A bitter smile crossed his lips. “You don’t get it, Whip. Today I lost everything. Nearly every fucking thing I own is gone. But you know what? The only thing I worried about was finding you. When I saw you safe and sound, my destroyed home didn’t matter anymore. I still had you. I thought I still had you. The woman I bared my soul to. But no. I was wrong, and I am judging you. Not for your money, although it does piss me the hell off. But because you didn’t care enough about me to be honest.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “That’s not true.”
“It’s not? Then why did I not know, Emily? How many opportunities did you have to tell me about yourself?”
“How many did you have to ask?”
“That’s bullshit and you know it! You told me you worked here and you should have been honest then.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Okay, maybe I didn’t pry. Is that what I should have done? Pry into your business? Stupid of me, but I didn’t figure you were keeping things from me. Or maybe . . . maybe deep down inside, I knew this wasn’t meant to be.”
Before she could respond, he turned to walk away.
“Reeve, please. I’m so sorry.”
He looked at her one more time, and she swore he looked as broken as she was, his eyes red. “So am I, Em.”
He walked away toward the parking lot.
* * *
When he arrived home, Reeve had been relieved to find Aiden and Jase both there waiting for him. It was drill weekend so Aiden had probably been driving toward Manhattan as the storm hit Standing there with the two of his buddies, miraculously, was Plain Jane. Reeve couldn’t deny his relief as he shut off his bike. He was also glad he didn’t have to be alone right now, because he felt lost.
His yard looked like a war zone. Trees resembling toothpicks stuck out of the ground, the three downed walls of his house were scattered into matchsticks. Even his beautiful white Ford was pinned down beneath someone’s garage door. It was hard to take in.
“Jesus, man.” Jase walked over and wrapped Reeve in a big hug the minute he got off his bike. “I’m so damn sorry.”
Aiden slapped Reeve’s back. “I don’t know what to say, dude.”
Reeve sighed and told them what had happened. They listened in shock as he explained helping Beth and her children—who were now safe at her mother’s.
“I can’t believe that.” Jase said. “Those kids were lucky you were there.”
Reeve nodded, still finding it hard to believe himself. After the storm passed and he’d helped Beth and her children out from under the pool table, he’d been in complete shock. They’d come out of the basement to find themselves standing outside, three sides of Reeve’s house completely gone. Beth’s house had fared a little better, only a section of it damaged. But the bathroom that they’d have taken shelter in, had they not seen him, was gutted.
Retreating to Reeve’s basement had probably saved their lives.
The only good thing was that by some miracle, Reeve’s Harley had managed to remain unscathed in his garage. Tornado destruction could be weird like that. Just as the homes on the opposite side of the street were untouched. None of it was fair, but it did no good to think about it in those terms because at least he had his life. So did his mother. He’d stopped by her place on his way home and he felt guilty admitting that he’d sort of hoped to find it decimated. It stood strong as ever, and so did she and Mr. Boo.
So far the news had reported nine people dead and twenty-six injured, but the number was sure to rise as more people were found and taken to hospitals with life-threatening injuries.
“We’ve received official orders to report at oh seven hundred tomorrow. ’Course we were gonna be there anyway, but you know they’ll grant you leave if you explain your house is nearly gone.”
Reeve shook his head. “No. I want to stay busy. I’m sure the governor has declared a state of emergency by now, which means there will be plenty to do.”
Their silence stated they all understood. It was a somber group, and Reeve began to walk over the rubble, trying to make sense of his possessions. It occurred to him this was a good time to be someone who didn’t hang on to anything. There was really not much he needed here. Obviously the necessities—a bed, clothing, and such—were important. But he wasn’t looking for sentimental items or heirlooms because he didn’t hang on to them.
The one room somewhat standing was Reeve’s bedroom, although almost everything in it was unusable. The walls were splattered with mud and the bed was covered in splintered wood and Sheetrock. Stepping into his closet, Reeve found his army uniform intact. Imagine that.
