Chapter 23
Mace
Two Days Later
What started out as a melodramatic sorrow-filled ride to Slade’s helicopter pad, a place I hadn’t seen before on his property, turned into one of wonderment as his Jeep crested a small hill.
I took in the extent of Slade’s security measures.
I had no idea that there was a small trailer housing complex a fair piece off from the large cement helipad.
A gorgeous, newish model Airbus chopper sat in the middle of the pad.
The rotor blades commenced a slow churn as we approached.
My calm mood hadn’t changed too much over the last couple of days, and now I couldn’t help but fixate on Slade’s preferred mode of travel.
He’d gone into the details, explaining the benefits of using such a means of transportation while in LA, escaping the parking lot that every road became during rush hour.
In theory, it made sense. In reality, it was weird to see the expensive ride nestled among the metal trailers on the wide expanse of Texas land. How much money did that cost?
Walls slammed back in place, creating instantly renewed emotional distance. Up until right that minute, I hadn’t understood the amount of money Slade obviously made compared to what my salary could purchase.
“What just happened?” Slade asked, clutching my hand tighter.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the large life-flight-size bird; there had to be a double row of seating inside.
“Why’re you with me?” I whispered and kept my gaze away from his.
“You should be with some guy who has more than a quarter in his pocket.” Even though it was technically the truth, I was surprised I said the words out loud.
I sat fully back in my seat. The longer I stared out the front windshield, the more freaked out I became.
“Money’s something I don’t worry about. I have a financial guy that has my money making money.
If everything ended today, we might be able to live well until we die on what I have.
Hell, our children’s children would be set,” Slade said, holding the steering wheel with one hand, his unrelenting grip keeping our hands joined with the other, not that I wanted to let go, because when he touched me, I forgot all our worries.
But the way he made light of my sudden insecurity did actually help.
I’d honestly worried about the sustainability of such a large sanctuary. Everyone involved kept telling me that we were all good. Now I better understood what they meant.
“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to Nico who held a leash with a Border Collie on the other end. He stood in the small parking lot off to the side of the helipad.
“It’s my going away present to you. She’s trained, ready to help with the farm,” Slade explained.
Again, my uncertainty got the best of me. In a matter of two days, I’d become responsible for two animals. Yes, that was technically what I wanted, but I thought we’d start small, let me get my land legs back before we added such trained animals. The what-ifs bombarded my brain, hard to shake off.
“You got this, Mace. In a few months, you’ll have more animals to care for than you ever dreamed possible. Whiskey, and now Willow there, are the beginning of your dreams coming true,” Slade said, reading my emotional struggle like a book.
I agreed, but it was still damned daunting.
Right then was about Slade leaving. My mental breakdown could happen later. I asked again, “Tell me your itinerary.”
“It’s hard on my heart that you don’t remember,” Slade answered with a small smirk.
“I remember.” I squeezed the hand that still held mine. “But I like your voice. It calms the crazy up here,” I said, tapping a fingertip against my temple.
“Okay. I leave here for a private airport in Austin. From there, I go to LA in a private jet. My helicopter will follow. I’ll report to the studio tomorrow.
Then begins the flights back and forth across the country several times a week.
Outside of sleeping beside you, I get the most rest on the private jet the studio provides.
It has a badass bed. I’ll miss you while I’m gone. ”
“Hmm. With the strict communication schedule you gave me, I think we’ll talk more than we do now,” I teased, thinking about all the notifications that pinged my phone when Tommy sent calendar event alarms tied to the times Slade had free to talk in a day.
“I’ll see you again in thirteen days.” The closer we got to the mini-parking lot the harder and harder that thirteen-day mark was to hear. “Remember your meeting tomorrow with Dash Richmond. Tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah,” I answered, raising my volume to match Slade’s to be heard over the increasing noise from the helicopter. I wasn’t sure why I needed an attorney, but I went with it. I was already arguing and challenging so many of the changes that I let Slade have that one.
Nico opened the driver’s side door to greet us.
“We’re ready to go whenever you are.” He helped Slade out of the Jeep, still yelling at him, the chopper really cranking up.
“Matthew’s moving into your place right now.
