I had another appointment set up in a few weeks so the doctor could check my leg and see how everything was healing, so I was still on crutches. I was tired and cranky and just ready for the whole experience to be over. As soon as Dee got in the car and turned the engine over, I curled up with my head on the pillow I had stuffed between myself and the door and went to sleep.
The exhaustion must really have gotten to me because by the time I opened my eyes again, we were pulling into the driveway at home. I couldn’t help but notice there was already a truck sitting in front of the house. My heart leapt a little at the sight of it. I hadn’t expected him to be there waiting for me. I’d texted him that morning to let him know I was leaving Nashville and would be back at some point but hadn’t given him any indication of when.
He came to the side of the car and opened the door. I reached out my arms to him, needing to hug him. He obliged happily, and he stood there for several long seconds accepting the embrace. As I was pulling back, I felt his arm slip under my legs. Before I could protest, Gerry swept me up into his arms.
I was so embarrassed having him carry me inside and couldn’t even bring myself to look back at my sister, who I could hear snickering behind us. As uncomfortable as I was with the idea of him carrying me around, as he brought me up the steps and into the house, the emotion shifted just slightly. This was proof that he was there for me. It wasn’t just a fling, something fun to keep him entertained and distracted. He cared about me and was going to be there when I needed him and even when I thought I didn’t. It was more than I ever could have asked for.
26
GERRY
I had been so grateful to Dee when she texted me. The idea that I could be there for Malia when she got home was too perfect. It solved my desire to see her as soon as possible, both to calm the feelings that kept creeping up the back of my neck and hiding in the shadows of my mind, as well as to make sure she knew that she was going to be protected, supported, and doted on by me from now on. I wasn’t going to just let her go on without knowing that I was there. For good.
After the doubts I had, I needed to see her. I needed to hold her and make sure that what I felt before she left was real. And if it was, then I needed to make sure she knew how I felt. Carrying her inside, the giggle bubbling up from her chest and the smile beaming from her face, it was enough for me. I knew, and there was no doubt anymore.
I got her to the door and very quickly realized I couldn’t get her inside. Embarrassed, I looked down at Malia, who looked at the door handle, then back to me and laughed.
“Do you have a key?” I asked.
“No, I left it inside since Dee was driving.”
Slowly, I turned my head and looked behind me to where Dee was standing a few feet away. She had her key ring out, holding it on one finger and smirking as she cocked her hip.
“Looking for this?” she asked.
“Kind of,” I said.
Shaking her head and chuckling, she made her way past us on the porch and unlocked the door. Pushing it open, she then gestured for us to walk ahead of her. I nodded in thanks and brought Malia in, heading for the living room couch.
“Are you more comfortable in here, or do you want to go to your room?” I asked.
“The couch,” she said. “I just want to watch some TV and hang out for a bit.”
“Isn’t that fifty percent of what we did in the hotel?” Dee asked, laughing.
“Yeah, but this is different,” she said, pulling me down by my shirt until our noses touched.
“Better, right?” I asked.
“Much.”
Our lips crushed together, and she moaned gently into the kiss. I pulled away, and our eyes burned into each other before I pressed another soft kiss to her lips and then rushed kisses down her cheek and neck. She laughed as I got to her collarbone and then sat up. The smile on her lips was enough to make my stomach clutch, and the desire to rush her back to the bed and tear her clothes off was strong, but I resisted it.
“Do you need anything? Water? A sandwich?” I asked.
“I’m good. We stopped for lunch on the way back.”