Page 54 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

“Not really. You’re talented. It’s no wonder Eliza wants to hire you. I’m just taking you under my wing to protect you.”

“Okay, but why do you feel the need to protect me?” I asked, looking him right in the eyes and longing to hear an answer I knew he wouldn’t give. “Especially since I waited so long to tell you.”

“You said you were waiting for the right time. I get that. I understand how it never came. There was my injury, PT, the storm…” He flicked his gaze to the ocean and held it there for a beat before bringing those blue eyes back to mine. “In the time I’ve known you, I’ve come to learn that you only see the good in people. That’s why I want to protect you. It’s also probably why you keep hanging out with me and why you won’t leave me alone even if I’m being an asshole.”

“Or that could be because I like you, which I do. It’s that simple.” I hesitated for a moment before I smiled. “It’s nice to know that you’re self-aware enough to know when you’re being an asshole, though.”

He chuckled. The waitress brought our drinks, silencing him. It kind of felt like there was something more he wanted to say, but he moved his eyes back to the ocean and sipped his Coke, becoming quieter and quieter.

“Why did you bring me here?” I finally asked, gentle, but too curious to let it go completely. “We could’ve just gone back to the office.”

“We could have, but I could tell you were worried about me finding out that Eliza had asked you to be her designer. I figured we should get that out of the way before we went back to work. I’ll drop you off when we’re done here. Either at the office or at home. Your choice.”

“Drop me off?” I frowned. “Why? Where are you going?”

“Support group meeting.” He sighed heavily, suddenly looking like there was a thundercloud gathering over his head. “I missed the last one and I try not to skip them.”

“Do those help?” I asked. “Again, you don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to. I just thought I’d ask in case you want to talk about it.”

To my surprise, he didn’t snap at me or tear me a new one for constantly asking about stuff he didn’t bring up himself. He just shrugged. “No, if I’m being completely honest, they don’t really help. Sometimes, I feel like they might. A little bit, but mostly, it just gives me someplace to be where I can hear about what other people went through.”

“Can I come with you?” The question shot out of me before I could stop it and my cheeks instantly flared with heat. “I mean, is that something that’s allowed?”

I nearly fell out of my chair when he nodded. He didn’t seem stoked about it, but he took me with him to the local church once we were done at the restaurant. I wasn’t sure what to do when we got there, though. Ford strode into one room, the door swinging shut behind him, and I stayed behind in the hallway, pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to follow him in there.

A girl around my age came in, and to my relief, she seemed a little more clued in. When she noticed me just standing there, she took pity on me. “Are you here for the family and friends support group or the veterans group?”

“Uh, family and friends.”

“Awesome.” She smiled and motioned at a door just down the hall. “So am I. We’re right through there. I’m Caitlin, by the way.”

“Lila. Thanks for helping me.” I followed her to the door, but hung back when she started saying hi to people after we’d walked in.

I kind of felt like an invader all of a sudden. Or an intruder. I really shouldn’t have asked if I could come.

Everyone seemed friendly and cheerful though, so unlike the guy who’d brought me here. The guy I wanted more insight into, which was why I’d asked. So I drew in a deep breath and reminded myself why I’d come. I wanted to know how I could better support him. If there was a way in which I could help him heal. And maybe also to see if I could gain any knowledge about whether he was emotionally able to let people in.

As soon as I joined the circle where the others were all in the process of sitting down, Caitlin introduced me and explained that family and friends met in one room while the soldiers met in another. The woman who ran the group called the meeting to order not long after, and for the next hour, I listened attentively to the experiences of those who had been supporting loved ones for much, much longer than I had.

It reminded me a lot of the support groups I’d once attended and I quickly fell into the rhythm of it, comfortable in places where sharing was encouraged. I couldn’t imagine Ford felt the same.

As it turned out, Caitlin was here to support her brother. She talked compassionately about how much he’d changed after coming home and how she wasn’t sure he would ever be the same, and I realized that Ford couldn’t be the same person either.

The woman in charge gave sound advice to everyone who shared—myself included—and I lapped it up. By the time the meeting adjourned, I’d made up my mind about how to handle my situation with Ford.

Now all I had to do was hope like hell that he would allow me to do it.

28

FORD

“Can I come to your place instead?” Lila asked when I offered to drop her off at her apartment after the meeting.

I frowned but swept a hand out toward my truck. “Sure. Why not?”

She’d been suspiciously quiet since I’d come out of the basement and met up with her in the hallway. Her eyes were also slightly unfocused and she seemed thoughtful but determined about something.

I wasn’t sure why she wanted to come over, but I could tell something was wrong. It was probably better to find out what it was tonight before we ended up having another argument at the office in the morning.