Page 86 of Welcome Home, Cowboy
“Hey there, sweetheart.” He lifted her up in the air. In a couple years she’d be too big to do so. And he wouldn’t be here to watch her grow.Damn.“What’s to eat?” he asked, setting her down.
“I’m getting grilled cheese,” she told him. “You and Mommy are getting yucky grown-up food.” She stuck out her tongue and giggled at him.
“Nope. I’m eating all the grilled cheese. It’s all mine,” he teased, following behind her.
“Nooooo!” Sabrina went running inside.
Beth looked up as they entered. “Wash your hands, you two. Dinner’s on the table in three minutes.”
Lawson did as she asked, and then headed back into the kitchen to help Beth lay out the silverware.
“Why didn’t you bring Julie?” Beth lifted a brow as she looked at him. “I made enough, just in case.”
“Maybe I wanted you and Sabrina all to myself tonight.”
His sister continued to watch him. She was fishing for information. He knew that Beth had spent the morning with Julie, who had no doubt filled her in on the breakup.
“Just say what’s on your mind,” he said.
“Okay. You’re being a jerk. You are screwing things up with Julie. She’s the best thing that has happened to you in a long time, and you know it.”
Not responding, he grabbed his glass and poured a generous serving of sweet tea. He breathed a sigh of relief as Sabrina came charging back into the room to dominate the conversation. Good.
“This isn’t over,” Beth said, pointing her fork in his direction.
“Is that a threat?” he teased, laying eyes on his meal. It looked good, and it felt good to be here with his family. This was something he would miss when he got transferred.
After eating, he did the honors of reading Sabrina her bedtime story and tucking her in. Then he made the long walk back into the kitchen knowing Beth would be waiting with questions. He just hoped he had the answers.
“What’s going on?” She pointed at a cup of coffee on the table. “Just the way you like it. Now sit.”
His weight came down heavily in the chair. “I got in a helicopter this week.”
Beth leaned forward. “What? That’s fantastic. Isn’t that fantastic?”
He shook his head. “I was set to fly it for a training exercise and my commander stopped me. I must’ve looked like I was marching toward my death or something. He said I wasn’t ready. It’s over.”
Beth frowned sympathetically. “You have to give yourself time, Lawson. You’ve always been one to want to just plow through challenges. It’s okay to—” She stopped when he looked up.
“There is no more time. I’m meeting with my commander on Friday, and I’m pretty sure he’s sending me to Camp Neally to be an instructor there.”
“Camp Neally? That’s two hundred miles away.”
The look on her face was one he hated to see. He’d always loved teasing his sister, ruffling her feathers. But disappointing her, that was something he avoided at all costs. “I’m sorry, Beth.”
She reached her hand out to cover his on the table. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You’re a Marine. I knew you wouldn’t stay here in Seaside with me forever. Sabrina and I will miss you, but we’ll be fine. Really.”
He nodded. “I know that.”
“Do you?” she asked. “Because sometimes you still think I’m that fifteen-year-old girl whose father bailed and whose mother was left to battle depression in addition to her cancer. You took care of us, Lawson, and you never stopped.”
Acid burned inside his throat. He wasn’t ready to stop caring for her just yet, either.
“And no one took care of you,” she said, squeezing his hand.
“You just made me a free dinner.”
“Some deal.” She smiled. “Maybe you can convince your commander to give you one more chance.”
