Page 45 of Point of Contact

Aformertrafficker whousedto have more money than he could count.

But for the first time he didn't hold it against her. "Medicare is the insurance the government offers to people over a certain age. It covers some things, but not everything, and even a supplemental plan leaves a lot of my dad's prescriptions and physical therapy unpaid."

And that was just the absolute basics. If they wanted his father to have any special therapy that might help him regain some of what he lost, that came out of their pocket.Hispocket.

That's why he had to make them as deep as possible.

Courtney's eyes moved over his face, warm and expressive in a way he'd never noticed. "I wish I could help you." She paused, lips pursing as they twisted to one side. "But you probably wouldn't let me since all the money I had was from…" Her voice drifted off like she didn't want to remind him.

And it made him feel like an ass. He’d done to her exactly what everyone else in her life had. He judged her. Refused to look beyond the mask to see that she was more.

“I’m sorry.” They were words he owed her long before now. “I put shit on you I shouldn’t have.”

She gave him a soft smile. "Don't be sorry. I gaveyoushit I probably shouldn't have." Her smile faltered. "I didn't know how much you had on your plate."

"I won't hold that against you. No one really knows how much I've got going on." It was yet another admission that was difficult to make. He'd always been close to his parents. As an only child, conceived after many years of trying, he’d been their whole world. And he'd known it. So he always worked hard to be present in their lives. To stay close even after he became an adult.

But then his dad got sick and the tables were reversed. His parents became his whole life. Everything he did was for them. To help them. It left him more isolated than he wanted to admit, and more resentful than he expected.

"You haven’t told anyone that you work with what's going on?" Courtney seemed surprised. "I always got the impression you guys were really close."

"We are." Outside of his parents, they were the only people he spent any amount of time with. On the rare occasion he socialized, it was always with them. "I didn't want them to know I don't necessarily love working for Alaskan Security."

It was yet another layer of guilt he dealt with. There were any number of people who would be thrilled to work for the company. Between the pay and the benefits, there weren't many other jobs someone with his background would find that could compete.

Did he put his life on the line on a regular basis? Yes. But he was planning to do that anyway. At least at Alaskan Security he could do that and give his father the best chance at a full life.

"Your secret is safe with me." Courtney lifted one hand to her lips, cranking an imaginary key before tossing it away. "Do I get to meet your parents when we get to Alaska?"

His brows lifted in surprise. "You want to meet my parents?"

Courtney's open expression shattered. She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. "I guess not. I just thought—"

He was fucking up again. Putting her in a box she might not belong in. "My mom would probably really like you." He faced the road, oddly amused by the thought of his mother and Courtney interacting. "She will expect you to cook though."

Courtney's eyes widened. "Cook?"

He grinned, even more amused as he imagined the way that meeting would play out. "If you go over there she's going to want to feed you, but she's also going to expect you to help her in the kitchen. That's just how she is."

Courtney stared at him a second, her lips pressed together. A tiny hint of a smile worked its way onto her lips. "That might not be too bad."

He’d almost forgotten that her father wasn't the only parent Courtney had lost. "She tries to mother everyone, so you probably want to brace yourself."

Courtney's smile lifted a little more. "I will."

He settled into the possibility more, imagining Courtney joking with his parents. Brightening up the struggle of their lives with her teasing but warm personality.

"How is the RV gonna get to Alaska?" Courtney's question pulled him away from his thoughts.

He checked the dashboard at her mention of the RV, making sure nothing too terrible was going on. "I'm going to drive it there."

Courtney's mouth pulled into the pout he was so familiar with. "You're not flying back with me?"

Her obvious disappointment pleased him in a dangerous way. "Not if I want to get Bernadette home."

Courtney pursed her lips, shifting around in her seat, looking uncertain. "What if I just went with you?"

He huffed out a laugh. "You would rather spend days driving across the country than a few hours on a plane?"

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