“Mom, I’m fine, okay? I just have some things on my mind. That’s all. I’m going to head home and I’ll be back in the morning with my appetite.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Trace, I love you. You’re my baby boy and there is nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do to make you happy. Sometimes you infuriate me with your stubbornness, but I know I’m partially to blame for that. I hate seeing you unhappy and I know how much better it feels when you get something off your chest. Can’t you just trust me? Please, honey.”
Trace looked into his sweet mother’s eyes. They held such warmth and compassion. He hated that she was wasting any of her energy worrying about him. She had such an amazing soul that her beauty shined through in everything she did.
Leaning back in the barstool, Trace ran his fingers through his hair. He wondered if he could tell her what had happened between him and Brad.
“Are we really all alone?”
She nodded her head. “I told Sal and Bonnie to take a couple of hours off until dinner time.”
He let out a frustrated groan and thought of the past twenty-four hours he’d spend with Brad. It had only been one day out of a lifetime, but to Trace it had been the most memorable and passionate time of his life, even sitting here, knowing full well that Brad had just up and left without so much as a word, much less a good-bye. There was no “fuck off,” “thanks for a good time,” or anything. He’d just disappeared.
As shitty as that was, Trace couldn’t get the man out of his mind. His body still reacted to the memory of how good it had felt to fuck Brad. With his mouth, his ass, in every way, it had been the best sex Trace had ever had.
Far too many times Trace had found himself hard, hot, and horny, but nothing in his life came close to the emotions he felt when he was with Brad. Whoever the fuck he was. Trace wondered if Brad Harrington was even his real name.
“Trace, talk to me,” Del pushed.
“I’m…pissed, hurt, angry…I don’t know what I am.”
“What?” she asked in surprise. “My God, honey. What happened?”
Trace shrugged. “I don’t exactly know. And trust me when I tell you that you probably don’t want to hear anymore than that. You’d probably end up losing respect for your baby boy.”
“Trace Jennings, you knock that off right this minute. That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say in my life. Nothing you tell me could ever make me lose respect for you. You and I are a team, remember? We don’t judge one another. We love one another and do what we can to help. Isn’t that what being a family is all about?”
“Maybe, but you don’t know what I’ve done. You probably wouldn’t be such a cheerleader if you knew.”
“Maybe you should stop being such a stubborn old jackass and let me be the judge of that. Unless you betrayed your country, did something to your sister, or broke the law, there isn’t one thing you could do which would ever disappoint me. I love you. I promise that whatever you did cannot be that bad.”
Chuckling at her feisty nature, Trace knew exactly where his stubborn streak had come from. He’d learned from the best. Del Jennings was the master at being stubborn. He’d just followed her lead.
“I think that stubbornness runs in the family,” he teased.
“I learned everything I know from you.” She grinned. “Now out with it. What’s going on with you?”
No longer able to hold it in, Trace decided to just come clean. He figured he’d probably have to eventually anyway, once she realized her hotel guest had skipped out on her. “It’s that guy, Harrington.”
“Oh? Is that so? I thought I sensed a connection with you two. That’s why I didn’t check on you last night. I didn’t want to interrupt any ahh…well, you know.”
“Very funny, Mom. I’m serious. Do you want to hear this or not?”
“What? I wasn’t trying to make jokes. But, okay, I’m sorry. I’m all ears. What happened?”
“It’s a little…err…complicated.” He hesitated, fearing this was the piece of information that would disappoint her the most.
“Complicated, huh? In what way?”
“Just…complicated.”
“Ahh… You mean you two slept together.”
He looked at her in shock. He couldn’t have been more surprised that she had so blatantly blurted it out like that. “How did you…oh God.” He covered his face with his hands. “Did he stop by here and say something to you?”
“Mister Harrington? No. Geez, no. He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who would kiss and tell anyway.”
“Just the type to cut and run,” Trace muttered under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Look, I haven’t spoken to him since this morning when he swung by to pick up some pastries. But, I did happen to notice that he had someone’s dog with him. I don’t think I have ever seen Airborne so at ease with anyone but you before. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it intrigued me and make me feel a little happy that maybe my son had found someone.”
“You noticed that? Do you think anyone else did?”
Del smiled. “I’m your mother, honey. Of course I noticed. It’s sort of what we do. Watch, observe, learn, deduce, and then plan. As for everyone else, I have no idea. But, this is a small town, so anything is possible.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” It was bad enough having Brad disappear from his life. Trace didn’t need the entire town of Purgatoire Valley knowing his personal business.
“Would you relax, please? Just take a breath and tell me what happened. Then Mom here will work her magic and tell you how to fix it. Then you’re going to do as you’re told like a good boy, and after that hopefully we can get back to a normal life where you eat your food.”
“I don’t think this is fixable,” he stated.
She looked up at the ceiling in frustration and laughed before looking back at him. “Oh my goodness, just tell me already. What happened?”
