I awoke wrapped in blankets next to Nick. I was lying on something hard and it took me a few blinks to realized we were still lying in the truck bed. I rolled onto my back and looked up at the sky. It was still very early and there were still quite a few stars visible off to the west. The sun was just starting to rise.

A chorus of frogs sounded nearby and I watched a grasshopper jump from one side of the truck bed to the other. Now that the sun was coming up, I could see our surroundings a lot better than I could at night. About a football field from us, horses wandered through the field we'd parked in. Off in the distance I heard a rooster crow. There was an abundance of little purple and white flowers throughout the grass and I could hear a woodpecker somewhere close by.

I turned my head to look at Nick who hadn't waked up yet. He was cuddled into a pile of plaid flannel blankets and his hair was a mess, bangs cascading across his face. He looked so young and innocent when he was asleep. He looked peaceful. I rolled over on my side, scooting back against him and pulling his arm over me. The action didn't wake him up but he stirred just slightly, breathing a groan and tugging my body closer to his, resting his hand on my bare stomach where my top had ridden up sometime in the night.

I started to fall back asleep, listening to the sound of the frogs, crickets, and birds. It was probably no later than six and I wasn't interested in starting my day at the butt crack of dawn. I was way too comfortable curled up next to Nick and I didn't want to leave his arms any time soon. I stared at the maple trees across the field until my vision began to blur and I finally closed my eyes and dozed off again.

Probably thirty minutes later, I was awakened by the feeling of the blanket over my body moving and uncovering my shoulder. There was a chilly morning breeze blowing my hair just a bit and I shivered, pulling the blanket back over my skin. I felt the blanket get tugged back down again. I assumed Nick was awake and he was messing with me. I hadn't opened my eyes yet. I groaned, yanking the cover up. Once again it moved.

"Nicholas, I swear to god-"

"Hm?" a sleepy groan came from behind me and I shifted to look at Nick who had been asleep the whole time.

"You're moving the blanket," I said.

Nick blinked a few times, yawning and looking at me confused. "What?"

"The blanket," I said, lifting the thin material. "You were-"

Suddenly a frog hopped out from under the blanket onto my chest, startling me to the point of an earsplitting scream. I probably scared the hell out of the poor thing. It hopped onto Nick's shoulder and then the side of the truck bed before disappearing into the grass.

"That," Nick busted out laughing, gasping for air between fits of laughter. "Was fucking awesome!"

I smacked his arm playfully. "You're such an ass."

He flashed me a cheesy grin, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me on top of him. "Fancy meeting you here."

My ponytail had fallen down at some point during my slumber and my long blonde hair fell forward, hanging in my face and down onto Nick's shoulders. I smiled at the comforting feeling of his arms around my waist and laid my head on his chest.

"You're not going to fall back asleep on me, are you?" Nick asked, running his fingers through the back of my hair. "Because I would like to breath at some point, you know?"

I moved my head, playfully glaring at him. "Are you calling me heavy?"

His mouth broke into a dorky smile. "No, Dear."

Nick's hand that had been playing with my hair moved down to rest behind my neck, softly pulling my face closer to his until our lips met in a slow, sweet kiss. I thought that was all it was going to be. One kiss. But he surprised me, rolling us over so that he was on top of me, smiling down at me like he couldn't be happier. He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine again. I reached up, one hand tangling in the back of his hair and the other grasping his bicep as we continued to make out. I had not a care in the world. I wasn't thinking about work, or the case against Derek, or Monica, or Brianna, or Jamie, or anything else. Just Nick. Nick and me. Me and Nick. I didn't want to move from this spot at least for another hour or two. I didn't care that the hard steel beneath my back was uncomfortable. I hadn't felt this carefree and blissful in a while and it was like therapy I'd been needing for a long time.

"Can we do this again sometime?" I asked against his lips.

Though I hadn't wanted to go out the night before, I was really glad I'd let Nick take me on this short road trip. I hadn't realized how badly I needed something like this and I hoped we could do it again. Waking up in a flowery field in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by nothing but nature could not be a more perfect good morning.

Nick smiled down at me, moving a few stray strands of hair from my cheek with his thumb. "Yeah. We can."

He moved to sit beside me, playing with the frayed edge of one of the blankets. The wind was starting to pick up, blowing his hair in a way that put hearts in my eyes. I sat up, scooting back to prop myself against the back of the cab. Nick was staring at the horses out in the field while he absentmindedly twisted the blanket around his hand.

