Chapter Ten
Just as Ty was pulling out of the parking garage, Shayna’s phone rang.
She fished it out of her purse. “Shoot, sorry, I need to take this, it’s Davin. I said I’d let them know when I found you.”
Ty smiled. “Go ahead.”
“Hi, Davin. It’s all good; I found him.”
“Okay then. Sorry.” Davin chuckled. “Alexis said I should give you a bit longer, but I was starting to get worried.”
“Aww, thank you. I found him okay and we were saying hello, and then we walked out to his truck. We’re on our way to the hotel now.”
“I guess you can’t say much if you’re in the truck with him, but … are you comfortable? Are you going to be all right with him?”
She glanced over at Ty, who seemed to be doing his best to pay attention to the road and not listen in. “I’m going to be great. You really don’t need to worry about me. You know I was worried myself, but it’s all okay. I feel as comfortable with him in person as I did talking to him on the phone.”
“And you’re saying that out loud for his benefit as much as mine?”
Shayna grinned at Ty when he shot her a smile. “I am.”
“Glad to hear it, but if you feel uncomfortable at any point, you call me, you hear?”
“I will.”
“And keep us posted. I don’t care what time it is – we want to know when you’re back in your room safe at night.”
“I’ll let you know.”
Davin laughed. “Alexis is giving me the evil eye here. I don’t mean to put my foot in it. I should probably say text us before you go to sleep at night and not mention anything about rooms – or which one you’re in.”
Shayna felt the heat in her cheeks. She was glad that Ty couldn’t hear, but it was embarrassing enough to have Davin even mention it. “I will. I’ll let you know – I mean, when I … you know!”
Davin laughed. “I do. Sorry, Shay. I’ll leave you to it. Have a good time.”
“Thanks. I will.”
“Bye then.”
“Bye.”
She put her phone back in her purse. “They just wanted to make sure that I’m all right.”
“I’m glad that they look out for you like that.”
“Me too. My life’s gotten a whole lot better since they came into it.”
“And it hasn’t been all that long?”
“No. It was a bit of a stretch to tell you that I was adopted, but …”
“You were smart to not give too much away.”
“Yeah. It was Booker’s idea.”
“I like the sound of this kid.”
Shayna grinned. “He really is awesome. He had it tough after his mom died. And as much as I love having Davin and Alexis in my life, I love it even more for Booker. He’s eighteen now, so he could be out on his own, but he’s not ready. He’s not a kid, he had to grow up too fast in some respects, but in other ways he needs parents at this point in his life. They’re making all the difference in the world for him.”
Ty glanced over at her. “Mind if I ask you something?”
She laughed. “We should probably both quit asking that. It’s like you said, we can ask each other anything, that’s kind of the point, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to push too hard – ask something that might upset you.”
“You mean about my parents?”
“Yeah.”
She blew out a sigh.
“See, that right there,” said Ty. “I don’t want to make you talk about anything that you don’t want to.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind telling you, but you have to be okay if I get a little upset. It doesn’t mean anything, and you don’t need to do anything to help. It is what it is, but it still hurts when I go there.”
“So, only go there if you want to.”
“I want to – I want you to know about them. My mom passed a few years ago. We were close. It was just the two of us after my dad ...”
Ty glanced over at her, and she had to swallow.
“Gah! I hate this. I don’t know why I’m getting all emotional, it’s …”
Ty reached across the console and took her hand. “You don’t have to talk about it.”
“I really do. I want you to know. I’m … Okay, deep breath and spit it out, Shay. I told you that my dad was a military man. He served in the first Gulf War. He struggled after he came home, and … he killed himself.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. And I’m sorry that I’m making a big deal about it. Whenever I’ve had to tell people before I haven’t gotten all emotional like this.”
He squeezed her hand. “Maybe it’s because with me, you know you can.”
She held onto his hand a little tighter. “Maybe so.”
“How old were you?”
“Nine.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, it was hard. Especially because I knew that he didn’t just die – he killed himself. I felt like I wasn’t enough to make him want to stay.”
“Aw, Shay!”
