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"Thanks..." I realized I didn’t know his name and calling him Daddy wasn’t ok. I knew that much from the many hours of reading I’d done on the lifestyle.
"Harlan. And this is my boy, Griffin." Ah, the cook and the vet. I’d only gotten small hints about them in one of the last letters. Corey had suspected there was something there, but he didn’t have an answer. Looked to me like they’d figured it out.
I shook Harlan’s hand at the introduction since that seemed the most appropriate thing to do. If only I could stop blushing.
"I'm Ashley, but you already know that. I don't really know what to do next."
"We're going to head out. You two stay here. I can come clean up when you're done." He sent Corey a look I couldn’t decipher before he dragged Griffin away.
Then it was just me and Corey.
Time to face the music.
Chapter Three
Corey
Ashley was here.
Holy shit.
My Ashley.
He was standing across from me, looking even more amazing in person than I thought he would. The muscles I’d traced on his picture all these years were bigger now that I had a 3D version to examine. And his eyes… fuck me, they were the perfect shade of hazel.
“What are you doing here? When did you get back?”
He shuffled his feet from side to side as he looked down at the ground. “I got to the states yesterday. I stayed long enough to say some goodbyes before I bought a bus ticket here. I’m sorry to just show up. I didn’t know of another place I wanted to be at.”
I nearly fell over at his admission. Sure, I knew he didn’t have any other family to visit, and all his friendships were his fellow men and women who’d served. We’d talked extensively about them over the years.
“It’s ok,” I said as I moved closer. My hip bumped into the table, effectively stopping me from getting to him.
His gaze whipped up as the flattop jostled from the impact. The stare he shot my way was filled with so much longing. It created a matching need in me that I had no clue how to meet.
“We should get out of the way so they can work. Have you eaten or anything recently? I’m sure it was a long trip here from wherever you got dropped at.” I motioned for him to move around to my side of the table.
He hesitated only for a second, then he was shuffling to me. The second he was close enough; I couldn’t resist touching him to see if he was real. If not, then this was the most realistic dream I’d ever had. And if he was really here, then I’d just been given the best surprise of my life.
My palm skated over his bicep. I trailed it down until I met his palm. Gripping it tight, I tugged for him to follow me. Where we were going was less important than getting him to the destination. That place being simply away from prying eyes. I’d already felt more than one of the guys watching me as I spoke to Ashley. They’d have questions about who he was and how we knew each other.
It would lead to them discovering I wasn’t the person they’d known for years. The carefree, aloof guy who ate a shit ton of food and poked at anyone to get on their nerves was more a performance than reality.
The truth was much different. In fact, the only person who had a clue of the real me was currently holding my hand as we made our way up the stairs of the big house.
Easing my way inside, I navigated us to the kitchen and motioned for him to sit. “There are leftovers for later. We’ll dig a bit out for you to have now.”
“Oh, no. Don’t do anything fancy for me.”
I shot him a look. “It’s not fancy. And I’ll do whatever I damn well please for you, baby.”
The endearment slipped out with ease. It had been what I’d referred to him as in my head and on paper for a long time, yet it was the first time I’d spoken it aloud. I froze to see what his response would be.
The blush rising on his cheeks told me he was just as surprised as me by the phrase. He didn’t speak up to stop me though, which was good. I couldn’t imagine calling him anything else.
Well, maybe there were other things I could call him.
Mine.That one had a particularly appealing ring to it.
