Free I Hear...Love (A Different Road #2) by Annalisa Nicole

asleep when Sadie barks, waking me up. I roll over and look at her.
    “What’s your deal? Do you need to go outside?” I ask her. “You didn’t eat something you weren’t supposed to, did you?”
    She removes her paw, backs away from the bed, then starts to head out of the bedroom. She stops in the doorway and turns around to make sure I’m getting up, then continues down the hallway. I rip the sheet off me, pull on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, then grab her leash. Before I open the door, I leash her. She will not be running away from me in the middle of the night. She can do her business, then it’s straight back to bed. I’ll sleep on the couch if she stinks me out of my own room.
    We get to the bottom step and she immediately turns right with determination. She walks one house over, then sits down and doesn’t move.
    “What are you doing? Come on. Hurry up and get to it. I’m tired and have to work in the morning,” I tell her.
    She doesn’t get up, but looks down the beach, then up at something. I look where she’s looking and I see Kate standing at the railing of her house. The moonlight casts a beautiful, stunning glow over her profile and I find that I can’t look away from her. It’s an eerie beauty and I sense her millions of pieces scattered all around her.
    Sadie stands up and whines, then pulls on the leash. Kate looks down the beach and sees us standing there, staring at her. I raise my hand and give her a wave, then Sadie whines again.
    “Does Kate need you tonight, girl?” I ask her.
    Sadie turns her head and looks at me, and I swear she just nodded at me.
    I reach down and unleash her, and she immediately runs toward Kate. Once Sadie is next to Kate, she reaches her hand up and gives me a wave. I smile, then turn around and head back to the house. I hope Kate’s alright and that Sadie can bring her the comfort that she needs.
    I walk back home and flop back in bed, too tired to remove my clothes or cover up with a sheet, and I’m fast asleep.
    The next morning, I wake up refreshed, having slept an extra fifteen minutes because I didn’t need to take Sadie for a morning walk, and I jump in the shower. As I let the water wash over my head, I think about Kate. Everything about her intrigues me. She’s beautiful, yet behind that beauty is an ugly past I know she can’t let go of. She walks with what appears to be determination, but underneath I see a false sense of confidence. Her smile, though rare, is both stunning and captivating, but feels forced for the good of others. Her eyes are young and bright, but seem to hold ten lifetimes of sorrow and worry. Her thoughts, though obviously I can’t read, seem to permeate my own when her hand is in mine. She radiates with several conflicting emotions all at the same time. I see her internal fight through her eyes. She tries so hard to put on this mask that tells everyone she’s fine, when with just one look I know she’s not. I see how much she’s trying to prove herself to everyone, and most of all to River. She wears a beautiful mask, but underneath that is an even more beautiful woman.
    I turn off the shower, put on a pair of boxers, then brush my teeth. I wipe my hand over the foggy mirror and look back at the man staring at me. I see years of a happy childhood and decades of a life lived with family, love, and happiness. The only thought running through my mind is to call my parents and tell them I love them and thank you. Thank you for loving me and raising me in a nurturing household, for giving me the childhood I had and making me the man I am today. My family isn’t perfect by a longshot. We had our ups and downs, and my sister and I had our fair share of fights. But, we had and still do have a fantastic life.
    I put on a pair of black dress pants, then I pick out a dress shirt and tie, and toss them on the bed. I head into the kitchen to make some much needed coffee. I watch the coffee drip into the pot until there’s enough to