After we hang up, I change into a pair of comfortable pajama pants and a tank top. I order room service for dinner before sitting down on the couch with my laptop. I need something to distract my mind, and the easiest way I know to do that is with work. I turn on some music and open my email.
The knock at my door startles me. I’m so engrossed in weeding through the growing pile of work that I lost track of time. I put my laptop down on the coffee table and go to the door, checking the peephole to see one of the hotel staff with my dinner. I let him in. He hands me the folio, and I sign the receipt while he sets it up on the dining room table.
When he’s done and leaving, he opens the door and jumps slightly. “Excuse me,” the hotel guy says.
I think it’s just Diem, but when I look around the corner, I see Xavier standing there. I smile sweetly at the hotel guy. “Let him in. Can you place a duplicate order and rush it for me?” I ask the guy.
“Absolutely, I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
“Thank you,” I nod. He and Xavier trade places. “I’m assuming you haven’t eaten anything?” I ask Xavier as he comes into the room.
Xavier shakes his head. “No.”
“How was he?”
Xavier closes the door behind him and steps farther into the room. He sets the bag he packed this morning down and rests his crutch against the wall. He stands with his hands in his pocket, his legs spread. Defeated and deflated. “A mess, but he kicked me out.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to go home.”
I nod. “I was working before my dinner arrived. It was all I could do to occupy my mind.”
“I can leave,” he offers.
I shake my head. “No, please stay,” I murmur.
He smiles softly. “Can I see him?” His eyes dart to the door separating us from Melody and Jax.
“Absolutely.” He goes to the door as I take a seat at the table.
I lift the domes off my food and begin eating while Xavier spends time watching Jax sleep. When he’s satisfied, he joins me, sitting across the table from me. He grabs a grape and pops it into his mouth. Neither one of us says much of anything until 15 minutes later when the hotel guy returns with Dirk’s. I sign the receipt, and he joins me as we both eat.
Xavier and I spend most of the night in companionable silence. Neither one of us seems to have a lot to say to one another, but the longer the night progresses, the more I realize that just having him here means more to me than I could have realized.
After we finish eating, we curl up on the couch, or rather, I lay against him with my laptop on my lap and his hand gently playing with strands of my hair as I work through some of the emails I hadn’t gotten to before dinner and Dirk arrived. With music playing softly in the background while I work, we simply sit there, comfortable. The warmth of him against me is the blanket of comfort I need to get through this night.
When I finally finish, I close my computer.
I stand and bring him with me. “Grab your stuff,” I tell him as we pass it on the way to the bedroom.
He changes into a comfortable pair of shorts and climbs into bed behind me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me to him, his chest to my back. I can feel his hardness between us, but he doesn’t make a move to progress beyond our cuddle time. I’m not at all disappointed because at some point in our snuggles, I break down. The tears I’d truly been fighting since we arrived at the hospital spill over.
He holds me to his chest, comforting me, reminding me that he’s there for me. Letting me know that letting go is okay, and I take everything he has to offer me and let it consume me like it is everything I need to get through this. To survive yet another loss. The loss of yet another parental figure.
It continues tearing me apart into the night until my tears run dry and his lips find mine in a slow, gentle dance of warmth and understanding.
Gradually, emotions get the better of us, and we shed our clothing.
Xavier makes sweet, gentle love to me until we’re both exhausted and we fall asleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter 38
Xavier
We arrived at Randy’s about 8:30 this morning with Jax after we stopped at the grocery store. Melody and Scott get dropped off by Diem a few minutes after we get there and before he goes to pick Ryleigh up from the airport. Randy occupies his time playing with Jax on the floor. I can’t help watching the two of them together. Jax is exactly the distraction Randy needs.
Melody and Skylar take over the kitchen putting breakfast together for us, and I’m torn between watching Jax play and watching Rebel in the kitchen.
“Rebs, can I help with something?” Randy hollers.
“Nope, we’re almost done.”
“Jaxon?” Randy says, holding up a block for Jax to add to the top of the tower they’re making.
Jax smiles and crawls over to him, taking it from him, and I watch as he tries to put it on top. Then he starts laughing when he knocks the tower over.
“What did you do?” Randy teases him.
“Again,” Jax squeaks.
Randy helps him start the foundation of the tower all over again. They’re working on that when Rebel comes into the room and watches the two of them playing.
“Breakfast is ready,” she announces with a wide smile on her face.
“Should we go eat?” Randy asks Jax.
“Yeah.” He jumps up and waits for Randy to get up. Randy gets up, and Jax reaches out for him with his hand. Randy, with a huge smile on his face, takes Jax’s hand in his as they walk toward the kitchen.
“Someone’s got a new friend,” I tease when I wrap my arm around Rebel’s shoulders.
“I think so.” She grins, and we follow them into the kitchen.
Melody and Rebel have whipped up bacon, sausage, eggs, toast and pancakes. “Looks good, kid,” Randy praises.
“Thanks,” Rebel smiles at him. “We don’t have a highchair for Jax, but we can put him in his stroller.”
