As an up-and-coming social media influencer, Sadie Dwyer has had enough of the expectations thrust upon her and is finally ready to start living life on her own terms. Goodbye cushy corporate finance job, goodbye Los Angeles, and hello fresh start...
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When I woke up the next morning, the pain in my leg had subsided for the most part. Sadie had been right the night before that I'd overworked myself the last couple of days, not lessening my workouts in the slightest as I threw the rest of my energy—mental and physical—into the Veteran Appreciation Night. Plus, being on my feet for the majority of the night had definitely been a change of routine for me as well. All of that had compounded together, resulting in a less than stellar evening.
Small pricks of pain had started rearing their ugly heads in the early afternoon, though they weren't unbearable. I'd simply popped a pain pill, taken off my prosthetic, and then sat in front of the television for a few hours with an ice pack, hoping that would put the aches to rest. But the discomfort started building once more after Sadie had arrived, and by the time our plates had been scraped clean, there was no hiding the agony I was in.
While I wished that she didn't have to see me like that—weak and in distress—I was also thankful that she'd been around to help. That she'd seen me trying to pull away and stayed. I hadn't expected it, but the way she didn't seem to mind just being there for support—caring for me right up until we'd laid down next to one another and fell asleep—meant more to me than she knew.
Thinking of Sadie, I rolled over under the covers and reached to the other side of the bed to pull her into my chest, though my hand met only the empty sheets. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was indeed alone, but from the strong smell of coffee drifting in through the bedroom door that'd been left slightly ajar, it was evident she hadn't gone far.
A low groan slipped out as I sat up and started stretching out my muscles, knowing I desperately needed it. Twenty minutes later, I'd finished stretching, had put my prosthetic back on, and had made a quick pit stop to the bathroom before I made my way down the hall towards the kitchen.
What greeted me was quite simply the most domestic scene I could imagine. Sadie had pulled an old t-shirt out of my closet and had donned it, not caring that it fell down to her mid-thigh, and she was leaning casually against the kitchen counter, her hands wrapped around a large coffee mug as her eyes slowly scanned the space.
"Redecorating in your mind?" I asked, arching my brow as I walked over to her.
"First of all, I think it would simply be considered decorating, because it doesn't really look like much was done to begin with," she replied teasingly, to which I rolled my eyes. Though she was right. Besides a few photos here and there, everything was much more practical than for aesthetic reasons. "And secondly, I can't help it. Especially with a canvas as blank as this." She gestured her hand out in front of her. "Ideas just start flashing through my mind."
Grabbing the coffee pot, I poured my own mug and situated myself next to her. "Go on then," I said, nudging her gently with my elbow. "Tell me what you would do with my house."
She quirked a brow as she glanced up to meet my gaze. "Really?"
I lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. "I'm curious."
