Take Her Home – Part Seven… | Gary Booker Novels.

“Lady friend, eh?” she smirked. “Girlfriend?”
He smiled. “Not really. More like a girl who was a friend. We met in Iraq and hung out a few times. We went on vacation a couple of times to Europe, and yeah, enjoyed some benefits, but it wasn’t anything serious. More like two compatible people who needed wing men. We filled a lonely void, and helped each other scratch an itch. It’s hell over there. To ease the stress, you take your relief when and where you can. We both wanted someone we could trust to help us get through. She’s a helicopter pilot, a damn good one.”

“But not soulmates?” she queried.

He looked down the road, smiling fondly as if the memories were good. “No, just pals.” He looked at her. “You know that loving someone and living with them are different things. I know that if I was ever in trouble, she’d have my back and I would have hers, but we’re both warriors and when we come home, who would be there to bring us back to ground?”
She smiled, wondering if she’d found someone trustworthy to help her through her rough patch. “So you came back and went to training and now you’re headed home to visit your family in Wichita?”

He looked at her and again their eyes bonded. It was happening a lot. Suddenly, she started laughing quietly.

“What’s so funny?”
She just shook her head as she chuckled at her realization. “So you thought you would take a couple of weeks and go on a road trip, thinking you might hook up with some hottie, and you end up driving through Utah with a desperate single mom and her kiddo.” She was gazing at him, smiling. “Sorry, hero. We’re kinda crampin’ your style.”

That made him start chuckling. “No, it’s okay, really. I’m having a very good time with you guys. It might not be what I fantasized about, but maybe it will end up better.”

Her heart fluttered at his admission of how he was pleased with how things turned out. She hadn’t dared to hope that he felt as she did. “So what are you looking for, Jordan? Now that you’re out of the Army and starting on a new career, what’s your goal?”

He took a deep breath, not expecting to be asked such a deeply personal question. Moments later he spoke with resignation, “Something impossible to find, I fear. I want to settle down, find someone who can love me like I want to love her, make babies, and raise a big family together. I was a single kid and I always wanted to have a home and family, a big noisy family.”

“So what’s impossible about that?” she asked.

He shook his head and pursed his lips. “Not sure they make those girls anymore. Seems like the only ones I meet want to be brain surgeons, party girls, or corporate executives. Big families take a lot of work and call me old fashioned, but I want to know that my wife is home taking care of things when my work takes me away.” He looked at her, so that she knew what he was saying. Then he lowered his voice so Chloe wouldn’t hear them over the music on the radio. “I’m part of a team that kills people who need to be dead. If I am not 100% focused on what I’m doing, I or my teammates might die. I want to know that she’s as committed to our family as I am, rock solid, no messing around, no doubt at all. I need that, and one of us needs to be there with the kids all the time. I don’t want someone else to raise our kids, and I guess I want a wife who feels the same way.”

She just stared at him, unsure what planet he came from and if he was for real. She’d never met a man who said things like that, and she longed for the exact situation he described.
“How about you, Lydia Lightfoot, what do you want?”
It didn’t take her but a moment to answer with conviction, “To not be raped and beaten every couple of weeks. That would be wonderful.”

He looked at her with a direct stare that penetrated her mind. “I have the ability to grant that wish. It’s done, forever. What do you want now?”

She knew he wasn’t teasing. “Just like that? Done?”
Slowly, very slowly, he nodded his head. “Absofuckinlutly.”
The venom in his voice, along with the absolute confidence he conveyed, both thrilled her, and scared her a little. “Well, then I guess I want to be happy and see my daughter raised in a loving family, so she doesn’t have to suffer like I did. I will do anything necessary to make that happen, I just don’t know what I’ll have to do.”

Jordan thought about what she’d said. Fearful that he would say something that was in his heart but not yet in his mind, he didn’t respond. He just reached out and held his hand in front of her, palm upward. She smiled and placed hers in his with her palm down.

Chapter Four

Cedar City

Between working their way through two wrecks, normal Thursday morning traffic, and not particularly pushing themselves, it was late morning by the time they cleared Salt Lake City. Approaching Provo, it had been mile after mile of fairly monotonous driving as they worked their way south down the valley. There was nothing particularly scenic to capture their attention, just twelve thousand cars on a flat highway, sandwiched between Salt Lake, the mountains, and the upcoming Utah Lake. Occasionally glancing into the rear-view mirror, Jordan had been keeping an eye on Chloe.

