Page 5 of My Return to the Walter Boys
One
The first time I arrived in Colorado, I was a nervous wreck. It made sense, given the circumstances. Not only was I forced to leave the only home I’d ever known, but I had to move across the country to live with a stranger, one who conveniently forgot to mention hertwelvechildren until we were settled on the plane.
This time was different, though.
When my flight touched down at Denver International Airport, I couldn’t blame those past things for the uncomfortable fluttering inside my chest; New York was no longer the only place I’d ever lived, Katherine had become a mother figure to me, and her twelve kids? They had taught me that I didn’t always need to be perfect.
There was a singular reason for my current apprehension—sooner rather than later, I would have to face Cole Walter, and God only knew what kind of reception I’d receive. As I waited forthe baggage carousel to deliver my suitcase, I almost texted him. Thankfully, I only typed out three words before realizing what I was doing and deleting the message. Maybe that made me a coward, but what could I possibly say after not talking to him for nearly two months? Besides, if he didn’t already know I was back, he’d find out soon enough. News and gossip spread like wildfire in the Walter household.
Hopefully by then, I could find the words I needed to apologize.
***
I don’t consider myself a violent person. But when Isaac Walter pulled up to the curb over an hour later with a shit-eating grin plastered across his face like he wasn’t inexcusably late, I couldn’t help but picture my hands wrapped around his throat. After stowing my suitcase in the bed of the truck, I yanked open the passenger door and threw him the chilliest glare I could muster.
“Wherewereyou? I’ve been waiting for—”
“Hey, Jackie.Sogood to see you,” he said, flipping down the sun visor to inspect his reflection. “Before you give me whatever dressing-down I’m sure you rehearsed, I have a question for you.” He raked his fingers through his jet-black hair before glancing over at me as I climbed inside. “Do you have your driver’s license?”
“No,” I said through gritted teeth. Growing up in the city, I never expected to need one. “Why does that matter?”
“Because if looks could kill, you’d have a body to hide and a very long walk home. Shouldn’t you be thanking me for picking you up?”
“Not when you were supposed to be here ages ago!”
“It’s not my fault your flight was delayed,” he replied, which I grudgingly had to admit was true. Katherine was originally meant to collect me from the airport, but then my morning departure was pushed back to the point where my arrival conflicted with Jordan’s soccer game.
“No, but your aunt promised me you’d be—”
“It doesn’t matter what she promised, because she did it without asking me first,” Isaac exclaimed, a muscle in his jaw twitching. He took a breath, then added in a calmer tone, “I had plans.”
“Okay, fine,” I grumbled as I buckled my seat belt, “but would it have killed you to let me know?”
“Sorry, but you called at a bad time. Well, bad for you. Amazing for me. Let’s just say I was…at theclimaxof things.”
I narrowed my eyes at his turn of phrase. Judging by the smug tone of Isaac’s voice, ignorance was bliss, but if my suspicion about his tardiness was true, then I’d be willing to reconsider my stance on nonviolence. The lacy blue bra abandoned on the floorboard was suspicious but not concrete proof. While finding underwear in the boys’ shared vehicle wasn’t a frequent occurrence, it wasn’t out of the ordinary either. What caught my attention, however, was the number of cigarettes in the empty Glacier Gulp cup Isaac was using as an ashtray, enough to make me think another person had been smoking in the truck with him. Besides, the cab smelled like tobacco and—my face flushed.
Sex. The truck smelled like sex. I didn’t notice it initially since the eau de lung cancer masked the odor, but the distinctive scent of musk and sweat lingered in the cab.
“Oh my God!” I rolled down the window to let in some fresh air. “Were you screwing someone in here?”
“Moi?” He splayed a hand against his sternum, brows knit together in exaggerated offense. “That’s a serious accusation. What makes you think that?”
“Because it reeks of sex!”
“Okay, you caught me,” Isaac said, flashing me another violence-inducing grin. “But tell me—how doyouknow what sex smells like?”
The flush on my face deepened to the point of burning. While I had zero experience withthat, this wasn’t the first time the truck had been used for something other than transportation. I would never forget the mortification of getting inside one day after school, wrinkling my nose, and asking what the foul smell was. Danny, Lee, and Nathan had laughed the entire drive home.
“Let me get this straight,” I said, ignoring his question. “You made me wait for more than an hour because you were hooking up with someone?”
Isaac didn’t even attempt to look contrite as he put the truck in drive and carefully navigated back into the hecticTetristhat was the arrivals pickup area. “Like I said, I had plans.”
Taking a deep breath, I willed myself to remain calm. Spending the summer in New York helped me come to a startling realization—I likedliving with the Walters. As a whole, they were fun-loving, supportive, and always made me laugh. But while absence did make my heart grow fonder, it also made me forget how irritating some of them could be.
“You’re unbelievable.”
His lips quirked. “So I’ve heard. Repeatedly.”