She blew out a sigh. “I know, right? I was just a little kid. I didn’t get it.”
“And that’s why you want to be a therapist?”
“Yeah. And I know that you were right – what you said about so many vets thinking that therapy’s a waste of time. And maybe I don’t know enough about what they’ve been through. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t been there can know – but I still think there’s a lot I can offer. Even if it’s only helping them to think about the people they’ll leave behind.”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, time to change the subject. Do you know where the hotel is? Do you want me to pull up the address on my phone and we can use the navigation?”
“I’m good. I went and checked in before I came to get you.”
“Oh. Okay.”
He glanced over at her. “Are you hungry? Should we get you checked in and then go find something to eat?”
“Yes! I didn’t eat anything this morning – I was too nervous. Now, I’m starving!”
He chuckled. “Are you one of those chicks who eats three leaves of lettuce and then claims she’s full?”
“Err … no! Oh god! Now, I’m going to feel self-conscious about eating too much. I’m definitely not that kind of girl.” She made a face at him. “I have a healthy appetite. I work hard and I eat well. Then again, being honest as always – sometimes, I eat crap, and I enjoy it! So, judge me if you will.”
He laughed. “I’m not judging! I’m relieved. I was worried that you’ll think I’m a pig.”
It was her turn to laugh at that. “Nope. I don’t see that happening.”
“Give it time. When you say that you eat crap sometimes, do you stoop as low as fast-food?”
“I … not very often, but only because there are no fast-food places where I live. Well, there’s a food court at the mall, but I hardly ever go there and … why?”
“Because I think I’m probably the same as you. I eat well, most of the time. But I’m not above indulging in a good burger and fries when I can find them. When I was stationed in Coronado, I got addicted to In N Out burgers. We don’t have them in Montana, so …”
“Oh! Do they have them here? I love them! We used to get them when we went to LA when I was a kid. I hadn’t had them for years until I did my PT training – I used to have to go to Sacramento for in-person weekends, and I found an In N Out there.” She laughed. “It made me laugh. You’d see all these aspiring personal trainers lined up in the drive-thru after class.”
He grinned at her. “They do have them here, and your reaction tells me that you won’t think less of me if I suggest we eat there at some point over the weekend. I mean, I was thinking I could take you out to dinner someplace nice tonight but …”
She turned in her seat so that she could see him properly. He glanced over at her and smiled. “What?”
“Can I be honest?”
“You already know the answer to that.”
“Okay, so … I like the idea of getting a big fat juicy burger and driving out to someplace quiet to …” She laughed when she saw his eyebrows shoot up. “I don’t mean like that! I mean these mountains are beautiful. I would so much rather find a place with a view and sit in your truck eating burgers, than go to some fancy restaurant in the city. That … that’s not who I am. And now I’m worried again but I did warn you right from the beginning that if you’re looking for some glamorous chick, I’m not your girl.”
He held her gaze for a long moment before turning his attention back to the road. “What you described sounds like the perfect evening to me. I’m not looking for glamorous, Shay. And …” He glanced over at her again. “Fuck it, I’m going to say it; with every moment that passes I’m hoping more and more that you are going to be my girl.”
~ ~ ~
When they got to the hotel, Ty slung Shayna’s backpack over his shoulder and reached for her hand.
When she said, “I can get that,” he just raised his eyebrows and waited for her to catch on.
She laughed. “But you’re going to insist that you can carry it for me, right?”
“Yep. Come on, let’s go and get you checked in.”
He hung back a little while she talked to the girl at the front desk, and scowled to himself when the girl told her that she was in room 407.
Shayna looked back at him over her shoulder. He’d already told her that he was in 224, and he’d been hoping that she wouldn’t be too far away. The fact that she’d be two floors up wasn’t what had him frowning, though.
When the girl handed her the key card, he stepped forward. He had to say something.
“Can I help you?” the girl asked with a smile.
“Yeah. I thought that when you gave a woman her room key you were supposed to show her the number, not say it out loud for anyone to hear.”
