“It felt like maybe you had,” he comments before hi expression tightens slightly. “Have I… I haven’t ever hurt you, have I? When I’m in the throes of a nightmare?”
“No,” I’m quick to assure him. “No, you’ve never hurt me.”
He nods thoughtfully, looking down for a moment, and as much as I’d love for him to just tell me what’s going on in his heart, I know he’s been compromising a lot of vulnerability in the last couple of months.
“I have dreams too,” I confide, stepping closer to him, “and I’d like to have someone there to take them away.”
This makes him smile, and those green eyes dance behind his lashes some more. He looks away coyly before back at me. He knows what I’m doing. We both know what’s going on here, but we’re good with it.
The heaviness of the moment seeming to have lifted, K holds his hand out to me, his relaxed smile back on his face.
“Let’s go have some dinner.”
40
KALEB
“K!” I just barely hear Luna shout from the front porch just after I fire up the Harley. I look up to see her hustling down the steps, pulling on one of my hoodies over her tank top and sweatpants that she must’ve thrown on in haste because I’m damn sure left her naked in that bed a few minutes ago. She looks troubled, the space between her brows pinched and her eyes wide.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” I ask, genuinely concerned as I cut the engine. I set my helmet down on the tank and hold my arm out to pull her towards me.
“You didn’t kiss me goodbye,” she supplies, her voice soft and her expression still a mix of disappointment and worry… and it gives me life – not my tough girl having an insecure moment, but being needed and wanted like this. The way she came rushing out here because she’s missing a simple show of affection.
“Aww, baby…” my voice goes tender as my heart turns to absolute mush. I reach out to thread a hand in her hair and pull her closer. “You were sleeping,” I explain as I lean in and give her a sweet kiss that I hope makes up for it. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
I give her another kiss before asking if she’s okay now and she nods, looking somewhat placated. Meanwhile, my heart is fucking dancing.
“Where are you going? This is early for you,” she comments, wrapping her arms around herself, the sleeves of my hoodie hiding her hands.
“I’m just headed out to West Bridge for a while,” I explain, taking hold of her hand. “I’ve got one more PT appointment, and then I was going to run some errands. West had a rare Harley come into the shop that needs an archaic exhaust, and I think someone on craigslist might have what he needs, so I was going to check it out.”
“Okay,” she nods, a faint smile starting to relax her features.
“What have you got going on today?”
“Pottery,” she rolls her eyes disgustedly but it makes me chuckle. I’m proud of her. It’s the one art class that’s been kicking her ass but she’s stuck with it, determined to make it her bitch.
“Give ‘em hell, baby,” I snicker, leaning in for one last kiss, and this time, she full-on beams as she turns away, leaving me to fire up the Harley once again. Helmet secure, I knock the kickstand up with my boot and head on out of the driveway in the direction of West Bridge.
That simple, short little exchange filled me with the extra vigor I needed to go do what’s on my agenda today… the one thing I left out of the plans I told her about. I’ve actually made a therapy appointment, but I don’t want to tell her that just yet. I want to see how it goes before I get her hopes up that I’m talking out my issues with someone. Lord knows this is something I still don’t want to do, and I don’t foresee it helping one iota. But I’m finally in a place where I feel ready to try. On the off chance it goes well, then maybe I’ll make a recurring appointment, maybe bi-monthly, and then I’ll let her in on it.
When I reach the VA, I take the elevator to the second floor, not quite ready for that amount of stairs yet. When the doors open, I follow the sign around the corner and approach the reception desk where a woman, I’m guessing somewhere in her fifties, sits behind a computer in a wheelchair. She looks tough as nails despite that, and I’m presuming she, herself, is a veteran.
“Morning,” I announce my presence, and she looks up with a tight smile.
“Name?”
“Kaleb Shane to see Dr. Jeffries,” I supply.
“He’s actually all ready for you. Just power off your cell phone and you can go on back,” she instructs and jerks her head in the direction of a hallway to her left.
“Thank you,” I nod at her before reaching in my jacket pocket and turning off my phone as I walk around her desk and down the hallway she indicated.
My arms and chest are tight and my heartbeat has picked up a rapid rate as I walk down the fluorescent-lit hallway, looking for the man’s name plate on one of the many doors.
Just an hour, I tell myself. That’s all you have to get through.
I suck in a breath and will my heart to settle the fuck down as I tap on the appropriate door.