“Well, you just asked what the noise could be and we’re throwing out options.” He smiled wryly and my mom chuckled.
“It’s not a particular RV, is it?” I asked, staring down at my old grey pajama bottoms and top.
“Beats me.” My dad’s eyes glinted with mischief and I quickly reached for my crutches.
“What have you been up to?” I muttered, pushing myself off the chair.
“I just thought a little outside influence couldn’t hurt,” my dad confessed.
As I stood up, I saw a monstrous RV pulling in front of the house. Lucky sprang up from his comfortable spot in front of the fireplace and ran to the door while I followed.
With each step closer to the front door, my heart hammered in my chest, and I couldn’t believe that Billy had come back. I flung open the door and wobbled my way down the steps and driveway just as Billy and Lady opened the side door.
He looked like hell but still sinfully sexy as he slowly walked down the steps that magically appeared.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He slowly walked over to me as Lucky circled around him and Lady.
“You said when I was next in town, we could have coffee. Well, I’m here.” He smiled and put Lady on the ground next to Lucky.
“Yes, you are,” I said, looking at him through my lashes, feeling every single emotion I’d been trying to push aside for weeks come flooding through me all at once.
“And I could really use some coffee. I drove all night to get here.” He circled his arms around my waist and slowly brought me into him.
“You kind of look like that’s what happened,” I teased.
“I love hearing your voice in the morning,” he murmured, bringing his lips down to mine.
My entire body melted into the strength of his. Billy’s kisses started slow and steady, but within seconds we both wanted more, but I wasn’t going to jump right in. Not until we had our talk. He slowly broke his lips from mine, his eyes locked on mine.
“So I heard you and Lucky are kind of homeless right now.” He glanced at Lucky and Lady who had curled up on the front steps.
“It seems that way.” I looped my arm around his neck. “Word really has a way of traveling around this island.”
He laughed and nodded. “Especially when your father’s on it.”
“Tell me this.” I glanced over his shoulder to see my parents watching us. “You’ve talked to my parents off and on since I’ve broken my leg, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Was that all you talked about?”
“Not always.” He smiled. “But there are some things I want to talk to you about.”
“I’d like that.” I nodded, hoping that this was only the beginning, not the end.
“Shall we?” He nodded toward the RV.
“Only talking, right?”
He laughed and called Lady and Lucky over. “Our insurance policy.”
They both climbed up into the motor coach, and I followed behind with Billy helping me gingerly up the steps. When I got inside, I was speechless. This RV was fancier than ninety-five percent of the homes I’d ever been in and it wasn’t even expanded. I couldn’t imagine how luxurious it was once he flipped a button and the sides popped out.
I carefully set my crutches next to the door and hopped to the first available chair. I just didn’t expect it to spin around like it did.
“Whoa.” I laughed as Billy helped it come to a stop. Lucky and Lady curled in a giant ball in front of the couch that looked like it would become an expanded sectional.
Billy took a seat in the chair next to mine.
“I know I kind of laid some stuff out there about my parents and then took off without much of an explanation.” He reached out for my hand.
“I was honored that you told us about your parents.” I shook my head and pressed my lips together. “I can’t even imagine what that was like growing up.”
“Seeing how happy your family is really cements that it wasn’t me or my brother. We’d grown up in a messed-up situation and it wasn’t our fault.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“But what I began to tell you about feeling guilty about not saving my parents...” He drew a breath in and my heart rate steadily climbed. “They weren’t the only people I loved who I felt like I let down.”
“You didn’t let them down. They let you down.” I squeezed his hand. “Their addiction isn’t your fault.”
He let out a long breath. “I know, but in the moment you go over everything and play out what could have been done differently.”
“I can understand that.”
His grip tightened.
“Like I told you the other night, I blamed myself for being too preoccupied with my own life to notice what was going on with theirs…” He sucked his bottom lip as if he was debating whether or not to go on.
“You can tell me.” I didn’t even realize I’d been holding my breath.
“In culinary school, I’d met a girl. She was the light I always went to after my parents’ death.”
My heart stammered. I didn’t know where this was going, but I saw the deep pain filter through his gaze.
“She was so full of life.” He nodded. “Really perceptive, sensitive, and kind. As I got busier with my classes and began interning in some of the top restaurants in Portland, I missed signs I should have seen.”
“Like what?” I was afraid to hear what he was about to say.
“It’s like I get so involved in whatever I’m doing whether it’s school or building my restaurant or now all the franchises.” He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a slow breath. “I was in school during the day and not getting home until after one or two in the morning. She was working in kitchens too.” He smiled and his eyes connected with mine. I saw dampness along his lashes.
“If it’s too hard…”
“I have to tell you.”
I nodded and sat quietly, his pain wrapping around me as I waited.
