Page 59 of Redemption

I take a deep breath and run my hand along her back. “It’s okay, you don’t need to tell me. Just let it out, darlin’.”

And she does. When her legs become unsteady, I carefully lower both of our bodies to the ground, draping her over my lap, so she’s not sitting directly on the dirt. I’ve seen this woman cry many times over the years, but nothing like this. Not even after we lost the baby. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more helpless in my life. These tears... they’re pure, soul-shredding agony. It’s like she’s exorcising every demon she’s ever had all at once. Eventually, her tears dry up, but she makes no move to leave.

“Can I do anything?”

She tucks her face into the crook of my neck. “You’re doin’ it, Beckett. Just be here with me.”

“The forecast is callin’ for rain tonight. What do you say we move this inside?”

“I know it’s probably getting late, but I don’t want to leave you right now.”

“I didn’t say you had to.” I slide my finger under her chin, raising her face up to me. “We can go back to my place if that’s okay with you. I’ll take you home whenever you’re ready.”

Presley nods. “Okay.”

I scoot her off my lap so we can stand and help her inside the cab of the truck before rounding the hood and hopping in on the driver’s side.

Presley flips the visor down and looks at herself in the mirror. “My God, I’m a blotchy mess.”

I pull her hand away from her face and weave our fingers together. “You’re gorgeous, Pres.”

She ducks her head shyly and looks out the window. We make the short drive in complete silence, all the way until she steps through my front door.

“Wow.”

Presley looks around, taking in the improvements I’ve made over the last few years. The cottage is small, just over a thousand square feet, and I’ve knocked down a couple of walls to create an open floor plan, so most everything is in view as you walk in the front door. The kitchen cabinets have been painted an off-white to complement the new marble countertop. There’s now a raised breakfast bar where a couple of industrial stools sit, though only one of them is ever occupied. It’s just me, so I never bothered with a dining table, although there is a built-in bench by the front window if I ever need another dining space.

I refinished the hardwoods throughout the entire house, staining them a rustic gray color, and replaced all the doors and trim with a white maple to match the shiplap on the walls. The wood stove was replaced with a more modern unit set in the middle of a floor-to-ceiling brick surround with a living edge mantle. The low plaster ceilings were ripped out, creating a vaulted effect with beautiful exposed beams. You can’t see the sole bathroom from here, but that, too, has been completely gutted. I smile when I think about how much she’d love the oversized clawfoot tub. Presley always had a thing for country chic design, which is pretty much what I’ve done here. Her parents technically own this house, but they’ve allowed me to treat it as my own. They offered to fund the renovations, but I declined. When you’re deployed, hazard pay adds up when you have nothing to spend it on. Plus, my housing expenses are covered with the job, so I don’t have to worry about those either.

“More projects?” she surmises.

I nod. “More projects.”

Presley’s delicate brows lift. “Not exactly a bachelor pad.”

I laugh. “Were you expecting empty beer cans and pizza boxes?”

She smiles bashfully. “Maybe.”

“You wanna see the rest?”

“Very much so.”

I show off the bathroom where Presley reacts exactly how I predicted, then I show her my office-slash-guest room, also known as my childhood bedroom.

“Wow, look at that. Your room doesn’t look like a teenager threw up in here like mine does.”

“Well, technically, this isn’t my bedroom anymore.” I nod to the doorway at the end of the hall. “I moved into the master.”

Presley gets a sad smile on her face. “I’m sorry about your dad, Beckett. If I had known—”

I shake my head, cutting her off. “It’s okay. Even if you had, I probably wouldn’t have been very receptive. He passed only a few months after my discharge.” I tap my temple. “Not a lot of positive thoughts going on up here back then.”

She hangs her head. “I still wish I knew. I’m sorry.”

I pull her into me, unable to stand not touching her anymore. “It’s okay, Presley. Really.”

I can feel her jaw stretching against my chest as she yawns. “Sorry, it’s been a long day... and I think all the dramatic waterworks earlier made it worse.”

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