"You like horses?" I asked, nodding in their direction.

He scooted back against the cab too, pulling me onto his lap. "My family used to own several horses."

He didn't look at me as he spoke. Judging by the frown forming on his face, I assumed it was a sore subject for him.

I began to play with one of the buttons on his shirt. "What happened?"

Nick sighed, looking down at my hand on his stomach. "I grew up with this horse. He was jet black. We called him Aladdin."

"That's a cute name," I commented.

"He was my buddy," Nick smiled. "He was a little bitty thing when we got him, but he was still taller than me. My grandma used to use that as an excuse to get me to eat green beans. She always said I'd grow as tall as Aladdin if I ate my green beans. I guess her persuasion worked for a little while... until I figured out that wasn't going to happen. Boy, was she mad the day I told her I wasn't going to eat my greens anymore."

"What did she do?" I asked. I was enjoying hearing stories of his childhood.

Nick chuckled, pushing his hair to the side. "She whacked me on the ass with a broom."

"She sounds pretty awesome. I would love to meet her."

"She always told me I'd get another horse someday but I haven't," he told me, looking up at the gray puffy clouds rolling by overhead. "I just feel like I'd be replacing him and I can't do that."

"What happened to him?"

Nick breathed out, lacing his fingers with mine on his stomach. "When I was fifteen, he developed some disease. I can't remember what the vet called it. By the time we found out, it was too late to do anything so we had to put him down. It broke my heart. I think I stayed in my room for a week. We'd had him eleven years. I just couldn't imagine life without him."

I felt so bad for Nick. I knew all too well how it felt to lose a pet that was your best friend. It wasn't something you ever entirely got over.

"I'm sorry."

He sighed deeply, tightening his arm around my waist. "It's alright. It's life, you know?"

We cuddled there against the cab for a few more minutes until Nick decided to get up. I immediately felt lonely when the warmth of his body left mine. He gathered up the blankets from the truck bed in a big ball and hopped off the tailgate, tossing them in the back of the cab. I assumed it was about time to leave and I headed to the passenger side while Nick lifted the tailgate back up. I watched in the rearview mirror as the wind whipped his hair around. He stood there with his back to me, looking at the horses for a little while longer.

"Where do you feel like eating?" Nick asked, climbing into the driver's seat, closing the door with a loud steel bang.

I usually wasn't hungry in the morning and this day was no different. I didn't feel like eating yet. I wanted to go home and go back to sleep with Nick.

"I don't really-"

"Too bad," he said, starting the engine. "What do you want to eat?"

I groaned. "I don't get a choice in this, do I?"

"I'm afraid not," he chuckled, pulling back onto the dirt road.

What seemed like forever driving the previous night felt like a lot less on the way back. I cuddled up against Nick's arm and started to doze off. I was almost sleep when the truck stopped moving and the engine cut off. I opened my eyes, realizing we were already at Nick's house.

"Seemed like that trip was a lot longer last night," I yawned, almost falling out of the truck.

He walked around the truck and bent down, wrapping his arms around me, and picked me up. I clung to his chest with my arms around his neck. He unlocked the front door while he held me up with one hand and I started to think about how hot it was that he was that strong. He walked to the living room, attempting to set me down on the couch, but I didn't let go and pulled him down with me.

"Well hi." Nick laughed softly.

"Hi," I whispered. I roughly kissed him.

He mumbled an oh against my lips before deepening the kiss.

My hands went straight to his shirt, quickly unbuttoning it as we hungrily made out. He tugged gently at my bottom lip with his teeth, sliding his hand up my top. I reached further down, going for the button on his jeans when suddenly his phone rang. We both groaned in annoyance and for a split second I thought he was going to ignore the call but he didn't.

"Granger."

I rolled my eyes and got up to go fetch a drink from the kitchen. My throat was dry and the ice cold water in Nick's fridge was exactly what I needed. I decided I may as well start making brunch while he was on the phone. I went to grab a pot from under the stove.

"What time do they need me there?" I heard Nick ask. "Alright. Yeah. I'll see you then."

He hung up, wandering into the kitchen to find me. "Hey."

"Hey," I said in a frustrated tone. I was annoyed with the idea that he probably had to leave for some work thing when I just wanted to spend the day in his arms.

He frowned, stepping closer to me. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Do you have to leave?" I asked, setting the pot on the burner.

"No," he shook his head and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, tossing it on the back of one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "That was Emily."

