CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Heather—
Backing out of Tucker’s room, I quietly close the door. After dinner, the three of us played board games until he started yawning and I put him to bed.
When I come down the hall, Cody is rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. I stand next to him, eyeing his handiwork. After the last dish, he sprays down the sink.
“You’re pretty handy to have around. Your mom must have taught you well.”
“She did. She was young when she had me, so I learned to help out at an early age.”
His answer piques my curiosity. “How old was she?”
“Eighteen going on nineteen. She was supposed to go off to a four-year university, but when I came along, she had to settle for going to community college part-time. She wanted to be a lawyer.” I shrug. “She ended up being a paralegal.”
“What’s that?”
“Kind of like a legal assistant. She conducts research, drafts documents, and manages case files for attorneys. She’s had some great bosses who were really understanding that she was a single mom.”
“So, your dad was never in the picture?”
“I met him when I was eleven. Up until then, I didn’t know who he was. I always thought he was this other guy my mom knew in high school. They married when she was pregnant with me, but he wasn’t my real father.”
“Did he know that?”
He shrugs. “Not sure. He died when I was two.”
“Did your real dad go to school with your mom, too?”
“Nah. He was just a one-night-stand. I was told the real story when I got older. He and his buddy, Shane were traveling home on leave from the 82nd Airborne for Christmas one year, and they got stranded on a flight to Dallas with my uncle Chris Draper. He invited them out to my grandparents’ ranch for the night since there were no available hotel rooms.
“That’s when my mom met Jake. They spent the night together, and in the morning, he left. The way I hear it, he didn’t know about me until he saw me by chance when I was eleven-years-old.” I shrug. “That’s when they got together, and they’ve stayed together ever since.”
“That’s some story.”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“How’d you end up in a motorcycle club?”
“My father was a member. Shane, too. I grew up around it after my parents got back together.”
“So, your dad—that’s why you wanted to be in the military?”
“Yep. It’s also the reason I wanted to get accepted into the Airborne unit.”
“And you had Ryan talked into it, too.”
“Yeah, I guess I did.”
“I wasn’t happy about that. It meant a serious, long-term commitment from him. I thought he’d be out in a couple of years.”
“Sorry about that.”
I cross my arms. “So? Did you ever do it?”
“Nope. After Ryan’s death, I kind of lost all interest in staying. I was done, ya know?” He wipes his hands on the dishtowel and leans against the counter.
I move to start the dishwasher, thinking about what he said. Ryan’s death affected more people than just me and Tucker. Cody is hurting, too. “You guys were close?”
“Yeah. He and I were like this from the moment we met in basic training.” He holds up his two crossed fingers. “We got lucky to be stationed together in the same outfit.”
“I know he was happy to have a buddy with him.”
“I’m so sorry, Heather. I wish I could change places with him and give you and Tucker back a husband and father.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Sometimes I feel like it is.”
“Why?”
He shakes his head. “I should have been there. It should have been me. You and Ryan would be married and probably living in some cute suburban house with a swing set in the backyard.”
“Don’t say that. It doesn’t help if that’s what you think.”
“I wish I could have been at his funeral, but we were short-staffed and they wouldn’t give me leave.”
“I understand.”
“Do you? If I were in your place, I’d be pissed at the world.”
I huff a laugh. “Not saying I haven’t had my share of anger and depression. I have. But it doesn’t fix anything. I’ve got Tucker, and I thank God for him every minute.”
“You’re a strong woman.”
“Not always. I wasn’t strong on that bridge that day.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. You’ve done the best you can. Better than most.”
“Have I? Some days it doesn’t feel like it.”
“Look at this home you’ve provided for Tucker. No one is helping you. This is all you.”
“But you don’t approve of how I earn a living, do you?”
“Let’s not talk about that. Please.”
It’s the elephant in the room, but I drop it.
“Thanks for a lovely dinner. And thanks for not making liver and onions.”
A laugh escapes me. “You’re welcome. Thanks for fixing my sink.”
He folds his arms. “Got any other projects around here that need fixing?”
“My car,” I say. “You any good with motors?”
“I’m an okay mechanic.” He shrugs. “Bikes, mostly.”
He flashes that smile that has me melting every time. Good Lord, I’ve got to be careful around him. He’s a heartbreaker if ever I saw one, and my heart has already been broken once and it almost killed me. I’m not sure I’d survive another.
But having a man around, even for a night, reminds me of just how lonely I’ve been.
“I’ll take a look at it tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey,” he says softly, and I look over.
“You okay? You looked sad there for a moment.”
“I’m good. Just thinking about how lonely it gets sometimes.”
He tilts his head. “If you want, I can stay for a while.”
“Would you?”
He steps in front of me and takes my face in his hands. “Can I kiss you, Heather?”
I nod, and his mouth settles over mine, gently at first, taking it slow.
My lips part, and he takes the invitation, his tongue swooping inside.
We kiss until I’m clutching at him and kissing isn’t enough anymore. When he pulls back, I can read the question in his eyes. He wants more, but with Tucker home, he won’t ask. I like that he respects me enough to back off.
Something crazy takes hold of me, and I take his hand and lead him down the hall to my room, closing the door quietly behind us and locking it.
Cody’s eyes glint with heat as they lock with mine. “You sure about this, Heather?”
“Yes.” My heart is pounding in my chest, but my body freezes up, and I can tell he’s reading every emotion on my face in the dim light from the lamp on the nightstand.
He’s waiting, hesitating because he doesn’t want to get this wrong.
“Can I ask a question first?” he murmurs, and I nod. “I don’t want to sound like a dick, but has there been anyone else since Ryan?”
“You mean have I been with another man?”
“Yeah.”
I shake my head, and my eyes pool.
He swallows. “So, I’ll be the first. Wow. That’s a lot.”
“I know he was your friend, but he’s gone, Cody. And he’s not coming back.”
He cups my face again. “I don’t want to be someone you regret in the morning. You mean too much to me. Maybe that sounds crazy, but it’s true.”
“That’s just it. It doesn’t sound crazy. I feel it, too—this pull between us.”
“I’ve never felt like this before. Not with any other woman. I want you to know that, and it’s not a line. It’s the truth.”
I smile. “We’re an unlikely pair, aren’t we?”
He grins. “I was thinking the opposite. I think we make perfect sense. I’ve never in my life felt this comfortable with someone almost immediately. Not like I do with you.”
“I feel the same. I feel like I could tell you anything.”
“You can.”
“When you pulled me from the railing of that bridge, I instantly felt like everything was going to be okay. Isn’t that weird? And then they took me away, and you were gone. I never thought I’d see you again.”
“I know it sounds weird, but I think Ryan keeps throwing us together. It’s crazy, huh?”
“Maybe he is.”
“Right now, I’m wondering if he’ll be waiting for me on the other side with a baseball bat if I do what I want to do with you.”
“He’s not here to stop you,” I say with a smile and tug his head down for another kiss.
He breaks it off. “I’ll be gentle, Heather. I promise.”
I nod and pull his mouth to mine.
He doesn’t stop again, and soon I’m flat on my back on the bed with his delicious weight on top of me.