Although she was still doing well, he knew it was only a matter of time before the five-year-old would need a break.
“Hey Sweetpea!”

She instantly looked up from her coloring book to see what he wanted.

He grinned. “How did you know I was talking to you?” he teased. “Maybe I meant your mom?”
Chloe matter-of-factly shook her head. “No, I’m Sweetpea, you call her Sweetheart.”

He looked at Lydia and grimaced. “I do?”
She eagerly nodded her head, smile on her face and a shine in her eyes. “Yes, you do.”

He was afraid maybe he’d stepped over a line. “I’m sorry, is that okay?”

“Oh yeah,” she replied with clear amusement. “It’s good; I would have told you if it wasn’t.”

The relief on his face was obvious as he humorously rolled his eyes and blew out his breath. Returning his gaze to the backseat, he continued, “Anyway, I’m getting tired of driving. I know you two could just go and go, but maybe we can find a mall and walk around for a while, then get something to eat?”
The child smiled and shrugged her shoulders. He looked at Lydia and wiggled his eyebrows as he continued. “Chloe, I think it’s your turn to pick what we eat, but not pizza, we ate that last night.”

She scrunched up her face in classic five-year-old fashion before decided, “Hamburgers.”

“Hamburgers it is, and if you eat a salad with that hamburger, you get a hot fudge sundae for desert. Sound fair?”
She eagerly nodded her head and her mom smiled at Jordan. “Oh, my god. You’re so spoiling her.”

“It’s my job. You can be the bad cop.”

Again her heart skipped a beat at his implication that they were some kind of a parenting team. She quickly diverted her gaze back to the road ahead, so he didn’t see her reaction. “So, do you know where we’re going or is your navigator laying a course for a mall?”

“Definitely need navigation. I’m sure there’s one near the highway. Provo isn’t that biggah town.”

Compared to what might be found in larger metro areas, the mall was medium in size. Nevertheless, other than the larger luxury anchor tenants, it held all of the common types of stores and restaurants. As they strolled through the concourse, they window shopped while Chloe looked about her with amazement and wonder. Knowing she hadn’t enjoyed these experiences before, he loved seeing the world through her eyes. They stopped at a popular store that sold clothing for young women, and although Lydia tried to argue with him, he insisted on buying several things they saw there. Further down the mall, she and Chloe ducked inside a lingerie store, but made him wait outside. There was definite giggling and conspiratorial whispering when they came out, and he laughed at the two of them doing what moms and daughters need to do, shop.

After they resumed their walk, he soon urged them into another store where Chloe got some pants, shoes, and two dresses. Then, further along she stopped as if her feet were glued to the store in front of the teddy bear store. Her head swiveled back and forth between a little girl’s heaven and Jordan.

“You want one?” he asked.
She just looked at him, not daring to ask. Her mother tried to object, since she already had a new doll, but those dark eyes stared at him, betraying the little girl’s desire. Jordan wasn’t about to have her denied. In they went and twenty minutes later came out with a bear for Chloe and tears in Lydia’s eyes.
Moments later, they were drawn by the sound of the arcade, and children’s laughter. Jordan headed toward the unmistakable sound, almost dragging the laughing girls as he went. “Come on, this is just what we need to wear her out!”
Another hour of bumper cars and arcade games later, and Lydia pulled him away with the declaration that if they were serious about getting to Cedar City, they should eat and head out. It wasn’t that simple, however, as the path to the burger restaurant took them back through the mall and for the second time that day Jordan caught her looking wistfully at a hair salon.

“How long has it been since you had your hair done?”
She just looked at him.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Never, right?”
As he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the salon she half-heartedly tried to dissuade him from spending more money on them. He was adamant that she stop being so selfish, as she was spoiling his fun. Laughing and shaking her head at his insinuation that she was being unreasonable, she acquiesced, and both of the girls got their hair washed, treated, and cut.

Eventually, with bags in the trunk, buckled up and a new bear in the backseat, they headed on their way full of burgers, laughter, and good times.

