AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you staying with us while you’re here?”
I want to be with my parents, but I don’t know if I can live with them. More so when Tucker lives closer to my house than our parents’ place. Since I don’t want to discuss it, I say, “I haven’t thought that far ahead. Let’s discuss it when I’m ready to board the plane. Love you.”
“We love you too, Ladybug.”
When I hang up, I look up at Derek. “Hey, stranger, how was your day?”
He bends and kisses my cheek, exhaling loudly. “Awful because I couldn’t see you all day.”
I want to acknowledge what he just said, but I can’t. There has to be boundaries between us. Since I don’t know how to approach that, I just ignore him and continue with the conversation. “What happened with your sister?”
He shakes his head. “It was a shit show. She’s out on bail. I’m out two million dollars. She might not be able to recover her children—ever.”
“I can’t understand why she decided to take them out of the state, knowing what could happen.”
Derek chuckles. “Sharon doesn’t believe in consequences. Plus, it was my father’s idea. He bought her a house in Atlanta. According to my sister, it was well-planned. Dad’s political affiliations were in play. She just had to get to Georgia, and they would protect her.” He shrugs. “I don’t think either one of them thought this through. Now she’s facing charges like DUI, child endangerment, and kidnapping, among others.”
“Sorry, I wish I could do something for your niece and nephews.”
“This is going to fuck them up badly. Let’s pray that their father isn’t like mine.” He goes to the mini fridge to grab a beer. “You were on the phone with your grandfather?”
“No, it was my dad,” I respond, grabbing the beer bottle and taking a sip. I haven’t told him that I have two fathers and a mother. Not because I’m ashamed of my parents but because I don’t know if he can handle it. It’ll disappoint me if he judges them.
“You should’ve kicked me out if you needed to talk to him,” he says, taking a seat next to me.
“Nah, it was a quick call. We got an amazing first few chapters of a book, and I wanted him to read them. It’s a thriller that could become a series.”
“Is it Tom Clancy good?”
“Yes. Pa has reservations but suggested a couple of scenarios for our hero. Like adding a female counterpart. I suggested another man, and then he thought of making them a throuple.”
“Like having two men and a woman fighting crime while having a romantic relationship?”
“Something like that. I don’t know if the author will want to add any romantic elements though.”
Derek is frowning.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m trying to imagine the setting. Can you work in the field with your lover?” He shakes his head. “That’s a good conflict because some people can be easily distracted by their lovers.”
“During your years of service, did you ever sleep with anyone in your platoon?”
“Why am I not surprised that you’re asking questions?” He chuckles. “I had sex with one of them, but that was it, just sex. I wasn’t attached to any of them romantically.”
“But if you were in love, then you might get distracted?”
Derek looks at me and shrugs.
“Have you ever been in love, Dr. Farrow?”
He rolls his eyes and puts an arm around my shoulder. “You’re being nosy today, Ms. Cooperson.”
I can’t help but move my shoulders slightly, almost shrugging. Then, I snuggle closer to him. His embrace is… I feel safe when we spend time like this, just close enough that I can feel his warmth but not too close that I want him to burn me with his heat. “Not more than usual. You never talk about your relationships.”
He touches my left hand, showing me my engagement ring. “Would you like to discuss our love lives, Piper?”
“His name is Archer. We became best friends at the tender age of four, started dating at fourteen, and have been engaged since I was eighteen. He’s…” I feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I fumble over my words. I don’t know why I’m revealing this part of myself. I barely talk about Arch. “He’s working overseas. I can’t tell you what he’s doing though. It’s classified. You, of all people, understand that term. What about you?”
