Page 3 of Triple Puck Valentines

I tug at the hairs on his chest. Running my fingers over them. “It’s simple really. I’m going with. You’re not going alone. I think your family should meet your girlfriend.”

He draws away from me. Both physically and emotionally. His face is as hard and closed as marble. “You don’t know anything about them. You’ve never met these kinds of close-minded people. They will ridicule you. Embarrass you. Mock you.”

I pull the sheet up to cover my exposed body. “I’ve dealt with that my whole life. From people that professed to be friends of myself and my father. They made fun of me for my shyness.” I drop my head down, embarrassed to confess how I had been treated. How I still see myself.

“My size.” The words are breathed out. Not even a whisper. I’m humiliated to say them. I turn my head away from him. I wrap the sheet closer around as if that can protect me from all those times, all those years ago.

“Your size? What are you talking about? You’re perfect.” Hutch grabs hold of the sheet to yank it away from my covering myself up. Covering up my insecurities.

I turn my back to him, curving my shoulders inward as if that will protect myself from the balloon filling my chest where my heart should be. The fullness rises up my throat to strangle me with my insecurities.

“Katrina. Look at me.” Hutch grabs my shoulders to turn me around to face him. I can’t force myself to raise my eyes to his. I don’t know why I’m letting my own self-doubt come between us. I know he loves me. Wants me. Finds me sexy. I mean we just had amazing sex.

“You know I love you more than anything. Right?” He runs his finger down my cheek to hook it under my chin to raise my head. I open my mouth, but no words come out.

He leans forward to press his lips to mine in a sweet kiss. Leaning back, he rests his weight on his palm. “What else do I need to convince you?”

“Take me with you.”

3

HUTCH

Ican’t believe she convinced me to do this. The plane’s engines roar in the decrease in power as it begins its landing process. A light touch has me glancing down at Katrina’s hand on my arm. Her palm slides down to tangle her fingers with mine and gives a hard squeeze.

The rock that has been growing in my stomach this whole flight has developed to a boulder. The wrongness of her being here eats and claws at my insides like a wild animal trying to escape.

I shouldn’t have let her guilt me to bring her. But when she batted her baby blues I had no choice. Now she’s here with me to meet my family. I plan on renting a car and driving us there. I’m not sure how she will react when we get to the ranch. My family is not normal. They belong to an uber-religious-almost cult.

A squeeze of her hand reminds me we’re landing. “Are you okay?”

Katrina’s soft voice hovers at my ear with a breath. Am I okay? That’s the big question of the day. “I’m fine.” But am I?

My fingers flip the latch on the seatbelt at my lap.Click. Click. Click.Her hand covers mine to stop my fidgets. My fingers twitch under hers, unable to stop the reflexes of my nerves.

“Hutch. It’ll be okay. Trust me. I’m not the same young girl that’s hurt by sticks and stones. It will be okay. Really.”

“You don’t know my mother and brother. Even their church. That’s why I left all those years ago. They were trying to brainwash me. At first when I was a young boy it worked. Until I saw how that devil church worked. I found out first hand they considered abuse of children was acceptable in their eyes. Acceptable of teaching children their way. I stayed until I was eighteen and got a scholarship to a university. I ran with only the clothes on my back. The rest is history.” The last four words is said through clenched teeth.

We bounce in our seats at the turbulence of the landing. I open my mouth to say something but can’t. What else can I say? Nothing. Anything else will make me sound more of a baby than I feel deep inside. I’m not worthy of her love. Her trust.

“If you hate them so much, why are you going back?” Material rustles and she turns to me. A deep meeting of her auburn eyebrows. Her full lips thin, she gazes up at me.

“Hate? It’s still my mother and brother. Or half brother. He says she’s dying and wants to make things right with me. I can’t say no.”

“You’re a good man.” She raises a hand to stroke the back of her hand against my cheek. “That’s why I love you.”

I lean forward, pressing my lips to hers. All we can do is a chaste kiss. We’re on a crowded plane after all, even if we are in first class. We don’t need to be the prize pic on TMZ.

The plane bumps to a halt, and beside me a drag of released air bursts out. I cock my head to Katrina, her trembling hands cover her mouth, her eyes closed. I didn’t know she is afraid of flying. She seemed fine for the rest of the flight. “You’re okay Kat. See we’ve landed.”

She pants fast for a minute, her eyes open, her lips tremble. I lay my arm across her shoulders, pressing her head against mine. “It’s okay Kat. It’s okay. We’re here.”

She presses her face deeper into my shoulder, her fear a physical dread. Movement beside us makes me slide my eyes to the side, people step into the aisle, reaching up to the overhead compartment for their belongings. I have to calm her down enough to leave.

“Kat. Baby. Come on. Everybody else is getting off the plane. You don’t want us to be last? Do you?” I try to tempt her to come back to herself.

She takes a deep breath and holds it, lets it out in a loud whoosh. Nodding, she shakes herself as if shrugging off an old coat, and stands. I reach out, my arm around her back, helping her in any way I can.

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