“The chef scene for up-and-coming chefs can be one big party scene. After finishing their shifts, some chefs get into the habit of going and drinking or whatever else until the morning comes. She’d fallen into a bad crowd, and I didn’t even know it. I was too busy trying to prove myself to people who didn’t matter.” He shook his head and his eyes darkened. “She started using opiates. She hid it from me, but it probably wasn’t that hard to do considering how distracted I was.”
“Was that what your parents overdosed on?”
He nodded. “They started with pills and went to heroin. She did the same thing.”
“What was her name?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
“Sabrina.” The name brought a smile to his lips and my heart hurt for this man.
“It wasn’t your fault she died.”
His shoulder slumped. “It taught me that I get too wrapped up in things.”
“But having passion for something is good. You can’t blame yourself because they made choices that were different than yours. You could have followed the same path, but instead of partying with everyone, you worked harder.”
“I might have partied a little.” A twinge of a smile scampered across his lips.
“So because you’re in the middle of this franchise deal, you didn’t want to get involved again.”
“I feel like I’m not cut out for relationships of any kind.” He cleared his throat. “Or at least I felt that way until I met you.”
I looked over at Lady. “It looks like she’s doing fine.”
He laughed. “She’s a fighter.”
I moved my hand to his knee.
“So, did what I tell you scare you off?”
“Why would it, Billy? It just makes me that much more fond of you. I knew there was a reason you never called any of those numbers you collected.”
“I might have called one or two.”
I stuck my fingers in my ears. “Don’t need to hear it.” I laughed.
I stood and hopped my way to his lap, looping my arm around his neck.
“You should know by now, there’s no ignoring me. I’m demanding and so is Lucky.”
“Demanding I can handle.” He smiled. “In fact, I think it’s what I need.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I can’t believe there’s snow at the Grand Canyon,” I gushed, holding Lady close.
I was so worried she was going to jump out of my arms and fly through the canyon never to be seen again. The fences were basically nonexistent, and I couldn’t believe how many people ignored the warnings and walked right to the edge. One little oops and life would be over.
No, thanks. Life was too good.
“Well, it’s mid-December, and we’re in the mountains.” Billy laughed and wrapped his arms around me.
“Smarty-pants,” I muttered, and Lady panted in agreement.
“So, you really think we’ll be able to make it back to Silver Ridge for my parents’ anniversary party?”
“I promise.” He grinned. “We’ve got a week.”
“You’re right.” A shiver ran down my spine, and he brought Lady and me closer as Lucky sat by our side. “I don’t want to miss the party I’ve spent months planning.”
“That does sound about right, doesn’t it?” He laughed.
I shivered again, and he held me tighter. “You’re freezing.”
“Kind of.”
“So, should we get a picture?” I asked.
“Probably.” He caught a couple’s attention and asked them to take a couple of photos of us with the expansive canyon behind us. We smiled, we hugged, we kissed, and we thanked the kind couple for the help.
We returned to staring out over the great open space, and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing.
How long was long enough?
“It’s pretty big.” I glanced over at Billy.
“Yup. Pretty darn big out there.”
I bit my lip and glanced at Lucky. How long were we supposed to stare at it?
“Have you had enough?” Billy asked, turning in my direction. “Or should we try another vantage point.”
“I mean…I guess we could.”
“But it probably looks pretty much the same.” He brought up a valid point.
“Probably.”
A coy smile spread across Billy’s lips. “Do we just do this sightseeing thing wrong or what? How are we in and out of these places in a matter of hours.”
“I’m not really sure.” I giggled and wondered the same thing. So far, we’d managed to drive through the beautiful redwood forests of northern California, toured Yosemite, spent a couple days at Disneyland, stared at the Hoover Dam, drove all around Sedona, and now here we stood at the Grand Canyon ready to go back home.
We’d spent weeks and weeks wandering from one destination to the next. Neither of us had wanted to kill one another on the road trip, which I think says a lot about our compatibility. It’s not every day two people can spend day and night with two dogs in an RV for weeks at a time.
Granted, this wasn’t a typical trailer. We even had satellite television, and with Billy around, we never went hungry.
I was even mobile again. It felt so good to be in the walking cast.
“I feel like the luckiest guy alive.” Billy turned around and placed his arms along my shoulders. “I never imagined that I’d get to spend my vacation with two beautiful women.”
“Who love you very much,” I added, looking into his beautiful eyes. There was so much kindness behind them it made my heart fill with even more love for this man.
He’d been through so much in his life and rather than close off his heart forever, he opened it back up again for me.
I’d actually had him take me to Sabrina’s grave. He hadn’t been for years and it was something I think we both needed to do. I wanted to make a promise to the woman who’d let him down that I’d try my hardest to never do the same. To see how young she had been when she died made me weep that much more for Billy.
He’d had so much loss in his life and no one would ever know it. He was always so happy, carefree and giving, yet he’d lost so much and blamed himself for most of it.
“Tiffany Bailey, I love you more than you can even imagine.” His green eyes settled on mine and the familiar flutters arose in my belly. I could never get enough of this man.
