by Mandy Magro
‘Oi, where’s my massage, mister? I’m the one who’s been slaving in the kitchen all day long so we could have a roast dinner.’
Phillip smiled, his deep throaty laughter filling the room as he pushed Fiona’s foot away. ‘Oh really? I don’t think stirring the gravy counts as slaving in the kitchen all day long, sis.’
Fiona giggled as she wiped her brow, pretending to shake moisture away with the flick of her hand. ‘I broke a sweat, too. So, yup, I reckon it counts.’
‘Yeah, right, sis,’ Phillip said, rolling his eyes.
‘You two never change,’ Summer said fondly, before taking the last gulp of hot chocolate. Then, licking the chocolate from her lips, she placed the empty cup on the coffee table, her eyes almost rolling back in her head in pleasure as Phillip massaged her toes. ‘You’ve always been the bomb at foot massaging, Phillip.’
Phillip smiled, his pearly white teeth glowing in the candlelight. ‘Why thank you, darling. I do my best.’
‘So what are you going to do about Dean, Sums?’ Fiona said before biting into a Snickers ice-cream, almost inhaling the mouthful in pleasure. ‘I really reckon you need to see him before he leaves. You know, give the bloke the chance to explain. There’s a big possibility you’ve jumped to conclusions and it might not be what you think. With your Aries nature, you do tend to have a bit of a bad habit of doing that at times – sorry to point that out.’
Summer closed her eyes as she rested her head back on the couch, sighing. ‘I know you’re right with everything you’re saying, toots. I’m just so afraid he’s going to tell me something I don’t want to hear. I mean, why on earth would he have kept the cheque if he wasn’t going to bank it?’
‘Well, how are you ever going to know if you don’t go and talk to him?’ Fiona shoved the last of the ice-cream in her mouth and then licked her fingers. ‘I honestly believe it’s not what you think. I’m sure there’ll be a valid reason why he kept it.’ She leant forwards, touching Summer’s arm, her expression softening. ‘Maybe he was going to show you before he tore it up? Have you even stopped to think of that? At least give him the benefit of the doubt for now, Sums.’
Phillip nodded as he scooped more shea butter from the pot beside him, applying it to Summer’s legs in long, gentle stokes. ‘I agree with Fi, darling. You gotta go get that sexy soldier boy of yours back otherwise I will.’ Phillips wriggled his eyebrows while smiling wickedly ‘He’s mighty fine, Dean Lockwood, with those sexy tattoos and all those rippling muscles … and oh my god, that arse!’ He pretended to look serious. ‘Do you reckon I could convert him?’
Summer giggled and playfully slapped his arm. ‘You tart … you’re as bad as your bloody sister!’
‘Oi, leave me outta this one,’ Fiona said, laughing.
Silence fell for a few minutes.
Summer bit the corner of her fingernail, thinking. ‘Yup, you’re both right. I owe it to him to give him a chance to explain.’ Urgency filled her. ‘Fuck it! God, I’m an idiot … I wish I’d brought my mobile with me.’
Fiona eagerly leapt from the beanbag, and then pulled her mobile phone from her pocket and chucked it into Summer’s lap. ‘Here, use mine.’
Summer shook her head as if trying to clear it. ‘I can’t, I don’t know his number off by heart. Damn it!’
Fiona threw her hands up in the air. ‘Well, ring directories and get his dad’s home number.’
Summer looked at her watch, squinting to see the time in the softly lit room. ‘It’s almost eleven thirty – I can’t go ringing the house phone now. I’ll wake everyone up.’ She blinked back fresh tears. ‘Oh God, Fi, I should have let him in to talk to me today. I feel terrible.’
Fiona sat back down, her shoulders slumped. ‘Fair enough, but make sure you do something about it first thing tomorrow morning, Sums. You’ll be kicking yourself if he gets on that plane without you speaking to him. It could mean the end of everything for you guys, when it was only just beginning.’
