The Defender (The Carrier Series Book 2) Read Free

spot
to be.
    Nolan lowered his face into my hair, inhaled deeply, and loudly
exhaled. I knew he was smelling my hair—a habit of his that I treasured. “Let’s
go over there before I chicken out,” he said.
    Ah ha. So he felt a little nervous as
well.
    Nolan let go of my back, grabbed my shoulders, and held me at
arm’s length. “Ava Gardner, you are the reason for my existence. I swear to
heaven above that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from evil.”
    I giggled a little. “Safe from evil? Sounds like a comic book
line.”
    “You’d be surprised how much this life resembles the world of
comic books.” He gently kissed my lips, making my knees wonderfully weak, and
then grabbed my left hand and led me off in the direction of the train tracks.
    Today the sky was a brilliant blue backdrop to the fluffy white
clouds. A gentle breeze with a tiny bite of cold Wisconsin air blew the hair
from my shoulders. It was a beautiful fall day by anyone’s standards. The
trees’ leaves were just beginning to display their gorgeous colors, and I could
faintly hear a tour boat chugging its way down the Wisconsin River off in the
distance.
    As we crossed the train tracks, I could feel Nolan’s hand begin to
shake in mine. He was the one who stabbed me, but it was a warranted part of a
desperate plan to save my life from a sinister man who thought I was a hardened
criminal. Messed up? Yes, I knew. But even so, last summer was a chapter of my
life that I wouldn’t change for anything. It was one that helped me find the
love of my life. I wanted nothing more than to be with Nolan Hill for the rest
of my days, and I was pretty sure he felt the exact same way.
    The thick, green screen of trees and bushes that hid the entrance
to Make Out Rock in the summer was now lying in heaps of red and yellow leaves
at the foot of bare branches, leaving the entrance exposed and open. We easily
found the deep-cut pathway and scaled our way down to the top of the towering
rock ledge.
    Partway down I stopped dead in my tracks as my mind quickly
flashed back to that dark night. Nolan felt me draw back, and stopped his
momentum to wrap his arms around my body. My knees began to shake and my
stomach turned over, but at the same time I knew this was a mental hurdle I’d
have to jump over.
    Nolan began to rub the side of my arms and kissed my forehead
sweetly. “Maybe I was wrong. Let’s get out of here. We can visit in a few
months.”
    I looked up through the tears forming in my eyes. How was I lucky
enough to love someone who loved me even more in return? I wanted him to understand.
“No, Nolan. I want to do this.” I looked down at the ground, gravity pulling a
tiny tear out of my eye. “Although that was the worst night of my life, I need
to be here with you now. To prove to myself that I can move on.” The daggers
were still dancing in my stomach.
    Nolan’s blue eyes glittered in the autumn sunlight. He placed his
fingers on my jawline, stroking my chin with his thumb. I felt like melting
right into his hand. He opened his mouth to speak a few times but said nothing.
    Finally he said, “I would feel humbled and gracious if you could
find it within yourself to someday forgive me and trust me once more. I know it
will take time, but I am willing to wait as long as it takes.”
    Then before I could answer, he slowly pulled me in and held his
lips half an inch from mine. His warm breath lingered on my mouth, and I wanted
so much for him to go the rest of the distance, but he held his position,
teasing me carefully. Right as I was ready to go in for the touchdown myself,
he sensed my impatience, and kissed me with a lot of emotion.
    I led Nolan by the hand to the middle of the rock ledge, and we
both sat down. The familiar beauty of the Dells had calmed my breathing, and I
could feel the daggers backing off. A deep, cleansing breath of the natural air
refreshed my lungs. I watched the gentle, swirling brown water flow down