when that asshole tried to touch her in high school? That was the day that I knew that y’all were meant to be.”
I shook my head. “If that was the case, then why were you always trying to keep me away?”
“Would you have left if you’d known that I approved? Would either of you have done what you were meant to do?” he asked.
I had no clue.
I would’ve definitely tried to take her with me.
There was no telling whether or not things would’ve worked out the way that they did.
“I never really wanted to keep y’all apart. What I wanted was for y’all to find your dreams first.” He paused. “When I first found out that Beckham wanted to be FBI, I thought I was going to keel over.”
“You knew that she wanted to be FBI?” I asked curiously.
“Yep,” he confirmed. “I also went to her commencement ceremony.”
“She was convinced that you were unaware,” I smiled.
“I wasn’t unaware of everything. I knew where she worked. What she did. Everything like that.” He paused. “Why did you stay away from her so long?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. To be honest. At first, it was because I was busy as hell. Then she was busy as hell. Then I don’t know. I guess we just never found the time to be convenient. But the moment she walked back into my life last year, I knew that I wouldn’t be staying away anymore.”
He looked sick to his stomach.
“I’m sorry that you went to jail but…” He paused. “That man deserved what you gave him.”
Toot did.
He deserved every single broken bone, bruise, and punch.
The asshole deserved a whole lot more.
I didn’t know how my friend of four years could’ve done that to me.
I mean, I’d have suspected Kansas over Toot.
Which was saying something because I would’ve never suspected either man to do that.
“Are you okay with what was decided today?” he asked. “About her working in an accessory aspect with you?”
I hadn’t beat around the bush when it came to telling Foster what I planned to do.
For now, I didn’t have any job prospects lined up other than the piloting duties that Lynn may need me for in the future. Nor did I plan on looking for anything extra.
I had very little money in the bank, and Lynn, on the way out, told me that he would be depositing a lump sum into my account to make it to where I didn’t have to immediately go out looking for work. Giving me time with my family until the time came that he needed my services.
Also, while we were leaving, he’d told each of us to expect salary packages as well as any and all information we might need for our ‘jobs’ with him.
Hell, he even told us we would have a 401K.
“I’m okay with her being in a protected place,” I admitted. “If, at some point, she wants to finally get her feet wet again, I’m not sure how ‘okay’ I’ll be with that.”
Foster grunted out an ‘agreed.’
“I wasn’t expecting that today,” he said out of the blue. “Out of everything you could’ve told me, I hadn’t expected that. The last year has been tough. I realized she was pregnant, then she was having the baby, and on top of that she went to Montana. I thought this was all FBI related at first, and since I knew that you were a fighter pilot, and one day you’d end up with her anyway, I just told everyone that you were who she married. Said I loved the hell out of you. Gave all that bullshit to friends. Then when I realized that it was real, and I wouldn’t be watching my grandson grow up, it left a hollowness in my chest. But knowing that she was violated? I feel like my world’s been crushed. I never, not ever, wanted that to happen to anybody. Especially not my baby.”
His candidness was a breath of fresh air.
Son of a bitch.
If I could be half the father this man was, it would be beautiful.
“I took care of the beating him to near death part,” I admitted. “My trial for that was a botch job, though. I knew I had a shitty lawyer. The judge knew I had a shitty lawyer. And Toot had this ‘my girlfriend was abducted and sold into sex trafficking thing’ going on. That, and he was paralyzed, and the sympathy card was high for him.”