Chapter Fourteen
Retta looked out of the window eagerly as Travis turned off the road when they reached the airport on Friday afternoon.
“I’m still blown away by the whole private jet thing.”
Travis laughed. “I was for the longest time, too. It seemed so strange to me – still does when I stop and think about it – that the bunch of kids we used to be now fly around the country at the drop of a hat in the company jet.”
She glanced over at him. “You don’t talk much about what life was like for you growing up. You’ve told me that you and Trip were best friends since kindergarten, and that the whole group of you were friends but …”
He smiled. “I’ll have to start telling you the stories, then. There are plenty of them.”
He didn’t understand the look she gave him.
“Go on – you have a question, what is it?”
“I just … You told me that you lived in a trailer park and Trip lived in his big house. I know the MacFarlands have the big ranch, so that’s how Cash grew up. And Mav lived on his family ranch. I was just wondering if you were the odd one out. I … It makes me feel a little closer to you. That you understand what it’s like to be …”
He smiled. “I do. I know what you mean. You’re right in some ways. Trip’s family was loaded. Cash might have grown up on the ranch, but he had it tough. There’s not as much money in ranching as you might think, but more than that, his dad was an evil bastard. Same for Mav – his dad was just as bad. Ace’s family had a little place just outside of town. Emmett’s family lived in town. I guess Deacon and I were the poor relations.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He always had a chip on his shoulder about it. His dad was the town drunk, and his grandfather before that. The Wallis name was as good as dirt. Deacon vowed that he’d change that, and he has.”
“Wow, I would never have guessed.”
Travis parked the truck outside the FBO building. “Apart from Trip, none of us came from money. We didn’t think we’d end up with much either. But after we got out of the Navy, Cash and Mav wanted to set up the company. We all knew that we could do a better job of providing security than most of the private contractors we ran into.” He shrugged. “It turned out to be a very successful, and lucrative operation.”
“But the two of them own it?”
He chuckled. “We all do – they set it up so that we all have shares. I wouldn’t have been able to buy my place if it weren’t for them. Money’s never been much of a motivator for me, but I like being able to use it for good.
“But yeah, back to the jet, it’s still strange to be able to just hop on it and go when we need to, but it ended up being an asset to the business. It was Mav’s idea – even though he rarely uses it for the reason he wanted it.”
Retta raised her eyebrows and asked, “Libby?”
“Yeah. One day I’ll fill you in on their history. I didn’t want to because I know that she’s becoming a friend to you. I don’t want to wade in where it’s none of my business.”
“No. I don’t think you should. She’ll tell me as much as she wants me to know, and hopefully I know enough to not put my foot in it.” She frowned.
“What?”
“Mav’s the only one of your friends who I don’t like – and I know that’s not fair because I don’t know him. It’s just …”
“I think it’s natural. You like Libby. They’re divorced …” He shrugged. “It’s the way it goes. But don’t write him off. He’s a good guy. They both played their part – they still do. We all hope that one day they’ll figure it out but …”
He laughed when Cash came outside and waved at them. “Come on, we’d better get going. He called me earlier and said he’s looking forward to getting back to home base.”
~ ~ ~
Cash made a big deal of kissing Retta’s cheek before he exited the plane. She liked him a lot – he made her laugh. It was obvious how close he and Travis were. She loved the way Travis wrapped him in a big hug and told him that he loved him. It had surprised her at first that he was so openly affectionate with everyone – especially with his friends. She didn’t think of big, tough guys like him being that way, but it was just one more aspect of his personality that she loved.
They’d been back in the air for a while and Bear, the pilot, had informed them a few minutes ago that they were only fifteen minutes away from landing. She stared out the window, totally absorbed in the view. She’d lived in Georgia her whole life, but she’d only seen it from the air a handful of times. It hadn’t registered with her until recently just how lush and green it was. Montana was such a contrast. She hadn’t known until she first visited Callie that the climate there was so much drier. Here, the rolling countryside and hills were covered with trees and greenery. There were so many lakes. Flying overhead like this gave her a whole different perspective – in more than one way.
Travis leaned across and took her hand. “You okay?”
“I am. Just thinking about how, until recently, I’ve lived most of my life in a few square miles down there. I never really knew that there’s so much world to explore.”
He kissed her temple. “I always think about that when I travel. You get a broader perspective when you see it all from above, but you’re not really living until you’re down there in the details of the everyday. And you can only ever be in one place at once so …” He shrugged.
“Are you trying to make me feel better about having lived a small little life?”
He laughed. “Nope. I was trying to say that it might seem that there’s a whole lot more world out there than you’ve experienced, but the only part that matters is the part you’re living in.” He kissed her again. “What I was getting at is that I’m glad you’re living in my world with me now.”
