Page 149 of Ripped & Shipped
Once the sun came up, I hit the hotel gym. The fitness room here isn’t as decked out as the one I’m used to using at the fire station back home, but it will do. I need to blow off some steam this morning before we head to LAX to catch our plane.
Ella Mae might be acting tough, but I saw her face when she came into that lobby last night. It’s a sight I’ll never forget. And when she crumbled into my arms … well, it took everything in me not to get in my car and exact revenge. But I knew she needed me with her. I wanted to be there for her, more than anything I’ve ever wanted.
I am relatively sure Ella Mae toned the story down as to what happened with Drake. Every time I think of him cornering her, coming on to her, and then demeaning her when she didn’t respond to his advances, I want to get in my car and … well, prison isn’t my end game, so I’m here pumping iron instead.
I load as many weights onto the bar as I can and squat. The burn in my thighs is just what I need. There’s nothing like squats to focus my mind and engage my whole body. For a nanosecond, I forget about Drake. I finish a set of reps and my phone buzzes with a text from Ella Mae.
Ella Mae:
Where are you, Soldier? I’m hungry and we have to hit the road soon to make the flight.
I shoot her a quick answer.
Chris:
I was letting you catch up on your sleep. I’m in the fitness room. I can shower and dress in less than five minutes. I’m packed.
Ella Mae:
You don’t want to know how long it takes me to shower and get ready. But I’m packed. And hungry. Did I mention I’m hungry?
I chuckle. Even with all she went through, she’s the same resilient woman I’ve come to know and love.
Chris:
I promise to feed you. I’ll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes. ??
Ella Mae:
Did you just send me a kissy face emoji?
Chris:
What? No. That must have been a typo.
Ella Mae:
Sure, Soldier. You tell yourself that. ??
Once we return both rental cars and check our bags, we head to our gate with time to spare. Our plane boards on time—ten o’clock California time. We’ll be in Columbus at five, and then we’ll head straight to Bordeaux just in time for what I’ve got planned. And, yes. I’m not foolish. I got Ella Mae a very nice breakfast at one of the cafes in the terminal before we took off.
Ella Mae looped our hands together as soon as we were seated. She hasn’t let go of me the whole flight. Mostly, she’s dozing on and off. I’m running through details for tonight, hoping I didn’t leave anything out.
She stirs, looking up into my eyes.
“You know, I didn’t really want to go back to Bordeaux. Before you showed up, I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
Her eyes look drowsy, but there’s a sadness in her features.
“You would have just skipped town?”
I know things have been hard on her, but I had no idea it had gotten that unbearable.
“If you weren’t living in Bordeaux … yeah. Maybe. I don’t know. Last night when everything went south, on the drive back to the hotel, I started crying so hard I had to pull over. At that moment, I wasn’t sure what to do. Everything seemed so bleak.”
“How are you doing now?”
I rub my thumb along her index finger. She burrows her head into my shoulder.
