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The man picked up a key chain and passed it to him. Archie turned it over in his hand. A small woven strip attached to a keyring that simply saidI Love Flying. Instead of the word love, there was a red heart.
“I hope if you ever get the chance, you’ll seriously consider it. It changed my life for the better.”
Archie was heavily considering the military when the time came. Most of his family were veterans or active duty. It just made sense. None of them had joined the Air Force though. It could possibly be something new, just for him.
His eyes flickered back to Tabitha, where she was laughing at something James said as they both kept their eyes on the sky. Maybe if he did something like this, he’d deserve her. He wasn’t stupid. He knew he needed to do it for himself too.
“There’s the academy too.” The man spoke.
Archie took the brochure from the man’s hand. “Thank you.” He looked it over for a second before folding it and putting it in his back pocket. “I’m seriously thinking about it.”
“Good.” He smiled before grabbing another keychain. “Why don’t you give one to her too.”
Archie opened his mouth to object but thought better of it. “Thank you, she’ll love it.”
It was silly. He knew realistically that they had made thousands, but the idea that they had matching ones warmed him up inside.
CHAPTER33
TABITHA
She rubbed her chest as the pain spread across her body. It wasn’t right. She left everything on the counter as she bounded up the stairs and to her bathroom. Her hands squeezed the counter before reaching over to turn the shower on.
What the fuck just happened?
He couldn’t leave. She just got him back in her life. Sure, she didn’t initially want him to know the truth. It was why him showing up as her bodyguard shocked her. He wasn’t supposed to know about her troubles. Now, nobody else would do. They’d never be good enough. She refused to accept another bodyguard.
Anger filled her as she stepped into the shower. The water soaked through her clothes and the wet fabric clung to her body. It didn’t matter. A mix of emotions flooded her until she couldn’t handle the weight of it all. She slowly slid to the floor and let the water hit her.
He really was pushing her away. Right out of each other’s lives. She thought, maybe, just maybe, after last night’s movie, that something had changed.
She was wrong.
Her head flew back and hit the tile wall. Hard. The pain was welcoming. At least she could feel it. She slowly pulled back and rubbed her head. Fuck, that hurt. No worse than the pain in her chest though. She closed her eyes when she felt the first tear fall.
“Asshole.”
Was it the date? She’d stop if he admitted it. She only went on them because she needed a distraction. It wasn’t like the one she wanted to be with, wanted to be with her. He pushed her away, not her decision.
She fucking loved him, and he pushed her away.
She stood and turned the shower off. The clothes stuck to her as she peeled them off. She nearly tripped over her own feet in her attempt to get the damn leggings off. He wasn’t going without her telling him how she felt. He was going to know it was all on him.
If he thought for one minute, she would rather be with someone else, he was an idiot. It made her want to scream. She took in a deep breath and stepped out of the shower, leaving the wet clothes in a pile to pick up later. She twisted her hair into a towel and wrapped her body up in a plush robe.
Within minutes, she was leaning against the door of the security office he’d set up downstairs. She hesitated before saying anything. Watching him as he focused on whatever was on the laptop.
“So, you’re really leaving?” She held her breath. Maybe he would change his mind.
He didn’t turn to face her. His eyes stayed on the laptop in front of him. “I think it’s for the best.”
She swallowed. “Do you really?”
He turned to face her. His jaw clenched as he looked her down and back up again. It was slow, and she imagined it was because he was undressing her with his eyes. She could see it there. He was holding back.
She shifted slightly. Didn’t he know she was his? All he had to do was ask. She’d purposely not tied the robe tight. Part of it opened at the top. One big enough move and it would reveal she wasn’t wearing anything under it.
Tabitha wanted to tempt him. She wanted to do whatever she could to make him stay, to admit he cared. The passion was there if he would just take it.