CHAPTER
17
Driving down the mountain range with the skill of a rally driver, Summer weaved her way in and out of the morning peak-hour traffic, making full use of every overtaking lane. Why did it seem like every road train in Australia was on this particular range today? It was going to take a miracle for her to make the airport in time to see Dean before he left for Afghanistan again. She had tried ringing his house the minute she’d woken up but there’d been no answer. Gathering they’d already left for the airport she’d dashed for her car.
Glancing at her watch, she swore loudly, at the same time beeping her horn at a Kombi van full of backpackers that was refusing to pull over into the slow lane. Momentarily catching a glimpse of her reflection in the rear-view mirror she grimaced; she certainly was a sight. She hadn’t had time to brush her hair, or her teeth for that matter, and to make matters even worse, she was still in her pink polka-dot pyjamas and the slippers she had borrowed from Phillip – ones that looked liked cows and mooed with every step. She hadn’t even stopped to think of what she looked like as she’s bolted out the door. Grabbing a mint from the packet she always kept in her car, she tried to flatten her wild bed hair, but it was hopeless, her tresses taking on a life of their own as they fluttered in the wind. How was she going to look running into the Cairns Airport like this? And what was Dean going to think when he saw her? Too late now, there was no turning back. Damn the electricity board for losing power last night and resetting her alarm. And damn the fact Fiona and Phillip had left before daybreak to open the café. Thank goodness for Fonzie leaping on the bed and waking her up – otherwise she might have slept until lunch time.
Rounding a corner, she groaned loudly as a council worker staunchly held up a yellow sign informing her to drive slowly. Just up ahead of him a line of cars was at a standstill. Bloody road works! She still had a twenty-five-minute drive ahead of her and Dean was scheduled to fly out in just over an hour. Coming to a complete stop, she turned off the engine and leapt from the Mini, jogging down the line of parked cars, her damn slippers mooing. She was met with strange looks by most of the drivers, and wolf whistles from a four-wheel drive with three young blokes squeezed in the front. Ignoring the attention, she bolted towards the burly middle-aged bloke holding the stop sign up the front. Imagining what she must look like, her face flushed with embarrassment.
The bearded man gave her a lopsided grin as he looked her up and down, his bright copper hair glowing like a beacon in the sunshine. ‘Morning, love, forget to get changed?’
She straightened her shoulders, trying to gain some sort of dignity, thankful her slippers had stopped mooing. ‘Um, how long are we going to be waiting for?’
He shrugged. ‘The blokes up ahead are just offloading some gravel, maybe ten minutes, give or take.’
Summer gulped, her panic rising. ‘Please, my boyfriend flies out to Afghanistan in an hour and I have to get to him, otherwise I might lose him forever.’ Tears filled her eyes and she tried to blink them back, but to no avail. She wiped them from her cheeks; her throat felt like it was going to close over. ‘We’ve had a fight and – I’m begging you, please, is there some way you can let me past?’
His bushy brows furrowed as he observed her for a few seconds, as if to see if she was pulling his leg, and then his face softened as he regarded her like a concerned father. ‘Well, it must be serious for a sheila to go out the door looking like you do. My two daughters would rather die before stepping out in public looking like that.’
Summer’s face burned red as she tried to straighten her pyjamas, wishing she could fall into a big fat hole right now. ‘Trust me, it is serious.’
The man reached out and touched her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. And at that moment, Summer could have quite easily fallen into his arms and sobbed.
‘Let me see what I can do, okay. But I can’t promise anything.’
‘Thank you so much.’ Summer waited with bated breath as he got on his two-way, instructing the worke
rs he had an emergency and had to let someone through. A gruff voice retorted, telling him it better be a life or death situation. He responded by telling them it basically was, while gracing her with a toothy grin. A chopper flying overhead made it impossible for Summer to hear the outcome.
‘You got the go ahead, love,’ the council worker said as he pointed to the stopped traffic. ‘Just drive around this line of cars and I’ll direct you through.’ He smiled, obviously chuffed he could help her out. ‘He’s one lucky bloke, having a woman who’ll do something like this to get to him. I hope he knows that.’
‘I’m the lucky one.’ Utterly relieved, Summer acted on the spur of the moment and gave the bloke a hug. ‘You have no idea how grateful I am.’