“I am, too.”
“How do you feel about being back here?”
“Honestly? I don’t really feel anything. I think I should feel sad – not that I’m leaving it but that I’m not worried about leaving it. I think I should feel sad that I didn’t create a life that I’ll miss. I’ll miss some of the girls, but I’m used to that. They come through school on their way to the rest of their lives. I know them for a few years, and then they move on.”
He winked. “And you’re going to be in my life for decades and decades.”
“I hope so.”
“Me too.”
When they arrived at the house, Travis took her keys and unlocked the front door. It was strange to be back. She remembered the day she’d left. She’d thought that she’d be back again in a week. She’d traveled to San Diego with her cheerleading squad for what she’d thought would be a short trip. It seemed like five minutes ago in some ways, and in others, it felt like a different lifetime.
Now, she was only here to collect some of her belongings and to put the house on the market.
Travis came around and gripped the arms of the wheelchair as he squatted down in front of her.
“You okay, darlin’?”
“I am. Honestly. I … I’m surprised at how little I feel. I worked hard to make this place into a home. I know it’s not much, but you should have seen it when I first moved in. I did one of those rent to buy deals; there’s no way I could have bought it otherwise. I was so proud of myself at the time. I thought I’d never sell it, and yet here I am.”
“You don’t have to sell it if you don’t want to. You could rent it out or …”
She patted his hand. “There’s no point. I won’t ever want to come back here. I … even if things don’t work out for us, I want to be where Callie is.”
He grinned. “Things are going to work out for us.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so. I’m not giving up on you. And if you decide you want to give up on me, I’ll just have to remind you why you love me.”
They both froze when they realized what he’d said – that she loved him. Her heart pounded in her chest. She had a feeling that he was right. She hadn’t wanted to examine her feelings too closely, but if she did, she suspected that she’d discover that she was indeed falling in love with him – if she hadn’t already fallen. She didn’t think she was ready to talk about it yet, though.
As if he sensed that, he let her off the hook easily. He shrugged and said, “Everybody does, I’m a lovable kind of guy.”
“You sure are,” she told him with a smile.
He got to his feet. “Alrighty then. Where do we start? What do you want me to do?”
She looked around and shook her head. “I have no idea – I don’t know where to begin.”
“Well, what’s most important for you to take with you?”
“I don’t really know. Just important papers, a few knick-knacks and photographs and clothes. Other than that …”
“Other than that, we can wait until you talk to a realtor. They might want the place empty to make it easier to show, or they might want to have at least some furniture still here.”
“Right.”
“Shit. Sorry, darlin’. I’m not trying to take over.”
“I didn’t think you were, I just … I’ve never sold a house before, because I’ve never owned one before.”
“You don’t have to sell…”
“I’m really not worried about that. I just … I liked feeling like I had a place where I belonged.”
“You do.” She met his gaze, and he winked and said, “With me.”
She didn’t know if this was the time to bring it up – it was probably too soon, but … “I feel like I do belong with you. But I mean a place, too…”
“So, do I … you’re making the cabins into what they need to be., You’re already making the house into a home just by being in it.”
She held his gaze. “You know how Callie set up that account for me?”
“You don’t need to put any money in, darlin.”
“But, what if I wanted to? What if we were to make it a real partnership? And I’m not saying that I’d want to control anything, just that I’d like to feel like I’m contributing.”
He stared back at her for a long few moments. “We can talk about it. I feel like that might be for further down the road, though. I don’t want to keep you out – I just want to make sure first that you’re in this for keeps.”
She nodded. “It makes sense.”
“It does, but don’t go thinking that I’m trying to keep you out – promise?”
“I promise. You’re looking out for me as much as you are for yourself.”
“I am – and I’m looking out for us, too. I don’t want to make things too complicated before we get our foundation straight.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” He grinned. “So back to the original question. Where do we start?”
She looked around and then smiled. “In the bedroom.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Are you suggesting …?”
She laughed. “I wish. It’s just that most of what I want to bring back with me is up there, so we might as well get on with it.”
He lifted her out of the wheelchair, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her up the stairs.
“What are you smirking about?” she asked when he reached the top.
“Just thinking about the day when I’m carrying you off to bed because I’m in a hurry to get you there – not because you can’t get there yourself.”
She ran her fingers through his beard and kissed him.
“That day cannot come soon enough.”
~ ~ ~
When Travis woke up on Saturday morning, it took him a moment to get his bearings. He’d grown used to waking up with his arm around Retta – that wasn’t unusual. It was the filtered light coming in through the drapes and the pretty pink shade on the light above the bed.
