Page 47 of Irons

“Why do you keep looking at me?” He asked.

I set my orange juice down and smiled. “How did you enjoy Club X last night?”

He couldn’t hide his grin. “It was just fine.” He took a bite of his eggs.

“Hmm… fine huh? Just fine?” I was a nosy bitch.

He looked at me as he chewed his eggs then took a drink of his coffee. “You’re not my old lady anymore. Remember?”

I laughed at him.

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, I didn’t do anything with anyone if that’s your question, but I did notice you walking out of the community center with that Irons guy when I was leaving. What’s up with him?”

I sat back in my chair and wondered if he ever thought back to the things I told him about my past. Stone knew everything since we were together every day for two years. “Remember I told you about my friend Travis?”

He tilted his head. “The one that got away? The kid?”

I nodded and waited for it to click. Suddenly his eyes grew as he leaned forward and whispered. “That’s him?”

“Yep.” I popped the P.

“Wrenly, please tell me you’re not here just to be near him. It’s been years, you can’t expect to live in the past here. I’d just hate to see you get your heart broken and lose this opportunity.”

I leaned forward so he could look me in the eye. “Of course it’s not. This is an amazing opportunity, in fact, he stayed out of my hiring process. I’m here on merit, just like you, and if I wanted to intrude on his life I could have done that years ago. He’s just another bonus to this place.”

He sat back and crossed his arms, looking at me with skepticism.

“What?” I prompted him to say what was on his mind.

“Just be careful, you’ve been through enough heartbreak. If it were anyone else telling me this I wouldn’t think twice about it, but I never heard an adult speak so passionately about someone they knew as a kid. He wasn’t even a boyfriend, but you put him up on some pedestal like he’s some sort of God.”

I shrugged. “Besides my dad, Travis is the most important person that ever came into my life. Once upon a time, I told him I would always love him. He might not have felt the same way, but I meant it when I said it. He always made the hurt feel better, no matter if it was a cut on my knee or the pain of losing my mom. He always made everything feel better and I missed him so much its insane. It was my dad and Travis that saved me. I remember the day the social workers took me home to my dad. Dad ran out of the house and pulled me from that car, but I didn’t know everything was going to be okay until I saw Travis standing in his driveway looking at me. The second my dad finally let go of me, I took off and ran to Travis. He was only six years old, but ran toward me and pulled me into his arms. Like he already knew he would be my protector.”

“Wow, two years with me and I’m a nobody?” He chuckled.

“You might have been my old man for two years, but you were also a cheating bastard.” I teased and we both laughed.

We weren’t each other’s type and we both knew it. He liked sex with no strings. Easy girls and no attachments. I really didn’t know my type, but it wasn’t Stone. He was too rough around the edges for me and fit in way too well with the Scorpions.

After breakfast, we reported to the command center. I was to spend my day with Axton and Stone was assigned to Granger. To say I was disappointed not to see Travis was an understatement.

Axton showed me around the command center, then to the bunkers, which were impressive to a girl that grew up in Oklahoma where people rarely had basements. Then he showed me the weapons room, and that was more than impressive.

“I had McHenry work on your accounts yesterday afternoon after I got your paperwork. Your thumbprint and handprint are ready to use, as you saw already. Everything you do will be charged to your account and paid monthly, he got that setup yesterday as well. I think for today, we will focus on getting you settled. Your boxes have been delivered and so have the appliances. We can get you unpacked then go to the commissary for your food and other essentials. I can show you how to get your mail and other packages, how to order food out, and all the other ins and outs of Creed’s Lake. We should also go ahead and get your washer and dryer hooked up, and hopefully your furniture will arrive today. I’m glad you used the company we use, they mostly have things in stock and it’s easier to schedule delivery because they’ve been here before.”

That was exactly what we did. We got groceries from the commissary, unpacked my bedroom and kitchen, and hooked up the washer and dryer. We had some time to waste before my furniture would be delivered so he took me to a town called Clarity. We visited Target, where I bought bath towels, sheets and blankets, kitchen towels and everything else I needed. I couldn’t wait to be done and totally settled in at Creed’s Lake.

Anxiety

Travis

I got a call from Creed, who asked me to stop by his place, which was why I was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of his amazing coffee. Addie was sitting next to me and staring, like I had something on my face. I glanced at her a few times, and she didn’t even blink. It was kind of creepy.

Creed stirred his coffee then took a seat.

“How is your mom?” I asked.

He looked at me then Addie, then to me again. “She’s…she will be taking a trip any day now.”

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