imagined.

Ben slept soundly beside her. She had too, at least for a while. Then she'd awoken in the darkest dip of night. It was her heart that had caused her to open her eyes, to notice the light, the life inside of her veins. It was her heart that beat steadily, heating her heartily.

And then she realized what she was feeling—that same warmth that had overcome her the day Josh died. That same rush of heat and happiness radiated from her core, and she knew. She knew he was giving his nod of approval.

Maybe she was making it up in her head—she was a writer, after all, and was paid to make things up. But the logic of it mattered little. What she felt flew freely outside the bounds of reason, and she let it.

He was giving his nod and saying goodbye.

Tears spilled down, dripping from her eyes, only she was smiling.

"You're crying," Ben said sleepily, rolling onto his side.

"Sorry to wake you."

He reached a hand over, gently interrupting the stream of tears.

She laughed soggily, embarrassed at the ridiculousness of crying yet again. "I promise I don't generally cry this much. I'm feeling pretty confident that tomorrow I won't cry even once."

He pulled her close so that her head rested on the pillow beside his. "What were you thinking about?"

"I was just letting my mind wander, really. But then I felt this sensation of warmth, really strong, steady warmth, and I felt happy. Inside and out, I felt happy. And it..." She sniffed, palmed away a couple more tears.

"Josh," Ben said.

"Yeah. It was that same feeling."

"Kara," he started, blowing out a breath. "I told you I didn't want to rush you and I meant it. But to be fair to myself, I think I'm going to head home, let you be."

"No, no," she laid her arm over him to keep him from sitting up. "I'm sorry. I'm a storyteller, you'd think I'd get to the point faster. Anyway, what I mean to say is that, I think Josh would've liked you. A lot. And, not that that matters, of course, but I kind of feel like he was saying goodbye. Or maybe I'm making all this up, but that really doesn't matter to me.

"You're an incredible man, Ben Roberts. You're your own man, not like anyone else. And I definitely didn't make you up. You're a better character than one I ever could have written. You're better than fiction, Ben Roberts."

He rolled back to face her, nose to nose.

"And I want to be with you," she continued. "I want to be with you, but you should know some things. I can absolutely promise you that one, I'm as good of a cook as I am a gardener, which is to say I'm terrible at both. I'm okay with things like grilled cheese and pizza, but that's pretty much the extent of my culinary skills. Two, I truly don't cry nearly this much; today was just an exceptional day. Three, I write. A lot. And it's important to me. And I can be a little bit like a bear protecting her cub about it."

"That much I know. I've heard you growl a few times at the pub when some unsuspecting person approaches."

"It's true. And four, I love my family with my whole heart. But, when you meet them, you should be prepared to be thoroughly interrogated by my brothers."

Ben removed a stray hair from her face, skimming a hand on her cheek. "I can handle it. Anything else?"

"Well, despite all of that, I also promise you that I'm in this with you, as you asked."

She let the important words sink in and settle, then couldn't help but smile. "The way I see it, not much has changed. I mean, really, I'll still see you every day, but now I also get sex in addition to dinner at the pub. Pretty good deal," she said a little defiantly, teasing.

Laughing, he scooped her forward, rolled her to lie on top of him. She rested her chin on his chest, the smoky gray of her sparkling eyes opening wide, letting in the light that reflected.

"I'll agree with you that it's been an exceptional day," he told her. "And I don't care that you don't cook—that's what I keep Beckett around for. Plus, that grilled cheese was incredible. Regarding your work, your focus is inspiring actually. I think I might want to write my own book."

"Really?"

"Absolutely not. I'm a terrible writer. Even my text messages are generally misspelled. I'll leave the writing to you."

She studied the way his lips moved when he spoke, listening to his deep voice that was at once playful and sincere.

"And, while I know you were at least sort of kidding about getting dinner along with sex, I'd say I feel the same. Except I'd reverse the order. Sex definitely rates a higher ranking."

"You're completely right. Or, maybe we should try eating grilled cheese while having sex next time. See if they can share top billing."

"You have brilliant ideas."

After a breath, her smile faded as she looked deep into the golden brown that looked back at her. "I do want to say I'm sorry for...well, for talking so much about my life before you with another man. I know you asked about it, but the emotion of it was just under the surface today. I think everything with my brother, all those emotions, they sort of triggered everything, and it all bubbled up together. Not a lot of people would've been as understanding as you were."

"Kara, emotions aren't a bad thing when they're honest and not used as a weapon. My mom tended to use emotions as a tool to get what she wanted. But if you're feeling something, feel it and show it. I'm not scared of honesty. And I'm not going anywhere."

"You really are a superhero, Ben Roberts."

"Good thing superheroes get the girl," he said, pulling her forward, meeting her mouth with a kiss.

Pliant, their bodies melded together, moving as one. And with the storm that still plundered around them, they held tight to one another, ready to ride out whatever came their way. Together.

~The End~

SPECIAL NOTE TO READERS: Thank you so much for reading One Spring Night! As a reminder, each book in the One Night Collection is a standalone novella, featuring new characters with a story all their own, that takes place over the course of one night. The exception to this is One Summer Night which features a fun roundup of all the main characters in the collection as they come together for a fabulous Fourth of July celebration.

One Night Collection

ONE AUTUMN NIGHT

ONE WINTER NIGHT

ONE SPRING NIGHT

ONE SUMMER NIGHT