Of course, he was at Retta’s place. He loved the way it felt. The only way he could describe it was that it felt like home. There was nothing about it that should feel that way to him. It was very feminine, but that didn’t matter. He wished he could put his finger on it, but he couldn’t.
He’d known that it was more than the décor that created the feeling. He wouldn’t have asked her to help with the cabins otherwise. The guests he intended to bring in weren’t the kind who’d appreciate pretty colors or frills. From the work that she’d done so far, she’d proved him right. The décor she’d chosen for the cabins was completely different from anything she had here in her home. She’d chosen darker colors, everything had a much more masculine vibe, but the overall feeling was still the same – she made a place feel like a home.
He smiled when she muttered something and turned toward him. She didn’t wake, she pressed her forehead against his arm and settled again. He loved the way she did that. He’d learned a lot about her since they started sleeping together. He shifted his hips away from her – one part of him was getting impatient to be able to sleep with her. He could wait.
The way she slept reminded him of the way she’d approached their relationship – the way she seemed to approach most things in her life. She started out distant. She’d kiss him goodnight and then scoot over to the edge of the bed – saying that she wanted to give him room and that it was better for her with the cast. Around midnight, he usually woke up to find that she’d moved over and was pressed up against his side. When he put his arm around her, she muttered something, and he thought that she’d wake up, but she didn’t. By the morning, she usually had her arm around his waist, her head on his shoulder, and sometimes, her good leg hitched up over his.
It was the same as the way she’d kept him at arm’s length for a long time, and then showed up out of the blue. She’d come to stay with Callie just after he’d moved home to the valley. She’d hung out with him for a little while before admitting that she wanted to explore something more with him. The way he saw the current state of their relationship was that she had her arm around his waist but hadn’t entangled her leg with his yet.
He smirked to himself, not sure why he was thinking of it that way. Probably because he was trying to distract himself from thinking about the day when he’d finally get to make love to her. What would be the equivalent of that in the metaphor that he’d come up with? He didn’t know if marriage was an idea that she’d even entertain. It appealed to him, but it wouldn’t bother him if she didn’t want it. He wasn’t worried about conforming to something that society said was the norm. What mattered to him was the two of them being clear that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.
If the ultimate entanglement wasn’t marriage, would it be sharing the business with her? He didn’t know how he felt about that. Creating a kind of sanctuary place had been a goal of his for a long time. So many vets struggled after they got out. Transitioning back into civilian life wasn’t easy. He knew that he’d been lucky to have the other guys. They’d shared the experience and been there for each other. Not only was he not alone, but he also hadn’t gone back to a ‘regular life.’ He couldn’t imagine how he would have survived if he had to do what some guys did – they had to go back to a family and a life in the suburbs full of people who had no idea what they’d been through. He sighed. That had been the case for a friend of his. He’d asked him to come and work with him for Cash and Mav but even though he wanted to, he’d said he couldn’t make it happen. He needed to be home with his wife and kids, and they didn’t want to move. He’d done his best to fit back into a world that no longer understood him, but in the end, he’d taken his own life.
“Are you okay?”
He turned to smile at Retta. “How could I not be, waking up with you like this?”
She kissed his shoulder. “You went all tense, as though you were thinking about something that bothered you.”
He nodded slowly. “I was thinking about my buddy.”
“The one who died?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “It is what it is.” He tucked his fingers under her chin and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I know he would have liked you.”
She smiled. “I’m sure I would have liked him, too. I’m not going to push, but would you think about what I said?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t even need to ask what I mean, do you?”
“Nope. We understand each other. I think I like the idea of bringing you in as a partner, but I need to wrap my head around it first. I don’t need your money.”
“No! I didn’t think you did.”
“I know. I just needed to say it out loud. I just think it’d make the place ours – it’d become our mission, not just mine with you helping me.”
“That’s exactly why I want to do it.”
“Okay, there’s no rush. And before we decide anything, I think you should talk to Callie about it.”
“She didn’t attach any strings to giving me that money. She wouldn’t …”
“I didn’t imagine she would, but she’s your daughter and she loves you. If she has any reservations, you should hear them.”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to get up, or do you want to hang out here for a while?”
She pressed closer and ran her hand over his chest. “I’d like to stay here for a while. I’ve never had a man in this bed before; I want to make the most of it.”
He propped himself up on his elbow and smiled down at her. “Damn, I’m the first guy you’ve invited into this bed? That makes me feel special.”
“You are special – and I think you already know it.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I do, and I can’t wait for you to find out just how special.”
She laughed. “The way you keep building yourself up, you’d better be good!”
He nodded happily. “You can tell me what you think when we finally get there, but I’m not worried.”