"Richards?" I raised an eyebrow. "What does she want?"

"They're putting me on the stand. Derek's trial begins next Tuesday. She wants me to tell the jury about my evidence because I can explain it better than the prosecution, she thinks."

I was relieved to hear he wasn't leaving. I didn't like thinking about the trial though. I didn't want to think about Derek at all.

"Okay," I said, turning toward the pantry to get some pasta.

"Hey," Nick grabbed my arm and pulled me back against him.

His hands snaked around my waist, unbuttoning my shorts and beginning to push them down my thighs. I turned in his arms to face him and placed needy kisses to his neck. Within minutes we were naked in Nick's bed and he was quickly bringing me to a second orgasm. He hovered over me, propping his body up with one arm beside my shoulder. His other hand was between my legs, his fingers teasing my clit while he slid in and out of me. I moaned his name, unraveling at his touch.

We stayed in bed for the rest of the day, making love to the melody of the rain on the windows. Eventually we had to eat and ordered two pizzas, eating in bed while we watched TV for a little while and then going back to having sex. It was a perfect way to spend the day. If I didn't have a job and responsibilities, I'd want to do this every day.

Tuesday morning, I awakened to the sound of my doorbell ringing wildly. I leaped out of bed, throwing on a robe and hurrying down the stairs. I opened the door to see Monica standing there, grinning like an opossum.

"Are you fucking serious?" I tossed my head back and groaned dramatically.

Monica giggled, stepping inside. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"I think I'm having heart palpitations," I joked flatly. "What's the emergency?"

"It's Tuesday!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.

"And?"

"And I'm pretty sure your hot agent boyfriend is testifying against Derek right about now," she wiggled her eyebrows.

I'd done so much work the night before that I'd passed out around two in the morning and completely forgot what was happening today. I was exhausted from a new case I'd just picked up and I was planning to take the day off to catch up on some much needed rest before I met up with Regina Evans for coffee. I'd called her over the weekend to see how she was doing and we decided to meet up this afternoon.

"Oh, god. I don't know how I forgot," I said, placing my hand on my forehead and glancing to a small clock I had sitting on the entryway table. "Shit. I'm going to be late to meet Regina."

Monica followed me up the stairs as I hurried to get dressed and pull my hair into a bun, not having the time to take a quick shower.

"Do you have plans this evening?" she asked while she scrolled through something on her phone.

I hopped around on one foot, trying to slip my shoe on. "I'm probably going to get an earful from Nick about the trial, but I'll call you and let you know what he says."

"You know me so well," Monica giggled. "I'm nosey."

"I know. I have to get going or Regina's going to think I stood her up."

Monica decided she was going to hang around my house for a while after I left. I didn't bother to ask why. She was just like that. Sometimes she came over simply because she got bored of her own house. I often joked that I should start charging her a monthly fee for my utilities and groceries.

I pulled into a narrow parking space in front of the coffee shop, spotting Regina sitting beside a window.

"Hey!" I smiled, hugging her when I reached the small, wobbly table she'd been waiting at.

"Hi," she said happily. "How are you?"

We ordered our drinks and sat down. I got my usual peppermint mocha and she ordered a vanilla bean frappuccino.

"How've you been?" I asked, thinking back to the case I'd helped her with against her ex-boyfriend, Jared.

Regina smiled brightly, sipping her drink. "So much better. I'm getting over everything faster than I thought I would."

I was so glad to hear that she was doing better after all the hell he'd put her through.

"Do you remember Officer Haines?" she asked, tapping her pointer finger on the table.

I thought back to the cop I'd subpoenaed for the protective order hearing. "The guy who took your statement?"

"Yeah."

"What about him?"

"Well," she grinned, giggling softly. "He walked me to my car after the hearing and we exchanged numbers and he took me to dinner that night."

"Oh my god. That's so sweet." I couldn't help smiling ear-to-ear.

"We've been seeing each other almost every day since then," Regina told me. "Tristan is amazing. He treats me really great. He's respectful and I don't have to worry about whether or not I'm making a mistake. I just know he's the right person."

"That's really wonderful, Regina," I said. "I'm so happy for you guys."

"I think I'm going move in with him," she grinned.

That reminded me of a question Nick had asked me recently. He wanted to know if I'd move in with him and I still hadn't given him an answer. After everything that had happened, it didn't take me long to decide that's exactly what I wanted to do. Once Nick was finished at the courthouse, I planned to tell him my decision.