6. Garrett
CHAPTER 6
Garrett
F inally, after what feels like both the shortest and the longest week of my life, I pull into Roswell, New Mexico, to make my delivery.
Sienna is quiet as I back the rig into the designated bay at the receiving dock. Her hands are folded in her lap, fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her sweatshirt. I cut the engine, roll my shoulders, and glance over at her. "You gonna be okay while I get this unloaded?"
She smiles at me, soft and sweet. "Yeah, of course. Do you need help?"
I chuckle. "I think I’ve got it.”
I hop out, the hot desert air hitting me hard. With the warehouse being clean and organized, it’s no work at all to sign the paperwork and let the crew start unloading. When I climb back into the cab, I feel lighter than I have in days, despite my sore knuckles and eyebrow. We’re finally on the home stretch.
“That’s our last stop, princess. Now we’re headed?—”
“Actually!” she interrupts, looking at me with shining, mischievous eyes. I’m glad to see her so lively, but nervous about what plans she might be cooking in her pretty little head. “Can we make a pit stop? There’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.”
Sienna must have seen the place on the way in. I’m so used to roadside attractions at this point in my trucking career that they’re basically invisible to me. But this one is crazy enough that even I should have noticed it.
Big Bob’s Alien Emporium–America’s Favorite Out of This World Gift Shop!
The entire building is painted neon green, a flashing ‘ Take me to your leader! ’ sign hanging in the window. Inflatable aliens are scattered in front of the store, a crashed flying saucer balancing on the roof. It’s horrifying.
Sienna’s face lights up like a firework the moment she sees it.
“Can we stop? Please?” she asked earlier. “My parents never let me go to anything like this. It wasn’t good for our family appearances.” She spoke the last bit with contempt. There was no way in hell I could deny her.
Now she’s darting out of the truck, the gravel crunching under her sneakers as she makes a beeline for the store. I trail behind, slower, watching her bounce with energy I didn’t know she had. She’s been carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders, but right now, she looks like she could run a marathon…as long as there was a crappy alien store at the finish line.
Inside, the place smells like cheap plastic and incense. The shelves are lined with tin foil hats, bobblehead alien figures, and snowglobes with spaceships inside. Hanging on the wall is an assortment of t-shirts with stupid slogans.
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, but a grin tugs at my mouth despite myself.
“Where’s your sense of fun?” she teases, clutching a bright green mug that says, ‘I got probed at Big Bob’s Alien Emporium.’
I have to cough into my shoulder to hide my laugh. “I’ll get you anything you want, princess, except that damned mug.”
“But it’s my favorite!”
I cross my arms. “Fine, but we’re going to make that slogan a reality if you want it that much.”
It takes her a second, and she blushes scarlet when she realizes what I’m insinuating. “You’ve got a filthy mind, Garrett Hayes.”
“Only for you, Sienna.”
After about twenty minutes, she finally checks out with her haul of kitschy alien nonsense, her cheeks flushed and eyes bright as we head back outside.
I lean against the side of the truck, watching her pack her new trinkets into a tote bag she insisted on getting. She looks so happy, and I can’t help but think about everything she’s still got ahead of her. Everything she deserves that I’m going to give her.
But first, there’s something we have to talk about. Something I’ve been dreading.
“Sienna,” I say, pulling her attention away from the bag.
“Hmm?” She looks up, squinting at me against the sun.
“I’m heading home now. To Flagstaff.”
Her smile falters, but she quickly recovers. "Flagstaff, right?"
"That’s right. Question is, do you still want to come with me?"
“Of course I do!” Her answer is swift and firm. "You’ve changed my life, Garrett. You make me feel things I never thought possible. I’m not ready to let that go."
It hits me then—how much she’s changed in just a few days. Hell, how much we’ve both changed.
I dig into the pocket of my jeans and pull out the wad of cash I’ve been keeping hidden. The bills are thick and folded tight, bound with a rubber band. Her eyes widen immediately.
“What in the world is that?”
I hold it out to her. “This is for you.”
