Force of Nature Read Online Free Page B

it on my nightstand and turning
off the light. Crawling under the covers, I laid my head against the pillow.
Aiden laid back, settling his head close to mine. His hand found mine beneath
the blanket.
    “You’re taking
very good care of me.”
    “I like taking
care of you.”
    I smiled as he
pressed a soft kiss to my nose.
    “Do you think my
dad likes you?”
    “I think so.”
    “I hope so,” I
said, my voice hazy with fatigue. “Otherwise, he might shoot you when he finds
you in my bed.”
    Aiden chuckled
and pulled me close. I could barely keep my eyes open.
    “It’s a chance
I’ll take,” he whispered.
    * * *
    One week had
passed since the horrible tornadoes ripped through our town. In the end, twelve
deaths had been reported and millions of dollars in property destroyed. It was
seven days later, and I still couldn’t watch the news. However, among the
devastation were some definite silver linings.
    Rescuers had
worked tirelessly to free victims from the wreckage, and that was how Chloe and
Brandon had been found. Chloe had somehow escaped the storm on campus and had
headed east to Brandon’s apartment just outside the city limits. The storm
followed her, and they had been forced to seek refuge in Brandon’s tiny
bathroom. Both escaped with minor injuries and were released from the hospital
the next day. They had been staying with his parents ever since, which
explained why Chloe had never returned to her dorm. She had tried to call my
cell, but of course, it was buried in the rubble of the library. When landline
service was restored in my neighborhood, the first call I had made was to
Chloe. We’d both cried uncontrollably until both of our boyfriends had to take
our phones away.
    That’s another
silver lining.
    I have the most
incredible boyfriend in the world.
    For six nights,
he had remained by my side. That second day, my mom had returned home. She
loved him immediately and convinced my dad to let Aiden stay with me in my
room. We were adults, after all, and he had more than proven himself to my
parents. He was required to check in with his mom and dad once a day. A phone
call wasn’t enough, so most nights, he had dinner with his folks before
returning to our house. Mom said she understood completely. After a week like
this one, a mother just needed to see her kid with her own eyes to make sure he
was safe and sound.
    I’ll understand
someday, she says.
    Slowly but
surely, our town was coming back to life. So was I, which was a good thing,
because I was officially head over heels in love.
    I think I always
had been, and it had just taken something as monumental as nearly losing our
lives to put things into proper perspective for both of us. We’d wasted a lot
of time, and now that we’d been given a grim reminder that life is far too
short, we decided from that moment on not to waste one single second.
    We spent our nights
up in my room. He’d play his guitar, and I’d sing along. Our voices blended in
perfect harmony, which shouldn’t have been surprising at all.
    Together, we
were perfect.
    Together, we
were complete.
    “Are you ready?”
Mom asked as I finished dabbing my lips with strawberry gloss.
    I looked at my
reflection in the mirror and smiled softly. The girl in the mirror was not the
same girl from a week ago. This week had forever changed me. Now, I was
thinking about my choices in life and what I wanted to do with the rest of it.
I loved music, and I loved Aiden, but maybe there was more to love. Making
beautiful music was a gift, and I’d always want to do it, but maybe, just
maybe, there was something else I could do . . . something that could really
make a difference in the world.
    “I’m ready,” I
said.
    Mom smiled
brightly at me before we made our way down the stairs. It was ridiculous how
excited I was about tonight. Despite the fact that we’d made out twice in the
basement that night, Aiden decided that we needed to start over. Slow down. Do
things right.
    So tonight