against her stomach but said nothing. He figured his hard-on said it all.
A sexy, sly smile played on her lips and his cock twitched. Her smile turned wicked.
“Still don’t see what the rush is.”
“How much time we got?”
“How much do you need?”
“Days.”
“Days?” she parroted.
“Days,” he confirmed. “Baby, I got a lot to be thankful for and I plan on expressin’ that gratitude with orgasms. In other words, I’m gonna take my time reminding you how much I love you. If you wanna start that now, take your clothes off and climb that fine ass into bed. But we’re not leaving until I’m convinced you understand the depth of my appreciation, and it might take me a while before I’m certain you know how grateful I am.”
“I don’t think we have days,” she conceded.
Unfortunately, they didn’t. But he’d arrange it so they did, and he’d do that quickly because he needed to show her he was indeed grateful she’d given him a second chance. And he’d do that in a way she’d never forget.
“Then cut me some slack and let’s go.”
“Slack?”
“Leigh-Leigh,” he groaned.
“Fine. Okay. But first I want to look around.”
“Later.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, I’ve never been inside your Airstream.”
Holden sighed and took a step away from her, which was more like a shuffle considering the space was tight.
“There’s not much to see.”
Charleigh turned and she took in his home.
“Did you do all the work?” she inquired.
“Yep. When I bought her, she was a mess. I gutted it and started from an empty hull.”
Nixon, Weston, and Chasin all thought he was crazy when he purchased a beat-up old trailer. Jameson got it—he, too, liked his solitude. Though Holden didn’t buy the Airstream for the reasons his teammates thought he did. It wasn’t an escape plan and it wasn’t so he’d have a place where he could ruminate his poor life choices. Holden bought it because he needed something to occupy his time. He’d needed a project that would keep him busy and his mind off Charleigh, Paul, and their child.
It had taken years to complete the renovations. Between training, work-ups, and deployments, he was gone more than he was home. But he’d put every waking moment into creating something that was just his.
Holden looked around. He’d opted to keep the classic shiny metal walls and ceiling instead of adding coverings. He’d built the kitchen cabinets out of pine and painted them white. They were topped with black granite, and stainless steel appliances finished the modern look. Holden had even framed in the custom loveseat. Though he hired an upholsterer to fashion the cushion covers. Next to that was a slab of wood he’d found at a sawmill. He’d sanded it smooth and given it several coats of lacquer; with all the natural light the table gleamed.
“All of it?” Charleigh asked.
“Everything you see, I built.”
“It’s beautiful, Holden. I’m totally impressed. I had no idea you could do…well, this.” She motioned around the room.
Holden knew the craftsmanship was top-notch. He knew he’d put in a great deal of effort to make something he could be proud of, and he was. But right then, seeing his Leigh-Leigh smiling, he’d never been prouder.
Fuck. They had to leave.
He tagged her hand and pulled her toward the door. But before he pushed the door open, he froze and looked back at the interior of his prized Airstream. Suddenly, it just felt like an RV. He no longer needed what it once represented—he didn’t need the physical labor, he didn’t need the mind-numbing repetition of polishing the metal. He didn’t need the quiet. As a matter of fact, he wanted noise. He wanted to hear Faith’s laughter. He wanted to hear Charleigh in the kitchen. He wanted Barbies and coloring books. He wanted mess and chaos.
“You all right?”
“Never better, baby.”
Leigh-Leigh tilted her head and she smiled.
Holden returned it.
Then he pushed open the door and they went to pick up their daughter.
31
It’s a strange and miraculous thing, the way a child’s mind works.
When we got to Macy and Alec’s, Faith was no worse for the wear. She and Rory were playing and she barely greeted me when I entered the house. After the way she’d been swept away that morning, I was concerned she would be upset. But no.
After the girls had retreated to Rory’s room and were out of earshot, an uncomfortable silence fell over the four of us until Holden smiled and addressed the five-hundred-pound elephant that had been crushing my lungs by announcing, “I’m a dad.”
He did