Lissa cleared her throat delicately, and I took my eyes off him long enough to face her.
“It’s a new start for both of you. Why not embrace that, rather than letting the past dictate your actions or even who you think you are right now. You both choose who you are now. You both choose your paths, including whether they cross or not. You both get to command your future. And I think this is a good start. Henley, why don’t you drop me a message later with a time for us to chat privately. There’s a lot you’re carrying that I want to try and help with if you’re open to it.”
He nodded, but didn’t look up again.
“Glory, think about what you feel would help you move on, and confide in him. Henley wants to help you. You matter to him, and I know he matters to you. Friends lean on each other. You’re back together after years apart. Get to know each other again,the new versions of yourselves. Reach out to me anytime either of you want to talk anything out. I can come there too if it helps. Ice loves the man cave.”
“No shit,” Nate…no, Henley… murmured under his breath. She was right though. I was seeing him as the guy I left, and he was seeing me as the detritus of what escaped Sean. We both needed to learn who the other was now. So we could both grow and heal. I’d been hurt, but I’d clearly hurt him too. I never wanted that. I just wanted to be loved, and he hadn’t wanted me. Back then I believed that, but now? Maybe anything was possible now.
Chapter Twelve
Prospect duty for oncewas a fucking relief. Rocket was on with me, and we were on the damn gate as usual, but there were more supplies arriving soon, and we’d be helping to unload them. Menial work was what I needed. Physical labour, so my body would tire my brain out. That was the hope anyway.
“How’s your girl doing?”
I kicked the ground, sending dust in his general direction. That’d teach him to sit his ass on the ground while I was standing.
“Prick. I’m being nice, man. How’s she doing? Nightmares and stuff? I bet she is. I mean, that’s how some people deal with stuff. Not me. I mean, I have, but…” he trailed off at my grin, “what? What’s that look?”
“You’re babbling. That’s usually my thing, but it’s cute on you.”
“Fuck off.”
I turned to lean on the gate, which was a temporary one they’d fitted because we’d had to widen the gateway for the big equipment to get in, and it was more like a farm gate.I mean, you could probably climb over it, but at least there was a little temporary hut for prospects to sit in for nighttime security. Maybe I should have volunteered for that. The thought of leaving Glory alone at nights though, that didn’t sit well with me. Was she having nightmares? I’d stayed away from her at nights, because I didn’t want to be tempted to climb in and hold her if she was struggling. Besides, she actually did nearly break my nose for watching her sleep already.
“We’re here all day, man. Might as well talk or I’ll get all lonely over here. You know how it hurts me when you hold all your feelings in like that.”
“Dickhead. Look, I’m just… I’m struggling with her being there. Not because I don’t want her there, but because it feels so fucking right that she is.”
“Because you love her,” he pointed out, scrambling up from the dusty ground to lean beside me. The dumb fucker was covered in beige dust, but didn’t seem to care. He hadn’t brought the pup with him today, which was a shame, to be honest. She was way cuter than him.
“Where’s Nixie?”
Rocket laughed, shaking his head as he stared out at the empty road, probably wishing he was out there on his ride. I mean, that’s all we wanted out of life really. Open roads, two wheels, and fucking old ladies holding on to us. Fuck.
“Changing the subject, man. That’s what you do when you’re too afraid to admit the truth.”
“Fine. I fucking love her, okay? It doesn’t matter. It never mattered, and it matters even less right now. You want to hear what she wants?”
He shrugged, and I wanted to slap the back of his head.
“I guess. If you wanna be a chatty Cathy.”
Despite my frustration, the fucker got a laugh out of me, and that’s what he’d been aiming for. I was just trying not to be so easy.
“You’re a real class act, Rocket. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”
His grin was his only response.
“She wants to be used as bait.”
He shoved back from the gate as his breath practically choked out of him.
“WHAT?”
“My reaction exactly. FYI, it gets a man slapped when he cares about a woman being put in danger like that.” I was actually pretty proud of the slap. I mean, at the time, sure, it hurt. Not in a physical way as such, more in a ‘she lashed out at me and not him’ kind of way. Still it showed that she was still in there. That strength of character, that fire, hadn’t been crushed completely. It was such a relief, despite her intention to put herself in fucking danger.
“She’s not going anywhere near the cunt.”