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Bandit rushed up and started kissing Grandad’s face. He smiled as he scratched behind his ears. “I missed you, too.”
Once their greeting ended, I asked, “I have you all set up in the room downstairs. Do you want to go there or to the couch?”
“The couch,” he grumbled, all the joy that Bandit had just inspired drained from his expression.
Even though I was sure he was happy to be home, it was clear he was frustrated by his limitations. I’d even been warned by Dr. Edwards that he might be suffering from a bout of depression. His generation didn’t really talk about emotions or mental health. But I knew he’d struggled with depression when my Grandma Margie passed away. I’d still been on active duty then, but every time I’d call home, I noticed him sounding more and more withdrawn.
Then, things got even worse when my dad died. Even though the two men weren’t necessarily close; in fact, they barely spoke to each other, it still affected Grandad losing his only son. That was the reason I hadn’t re-upped; I was worried about Grandad being all by himself.
For the first year or so I was out, I did my best to get him to reengage in life, but all he wanted to do was sit inside his house and watch TV. He never went out. But then, Tay had Harper and Grandad move in with me when she was just three months old to help out.
She’d brought him back to life. She gave him a new purpose. I worried now that he would feel like he’d lost that purpose since he wouldn’t be able to care for her the way he had.
I pushed him into the front room, and I helped him stand so he could sit on the couch. The couch that Ruby had sat on less than twenty-four hours earlier. Visions of her touching herself filled my head. I still couldn’t quite believe that Ruby and I had done what we’d done. I didn’t just bend my rules for her; I shattered the damn things.
Since becoming a dad, I’d never had a woman spend the night at my home. I didn’t want to blur the lines between my home life and my dating life, which meant I hadn’t really had a dating life. After my one-night stand with Taylor, I’d only been with three women, including Ruby.
About a year ago, I met Kristin at a training seminar in Chicago. She was also in law enforcement, and I’d seen potential there. We’d spent the weekend together and then stayed in touch for a few months. I’d met up with her several times, but she lived in Ohio and had no plans on moving.
Sienna was a lawyer I met from Dallas when I had to testify in a case regarding domestic violence. She was stunning and worked as a lingerie model to support herself through college; she’d even graced the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine. She was smart, funny, and kind. We’d dated for about six months, but when she told me she had no interest in having children, I decided it wasn’t right. I wanted to have more kids. I wanted a full house. A big family.
Over the years, Taylor had given me shit about my standards being too high, and I needed to give more women a chance. But I knew what I wanted and was not willing to compromise.
After spending the night with Ruby, my determination was even more resolute. That was what I wanted to have with someone. What we’d shared felt inevitable. We’d been like two magnets drawn to one another. I hadn’t been able to resist her.
And now she was going to be living here, in my house, day and night. I wanted to believe that my reasons for asking her were above board. At the time I’d asked her, I’d been sure it was. My arguments were sound. She needed a job and a place to stay. I needed someone with flexible hours who I trusted with both my daughter and my grandad.
It was a win-win for both of us. And it would stay that way as long as we defined our relationship and set clear boundaries. We absolutely could not cross any lines again, which was something we hadn’t talked about. At the end of this summer, she was going to leave. I needed to stop myself from getting in any deeper than I already was.
There was a knock at the door, and I called out, “Harp, can you get that?”
I wasn’t expecting anyone, but I figured it was either someone coming to check on Grandad or dropping off a dinner for us. Since Grandad’s illness, women routinely showed up on my porch with casseroles, stews, lasagnas, and even roasts. Stella had stopped by the most frequently, but she wasn’t the only one.
“Ruby!” Harper exclaimed after she opened the door.
Ruby. I was supposed to go pick her up in a few hours. How had she gotten there?
I came around the corner and saw that, sure enough, she was standing there with a duffle bag. Just like when I’d seen her at the gas station, the senior home, and the bar, her beauty stole the oxygen from my lungs.
She’d changed out of the shorts and tank top she’d been wearing when I’d seen her at the home. Now, she wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a gray tank top that clung to her hourglass figure and revealed the slightest hint of cleavage. Her hair was still pulled up in a ponytail, and she didn’t have a drop of makeup on. Her eyes were so blue and large; her lips so full and pink; and her skin was so smooth and flawless.
“Daddy, look!” Harper jumped up and down. “Ruby’s here!”
“How did you get here?” My question sounded much harsher than I’d meant it to.
She blinked up at me. “Sally. Ray got her running again.”
I nodded, remembering Ray had moved into Miss Dottie’s trailer next door to Ruby’s mom. He’d always been good with cars.
“Are you sleeping over?” Harper asked excitedly.
“Um…” Ruby looked at me, then back down at Harper. My plan had been to get Grandad settled before breaking the news to him that I’d asked Ruby to stay to help out.
“Yep,” I confirmed. “Ruby is going to stay with us for a little bit.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Grandad mumbled from behind me.
Ruby must have seen the look on my face, or maybe she’d heard through the Sunset Acres grapevine just how stubborn and proud Grandad was, because she took a step toward him and effortlessly diffused the situation. “Actually, Mr. Kingston, Kane is doing me a favor. A job I had fell through, and my mom’s place is small, and since she and Randy are newlyweds…I asked if I could rent a room here. I hope that’s okay.”
