Page 71 of Missile Tow
“I don’t have those answers,” I replied. “But I will tell you my visit to Missile was intentional. A driving force I’ve never sensed encouraged me to take that exit off I-90. Everything I did to get here was deliberate. Sure, I was driving past on my way to Denver, but I was curious about this town.”
“Did you know I was here?”
“Of course not,” I defended, feeling hurt he might think that. “Do you think…”
He jumped off the stool, startling me, and hurried to my place by the stove. “No, I don’t think you specifically knewIwas here. But you told me John revealed he was from here and had an ex here.”
“And thatisthe truth.” I crossed my arms defensively. “But I didn’t know his ex wasyou.”
“We’ve discussed this before, baby. And I believe you,” he acknowledged, reaching for my hands and uncrossing my arms. “And I don’t care whether you knew or didn’t know who I was. The only thing that matters to me is that youdidmeet me. I’min lovewith you, Van! Two minutes or two weeks. I don’t give a shit about the length of time. I want you by my side, and I don’t care where we live.”
I burst into tears because I’m a baby when someone professes their love for me. No one had ever professed their love for me, but still.
“I want to be right here. With you,” I cried, once again hiccupping like a toddler.
He wrapped me in his arms, kissing my face, nose, top of my head, wherever he could prove his love. “Then stay. Make this home your home. Make me your husband.”
Despite my tears, I giggled, slapping at him. “You remembered that?” I sniffled, still finding the humor in his memory.
“Trust me, handsome. When you mentioned your journey to find a husband the night I met you, I auditioned on the spot.”
“Most guys would’ve run.”
“Not me, baby. Not me.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“We’re gonna work on that insecurity a tiny bit,” he pointed out. “And you can help me heal my wounds,” he said. “I need you to trust me, Van. I know we’re both allowed trust issues after what happened in our past relationships, but how about we choose trust as we set this one up?”
“Okay.”
We gazed into each other’s eyes and kissed softly. A gentle kiss to seal the deal. I had a new home. A place to build a better life. A chance at true love. We separated, still holding hands, and huddled near the stove.
“Can you stir that?” I asked, reaching for the large ceramic bowls he had stacked on an open shelf. There was a knock at the door. We quickly exchanged glances. “Keep stirring, mister. I’ll grab the door. I told Bertie I was making stew, so I bet it’s her.”
Tossing the dishcloth I had over my shoulder toward him, I headed for the front door. Pooch beat me there but didn’t bark after Chip gave him a stern look.
I walked through the open doorway to the mudroom and opened the exterior door, expecting Bertie. She wasn’t the guest standing in front of me, and I’m certain I failed at hiding my shock.
“Hello, Vance.”
“John?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: Chip
“Chip,” Van yelled from the mudroom. “Can you come here, please?”
The cabin was designed in such a way that the mudroom was the first area a person entered when coming indoors. There was a second door that separated the room from the cabin’s interior as well. The small, enclosed area was used to store muddy boots, hang jackets, and had space for snow shovels, rock salt, and other inclement weather supplies. Mudrooms were common features in homes built in heavily wintered regions.
I peeked my head around the corner of the living room. “Wassup?”
Van moved to the side, revealing John in the doorway. “We have company,” he said, motioning for John to come in out of the cold.
I’d rehearsed this moment for a year. The early weeks and months after the breakup were spent fantasizing about how happy I’d be when John came running back to me. The subsequent months were about going through the stages of grief. His standing in front of me twelve months later landed me right in the middle of the stage known as anger.
“What are you doing here?”
Van appeared less than pleased with my question. He hadn’t witnessed this side of me. A side so full of anger toward the human who’d crushed my heart to smithereens. I inhaled deeplyand then quietly released as much rage as possible. I was facing a critical test in front of the man I now loved.Behave, Chip. Act mature.
