Shaken, Not Stirred

And shit… it hits me all at once. Maybe this is really Te

“I need to get back to your house and get packed… make some plane reservations,” he says absently, looking utterly lost and vulnerable.

“Of course,” I say suddenly, pulling away and springing in to action. “I’m going to go grab my purse.”

“Apologize to your family,” he says softly.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” I say quickly, and then fly back into the house.

I give a quick explanation of what’s happened, and my mom immediately jumps up wanting to assist. She offers to pack food and get online for plane reservations, making a move toward the front door to step out onto the porch and console Te

With a gentle hand on her shoulder, I say, “I’ve got this, Mom.”

She nods and smiles sadly, sitting back down at the table.

“I’ll call you and let you know what’s going on,” I say as I turn away from my family.

“Call us if you need us, honey,” my dad says to my retreating back.

“I’ll cover you at The Last Call if you need to go with him,” Brody also says, and I have to smile at his offer. He hates bartending, so this gesture really touches my heart.

And I’m going to take him up on that because there’s no way in hell that Te

He needs me but more importantly… I really need to be there for him. It’s something I feel compelled to do, not out of obligation, but out of a sense of co

I manage to get Te

By the time we walk into my house, I have a game plan in effect.

“Why don’t you start getting packed,” I tell Te

More pain flashes through Te

He looks lost as his eyes flutter around the living room, almost as if he can’t even decide how to pick up the phone to dial his daughter.

“She was really close to my dad,” Te

I know it’s a stupid offer but I go ahead and make it anyway, knowing there is no way in hell that Te

“Do you want me to call her?” I ask tentatively.

His eyes slide to mine, and I see the real Te

I walk up to him, press my body in close, and stand up on tiptoes, grazing a soft, gentle kiss on the side of his neck. “Okay. I’m actually going to go get you packed up and give you some privacy. Then I’ll make our reservations once you figure Zoey out.”

“Our reservations?” he asks with surprise.

“I’m going with you,” I tell him firmly, leveling him a look that almost dares him to fight me on it.

But he doesn’t, which is good, because there’s no way in hell I’m staying here. Not after I found out he loves me. Granted, he said it to my dad and not me, but I heard the words.

He knows I heard the words.

He knows I didn’t run, and it should tell him something that not only am I not ru

So, he might not have said the words directly to me yet, and I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to say them to him any time soon, but I suspect that we both know what’s going on here. It’s just right now… with this tragedy unfolding for Te

I need to show him how I feel.

Reaching out, I lay my hand in the middle of his chest and rub my thumb over his breastbone. Then I give a soft pat and turn to head back into the bedroom to get his meager supply of clothing together, and get me packed as well.

It doesn’t take long for me to get organized. I can hear Te

As soon as I’m done packing, I place a quick call to Hunter. He had already heard what happened from Brody and told me not to worry about my shifts and that they’d cover for me as long as I needed to be in Wyoming with Te

After I hang up with Hunter, I pull the large suitcase I have filled with mine and Te

He doesn’t look up to acknowledge my presence but says, “I’m looking at flights. You sure you want to go with me?”

I walk up behind him, curl my arms around his chest, lean in, and give him a tight hug. “Totally sure.”

“Well, it looks like there’s actually an early flight out of New Bern that heads to Detroit, and then in to Jackson. It’s the fastest,” he says as he continues to scroll through the choices.

“What about Zoey?” I ask tentatively.

“Bria

“How is Zoey taking this?”

Te

I squeeze on to him hard, trying to suck the pain away from him that I know he’s suffering not only because his own father is dead, but also because he’s a father to a child who is suffering. I know Te

He lets me hold him for a few moments, even sighs when I lean to the side and press my lips to his cheek. I nuzzle against his skin and feel him melt just a tiny bit as he accepts my sympathy.

But then he’s pushing out of my hold and reaching into his back pocket. As he pulls his wallet out, he says, “Are you sure you can take the time to go with me?”

“Absolutely,” I tell him as I turn to grab my own purse so I can get my credit card out. “Hunter told me to take all the time I need.”

“That means a lot, Goldie,” Te