“Oh! I …” She looked at Shayna. “I’m sorry. I …”
“That’s all right,” said Shayna. “There was no one around to hear.” She smiled at Ty, who started to feel like an asshole. “It’s a good thing to remember, though. I’d be nervous about it, if I didn’t have Ty with me.”
The girl nodded. “Thanks, and sorry again. I’ve only been working here for a few days. I just … I forgot.”
“That’s okay.” Shayna came back to Ty. “Shall we go up there?”
“Yeah.” He slung his arm around her shoulders as they headed for the elevators. “I didn’t want to be an asshole about it, but she shouldn’t have done that. She didn’t know I was with you – I could have been some guy who wanted to follow the hot blonde chick up to her room.”
Shayna grinned up at him. “It’s okay. I get it, and I’m glad you reminded her – you might have saved some other woman.”
They’d reached the elevators, and he leaned in to drop a quick kiss on her lips.
When he straightened up, she slapped his arm. “You’re thinking that I’m a babe in the woods, again, aren’t you?”
He laughed. “No. I was thinking that you’re awesome. And … I still hate the idea of some random guy knowing what room you’re in and following you.”
She grinned. “Well, let it go! You don’t need to worry about it – I’m not worried, even a little bit. Want to know why?”
“Yeah, I do. You need to be careful. You …”
“I know! And I will be when I have to – but for now, I’m not worried because I have this hot cowboy looking out for me.”
The elevator arrived, and he followed her inside. When the doors closed, he cupped her face between his hands. “You do. And I’ll try to do it without pissing you off, okay?”
“Thanks. I’m not mad at you.”
“Good.”
When they got to her room, he tried to hide his displeasure – her door was right next to the ice and vending machines.
She let them in and went straight to the windows. “Wow! Look at that view.” He went to stand beside her. It was a great view of the city with a backdrop of mountains in the distance.
She looked up at him. “You’re not impressed?”
“I am. It’s a great view.” He smiled. “If you like these mountains, I can’t wait for you to see the valley.”
“Me neither. Those photos you sent me? Wow! You’re so lucky that you live in such a beautiful place. But Summer Lake’s pretty, too. I guess I just don’t appreciate it as much since I’ve lived there my whole life.”
He put her backpack on the bed, and she went to peek into the bathroom. “Wow! Look at this.”
He couldn’t help smiling as he followed her. He had exactly the same bathroom in his room, but she was so happy about it all that it made him happy, too.
“I should have brought some bubble bath! Look at the size of that tub.”
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. The thought of joining her in the tub …
He opened his eyes again when she put her hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m great.”
“What though? You didn’t look happy.”
He could hardly tell her that he’d been trying to will his dick not to stand to attention. He cleared his throat. “I guess I’m a bit twitchy about your room being next to the vending machines. Do you want to swap?”
She made a face. “You said you’re on the second floor?”
“Yep.”
“Then no. I bet you don’t have a view like this, do you?”
He smiled through pursed lips. “No, I don’t.”
“I’ll be okay, Ty. I’m not all that clueless, I promise.”
He couldn’t help it; he reached for her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not saying that you’re clueless, Shay. I just hate the idea of anything happening to you. But I’ll be walking you back to your door and coming to pick you up, so we’ll be good. I’ll try to loosen up a bit. Will you promise me that the second I leave, you’ll put both locks on the door and the bar as well?”
“The bar?”
He led her to the door and pointed.
“Oh!” She laughed. “Don’t look at me like that! I know what you mean now. I have stayed in hotels before! You said put the locks on the door and the bar as well – I thought maybe you meant that I should lock up my minibar.”
He had to laugh. “If someone wants to steal your mini bottles of booze, I’m not so worried. It’s you I care about.”
She slid her arms around his waist and looked up into his eyes. “I care about you, too, Ty.”
He hugged her to his chest and kissed the top of her head. He didn’t know why he kept doing that, but it felt right.
“Do you want some time to get settled in? Do you need to do anything, or do you want to go out?”
“I’m good. Let’s go and explore. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m starving. I haven’t eaten a thing yet today.”
“First stop In N Out, then?”
“Yes!”