Obviously a little uncomfortable, the man gave her a few slaps on the back before pulling away. ‘No worries, off you go then,’ he said, smiling.
Turning on her heel, Summer raced back to her car, silently praying to all the powers that be that she make it to the airport on time.
Dean’s heart felt like it was at the bottom of his boots as he hopped out of the back seat and sauntered around to the boot of Kim’s Commodore to collect his bag. On the passenger side, Kim was busy helping their dad out of the car, the grunts and groans coming from Tony as he tried to get comfortable in his wheelchair making Dean’s mood sink even further. It had been a quiet trip down, the atmosphere between the three of them a little tense, the silent understanding that Summer had possibly left Dean sitting heavily. Tony had promised he was going to try using his prosthetic leg while Dean was away this time, and Dean hoped that he meant it.
Checking he’d grabbed everything off the back seat, Dean let his gaze rest on Max’s booster chair, his heart squeezing. They’d dropped him off at his weekly playgroup on the way, and it had crushed Dean to say goodbye to him once again, his nephew clinging to him like billyo as he’d carried him into the room. Huffing, he straightened and threw his bag over his shoulder. Why did there have to be so much sadness in his world; losing his mum, and then Tommy, and now his soul mate because of one stupid mistake? He honestly didn’t think he could cope with much more. So much sorrow sat inside him right now that if he jumped in the ocean he was sure he would sink.
With Tony settled, Kim locked the car and gave Dean a fragile smile, her lips quivering. He smiled back, as if to say it would all be okay, hoping he seemed convincing. They headed to the departures area, the air growing thicker, weightier, with each and every step. It was almost time to say goodbye to his loved ones again. Would he return home alive from this trip? God only knew. It was a thought that crossed his mind every time he left for a mission, and he was sure it crossed Kim’s and his dad’s too.
As he pushed Tony’s wheelchair through the doors and into the icy cool air-conditioning, Dean’s grip on the handles tightened. He had walked out of these doors less than three weeks ago with the hope that life might get easier, and here he was, walking back through them with his life even emptier than before. He pulled his mobile phone from his pocket to glance at the screen once again. It was just as he expected – still no calls from Summer. He’d given up trying to call her after it had started going straight to voicemail. She’d clearly turned her phone off to avoid his calls. It made him angry. He truly believed their love was stronger than this, that it would last through anything, but obviously he was more in love with Summer than she was with him. And that wounded him even more. For if the shoe was on the other foot, he would have at least given Summer a chance to explain herself.
Nearing the security area, he looked up at the departures screen, double-checking his plane was on time before he said his goodbyes to Kimmy and his dad. The flight was running late. At least that would give him a bit of extra time to grab a coffee before he had to board.
‘Right, then, time to hit the road, you two,’ he said, a little too chirpily. Kim fell into his open arms, her grip so tight around his neck he could barely breathe. He hugged her firmly back, feeling her tears against his neck as her body shook with sobs. He allowed her time to calm, her sobs becoming quieter.
She stepped away, holding onto his hands, her face strained with emotion. ‘Please take care, Dean.’ She gave his hands a squeeze. ‘Love you.’
‘Love you too, sis.’ Dean felt like he had a boa constrictor around his throat, his emotions making it almost impossible to speak. But he smiled through his anguish. He had to be strong for his family. ‘I’ll be back before you know it.’ He pointed to their dad. ‘And promise me you’ll keep this old bugger in line. You never know what he gets up to when nobody’s around.’
‘Hey, I don’t need keeping in line. I’m a boring old fart now,’ Tony said, chuckling half-heartedly.
Dean laughed, and Kim laughed through her tears with him. Bending down, he gave his dad a hug and Tony squeezed him back.
‘You take care now, Sage. Just keep using that keen eye of yours, and that clever mind, and you’ll be right. Love you, son.’
‘Love you too, Dad,’ Dean choked out as he quickly stepped back and gathered his bag from the floor. This was killing him. He had to get away from Kim and his dad before he broke down in tears.