“Nonsense, he can sit on my lap.” Randy picks Jax up before sitting and putting Jax on his lap. Melody sets a plate down with some cut up pancakes on it.
We all sit down and eat. Though, Randy spends more time helping Jax eat than he does eating food. He doesn’t eat much, but then again, neither do Rebel and I. Jax, however, devours his food and helps Randy eat a little more by offering him some of his food. Randy graciously takes it from him and eats it. No one wants to disappoint an 18-month-old offering to share his food.
There isn’t a whole lot of conversation, but the tension in the air seems to dissipate the more we eat and watch Jax.
About an hour later, Jax and Randy both fall asleep in Randy’s recliner.
When we got here, Randy looked like shit, and more importantly, looked like he hadn’t slept in two days. He doesn’t say anything about how his night went, but I got the impression being here, alone, was hard.
While they sleep, Rebel spends time on the phone. First with Dawson and dealing with business-related things. When that’s done, she spends time on the phone with the funeral home making arrangements and an appointment for this afternoon for us to go and finalize things.
I can’t help watching her.
I can’t help wondering if last night was going to be the normal for her these next few days, but it doesn’t seem to be that way. Today, she seems stronger, more empowered, and she doesn’t let her emotions overpower her.
My cell phone rings, and I look at the number. It’s my office.
“Tyler,” I say as I answer the phone.
“Good morning, Mr. Tyler,” Hannah, my assistant, says.
“Hi Hannah, what can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but we’ve had a bit of a problem with two of our trucks.”
“Two?” I ask.
“Yes, sir. They were leaving the same facility, the Carrigan pick-up, at the same time, and both were traveling along the same highway when an accident occurred…”
“
Our fault?” I ask as I step out onto the wraparound porch.
“No, sir. However, both trucks were involved. It’s a rather large accident outside of Phoenix on Interstate Ten.”
“Our drivers?” I pinch the bridge of my nose; I don’t need this shit right now.
“One has been airlifted to a hospital in Phoenix, the other, unfortunately, did not survive.”
Fuck. “Get me what information you can. Please write up a press release and have that sent over. I’ll make some necessary adjustments. I also need the information on the families so I can reach out to them. I’ll also need the hospital information for the other driver. Where is he based?” I ask her.
“He’s based out of Los Angeles.”
“Okay, get me this information as soon as possible, and I will get you the names so you can make flight arrangements for the family.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And the other one?”
“Dallas, sir.”
I nod to no one. “Okay, we need to get them notified as soon as possible. We will also need to make arrangements to have him transported back to Dallas.”
“Already working on it,” she tells me.
“Thank you, Hannah.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Not your fault. Just get me what I need—” Rebel steps out onto the patio, concern etched in her features. “—And I will take care of the rest. I will keep you posted.”
We hang up.
“What’s wrong?” Rebel asks as she wraps her arms around me.
I shake my head. “When it rains, it fucking pours,” I grumble. “I’m sorry, I need to take care of some stuff.”
“What happened, Dirk?”
“Two of my trucks were in an accident this morning outside of Phoenix. One of my drivers is in the hospital, and the other has been killed.”
Her arms tighten. “Dirk, I’m so sorry.”
“Me too,” I breathe. “I need to go and deal with this as best I can. Will you be alright here?” I ask.
“Of course. Is there anything I can do?”
I give her a sad smile. “No, I need to call the families and make some arrangements to have them flown to Phoenix and…”
“It’s okay,” she says softly when I pause. “Go take care of what you need to do, we aren’t going anywhere except the funeral home.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be able to go with,” I tell her.
“No worries. I’ll help Randy take care of it.”
I nod then grab her hand and bring it to my lips to kiss her palm. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
I leave her on the porch and walk down to the dock and my house where I head straight into my office to make two of the hardest phone calls I’ll ever make in my life.
Chapter 39
Skylar
“Where’s your hunk?” Ryleigh asks half an hour after arriving.
“Something happened with work, he’s taking care of it,” I tell her as we sit on the front porch. I can’t stop looking at his house, hoping to see movement inside it. She follows my gaze.
“What’s with the houseboat?” she asks.
I smile. “It’s his house.”
She laughs. “Alrighty then. So, am I safe in assuming that’s where he is?”
“As far as I know.”
“What happened?”
I fill her in on what I know, which isn’t much. He left here over two hours ago, and it’s taking everything I have not to go down there and make sure he’s alright.
“That’s awful,” she says sadly.
“As if he isn’t dealing with enough. He and Kathy were close.” I give her a sad smile.
“I’m really sorry babe.” Her voice is soft and apologetic.
I nod, not really sure how to respond to her apology. The truth is, I’m not sure how to handle any of this. I was so young when my father died, I was able to just kind of hide away. No one really approached me, but then again, I didn’t let most of them because I hid away. Those friends and extended fishing family that did approach me never really said I’m sorry to me. Just either asked how I was doing or if I needed anything. Now, it’s completely different and while Kathy is my aunt, she was more of a mother to me than my own mother was.
“You doing okay?” Ryleigh asks, interrupting my pity party.
