Page 9 of Finally Home

He slurped up what was on his spoon. “Yeah. And for work.”

“Oh? I wasn’t aware there was an air force job in Aspen.”

West cocked a brow. “No, I’m a commercial pilot out of Los Angeles. I haven’t been in the service for a few years.”

“Well, that explains the tan.” She clamped her mouth shut quickly, not wanting to get anywhere close to talking about him naked.

West tipped his head back and laughed, but only for a moment before he winced. “I guess laughing shouldn’t be on the agenda for a couple days.”

“Yeah, you got pretty banged up today.” She hoped he missed the worry in her voice and took another bite of soup. “Do you like flying commercially? I remember you always wanted to fly.”

“I do. There’s nothing quite like it. If you weren’t afraid of heights, I’d insist on taking you up sometime.”

He remembered. She nodded, afraid any words would betray how touched she was he recalled her fear.

After West finished his soup, he stood and maneuvered his way to the sink, using the island to help support his weight. Cami frowned. “You’re still off balance.”

“A little, mostly just sore. It’s not bad. I’m also exhausted. I’ll probably turn in early, if that’s all right with you.”

She shifted her weight nervously and nodded. “You can take the bed upstairs.”

“No, it’s okay. I can sleep on the couch, or even in one of the other retreat cabins if they’re made up.”

“Nonsense. The EMS woman said I needed to keep an eye on you tonight, and I can’t do that if you’re not here.”

“Then I’ll take the couch.”

“West, you’ll sleep in my bed, and that’s that.”

“And where are you going to sleep?” He raised a brow at her, and his mouth tipped up in a smirk.

“The couch,” she said with finality. This was the stupidest argument she’d ever had with him. Well, second stupidest in her book. The bottom line was, after the wreck, he needed the bed more than she did.

“Cami, you can’t sleep on the couch in your own home.” He turned to wash his bowl. “Let’s just share the bed.” How could he say such a thing so nonchalantly and with a straight face? “You can even build a pillow fort between us. Plus you’ll be able to keep an eye on me better if you’re right next to me.”

He wasn’t wrong, but was he seriously suggesting they sleep together? What happened to him after he left Aspen? The West she knew was loyal to a fault. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You are a married man, after all.”

West stopped washing the bowl and looked at her as if she had grown two heads. “I’m not married, Cami.”

“I may not know a lot about after you left, but I know you got married.”

“I did, but I’m not anymore.” West grabbed the pot from the stove and began washing it while he talked. “No one told you?”

“Told me what?” Her ignorance where he was concerned had come to bite her in the ass again.

“Tiffani left me six years ago.”

Her mouth fell open before she caught herself and remembered she should be upset for him. “I’m so sorry.”

“It is what it is.” He shrugged and focused on the pot in front of him. “You really didn’t know?”

Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment, and she was thankful he wasn’t watching her. She didn’t know why she had decided to be honest with him, but the words flowed from her. “I told my family not to tell me about your life. I struggled to move on after you left. When I saw you with her after you got married, I lost it. I couldn’t know anything about you if I was going to move on.”

West turned to face her, staring at her for what felt like an eternity. “So you moved on.” It wasn’t a question. He looked at her for an answer she didn’t want to give him.

She had moved on. With Tom. And then Derek. Last there was Johnny. He was a sweet guy with lots of promise. He’d even proposed to her. But she couldn’t settle for less than what her heart knew to be possible.

Trying to form the words to explain, a thought hit her that didn’t add up. “Wait, your ex-wife’s name is Tiffani?”

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