Chapter 62 Complicated
sixty-two
Complicated
It takes me less than five minutes to change, throw a couple of pairs of pants and a few T-shirts, my razor and a toothbrush into a bag. Eager would be an understatement. Today couldn’t possibly have gone any slower. Now that I’m off, I’m free to get on the road. Free to go see Jess.
It’s been three weeks since I saw her, three weeks since we got back together, three weeks of talking on the phone for hours, getting to know each other again. Three weeks of wanting to hold her, wanting to kiss her again. Three long weeks, and now I can be with her.
I throw my bag onto the back seat of the Charger and climb in. I don’t even have the key in the ignition when my cell phone buzzes. A text from Jess.
Have u left yet?
I text back: Just starting the car. Can't wait to see you.
Her reply: Don’t leave. Not a good weekend for u to come.
That answer stops me.
What? You don’t want me to come?
It takes her a second to repeat:
Not a good weekend for u to come.
Y?
Complicated.
I stare at that for a long time. What’s complicated? Why didn’t she just call me with a straight answer? Why is she texting this? My mind fills with a thousand unwelcome thoughts. What are the odds Stephens bought a plane ticket and surprised her? That sounds like him.
Complicated? I want to see u.
She doesn’t answer. I sit in the car debating. If he is there, I should go. I can’t let him get close to Jess again. Maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s someone else. The excitement and anticipation that made me crazy all week deflate. The unanswered questions are killing me.
One more comes through:
I’ll explain l8tr.
Later? Maybe I should call her now, demand an explanation. I can’t. She’s texting for a reason. Maybe he’s there with her now. I'm being paranoid. It's probably something else—a big test or extra shifts at the hospital. I grip the phone in my hand. I’ll wait. I have to trust her.
I shove the car door open and stand up, wondering what I’m going to do this weekend if I’m not with Jess. How am I going to keep myself sane?
My phone buzzes again. Another text. Maybe this will answer some of my questions.
Turn around.
“What?” I say out loud. “I didn’t even get the chance to leave.”
A voice says, “Turn around.”
She’s standing behind me, leaning on her car. She might have been there the whole time. I was in such a hurry to get on the road that I didn’t notice her.
I cross the parking lot in three quick steps and wrap my arms around her. I kiss her hard then pick her up, set her on the hood of her car, and kiss her again. She wraps her legs around me and pulls me close.
When I finally pull myself away, I cup her face in my hands. “You scared me.”
She grins. “I scared you?”
“All this complicated, and you didn’t want me to come. I thought you'd changed your mind.”
“Sorry.” She traces my lips. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“You definitely did that.”
“Is it a good surprise?”
I look into those incredibly sexy brown-gold eyes. “Any surprise that ends with me kissing you is a good surprise.” I kiss her again to prove my point.
“I did some rearranging and got the weekend off. I left right after my 12:00 class, so you wouldn’t have to drive all the way to Spokane.”
“I’d rather I drove it than you. But I love that I don’t have to wait five hours to see you.”
“I’m pretty happy about that myself.” She leans in and kisses me again. “So what do you want to do this weekend?”
“I kind of like what we’re doing now.”
“Me too.” She stops me as I’m leaning in for more. “But I told Mom we’d be home for supper.”
“Supper with your parents?” I say in mock horror. “Isn’t it a little early in our relationship for me to meet your parents?”
She hits me. “You’ve been there lots of times.”
“Not in this capacity.”
She puts her lips next to my ear. “You mean as my boyfriend?”
I love to hear her say that. I love having her breath against my ear. I love having my arms around her. “Do you think your dad will be cleaning his gun when we get there?”
“Probably. He’s always cleaning or restoring some gun.”
“Let me guess, he took it up when you became a teenager. Once you’re happily married, maybe he'll find a less violent hobby, like golf.”
“I can’t imagine my dad golfing.”
I shake my head. “Me neither.”
She leans into my ear again. “So you’re scared of my dad?”
“Not scared exactly, let’s just say I have a healthy respect for a guy who owns his own arsenal and has a beautiful daughter.”
“I promise to protect you.” She kisses my neck and then slides off the hood of her car. “Shall we go?”
I take her hand. “There are some people I want you to meet first. Do you mind?”
She shakes her head and follows me into the barracks. A couple of guys lounging around stand up when they see Jess. I know they’re impressed.
“Guys,” I say, “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Jess. Jess, these are the guys.”
Harrison steps forward and offers his hand. I immediately don’t like the way he’s looking at her. “PFC Phil Harrison,” he says. “If you ever decide to dump this loser and get with a real man, give me a call.”
Winters shakes her hand next. “That goes for me too, ma’am.”
Jess wraps her arm around my waist. “Thanks, but I’m pretty happy where I am now.”
Watching the way they look at her and remembering the stories they like to tell makes me regret bringing her here. I move so I'm between them and her. “We need to get going.”
“Don’t forget what I said.” Harrison touches Jess’ shoulder.
I resist the urge to hit him for touching her and pull her closer. I didn’t realize how rough these guys are until now. I won't be bringing her back.