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“What do you want to do now?” He asks me, and I know I will probably regret it, but there is one thing I want to do.
“Tell me about yourself,” I tell him.
“There’s not much to tell. I grew up in this tiny town in Texas. I hated it and joined the Army as soon as I could. I served six years and then moved out here with the guys. I’ve been here for about a year and a half now and like it a lot more than Texas.”
“So, more of a cold guy than heat then?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“I just feel more at home here. The people are nice; I like the landscape here more.”
“I do, too,” I admit.
“Good.”
“What’s your favorite food?” I ask him.
“Anything that you make.”
“Mine is pot roast. It’s just so comforting and good.”
“What else? Tell me more about yourself?”
“I grew up in California. I hated it. My mom died when I was young. I’ve always suspected that my father killed her,” I admit. “He’s a monster. I was locked in my room for most of the time.”
“I’m sorry that you had to grow up like that. I’m sorry that you had to live with him.”
“Me too. I wasn’t allowed to do anything. It wasn’t much of a childhood when all I did was go to school and back home to be locked in my room. The only time I was let out was when he wanted to parade me in front of his business associates. I hated having them watching me. They all just leered whenever I was around,” I tell him with a shudder as I remember my younger years.
“I want to kill him,” Gunner snarls, and I smile.
“Me too. He’s not a good man. I mean, he’s trying to sell me off. What kind of dad does that?”
“A shitty one.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
We share a small smile, and I lean back against the couch.
“What about you?” I ask him, wanting to shift the subject off myself.
“My childhood was boring. We lived in the middle of nowhere. There weren’t that many kids around to hang out with. Plus, I was never great at talking to people. I’m more of a loner.”
“Me too,” I admit. “How did you meet the other guys at work?”
“We were all deployed together a few times. We grew close while we were overseas, and when they talked about moving here and working for the mountain rescue unit, I thought it sounded like a good idea. I was getting tired of being shot at,” he tells me, and I hate thinking about him being in danger.
“Want to watch a movie?” I ask him, and he shrugs.
“Whatever you want.”
We both settle into the couch and I smile as he turns on the TV. Getting to know Gunner definitely isn’t going to help with my growing feelings for him, but I don’t regret asking him. It’s nice to learn more about him and to feel closer to him.
I just hope that it doesn’t make it harder when I have to leave.
FOUR
Gunner
My house has never hadthis many people in it. I’m a little uncomfortable being around this many people that I don’t really know, but Frankie is having fun, so I’m sucking it up.
