Page 78 of Nuts

His eyes searched my face. When he was done, he smiled. “I can’t believe you lived next door to me for as long as you have, and that it took me this long to figure out who you are. You’re perfect.”

I chuckled. “I would take me a lifetime to figure you out.”

“Are you willing?” he asked. “That’s the question.”

I made a fist and held it between us.

He locked eyes with me, and then pressed his knuckles against mine. “This could be one hell of a ride.”

“It better be,” I said. “But I think we’ll both enjoy every minute of it.”

“I think you’re right.”

We shared a look, and then ate our ice cream. After we rode the rollercoaster again, he motioned toward the beach.

“Go for a walk?”

I wanted to take a barefoot stroll in the sand, but was afraid to ask. He must have sensed it, because as we approached his motorcycle, he stopped and took off his boots.

“Are you self-conscious about your foot?”

“When it happened, I was pretty upset. Scouts were already looking at me for a baseball scholarship. Most felt that I’d go pro. That accident knocked me out of sports altogether. I couldn’t change it, so all that was left was to accept it.”

“Do you think you’ve done that?”

“Accept it? Sure. I don’t have a choice.”

“Are you self-conscious about your leg?” he asked.

“Very. I can’t accept or change it. All I can do is hide it.”

“It’s part of who you are. Embrace it.”

I wished it was that easy, but it wasn’t. I kicked off my shoes, put them in the saddlebag, and shrugged. “Easier said than done.”

“We’ll work on it together,” he said.

Since the accident, my life had been one series of complications after another. I had my doubts that it would ever get measurably better.

But on that night, thanks to Percy, a common girl evolved into someone special.

She became a princess.

And, when she did, everything changed.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

P-Nut

Sharing a home with Joey simply happened. It wasn’t planned, nor was it something I wanted. Her presence in my home, however, proved to me the value of having a woman in my life.

The time we spent on the road together solidified my belief that she was a special woman. Her ability to ride across country without complaint wasn’t something that could ever be taught. A person either possessed the inner desire to ride, or they didn’t.

And, she did.

Our first date knocked me to my knees. Simply being in her presence was like taking a drug. A drug I had no idea existed, but one I quickly realized I needed.

She transformed me into the man I always wanted to be, but was afraid I would never become. I couldn’t decide if she found me, or if I found her. Either way, she was exactly what I needed, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it.