Sucking in a breath, he gave them a salute before turning to walk through security. Then a woman’s voice shouting his name stopped him in his tracks. Turning slowly, every inch of him wanting it to be true, his eyes came to rest on Summer as she sprinted down the long corridor towards him, wearing her pyjamas, her hair as wild as brumbies fleeing. But, she looked so Goddamn beautiful regardless. And what was that mooing noise? A brief look at her footwear gave him the answer. He had to stifle a chuckle; the moment was too poignant for laughter. Dropping his bag where he stood, he dashed towards her, his arms open, the pair of them almost flying backwards as she leapt into him.
His heart swelled and his eyes filled with tears as their bodies merged into one. ‘Summer, I’m so relieved you’re here. I thought you’d given up on me, baby.’
Summer kissed his cheek repeatedly, her legs still wrapped around his waist. ‘I’m so sorry, Dean. I should have given you a chance to explain. I jumped to conclusions and that was wrong of me.’ She pulled back, her arms around his neck, face full of apprehension. ‘Seeing you don’t have much time I’ll get straight to the point: why do you have a cheque from my dad?’
Dean seized Summer’s gaze with his, needing her to look deep within him as he explained, especially as he only had a few minutes to make an impact. ‘Your dad tried to buy me out because he doesn’t think I’m the right kind of man for you, but I only kept the cheque to show my dad.’
A voice boomed over the microphone, announcing his plane was ready to board. He glanced over Summer’s shoulder at the clock on the wall. Time was slipping away. He had to go. ‘I don’t have time to explain any further – get your dad to elaborate on his reasons, and then you might understand why I wanted to show my father.’
‘There are other reasons my father did this?’ Summer frowned as she took this revelation in. ‘And you weren’t going to bank it and leave me?’
Dean put her down and cupped her cheeks, his soul aching with the thought of having to turn around and walk away from her. ‘I’ve never been so sure of anything in all my life – you are my everything. I love you so very much, and no amount of money could make me stop loving you, ever. Your dad’s got a fight on his hands if he thinks he’s going to keep me away from you. I’d rather die than lose you.’
Summer felt a massive weight lift from her as happy tears trickled down her cheeks. She could feel herself freefalling into Dean’s green eyes, eyes that were so full of love for her she felt ethereal. Theirs was the most powerful of all loves, and now she had to say goodbye to the man who had stolen her heart. What a fool she’d been, believing that he’d do anything to hurt her. She could tell from the way he was looking at her that he would lay down his life before causing her any deliberate heartache. She had to remember Dean wasn’t like her father; he wasn’t going to hurt her for his
own gains. She had to let go of this emotional baggage she carried because of her dad, or it was going to ruin everything.
Throwing her arms around Dean’s neck, she buried her face in his chest, cherishing the sound of his heartbeat, her body shaking as soul-deep pain engulfed her. She couldn’t speak, her throat tight with emotion. She squeezed him tighter, wishing with every fibre of her being that he didn’t have to go. Not now, not like this. Dean wrapped his arms around her picked her up again. Their lips met, each of them holding the kiss as if it was their life force. Summer’s tears dripped onto their lips, the saltiness contradictory to the sweetness of their love.
Dean was the first to pull away. ‘I really have to go. I’m going to miss you so much.’
‘I’m going to miss you, too. I love you, Dean,’ she whispered, the simple words having the power to move mountains. She reached out and placed a hand over his heart, and her other hand over her own. ‘I’ll be with you every second of every day.’
‘I know, and I’ll be with you too. Love you,’ Dean said, giving her one last, lingering kiss before reluctantly turning away from her.
Summer wrapped her arms around herself as though trying to hold herself together, watching helplessly as Dean took one last look over his shoulder, and blew her a kiss, before his shape vanished into the sea of travellers. Just like that, he was gone, and she felt extremely alone. It would be another three months until she saw him, and she knew, without a doubt, that they’d be the hardest three months of her life. Silently, she begged for God and the angels to keep him safe, as a hand came to rest upon her shoulder. Turning, she met eyes as tortured as her own, as Kim wrapped her arms around her and gave her a tight hug. Over Kim’s shoulder, Tony gave her a gentle knowing smile, the three of them silently sharing the pain of the one they loved with all their hearts going back to the dangers of war.