Page 28 of Resisting Temptation (Men of Honor 3)
“Back to Katelyn at the gym?”
Staring out her window, she shakes her head and doesn’t look at me when she answers. “No, home please.” I hesitate for a second; not wanting her to be alone right now, but then decide it’s not my business. I start following her directions and realize she’s not too far from me. Fucking perfect… this just keeps getting better and better.
The ride to her house is silent, which is normally the way I like things, but right now I fucking hate it. When I pull into her driveway a few minutes later, I take in the small, single-family house and notice no other vehicles around. I assume she’s living alone and not with her parents. I want to ask her but decide against it, the less I know the easier it will be.
“Thanks for the ride,” she mumbles quietly while gathering her shoes.
For some reason, the thought of her walking away right now, after going so long without seeing her, sends panic through my chest. Say something, you shithead… “Look, Faith, I…”
She throws her hand up. “Don’t. Don’t say anything. You don’t need to worry. I will try avoiding anywhere you may be. I can’t promise I’ll never run into you, but I will try my best.”
What the fuck? I grab her arm before she can get out of the truck and I ignore the awareness that shoots through my fucking body at the simple contact. “What the fuck does that mean?”
She rips her arm away like it’s on fire. “It means I got your message loud and clear two years ago.”
I grind my teeth with frustration, and know I should explain why I did it, but it’s not something I want to get into. Not now and probably not ever. “Listen, you don’t need to do that. It’s a small town and we’re going to run into each other eventually, it’s unavoidable.” She drops her head and starts picking at her shoe. “Besides, I don’t go to many places other than the gym, so it shouldn’t happen often anyways.” Well fuck, that did not come out right at all…
She shakes her head and laughs bitterly. “Duly noted. Thanks again for the ride.”
Before I can dig myself out, she hops out of the truck and slams the door. The burning sensation in my chest, at watching her walk away, has me wanting to go after her, but I don’t, because I know in the end it’s for the best.
CHAPTER 7
Faith
A few hours later I’m headed to the church to see my dad. I decided to walk rather than drive, wanting the warmth of the sun and the fresh air to help soothe my heavy heart.
After Cade dropped me off, I had crashed on my couch from being emotionally exhausted, but I was awoken shortly after by Katelyn’s worried phone call. She apologized profusely, feeling guilty that she didn’t realize sooner. But really how could any of us have anticipated this? Katelyn knows all about the man I fell for in Iraq and that he was one of the Navy SEALs who rescued me, but after we talked about it, I realized I never spoke of his name to her. I barely spoke his name to myself… it hurt too much. It still does.
I think back to the way my heart turned over in my chest, at seeing him standing on the beach when I emerged from the water. Wearing black athletic pants, a dark grey athletic shirt and with a pair of aviators on, he stood strong and beautiful. He looked exactly how I remembered when I first met him; except for the black beanie he wore. That was new.
The strong feelings that have never gone away, but I had buried deep, materialized fast and hard. I wanted, more than anything, to run to him, throw my arms around him and tell him how much I missed him. But all I could do was stand and stare at him, still not believing that after all this time he was really there, right in front of me.
After his reaction at the gym, I knew the way I was feeling was not reciprocated. I’m still surprised he had come to find me, let alone apologize. The Cade I remember from two years ago wasn’t one who easily apologized. On the car ride home I had wanted to say so much to him. I wanted to tell him how sorry I was for what he and his friends went through because of me, I wanted to thank him for saving my life and, most of all, I wanted to ask why he refused me in the hospital. But if I am being honest, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to bear the truth of his answers.
Shaking my head, I let out a shaky breath and try not to think about it anymore. When the church comes into view, I speed up, desperately needing to see my dad.
Joshua Williams is the very best man I know, and even though I’m very close with both of my parents, and my papa who has lived with us since my grandma passed away, it’s me and my dad who have a special bond. One that I don’t share with anyone else.
As I enter through the big, wooden doors of the church, he comes walking out of his office carrying a box. “Hey, sweetheart. How was…” He trails off when he looks at me, and by his expression I know the pain I’m feeling is written all over my face. Dropping the box, he starts over to me, and I waste no time rushing into his arms. “Faith, honey, what’s wrong?”
My throat burns with emotion, making it difficult to talk. “I just need you to hold me for a minute,” I mumble into his chest.
He hugs me tighter, his hands rubbing soothing circles on my back. The familiar warmth of his comfort has me letting out my first deep breath since seeing Cade this morning. Keeping an arm around me, my dad walks us over to one of the pews, that’s dusty from renovations, and sits down. “Talk to me, my girl.”