Her mouth drops open. “What? Garrett, no, I can’t?—”
“Yes, you can,” I interrupt. “It’s yours. I’m a selfish bastard, and I want to take you home with me more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but you deserve a chance to make your own choice. There is more than enough here to get you started in a new life, if that’s what you want.”
“But...I don’t understand. Where did this even come from?”
I scratch the back of my neck, feeling a little awkward now that we’re here. “I picked up your engagement ring.”
Her jaw drops, and she unconsciously rubs the spot on her ring finger where the offending bauble had been.
“And I sold it when I told you I was stopping at an ATM,” I finish. “Figured it was better off funding your future than getting run over in a hotel parking lot.”
Her jaw works, but no words come out. I keep going, needing her to understand.
“I also had your car towed from that rest stop a few days ago. It’s in storage. Once things settle down with Charles and your parents, it’ll be waiting for you.”
Her expression crumbles, and tears spring to her eyes. I want to kick myself for making her cry, but before I can tell her so, she throws herself into my arms. Sienna kisses me hard, and I can taste the tears running down her cheeks.
“I can’t believe you did all of this.” Sienna buries her face in my neck. “How can I ever make this all up to you?”
“You don’t owe me anything, Sienna. I just want you to have options. You deserve that much.” I laugh roughly, holding her close. “I won’t lie, though. I planned on heavily persuading you to just move to Flagstaff if you really wanted to try and make it on your own. I would have kept an eye on you every step of the way. And I would have waited for you to come back to me.”
She stares at me for half a heartbeat before wrapping herself around me so tightly it knocks the air from my lungs. “I love you,” she says, her voice muffled against my chest.
Oh shit. She loves me. She fucking loves me. I’m the luckiest goddamn man on the planet. “Sienna…”
She leans back just enough to look up at me, her face streaked with tears but her eyes shining. “I love you, Garrett. I mean it. I don’t want a new life unless you’re in it.”
I don’t have the words to answer, so I just kiss her instead, right there in the parking lot of the cheesiest alien gift shop in Roswell, New Mexico. It isn’t until we both come up for air that I realize I’ve forgotten the most important part of this.
“I love you too, princess. God, do I fucking love you.”
My home is quiet and unassuming, tucked under the shadow of the pines. It’s cooler here at the higher elevation, and the trees provide just enough shade. The late afternoon sun makes the brick house appear bright red.
It’s not much, just a tiny three-bedroom with a wraparound porch and a swing I put up years ago. I step out of the truck, walking around to open Sienna’s door. She’s already leaning forward, trying to get a better look at the place, her alien store prizes tucked against her chest.
"This is yours?"
“Yeah,” I say, not sure how to read her tone. “It’s… simple, but it does the job.”
She takes a few steps forward, gaze sweeping over the porch swing, the empty flower boxes waiting to be planted, and the trees I thought would be perfect for a treehouse one day.
“Garrett,” she says, turning to look at me with a smile that feels like it could light up the whole world. “I love it.”
I glance back at the house like I’m seeing it through her eyes for the first time. I’m proud of everything I’ve worked for, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t cautious about how she would see it.
“You sure?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and squinting at the house. “I know it’s not what you’re used to.”
She steps closer, her hand brushing against my arm. “Trust me. This’s exactly what I want.”
Before I can overthink it, I grab her around the waist and lift her off the ground. She laughs, the sound rich and full of life, as I spin her around in a slow circle.
“This is home now, huh?” I say, grinning up at her.
“Definitely.”
Then something clatters to the porch floor, the sound sharp and out of place. I stop spinning, setting her down gently as I glance at the source of the noise. There, lying between us, is her phone. The phone I threw in a rest-stop trash can.
My stomach drops.
“What the hell?” I say, staring at it like it’s a snake about to strike.
Sienna’s face goes pale, her hands flying to her pockets as if she can somehow hide what’s already out in the open.
“I…I can explain.”
“Then get to it, darlin’, because I’d sure as hell like to be let in on the secret.”