“Okay, I’ll tell you, but I want you to know that I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve never even wanted to. It just sort of happened.”
“All right already, I understand. Now quit stalling.”
Trace got up from his chair and walked around the counter. He always did his best talking and thinking when he was moving around. Maybe that was why he’d always driven his brothers of the 82nd crazy right before they went on a mission.
“Okay, I’ll admit I didn’t trust the guy. There was something about the guy that just didn’t sit right with me. Then he went and bought that stupid little car. It totally knocked down my defenses and I became more curious about him than I was cautious. So, I sat with him here last night, talking and asking questions, looking for some sort of a clue into who this guy was.”
“Right. I remember,” Del said.
“I don’t know what happened but sometime during dinner I stopped being on edge and just relaxed. After dinner we went back to the hotel to enjoy a couple of beers out on the boardwalk. It was a nice and cool night. Seemed like a good idea at the time.” He shrugged.
“I think that sounds lovely,” Del added.
“Only, things changed. We weren’t just two strangers getting to know one another, there was this sudden connection. I’ve never…damn, Mom.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way before. About anyone. Ever. I don’t even know what you’d call it, but to me it felt like…love. And before I could do anything about it, I found myself acting on emotions that were so strong,” he admitted.
“Oh my God. Really? That’s so wonderful.”
“Yeah, it really was. Or so I thought, anyway.”
“Uh oh. What happened? Did he not feel the same about you?”
Trace shook his head and crossed his arms. “I don’t know. I thought he felt the same. He sure as hell acted like it. We both seemed to be on the same page. I know it was only a day b
ut I believed him.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Trace. Sometimes you just know. So, what went wrong? It sounds like everything was going great.”
“I wish I knew! It was incredible and I thought I had finally found some meaning or purpose behind me being hurt. I even thought…”
“What?”
He shrugged, angry with himself for believing the hype. “I thought maybe he was the reason I was forced into civilian life, like maybe…I don’t know…but, maybe I was supposed to find him. But then as quickly as it began it all ended. I went home for a couple of hours and by the time I got back he was gone.”
“He’s gone? Like gone, gone? Or just away from the hotel?”
“No, gone. Like his bags are gone and there was no sign of him.”
“Just like that? And you have no idea why?”
“Just like that, and I don’t have a fucking clue why. Sorry,” Trace apologized, knowing how much his mother hated when he cussed.
“Oh, honey. I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry. I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better. I can only imagine how heartbroken you are.”
“I never said he broke my heart,” Trace stated adamantly.
“Oh, sweetheart…you didn’t have to. I can see it in your eyes. You fell for him. Time cannot define these things. Sometimes they just happen and defy all rational thought or reason.”
“I used to think this crap only happened in the movies. I didn’t think that it could ever really happen to me.”
“What? Love? Oh, it’s very real, my dear. We never quite know when Cupid is going to hit us with that little arrow.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter. He up and left and his actions speak pretty loudly to me. What I felt obviously wasn’t what he felt.”
“How can you be certain?” she asked.
“Gee, Mom, I don’t know. Probably because he left.”
“Look, unless he actually says he doesn’t want you, you can’t be certain what happened. You know his name, and knowing you, you probably have memorized his licensed plate. Track him down, ask him what happened. Unless he actually says the words, ‘I don’t want you,’ then you will never know for sure.”
“You expect me to track him down after he just took off like that?” Trace asked, not believing he was actually hearing what his mother was saying.
“How else will you know for sure?” Del persisted.
“No thanks, Mom. I think being rejected by him once is enough for me,” he replied.
“So you’re just going to give up? Just like that? After one screwup and you’re just going to throw in the towel? Trace, I know you better than you know yourself and you’ve never been one to just give up like that. Find him, call him, track him down. Do whatever you have to do in order to find your answer. Come on, you have to try, you’re always going to wonder ‘what-if’ and you’ll just hate yourself if you don’t at least try.”
“And if he rejects me again, Mom? Then what? I’m not sure I can take that a second time around.”
“I can promise you that he won’t. He couldn’t even if he wanted to.”
Trace and his mother turned around as soon as he heard the familiar voice of the man who had turned his world upside down. There, standing in the doorway, was Brad. The man who he’d fallen in love with and the man who’d disappeared without a single word.
Trace stood there nervously, waiting for some sort of a sign from God as to what he could possibly say.
“Mister Harrington, how nice to see you.” Del looked at her watch. “Well, would you look at the time. I’m late for a…umm…well I’ll be back in a little while. Trace, dear, would you please see to it that Mister Harrington has everything he needs? I’ll see you two later.”
Both men stared at one another in silence as Del left the diner. The tension in the restaurant was palpable, resonating off each of them. Their combined silence was so deafening that Trace wanted to cover his ears. He attempted to swallow the dry lump that blocked his throat, but it just sat there, stagnate and aggravating his already tense demeanor.
