AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Kaleb, I really don’t want to even look. He’s taken up enough time and energy just in the last three minutes. He doesn’t get any more.”
“Agreed, but we can’t just turn a blind eye, either. This could get worse, and we need to cover our asses,” he explains, and his use of the word we makes a small butterfly flutter to life in my chest. “Can I see it?” he asks, holding out his hand, and I hand over my phone with no hesitation.
Kaleb taps at the screen, trying his best not to react, but the set of his jaw gives away just enough. I try not to pay attention, not wanting to catch any of Carter’s scumbag words, but do ask what Kaleb’s plan is.
He makes a few more deliberate swipes and taps before handing my phone back.
“It’s going to be okay now,” he informs me solemnly, and I immediately feel the tension leave my body and my next breath cleanse my lungs.
“Okay,” I acknowledge and try to give him a smile. “Thank you.”
He nods. “But if he contacts you again, you tell me. Got it?”
“Got it.” I smile bigger now, trying to get us away from this territory and back to our happy reunion bubble. “Now, where were we?”
“I was taking you home,” he answers with a playfully wicked grin as he puts the truck back in gear.
* * *
Kaleb
This morning,I wasn’t ready to separate from Luna, going completely against what I’ve resisted all this time: tying myself to somebody. But I just got her back and I’m not ready to say goodbye, no matter how much we’d probably keep in touch this time. I’m making the most of my time before I ship out, and that includes spending time with her. The fact that she should see the house and people around town should know her face is just convenient.
Then the way we were laughing and talking easily in the truck… that’s the way it was always supposed to be between her and I, I’m sure of it. Even now, as I stare straight ahead at the road with my left-hand white knuckling the steering wheel and my other hand on her thigh, making soothing circles with my thumb, everything feels right in place. Even though one side of me is fuming at the idea of some fucker hurting my girl, no matter in what capacity, while the other side keeps her calm, I feel completely balanced.
I know all I need to know about this Carter asshole by the way the mere knowledge of his efforts to communicate shook her up. I swear to God she spaced out and looked like she was going to be sick, and it made my instincts kick in; the ones that drive me to do anything to protect every part of her being. It was clear by her following behavior that she’s eager to put it behind her and do so by acting like it didn’t happen, but this piece of shit is now on my radar for life. I indeed deleted his message and blocked him on her phone, but not before taking a screenshot and sending it to myself.
Hey girl, how are things?
It’s been a while, so I thought I’d reach out. I miss talking to you and was wondering if you were over what happened between us yet. If so, maybe we can get back in touch? If not, I hope you can get past it and realize just how much I cared about our relationship, and what I was willing to do for it.
Hope you’re taking care of yourself.
Love, Carter.
Whatever he did, there’s no apology or remorse on his end. He barely even took ownership. And he sought her out by hacking, and just because I blocked him, doesn’t mean he won’t do it again if he was so gung-ho to do it even once. It’s evident that he and I are going to have a problem, but I need to know everything. I’m letting it go for now, so that Luna can have a chance to process it all through her thoughts, but then I’m hoping she’ll let me in on everything later.
Turning off the ramp, I turn left, following the green sign with the white arrow pointing us towards Coyote Creek and West Bridge, the town only eight miles past it that’s bigger and has more access to certain things – like restaurants and department stores.
I navigate the truck down the long, two-lane highway as Luna takes in the rolly hills and tall trees before they open up to some farm lands and wheat fields. The wind flutters her hair, brown and purple strands breezing across her face, and she pulls them away from her eyes and leans forward as the town’s first buildings come into view. The main street is lined with old, red brick buildings that consist of a bank, two bars, a salon, and restaurant that added a dining patio in the last couple of years.
“Oh my God, I love this,” Luna gushes appreciatively as she looks back and forth between the two sides of the street. She points at little things from hanging flower baskets, to an old mailbox, to how even the cracked and faded pavement gives the place character. “Oh my God, you guys even have one of those cute old water towers!” she exclaims, looking out her side of the truck.
“It’s like you’ve never seen a Podunk town before,” I chuckle at her.
“I’ve seen plenty,” she sasses back and lightly bats my arm with the back of her hand. “Okay only a few,” she admits, “But I love them. They’re so cozy and charming; quiet…” she trails off, looking content as she takes in more of the sights – or lack thereof. She insists on stopping in front of my high school of all places to snap a photo of the sign out front, and as we get closer to the edge of town, I turn down a side street. I go past the small park with the baseball diamond before turning down Conway – my street. A couple of empty lots pass by before I turn into the driveway of the modest white bungalow with the chipped paint on its front porch. It’s old and weathered, and has seen better days for sure, but it’s home. It’s saving grace is that it’s on two acres instead of one, or even less. There’s a separate garage to the side and back a little way for when Pops would bring his work home with him, and where my Harley now sits under a sheet.
“Oh my God, there’s a porch swing!” Luna gasps, a smile of adoration curving her lips, her eyes alight with excitement. It’s like she’s a country girl that was accidentally born in the city. She takes such delight in the things that were always just there to me, and it’s like she’s giving me a renewed appreciation for them. To see the world through her eyes would be a thing of beauty and wonder.
She pushes out from her door when I barely have the truck in park. I shake my head and laugh lightly as she scurries up the front steps while grab her bags out of the back. When I trudge up the steps with her overnight bag in one hand, and her large portfolio-sized art bag slung over the other shoulder, I find her sprawled sideways on the porch swing, legs stretched in front of her. From the giddy smile on her face, you’d never know some monster from her past just popped up in front of her earlier.
“I love this porch,” she admits and shakes her head, looking around her immediate surroundings, while I look at her, imagining her living here with me. She looks right at home, and for the first time in my life, I feel something resembling grounded.
“Come on, silly girl,” I say, fiddling with my ring of keys and finding the one to the front door. She pops off the swing, leaving it gliding behind her, and is at my side as I open the door. I give her a quick tour of the main living area off the entry way and the kitchen on the other side, before showing her down the hall. She gets sidetracked in the bathroom when she sees the deep, claw-foot tub, and fangirls over it for several minutes – which includes actually climbing in and sitting in it.
In less than five minutes, this house has been brought to life by her being in it, and while I thought it would be overwhelming, it feels exactly how it should… and I just never knew it.
At the end of the hall, we reach the two bedrooms and I open the door to the right, the one that used to be my room growing up. After Pops died, I took over the master and made this a spare room of sorts, not that I ever have any company.
