AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Did he always know me this well? How did I miss that? That's when I notice he's holding one of his hands behind his back.
"What do you have that you’re hiding?" I ask, nodding his way.
"Well, I saw this in the library, and it made me think of you. I was wondering if you wanted to play with me?" He pulls out a box from behind his back and steps forward, turning it so I can see what's on the cover.
"Payday?!" I’m unable to hide my excitement.
It’s one of my favorite board games. We would play it when I was over at his house. Though I haven't played it since Caden and I broke up, and seeing it now reminds me of all the fun and carefree times we had. Instantly, with all my heart, all I want to do is play that game. My book and the hero are easily forgotten.
"Do you have time to play?" I ask since he's on the clock.
"My shift just ended, so if you'll have me, I'd love to play with you," he says with a smile. Then he sits down on the floor, pulling the game out and placing it on the coffee table.
His dog Atticus lays down right beside him, putting his head in Jake's lap, looking quite content to lie there for a while.
I sit down on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, letting my leg stretch on the floor beside the coffee table. This allows me to rest and stretch out my legs.
"Is this okay? We can move to the desk if you want," Jake says, his face full of concern.
"You might have to help me up off the floor when we are done, but I am comfortable."
Jake sets up the board game, and we go over the rules to refresh our memory before we play.
"Of all the branches, what made you pick the Army?" he asks after we both had our first turn in the game.
"My grandfather was in the Army back in the Korean War. I guess it was a small way to honor him but where I also felt I'd be the most useful," I shrug, not really wanting to get into it. "Why did you pick the Navy?"
"Because the Navy Seals are the best." He smiles at me, but there's just a hint of mischief in his beautiful brown eyes.
We go through a few rounds of the game while we talk about previous times we played. Caden could never get the concept of how to win the games, especially Monopoly. Half the time when he would play, he would get so frustrated he'd flip the board and walk away.
Even though Caden would get upset about it, I just laughed. And secretly, I would look forward to him flipping the board. There was just something so comfortable about how competitive he was. I'm assuming that competitive streak has only grown.
"How are your brothers doing?" I ask, wanting to keep the conversation light.
He tenses, looking up at me, studying me for a moment.
"I'm not asking to get information about Caden. Playing makes me miss the times we would all sit together, and I'm just wondering what they all are doing."
He relaxes just a bit before taking his next turn.
"Caden joined the Marines and is doing some training right now. I haven't heard from him in a while. Brantley is currently deployed with the Marines as well. North joined the Navy like I did but decided against applying to be a Seal."
"How does your mom feel about having all four of her boys in the military?"
"Some days, she's a nervous wreck, but in general, she's just proud," he says with a smile. Though that smile was forced, and there’s something else there. I want to ask him about it, but asking him to open up means that I would have to open up, and that's not going to happen.
We play a little bit longer, and he talks about his brothers, how he was able to be at each of their boot camp graduations, and how proud he is of them. It starts to feel like old times. Then, there's a break in the conversation.
"When I was healing after I came back Stateside, I really wish there had been a place like Oakside for me. It sure as hell beats any hospital room I stayed in," he says, looking around. I start to get uncomfortable. Not because he's here but because I see where the conversation is going.
"When I was healing, I felt so alone. My mom was there, but my entire unit was still deployed. North was the only one who was able to come to visit because Brantley and Caden were deployed. And I hadn't really made friends outside of my unit. Took me a long time to find the right people to surround myself with. No, I couldn't imagine not having Noah and Easton and some of the other guys here," he says.
"If I had had a place like this, who knows where I'd be? The therapist that worked with Dr. Tate at the hospital could never remember my name and kept getting my story mixed up with another patient."
That's when it clicks, and the anger starts to boil deep in my guts.
"Who was it that told you to come and talk to me? Noah or Dr. Tate himself?" I ask through clenched teeth.