“Here, I’ll help.” Jase stood beside him and began to grab what was savable off the rack. The three of them worked for a good hour, and when they’d loaded what they could into Jase’s truck, Reeve just stood and stared at what was left of his house.
The one thing he hadn’t shared with his friends was what had happened with Emily. He could barely stand to think about it, let alone say it out loud.
Standing there watching her with that reporter, her self-assured demeanor and the no-nonsense way she’d handled the douchebag had floored him. Things had quickly clicked into place. The way she’d handled the bartender, the way she’d handled him. He’d never been to her home. Did she live in a mansion? How much money did she really have?
He thought back to the night at Bourbon and Baker when she’d tried to grab the check. The expensive shoes and clothing she always wore. Of course he’d known she was one of those girls, the kind he had no business trifling with. She was a member at Sunset. But for some reason he’d just assumed that she’d come from money and was still living off the fruits of her parents’ labor. Generals did okay. Maybe she’d inherited some money from her late father. He didn’t know what, and that was partly his fault. He’d demanded nothing of her except her body and her time.
After living a life of secrets and not wanting anyone to ask about his home or his family, he’d just learned not to ask anyone else about theirs. Probably why he hadn’t questioned her not wanting him over. Wasn’t that normal, not wanting to invite someone into your home?
As an adult, he knew it wasn’t, but he’d been in denial with Emily. Not wanting to question anything that would take her away from him, because deep inside he’d feared their time together was temporary.
“You know we’ll help you do whatever you need,” Aiden said, interrupting the silence.
“No doubt,” Jase said in agreement.
“I know you will. And I’ll need it. Obviously.” He nodded toward the wreckage. “I’m fucking homeless, you guys.” He began to laugh, because there really seemed nothing else left to do. Aiden and Jase just looked at each other.
“We told Tyler we’re all staying with him tonight,” Aiden said. “You coming with or are you going to your mom’s house.”
Reeve tensed. These guys didn’t know about his mother’s house. “Nah, I’ll go to Brad’s. I’ll meet you guys at Tyler’s first thing tomorrow.”
“I’ll wash and iron your uniform for you,” Jase said.
“You don’t need to do that, man.”
“I got it. You just relax tonight.”
Reeve appreciated his friends more than they’d ever know, but Reeve’s thoughts were warring inside. He wondered what Emily was doing right now. Was she still at LAM cleaning up? He now regretted not staying, helping. But damn he’d been furious. Since it was now dark he assumed she must have gone home.
He should have been with her. She’d finally invited him over. She’d mentioned wanting to tell him tonight. How would he have responded? Would that have changed anything? He didn’t know. It was hard to separate what could have been from what had played out, which was him finding out her truth as she announced it to a television camera.
He finally parted ways with his friends and headed over to Brad’s house on his Harley. He needed a shower and he was exhausted from the adrenaline rush and the emotional roller coaster he’d been on today.
He’d have to get up early to meet they guys back at Tyler’s but he never had a problem getting up at the crack of dawn no matter what time he went to sleep. It was a part of his makeup to get up before the sun on most days.
As he drove down the streets of Manhattan, he was happy to see that the majority of it was free of any damage. Tree limbs were down and yard things were scattered, but most homes and businesses were fine. The damage was mostly limited to the southwest side of town although there were a fair number of people out, a lot of restless activity, probably friends and loved ones helping those who needed it.
He wondered if Emily’s house was okay and realized he hadn’t asked her. Damn it. Where was she staying tonight? Was she okay? Should he call her?
He pulled over in a Taco Bell parking lot and pulled out his phone to bring up her address. Finally, he had service. He typed her address into the map application and examined the route.
Five minutes later he was slowly driving down her street. It was a dead end, her house at the very end. As in many surrounding areas, the power on the block was still out and it appeared no one was home. He killed his headlights and stared up at her house. The sky had cleared and the moon cast a glow on the structure.