“I’m sorry,” Brad said.
Trace stared back at him. He wanted and needed more than just those two words of explanation.
“I meant to leave a note, but I left in such a hurry that I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Trace still didn’t say a word. He was full of shock and disbelief that Brad was even standing there in front of him. Brad seemed sincere, but Trace could still feel the sting he’d felt when he realized that Brad had up and left.
“Please say something,” Brad asked him.
He had no idea what he wanted to say. He honestly never thought he’d see the man again, much less so soon. He certainly hadn’t ever thought he’d walk into this diner the very same day.
“Look, I’m just going to explain and hope that you’ll forgive me.” Brad came forward and sat on one of the barstools at the counter. “Remember Alfred? The one I told you about? Well his wife called. Celia. She said they were rushing Alfred to the hospital. She said he was having a heart attack. Please try and understand that he is the closest thing that I’ve ever had to a father. When I heard her voice, listened as she sobbed into the phone, my only thought was to get back home. So, I threw my things in my bags and drove as fast as I could toward Denver. I got halfway there when she called back. The doctor said he had something called arrhythmia, but it wasn’t a heart attack. It was a false alarm. You have to know that as soon as the life drained back into my blood you were my first thought. I realized then that I left without saying a single word. And I’m so sorry. They are like family to me. And I promise that if you give me a chance, I will never ever leave you again.”
Chapter Twelve
Six weeks later…
Brad placed the last of the supper dishes into the dishwasher and dried his hands. He liked doing these little domestic chores. They made him feel like a real person and gave him purpose in a different way other than writing a check. Plus it felt good to give Alfred time to just relax instead of thinking he needed to tend to Brad’s every need.
Trace had agreed to drive Celia and Alfred home. While Celia had cooed over his gentlemanlike gesture, Brad knew that Trace was only trying to spend more time with him. He’d told him earlier, before the couple had shown up, that he wanted to get to know them better, saying that if they were important to Brad, then they were important to him.
Their dinner had been great. Trace had cooked a simple pasta dinner and Celia brought a Bundt cake for dessert. It was simple, not at all extravagant and exactly what Brad had been missing his whole life.
There were a lot of things that he was just now beginning to experience since Trace had come into his life. In spite of his screwup of a disappearing act, Trace had forgiven Brad and understood. Hearing what caused his abrupt departure, Trace said he would have done the same thing if it was his mother who was in danger.
They’d ended up spending the next few days in shifts of eating, sleeping, and making love. All of it in no particular order. Having only known each other a short time, they somehow managed to get to know one another. Not the details of each other’s lives, but one another’s souls. There was really no questioning it. Brad and Trace were made for one another.
Brad had expected at least a little bit of uneasiness or even awkward moments as they felt their way through their new relationship. Oddly enough they had few. They were each far too eager to learn as much as they could about one another.
Del was going to visit them in New York in the coming week, but for the next six days it would be just the two of them, and Airborne of course. Brad looked over at the couch and couldn’t help but laugh at the dog who had managed to make himself at home on the cool leather sofa that overlooked the city. He couldn’t help but love the dog as much as he did Trace.
“Whoa… someone looks deep in thought. Everything okay?”
Brad turned around, not even realizing that Trace had been standing in the
doorway to their kitchen. He wore that same drop-dead gorgeous smile that Brad had fallen for back in Purgatoire Valley as he leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms. It was all Brad could do to keep his hands off of him through dinner, but times like this when he seemed exceptionally adorable made it that much harder.
“Of course. Everything is great,” Brad answered.
“Hmm…” Trace came toward him. With a mischievous grin he placed both his arms around Brad and set them on the counter behind him. The subtle gesture effectively cornered Brad, leaving him no place to turn.
“Trying to trap me?”
Brad stared into his brown eyes. The brown swirled like melted milk chocolate. He loved staring into those eyes when they made love. Those two innocent little eyes could easily turn him to mush with the slightest of winks.
“Trap you? Do I have to? I kinda thought you were always a willing participant,” Trace teased, inching closer as he pressed his body against Brad’s.
Brad loved when Trace showed his playful side like this. It enticed him to want to stoke that fire just a little more to see which one of them would make the first move. “Willing, ready, and very able.”
Trace raised his brow at him and the obvious dare in his statement. Brad looked at his lips, slightly parted and taunting. The game of who would snap first was decided. Brad’s restraint couldn’t hold a candle to the intense urgency he felt for Trace whenever he started to play this game with him.
Brad wrapped his hands around Trace and pulled their bodies together. In a lust-filled frenzy, he fused their lips together, hungrily searching for that taste he could only find in Trace’s kiss.
Trace’s hands roamed Brad’s body, only encouraging Brad’s advancements that much more. There was so much he wanted to do, touch, and feel. His hormones were on overload the more he tasted and played with Trace’s tongue.
The Philanthropist and the Paratrooper (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 10
