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And I understood her reaction—feeling blindsided and believing the worst.
I was merely grateful I’d been able to get her to see reason and consider giving us a chance. The last thing I’d want is a permanent long-distance relationship with her, but it was still new between us. I needed the both of us to have the time and opportunity to make sure this was right before either one of us made drastic, life-changing decisions.
Because that was the thing.
It would have been easy for me to tell her to forget about the job she’d just gotten and come with me to Hawaii. I could easily support her with almost no impact on my personal financial situation.
But I’d have to be a fool to think it’d be a wise idea to ask Indy, so soon after she’d been burned, to make another choice like that. I’d have lost her right then and there.
It didn’t matter what I thought about my ability to care for her or where I hoped to see us go. She had to have more than just words. She deserved to have the time she needed to get to know me, so if things went where I hoped they would, she’d never have a single doubt about the security of her future.
I was so lost in my thoughts about Indy, the drive passed in a flash, and I was pulling back into the driveway at my parents’ place before I knew it.
The minute I walked through the front door, my mom walked up to greet me with a hug. “You’re back. How was your trip?”
“There was an avalanche,” I told her just as my dad walked up.
“What?”
Nodding, I explained, “There was an avalanche that blocked the access road to the resort. It left everyone who was already there stranded. It also meant that nobody could come up. Plus, those additional storms made a bad situation even worse when it came to clearing that road.”
“Oh, man. So, did any of the guys get up there to meet you before it happened?” my dad asked.
I shook my head. “Nope. It happened within an hour or two of me arriving there.”
“Was anyone hurt?” my mom asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“So, did they just get it cleared today?” my dad pressed.
“No. It was cleared a couple days ago,” I answered.
“And you weren’t ready to leave by then? Or did the guys come up afterward?” my mom questioned me.
This was going to be funny.
I knew from the moment I walked out of Indy’s new place and got back in my camper to drive down that access road that I had every intention of telling my parents about her. It’d be the best belated Christmas gift I could give them.
“I wasn’t ready to leave then, but it wasn’t because the guys came up,” I started. “I actually met someone.”
It took a fraction of a second for their faces to light up. “A girl? You met a girl?”
“Yes, Mom, I met a girl.”
Tears filled her eyes.
It might have seemed crazy to anyone else that my mom was this emotional about me telling her I met a girl when I’d been gone such a short time, but her reaction didn’t surprise me. She knew I wouldn’t have said a single word if I didn’t think Indy had staying power.
So, this was a big deal.
“Can you tell us about her? Who is she? What does she do?”
As though my mother’s line of questioning wasn’t already enough, my dad asked, “Is she from around here, or was she just visiting the area?”
I let out a laugh, put my hands up in surrender, and suggested, “Why don’t we go sit down, so I can tell you all about Indy and answer any questions you have?”
“Her name is Indy.”