She had a nice house, that was for sure. It wasn’t massive, but it was at least twice as big as his. Probably more. The front yard appeared to be beautifully landscaped with curved berms and mature trees. The house was a little older, but had obviously been updated.
She was rich. How rich? He didn’t know. He also didn’t know what he planned to do with that information. But after seeing his life flash before his eyes as he held on tight to a tiny person under a pool table, he knew one thing for certain.
He’d fallen hard for Emily Phillips.
The fact that she ran a huge corporation didn’t change that. But Emily would never need anything of him. And he had nothing to offer her, especially not now when all he had was the clothes on his back, a Harley, and a bank account that she’d no doubt find laughable.
As he drove to Brad’s, Reeve couldn’t stop thinking about the damage at her office and the patio they’d worked so hard on. He knew without question he’d rebuild it just as it was. Maybe even better.
When he walked into Brad’s house, he found his buddy watching the news coverage. Brad instantly stood, came over and locked Reeve in a tight man hug.
“Damn, man. I’m so sorry.”
When they separated Reeve blew out a breath. He hadn’t cried today, but damn there’d been several times he felt like it. “Thanks. For letting me stay here, too.”
“Are you kidding me? You’d do the same. Without question.”
“I need your help with one more thing. Tonight.”
“Whatever you need, man.”
“I need your help picking something up. We’ll need the flatbed trailer. And a chain saw.”
“All over it. Let’s go.” Brad immediately sat down and began to pull on his shoes.
Reeve was grateful. As always, he knew he could count on Brad to help without question.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Before the tornado, Emily thought she’d known what it meant to work hard. She was so wrong. The amount of manual labor she’d performed in the past thirty-six hours was nothing short of insane. Her body ached in places she didn’t know it was possible to feel pain, and she’d drunk more water than she had in her life.
Still she kept going, because nearly all of her employees had shown up the past two days and were working beside her. There was no way she’d expect anything from them that she wasn’t willing to do herself.
She also thought she’d known what it meant to feel breathtakingly sad and lonely. She’d lost a father, a grandfather, even friends when she’d moved away from her hometown. But the pain of spending the past couple of days without Reeve’s presence—not even through call or text—was profound. If it weren’t for the numbing monotony of the cleanup, she’d be holed up in her bed right now. Thankfully there had been no choice—or no time—to feel sorry for herself.
It was Sunday morning and she’d just gotten off the phone with the insurance company. They apologized for the delay but explained to her that they were swamped and getting to everyone as fast as they could. Emily understood and thanked the woman when she promised to be out Monday morning.
According to the most recent update, the fatality rate was now at sixteen, and that was only in the city of Manhattan. The storm system had traveled through four states, and now twenty people had lost their lives across the Midwest. Every time Emily thought about it she wanted to cry. Partly because it was devastatingly sad, but also because she felt guilty and grateful that no one close to her or who worked for LAM had lost their life.
Sadly, Amanda’s aunt Lena hadn’t been so lucky, her trailer leveled on the outskirts of town. Emily recalled her from the wedding, but they’d never officially met. Just the same, Emily planned to go to the funeral on Thursday to support her best friend and her mother.
The sound of vehicles caught Emily’s attention and she stopped to watch two Humvees enter the parking lot. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she dropped the piece of glass in her hand into a box. That’s what a lot of the work had been thus far: everyone donning thick gloves and picking up pieces of glass. She could barely stand straight, her back was so sore from the constant bending over.
Daniel walked up beside her. “I wondered if we’d get any help from them. Seems like they’re all over town.”
She’d wondered the same thing, and now her heart was pounding in her chest, hoping that maybe Reeve would be part of this group. Every time she’d driven through town and seen men in uniform she’d looked for him. The last two nights she’d lain down in bed exhausted, but both times the last thing she’d seen in her mind was the look of shock and pain on his face the last time they’d been together.
