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“Well, that’s a good thing, right?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Your place is one of the first places, in a long time, that I’ve felt this way.”
“I know that you live with Knox and Beck usually, but do you have a place of your own too?” she asked.
“No,” he admitted. “I used to have a little house with Gina when Derrick was younger, but she got it in the divorce. Honestly, all I wanted was time with my son after we split.”
“That’s admirable,” she said. She had no idea how untrue that was. He was depressed and suffering from the effects of serving. He knew that he suffered from PTSD, but he refused to get any help. He made Gina and Derrick’s life hell, and there was nothing admirable about how he treated his ex and son.
“Not really,” he said. “I wasn’t a very good husband back then. I told you that Gina got pregnant at the end of high school, right?” he asked.
“Yes,” Rainey said.
“Well, after she got pregnant, I ended up joining the Army. It was that or college, and there was no way I’d get to go to college with a kid in tow, so I chose the only other choice that I thought I had. I served for years, taking every deployment I could sense I was miserable at home with Gina. She didn’t make it very easy—blaming me for abandoning her when all I was trying to do was make a living and support her and my son. Every time I tried to explain that we ended up fighting more and more with each passing year.”
“That’s awful. I know from experience that having a husband who is constantly gone isn’t easy, Slater. It must have been hard on Gina with a newborn and being so young and all.”
“It was. And I didn’t help matters much by blaming her for so many of our problems. I was young, stupid, and didn’t have the common sense to see that I was doing more harm than good by taking off so often,” he admitted.
“What happened? I mean, I know you two are divorced, but when did that happen?” she asked.
“When Derrick was about seven. I had finished up my last tour—not by choice. I had a window to accept an honorable discharge, and I took it. A few of my high school friends told me that Gina was cheating on me, and I really couldn’t blame her. When Uncle Sam gave me an out, I took it thinking that if I stuck around for the long haul, she’d see that I was serious about being a husband and father, and she’d stop sleeping around on me. I was wrong, but I convinced Gina to stick with me until Derrick was older. I told her that it was the right thing for him—that he needed a mom and dad who were devoted to not only him but each other.”
“So, you stayed together for your kid,” she said.
“Yeah—and that never works out. I learned that the hard way. We were so unhappy that it was making Derrick feel that way. He started acting out and we ended up taking him to counseling, at his teacher’s prompting. That was when we realized that everything that we were doing was messing up our kid even more. So, we split, and I gave her everything—more out of guilt than kindness. It was the right thing to do for my son and an easy decision to make.”
“Was that when you went into security?” Rainey asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I started as a grunt, basically, and then worked my way up. I was in the process of opening my own agency when Ace and Knox approached me and asked me to become the head of their security. I jumped at the chance and have never looked back. Knox invited me to move into the penthouse to take over his security, and I took him up on his offer. It worked out all right for a bit. I took over the left-wing with the security measures that I put into place, and my own personal quarters. But when he met Beck, things got a little more complicated. Their place is getting smaller every day and soon enough, they will need to come up with other ways to house their security team. I think that I’m ready to put down some roots, I just need to find the right place.”
“I get that,” she said. “It’s one of the reasons why I won’t uproot the kids from this house. It’s all they’ve ever known—it’s their roots,” Rainey said. “They’ve already had so much change in their lives, I can’t do that to them too. It’s why I insisted on staying here during that whole problem with Knox’s old assistant. I didn’t want them to have to give up anything else.”
“That’s what makes you such a good mom, Rain,” he said. “You put their needs before yours and that’s what a good parent does.”
“Thanks for saying that,” Rainey said. “I just wish I could give them more. When Ella’s ready for pre-school, I’m thinking about getting a part-time job to help with expenses. I’ve got the house, and car, and basics covered with Jack’s pension and insurance money, but there is never any money left over for anything extra.”
“That’s why you don’t get pizza very often,” he breathed.
“Right,” she said. “I don’t really say much in front of the kids. I don’t want them to worry about anything. And there’s no way that I’ll say anything to my sister. She’ll find ways to try to give me money, and I don’t want it. I want to make it on my own, you know?”
“I do,” he said. “But there’s no shame in accepting help, Rain.” He wondered if she’d allow him to help her if push came to shove. The only way he’d find out would be to just do something that might help her out, even if it meant pissing her off.
“I get that,” she said. “But it’s a matter of pride for me,” she said. “We should be able to make ends meet with what we have. I’m teaching my kids to be responsible with their money and not be frivolous. I think that’s a good life lesson, don’t you?”
“I do,” he agreed. “But sometimes, you should let other’s treat you and the kids. It wouldn’t hurt.” He was sure by the sour expression on her beautiful face that she didn’t agree with his assessment.
The movie credits started to play, and he smiled at her. “Looks like you’ve missed the end of your movie,” he said. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not a big deal,” she assured. “I’ve already seen it—a few times. I chose it because I was hoping you’d want to talk or fool around.”
He chuckled, “I’m good with either. Since we’ve done the talking bit, how about we move to the making-out part?” he asked.
“I like the way you’re thinking, Slater,” she said. “I just need to arm my security system and put this bowl in the dishwasher. If the kids wake up tomorrow morning to the smell of popcorn, I’ll have anarchy on my hands.” She got up and he followed her from the family room to the kitchen. He helped her to load the dishwasher and noticed that the mysterious dark sedan was back at the end of her back alley.
“That car’s back,” he said. Slater squinted and tried to see if there was anyone in it this time, but he didn’t see anyone.
“Did you have time to have your friend run the tags?” she asked.
