Tara
Iwipe my forehead and step back to admire the small, basketball-shaped cactus set in the middle of a prominent bed off on the far end of the gardens. It’s ringed by local flowers that will grow and bloom all around it. I smile to myself and squint over my shoulder, back at the house and beyond at the cottage and its boarded-up windows. I haven’t been back in my old home since returning here with Kellen—he told me the place is all torn up because of the blood and he’s thinking about knocking it down.
I say he should burn it, but that’s probably too dangerous.
“What are you planning out here?”
I turn to find Kellen coming toward me. He’s smiling despite the heat. I walk over and kiss his cheek gently and he squeezes my ass like he can’t keep his hands to himself.
“I just planted a new saguaro cactus.”
“That little guy?” He frowns at the young plant. “I thought those things were huge.”
“It’s a baby. It’ll get really tall in a few years and hopefully just keep growing from there. I was thinking it would be a good tribute for Rory.”
He frowns deeper, staring at the cactus and at the plants all around it. I spent the morning getting the area prepped and everything in the ground, and while it’s not clean and neat just yet since I need to finish it all up, I like the way he slowly smiles and nods.
“I love it,” he says softly. “It’s perfect.”
“We can put up a little sign or something. Call it Rory’s Cactus. Or just Rory, I don’t know. He died trying to protect me and I guess it’s the least I can do.” I hesitate, leaning against him. “Did he have a family?”
“Parents and siblings. They’ll be taken care of.” He sighs and kisses me. “Thank you for doing this. I wish I could honor all of my soldiers this way, but it’s impossible.”
“Do you lose a lot of men?”
“It’s part of the business. We do what we can to minimize the violence, but it’s not possible to keep everyone alive forever. Sooner or later, guns kill.”
“I’m sorry you have to go through that. I know Rory was your friend.”
His face clouds and he nods, staring at the cactus. “He was a good friend. He’s missed, but life goes on.”
I kiss him gently. “It’s okay to mourn. You need to grieve for a while. Don’t let it fester.”
“I’ll try. This place helps.” He shakes his head and turns his gaze back to me. “Speaking of which, what do you plan on doing with all this when our deal is finished and it’s yours?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “At first, I planned on bulldozing the house and turning it into a nature preserve, like some kind of park. But now I’m wondering where I’ll live.”
“Bulldoze the house anyway. I’ll pay for it.”
“You’re kidding. That place is too beautiful.”
“It’s a monstrosity.”
I laugh and nod, slapping his chest. “That’s true but still, come on.”
“Bulldoze it and build something else. Build something new that isn’t tainted by the past. Too many bad things happened in that damn house.”
I chew on my lip for a second. “What about you? What will you do?”
“Oh, I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. Mother might enjoy living somewhere else. I’ll let her pick the place.”
“Seriously?”
“Sure, why not? What the hell do I care?”
“Well, I was thinking, maybe you could… I mean, maybe we could… you know, build something together.”
His eyebrows raise. “You want me to stay here and keep living on your property?”