I take a sip of my coffee and a drag off my cigarette. “No,” I state simply. “I was young when my father died, even younger when I lost my mother, so I don’t know how to deal with all this.”
“You’re doing just fine.”
I snort. “If you say so, because it doesn’t feel that way. I feel like a duck on the water. Calm on the surface but going a million miles an hour underneath. I’m trying to take as much off Randy’s plate as I can, but I don’t know all of Kathy’s wishes as far as a funeral is concerned, and I don’t have the strength to ask Randy about it. All I know is the funeral home she was to be taken to. I’ve already talked to them.” I look at my watch while I take another drag. “We have an appointment in a little over an hour.”
“Then you can deal with everything then,” she says softly before taking a sip of her coffee.
“Yeah,” I say absently, my eyes wandering back to the houseboat.
“Go to him.” She shoulder checks me.
I shake my head. “I don’t want to interrupt him.”
“Then you can come back up here.” I look at her, her eyes are a little bright and excited. I notice now that she seems quite happy.
“What’s gotten into you?” I tease.
“Kavanaugh.”
“Who the hell is Kavanaugh?” I turn, looking at her, cocking my head and raising an eyebrow.
“Kavanaugh,” she sighs wistfully, “is someone I, like you, forgot about when I left home for college. Now, he’s who is keeping me warm at night. Who…” She doesn’t get to finish when Randy comes out on the porch distracting both of us. The way she’s talking about him, she’s head over heels in love with this Kavanaugh. That warms my heart and gives me a little hope. If she can find love in someone she once knew, maybe I can, too.
“Hey,” I say, standing up and going over to Randy. “You alright?”
He nods then yawns. His eyes betray him because they look tired and weary. “Jax is awake.”
“Aww, I’m sorry. He didn’t wake you, did he?” I ask him.
“No, well, maybe, but I need to get up anyway.”
“No, you really didn’t,” I scold him.
“Hi Ryleigh,” Randy smiles at her and ignores my chastising.
She stands and comes over, wrapping her arms around him. “Hi Uncle Randy.”
“How you doin’, kid?” he asks.
“Me? I’m okay. How are you doing?” She releases him from her hug but holds onto his shoulders.
“I’m breathing,” is all he says.
“What can I do?” She asks the same question I’ve asked a million and one times.
“Nothing, honey.”
She gives him a sad smile, but nods and releases him.
“We have an appointment with the funeral home at 2:00,” I tell him.
“Then it’s good I got up.” His sad eyes meet mine. “I need to find her will. We have a copy of it here somewhere.”
“Can I help you?” Ryleigh asks.
He nods at her. “That would be great. We’ve talked about it, but I want to make sure I get the details right.”
“Do you remember anything?” I ask.
His eyes meet mine. “She wants to be cremated, and she wants her ashes spread in the sound.” He looks around. “Where’s Dirk?”
“Something happened with DXT.”
“What?” he asks, his brows knitting together in concern.
I explain what I know to him—same as I did for Ryleigh a little while ago.
“Well, shit,” he grumbles.
“Something like that. He’s at his house dealing with what he can from here.”
Randy frowns.
“You should go to him,” he says deadpan.
“I don’t want to disturb…”
Randy shakes his head. “You won’t be. He needs you.”
“You need me, too.”
He wraps his arm around Ryleigh’s shoulders. “Nope, I got Rye.” The three of us laugh.
My eyes find Ryleigh. “You don’t mind?”
“Girl, I don’t need to be entertained,” she chortles.
“I’ll take her to the funeral home with me.”
“I wanted to go with you,” I tell him.
“Why? Nothing you can do besides sit there.”
“Same with her,” I tease, pointing at Ryleigh.
“Maybe, but she’s the lawyer, after all.”
I shake my head. “Jax?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Melody is here, along with Diem and Scott, Ryleigh and me. I’m pretty sure he’ll be just fine.”
I can’t help laughing. Despite his pain and misery, I’m being set up by my uncle. “Alright, I’ll go,” I laugh.
“Good,” Randy smiles at me. I shake my head. He gives me a wide-eyed look like he’s waiting for something.
“Oh, for shit’s sake.” I roll my eyes and snuff out my smoke. “I’m going,” I huff with a laugh.
Still shaking my head, I walk down the steps of the porch and head toward the houseboat to a small chorus of chuckles.
I can’t help wondering if Randy’s urging has anything to do with the fact that Kathy was the love of his life. I remember when I was about 14 or so, looking at the two of them and hoping that one day I would meet someone who looked at me the way he looked at her. I can’t help the thoughts that Dirk looks at me that way. It just looks different when you’re the subject of their gaze.
When I get to the front door of Dirk’s home, I don’t know if I should knock or just walk in. I hesitate and look around for a doorbell. I can’t see him in the house, and I don’t know if he’ll hear me knocking, but I knock anyway and wait.
I’m about to knock a third time when he comes out from behind the stairs, his phone to his ear, and he stops in his tracks when he sees me. He smiles at me and waves me in. Apparently, it is unlocked. I turn the handle and open the door.
Always Love Me: A Standalone Second Chance Romance Page 29