“I have a pretty good imagination,” I whispered. “And I bet I love you more.”
“Impossible,” he murmured, bringing his lips to mine.
Right when he was about to kiss me, a tiny tongue crept up on both of our chins and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Aw, Lady loves you most.” I laughed, watching Lady give kisses to Billy’s chin. He’d just started growing out his beard, and Lady was in love with it.
Truth be told, so was I.
“Let’s get inside,” I said, slipping my hand into his. “Unlike Lady and Lucky, I don’t have a fur coat.”
We made the somewhat long trek back to the RV parking and went inside. He’d had the heater on so I immediately felt the chill leave my body.
“This is the way to camp.” I laughed, putting Lady on the couch.
“So should we take off tonight for home or start in the morning. We rented the spot for overnight camping so it doesn’t matter either way.”
“We could make the best of the night and get a fresh start in the morning.”
He was looking at the weather maps. “I don’t see any crazy winter storms coming in, so we should be okay to stay.”
I unzipped my jacket and tossed it on the couch next to Lady and began shutting some of the blinds.
“What’s on your mind?” Billy asked, his voice lowering to that sexy timbre I loved so much.
“A little of this and that.” I smiled, reaching for the blinds over the kitchen sink. “Didn’t we make a pact about each state we visited?”
Billy came up behind me and brought me into him, kissing the delicate skin at the nape of my neck. Shivers ran down my spine and I closed my eyes feeling his soft lips slide across my skin.
“Was it this pact you’re talking about?”
He didn’t even wait for my response before scooping me into his arms and kissing me ever so gently. I was relishing every second of his lips pressed to mine as he moved me to the bedroom. The thought of missing out on a lifetime of this made my heart ache, and I felt so grateful that we’d both come to our senses.
“I love you, Billy,” I said between kisses, as he slid the bedroom door closed.
I backed up to the bed, slowly bringing him with me as he pulled his sweater over his head and unbuttoned his pants, kicking them off, before fumbling with the buttons on my plaid shirt. I wiggled out of my clothes as his mouth began tracing down my bare skin, licking the most sensitive parts of me as my mind slipped closer to heaven.
“Love you more,” he whispered, his lips still pressed against me.
As he teased and taunted me, I tangled my fingers through his hair, slowly teasing him up to me where his mouth crashed down to mine. Never breaking our kiss, he slid into me, his hands moving along my thighs, sending a deeper shiver of need through me.
Our bodies worked in a beautiful rhythm as our worlds became one, his body shuddering into mine.
After we caught our breath, he rolled over and I slowly traced my hands along some of his tattoos. Every day, I learned a little bit more about each one. They were all so well planned and full of meaning that getting to hear what they each were was endlessly fascinating to me.
“And this one?” I asked, running my finger along one that looked like a tiny cabin.
“Where I was born.” His breathing was still ragged. “I was born in a cabin, but I have a feeling if I saw it now, I’d think it was a shed.”
“
Wow. You weren’t born in a hospital?”
“No.” He shook his head, resting his hand on my belly.
My finger ran down to a fish that somehow looked like a dragon. “And this one?”
“One of the best memories I had was my grandfather taking me out fishing. On our last trip out, he told me this fantastical story about how whenever times got tough in his life, he imagined himself a dragon. He died only a few weeks later when he’d found out my mom had stolen from him. I’m sure he died of heartache.” He sighed. “But after that, no matter how hard it got at home or in foster care, I imagined myself a dragon, able to fly above it all.”
“That’s beautiful, Billy. Really beautiful.” I laid my head on his chest, hearing the perfect rhythm of his heartbeat, and I thanked the man upstairs for allowing me to find such a wonderful man who had more compassion than anyone I’d ever met. He was the one I wouldn’t let get away.
A small whimper from the other side of the door made Billy chuckle and grab our clothes, which we quickly slipped on.
“Parenthood calls,” Billy joked.
He slid open the door and there were Lady and Lucky patiently waiting for us to invite them in so they could come to bed, and I knew life couldn’t get any better than this.
Well, there might be one way…
Chapter Twenty-Three
My mom and dad looked absolutely adorable standing at the altar as they recited their vows. I glanced at Billy, who was dabbing his eyes, and I couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Lady and Lucky were sitting by my parents. Lady was the flower girl and Lucky was the ring bearer, and they had taken their roles very seriously.
The dress I’d chosen for my mom from the bridal shop looked absolutely amazing on her. She’d swept her silver hair into a loose bun, and her blue eyes were sparkling with tears.
When my parents arrived this evening, they were speechless to see so many of their friends and family here to celebrate them, but what they didn’t understand was how much they’ve touched every single person’s life who was here.
My dad always went above and beyond for anyone who needed a helping hand and my mom was exactly the same. I couldn’t even count how many times money was lent—really given—rooms and meals were shared.
Lucky in Love on Hound Island (Island County Series Book 8) Page 19