Page 54 of Truck Stop Titan

I looked around the massive garage, bent to retrieve the tools left on the ground, then fell on my ass, adrenaline draining, brain a jumbled mess.

Hours later, I’d moved from the ground to the front seat of the old beater. I’d tinkered with the stereo. Polished the vinyl. Washed the windows.

Lettie’s car rolled up the long driveway just as I headed back to the house. My feet planted to the gravel. Moriah hopped down from behind the wheel. Rocky and Mim followed behind.

The kids dashed off to the tree swing. Moriah came my way, her steps measured, her eyes red, her hair a beautiful, windblown mess.

“How is he?” I asked, the words sticking at the back of my throat.

“Not sure. He’s in surgery. I… ” She looked down at her feet. Wiped under her eyes. Took two long breaths. “I didn’t feel right being at the hospital. It’s a family thing, you know?” She looked over her shoulder at the kids, a sad smile breaking through. “I thought it’d be easier for everyone if I brought them back here.”

Fuck, the woman was selfless. I couldn’t stop from pulling her against my chest. She didn’t cry, but she trembled, her arms tightening around my waist, her face buried in my filthy shirt, and God damn how I wanted to make everything better.

“You missed your flight.”

“Yeah. We missed our flight.”

We stood in silence, wrapped around each other. I wasn’t a hugger. I was a fuck ’em hard and get away kind of guy. So why did our embrace feel so necessary, so right?

“You didn’t say goodbye,” she mumbled into my chest.

Right. Fuck ’em hard and get away.

I dropped my arms and stepped back. “I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

She stared up at me with those huge, curious eyes, not a lick of judgement in them, only raw honesty, and I could’ve warned her away. I could’ve let the bitter, angry asshole loose, scared the shit out of her, so that when she did go back home, she’d go knowing she’d dodged a bullet, because being with a guy like me was dangerous, deadly even. But something held me back. Something in my chest—unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

“I didn’t say goodbye, because I didn’t trust myself not to fall to my knees and beg you to stay. I didn’t trust myself not to pin you to the wall last night and fuck you into compliance. Didn’t trust myself not to throw you into that damn truck and disappear, hide you away in a cabin in the mountains, and keep you locked up, so you’d be mine and I’d never have to share you.”

Moriah opened her mouth to speak, but Rocky yelled, “Hey! We’re hungry. What’s for lunch?”

She held my gaze, her eyes full of questions, her jaw still slack, on the verge of blurting a rejection that would kill me, no doubt. Because a woman like Moriah would never consider a future with a dirty, dangerous criminal.

I took advantage of her hesitation, taking away her opportunity for rebuff, and turned toward the kids. “Pizza sound good? How about we head into town, get some Pete’s Famous Pizza.”

Rocky yelled, “Yay! Pizza!”

I turned to Moriah still silent, still staring.

“I’m gonna go clean up. Be down in ten.” I retreated, jogging toward the house, leaving no room for deeper contemplation.

We’d eat. We’d keep the kids busy. I’d get more time with Moriah before we both had to disappear.

# # #

“My grandpa is really sick,” Rocky blurted, after his third slice of pepperoni.

The kid had been unusually quiet and sluggish during our ride into town. Fuckin’ killed me, that sad expression he wore.

And Mim? Hell, that little angel scooted closer to her buddy, touched his cheek as if testing for tears, then leaned her head on his shoulder like she was put on Earth to be his comfort.

Moriah shot me a sideways glance, one brow raised in surprise, then cleared her throat. “Well, Rocky. The doctors are trying hard to help him right now. And your mom said she’d call us as soon as they know how he’s doing.”

“He’s strong, buddy. He’s stubborn, too.” I couldn’t help myself. I leaned over the table and whispered in his ear. “Maybe he did it on purpose, because he didn’t want Mim to leave yet.”

Rocky laughed, snorting. “Yeah. Grandpa would be crazy like that.”

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