Angel Falling (Falling #1)(83)
Aspen nodded and smiled, risking a quick peek in my direction. Her shy smile was as sweet as the molasses I put on my biscuit in the mornings.
The gypsy fortune teller continued. Shared some additional, surprisingly accurate information that even had me believing in her psychic ability for half a second. She talked about a man in her life who was destined to walk alongside her but was not her true love or her lover. Just a kindred spirit. She suggested that Aspen never forsake that relationship because it would get her through important milestones throughout her life. The things that her true love was unable to comprehend.
As we were leaving, the woman grabbed Aspen’s arm and turned her around. She smiled widely. “Your aura, it’s white and sparkling. Congratulations are in order. If not now, then soon.” The woman hugged Aspen tight. “Come back, pretty Angel, but leave the nonbeliever at home next time.” She glared at me.
I handed the woman a couple twenties and she tucked them into her bra. “Goodbye, Hank,” she said and turned on her heel and left.
“How did you know my name?” I called to her but she continued walking and waved her hand over her shoulder. We were clearly dismissed.
“That was incredible, Hank. You should have had an open mind.” Aspen pouted but hugged her giant tiger. Best money spent on that tiger, not the psychic. At least she could cuddle up to it and remember me.
“I don’t believe in all that hocus pocus.”
“She called me Angel. She knew your name. And she knew some pretty crazy stuff about my life. You know what she told me?”
“I don’t know. I kind of spaced out through some of it.”
“She told me that big things were about to happen in my love life and to take the bull by its horns. She said that. The bull. You know, like cattle!”
“Oh, don’t listen to that hunk of horse manure. She’s joshin’ ya. She could read you like a Bible on Sunday in church.”
“Not funny, Hank. She really did know some things. And what was up with that congratulations stuff? What do you think she was talking about when she said my aura was sparkling and white?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she took too many hits to the head from pissed off customers or was dropped on her head as a baby. Don’t put too much thought into it.” I gripped her around the waist and pulled her to me. “’Sides, the only congratulations that are in order will be when we are both sayin’ ‘I do’ in front of God and everybody.” She kissed me softly. “So, when you think I’m gonna be able to make an honest woman out of ya?” I asked nervous about her answer, but needed to know how long it was gonna take.
Her face fell a bit. “It’s not that I don’t want you. I love you. I’ve never loved a man the way I love you. And for the first time in my life, it actually feels like forever.” She smiled and her eyes twinkled as they sought mine. “But we just got back together. I don’t want to rush it,” she admitted.
“We got nothin’ but time, Angel. It’s me and you against all odds.”
“I love you, Hank. All your pieces,” she said. I’d heard her say that to Oliver and her sister once before.
“What does that mean?”
She smiled and searched my face then settled those clear-water blues to mine. “It means that no matter what, I love everything about you. Good, bad, and everything in between. All your pieces.”
“I love all your pieces, too, Angel.”
Epilogue
It was October and we were closing in on the holidays fast. Hank and I had spent the last three months really getting to know one another on a level outside of the physical. He had received a clean bill of health from the doctor who performed his surgery. We were warned that he should still take it easy and work up to lifting heavier amounts week by week, building back up to the couple hundred pounds he was bench pressing prior to the accident. I added more weights to our home gym so that he could build up, and hired us both a personal trainer.
Hank wasn’t thrilled with having what he said was a “half-naked” man working out with me, but all it took was letting him bend me over every piece of equipment in the gym for him to get comfortable with the idea. He said it helped him believe I’d be thinking of what we did on that equipment when the trainer was having me use a particular piece. Such a wacko.
Hank’s business was booming as well. He said he had more work in New York than he’d ever had back in Texas. Mac was running the Texas branch and enjoying being at home with his family. A few of the single guys chose to stay in New York, preferring the big city life over the country living. Hank offered to pay them quite a bit more per hour to fit the cost of living and average pay for men that did that type of work here in the city. With Ollie’s help, Hank hired a receptionist, office administrator, and a few other needed positions, including a dozen new crew members to serve on the jobs out in the field. According to Ollie, he was going to need to double the size of his staff within a year’s time due to the jobs he was turning down even after he’d won the bid. We discussed my concerns that he was underselling his work. He felt it appropriate to make good money for a decent day’s work, which kept him beating out all the bids. More bids were approved than he was able to handle, but it was a good problem to have in the grand scheme of things.