He said he’d lost everything. It broke her heart to imagine what he meant by that but she hadn’t yet had the courage to drive by his home and see for herself. Just as well; the Guard had blocked many roads to the worst-hit areas, so she told herself she wouldn’t get through anyway.
The Humvees pulled up near the building and at least eight men got out. Emily began walking toward them, her eyes scanning beneath the brims of their helmets. Sadness filled her chest when she realized that none of them were Reeve.
Along with Daniel, Emily greeted one of the men. “Hello. I’m Emily Phillips, the owner of LAM.”
“Good morning, ma’am. I’m Sergeant Cavallo.” He was a tall man, golden-skinned, with kind dark eyes. “It’s our orders to help you with cleanup of your property. With your permission, we’ll get right to work.”
“I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re here.” She meant it. Although she’d have been a lot happier if an entirely different man stood before her in uniform.
“Our pleasure, ma’am.” He turned to speak to the other men and Emily watched in fascination as they grabbed tools and gloves, then immediately dispersed.
She turned to Daniel. “Well, things should go much faster now, I guess.”
“I thought he might be with them,” he said.
Emily gave a faint smile. She hadn’t really spoken about Reeve with her assistant at all, but he was a smart guy. Plus, he’d probably been talking with Natalie.
“So did I, Daniel. So did I.”
Together they headed back toward the building and got to work once again.
* * *
Reeve’s phone rang. Seeing that it was Tyler, he answered on the first ring. “She there?”
Tyler chuckled on the other end. “She’s here. Like a tiny beast, this one.”
Reeve’s eyes slipped shut and he chuckled, his body exhaling with relief. He’d known Emily was okay physically, but not going to her, seeing her again with his own eyes, had been difficult. “How much work still?”
“Quite a bit. We’ve been here for about an hour and put a good dent in it, but her employees are amazing. There’s at l
east sixty people here. If they’re not cleaning, they’re bringing food, water, driving people into town to use the restroom. The plumbing here is turned off.”
Reeve looked around. The same thing was going on in the neighborhood where he was working. Everyone came together, did whatever needed to be done to help one another out. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Listen. I know it’s none of my damn business, but you should be here, man. She’s working her ass off. Her face is dirty, she’s covered in sweat, and she looks exhausted. I heard someone say that they’d been working since the crack of dawn yesterday.”
“Tyler, you don’t know everything.”
“You’re right, I don’t. But I do know if this was my woman, I wouldn’t allow her to work this hard.”
Reeve scoffed. “Clearly you don’t know Emily well. She doesn’t need me.”
“Bullshit. She’s willing to get her hands dirty, fine. I still wouldn’t allow her to work this hard without me beside her. You should be here.”
“My orders are—”
“Fuck that, Miller. Your orders are to clean some shit up and do what needs to be done. Now, what do you think needs to be done?”
The line went dead and Reeve cursed to himself. Tyler was right. Two of his friends, Tyler and Aiden, were currently helping Emily at LAM and here his dumb ass was a few miles away thinking about her. It didn’t make any sense.
He decided to finish the project he was on, which was helping to fill a tow truck with debris, but as soon as the next load was full, he was going to her. Within an hour he texted Tyler.
REEVE: I’m on my way.
TYLER: Too late. She left about thirty minutes ago. I bet she went home.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Emily stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a light robe. She’d stood under the water for almost thirty minutes, letting the heat soothe her body. Now she was just ready to sleep, maybe for days.
After brushing out her hair she rubbed some moisturizer into her face, noticing how sunburned she was. The past two days had been hot, but thankfully that had meant they’d been dry and sunny so they could carry out all the cleaning that had needed—and still needed—to be done. Tomorrow she planned to fly to Peoria, Illinois. The same storm system that had hit Manhattan had also produced a small tornado there, which had done some minimal damage to one of their theaters. Emily knew they could handle it, but after experiencing what they had, she felt the need to reach out and offer support.
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