He’ll stay out of the way. If he does what he’s supposed to, Mace won’t know he’s there.
” As Nico spoke, he stuck his head in the car.
“I’m going to put her in the Jeep’s back seat so she’s out of the noise. ”
I nodded, quickly exiting my side of the vehicle. My greeting and proper meeting with Willow needed to come after Slade and his monster machine took off. This noise had to be hard on her ears. It wasn’t any joy for mine.
From over the hood of the Jeep, Slade’s eyes were only on me. He cocked his head, urging me to meet him behind the Jeep. He was there before me, taking me into a hug-style hold. “I don’t want to leave you. You’ve changed me and my life. Please be here for me to return to.”
“Me too,” I nodded, tightening my arms around him. We’d said our goodbyes in the privacy of Slade’s home. While I was doing much better at worrying about who I was, it was still hard to make out in front of his staff, especially all these burly men ready to throw down their lives to protect Slade.
“Use the Jeep as you need,” he said against my ear. His voice felt strained, pain-filled, but it was hard to tell over the din surrounding us.
“I like my truck,” I managed. Both his hands went to my biceps, and he pulled me away but not so far that I couldn’t keep my arms wrapped around him.
“Stop. The air conditioning needs to be fixed. We need to get a new truck to help transport… well, everything,” Slade said.
“My truck works just fine for all that,” I tried again, as we started in on another discussion that Slade was hell-bent to win and I was just as resistant about.
“Don’t meet anyone new,” Slade said, an octave or two louder than the helicopter.
I chuckled, turning my laughter at Slade.
“Right. You need to not meet anyone new.” I shook him off.
He kept saying the most ridiculous things.
His appearance was changing again. His beard and hair were filling in nicely.
He was a handsome guy. A dream. I loved him beyond understanding.
How had my heart only begun to beat again under his care?
Slade bent forward, placing a chaste but lingering kiss on my lips. I didn’t care who saw. I lifted a palm to his heart and hoped he knew it represented the connection we shared. He liked that move, staring at me. A sunglass-covered gaze. It was still blinding sun outside.
He nodded, mimicked my move, and stepped away, extending a hand to the driver’s seat. Once I understood he wanted me to follow, I spotted the door opening for me. The dog stayed in the back seat, her face glued to the window, as she tracked every movement we made.
The insane sadness added a depth of forlornness to this moment. I did what he asked, climbing inside the Jeep. We were locked in place, and Slade lifted a hand saying goodbye.
I stayed in the parking area, staring at Slade until the helicopter rose and flew away.
Only the ding of an incoming text mattered in that moment. My heart knew instantly who it came from.
“You had me tearing up watching you watch me,” Slade typed. A picture of his red swollen eyes followed. I wasn’t too far off from that same look myself. After a deep breath, I patted the seat beside me. The dog jumped forward, sitting in the passenger side seat next to me.
She and I would officially meet once I was able to talk without crying.
=?=
Mace
One Day Later
My phone rattled relentlessly on the counter island in Slade’s kitchen, but I ignored it because Slade wasn’t following the texting schedule he’d insisted we put in place.
I glanced back to my laptop screen where I was waiting to have a video conversation with Dash Richmond.
I’d planned to have this meeting inside my own place, but the internet was almost nonexistent there, only the phone provided a hotspot, and that wasn’t that great.
So, at the moment, Willow, probably the best dog I’d ever owned, lay at the base of my barstool.
Not awake, but not asleep either, just in the state she stayed in until I gave her a command to relax for the day.
Slade either called or texted about once every minute of the day and night. How the man got anything done was unbelievable. Also, his tone had changed, no longer feeling like the happy guy I’d known. The hardnosed man he insisted he was in the world underscored each word.
Dash dropped into the seat behind the screen, “Sorry about the delay.”
“Not a problem. We have about ten minutes to tie this up before your next meeting,” some unseen guy said in a cultured, polished, and professional voice. I couldn’t tell what part of the country he’d come from, but Texas would hit the bottom of that list based on accent.
“Mace, everything we discuss is private. We’ve sent back the changes you asked me to make to the partnership agreement between you and Slade,” Dash said.