Moments after they were back on the highway, Chloe was sound asleep, slumped over in the back seat, a bear, and a doll in her arms. Lydia kept running her fingers through her silken hair and looking in the visor mirror. Then she would look at Jordan and smile before returning to the mirror. It wasn’t long before his phone rang. Lydia looked at Jordan with a curious expression. “It’s Paige, should I answer it?”

Photo of Paige Stewart Booker
He smiled, “Of course!”
With hesitance, she poked the button and answered the Signal call. “Hi Paige, this is Lydia. Do you need to speak to Jordan?”

The voice on the other end was cheerful and overtly friendly. “Nope! Just wanted to check on my girls and see how you’re doing? How was the mall? Must have been good, you were there more than three hours! I haven’t been to that one, should we put Provo on our must do list?”

Lydia looked at Jordan with surprise as she asked Paige, “How did you know we were in Provo?”

Paige laughed. “The Wizard knows everything!” Again she laughed. “Actually, all of our team member’s vehicles have GPS trackers; you can run but you can’t hide. That way, if anybody runs into trouble we can respond and be enroute to their exact location within minutes. So, how was it, and is Jordan behaving himself?”

“Hey!” he objected. “I’m right here you know?”
Paige laughed lightly. “You don’t seriously think I would say anything behind your back, do you, Sabina? You probably have figured it out already, but just to be clear, those two ladies are officially enrolled in the Paige and Layla protection program. Just remember, if you step out of line you and I are gonna rumble.”

He laughed. “Do I get to grapple?” It was a running joke on the team.

She laughed back at him, the camaraderie of their relationship obvious. “At your own peril! Just remember, Layla and I are a tag team, so consider the consequences before you go to the matts.”

“Hmmm, rolling around on the floor with two hot women. Might be worth it, let me think about it.”

She huffed. “They’re all the same Lyds, big talkers until you submit them in an arm bar. So, how was the mall? Did you get some nice things?”

Lydia laughed at both their repartee and the fact that Paige knew they’d been shopping. “We did! Jordan bought me some very cute sun dress and strappy sandals, and Chloe got two dresses, some pants, another pair of shoes, and a teddy bear. I also went into a lingerie store, but I made him wait outside. I let him see what I was buying at Target and he almost had a stroke so I thought these things would really do him in. I bought a swim suit there also, but I haven’t decided if I’m brave enough to wear it. We played in the arcade, I never laughed so much in my life. Then she and I got our hair done, then we had salads and burgers, and split a huge ice-cream sundae for dessert. Now we’re headed for Cedar City for the night, then to Zion Park in the morning.”

She was so enthusiastic that it was obvious they were enjoying themselves. Paige was happy to hear the tone in her voice, realizing that she probably had precious little joy over the past six years.

“Hair done, dresses, lingerie! So, it sounds like for now Jordan’s avoided an ass kicking.”

Lydia looked at Jordan and giggled. “Pretty much, although I did catch him in bed with my daughter this morning.”
The silence on the other end was matched with a groan of objection from Jordan.

“I’m sorry,” Paige returned. “I must have misunderstood. I thought I heard you say he was in bed with Chloe?”
“Well, to be honest, she was in bed with him.”
Jordan groaned again. “That’s not fair, you’re going to get me arrested.”

“Won’t be enough of you to arrest, Sabina.” Paige knew there must be a ‘rest of the story’, but she was still somewhat on edge.

Lydia decided to let him off the hook. “No, Paige, he’s fine. Last night I was reading in my bed while he and Chloe were on his bed watching Frozen on his tablet. He claims it was his first time, but it’s her one hundredth, I’m sure. She can sing every song by heart. Anyway, sometime in the night she woke up, probably to go to the bathroom, and crawled into bed with him afterwards. I woke up and went looking for her, only to find them snuggled up like two pups in a blanket.”

She looked over at Jordan, unmasked affection on her face. “My daughter, who is asleep in the back seat after three hours at the mall and an ice-cream overdose, is obviously craving his attention and he’s being amazing with her. No ass kicking required, Paige. Thanks so much for the offer though, I might take you up on it later though, a girl likes to know she’s got support if it’s ever needed.”

Again she chuckled huskily, and Paige knew the three travelers were doing well and she could relax her guard. “Okay, Lyds. We’ll meet soon, I’m sure. If you need anything just call me, anything at all, and please text me your phone number so I can talk to you without having butt head listen in.

“Hey! That’s Mr. Butt Head to you, lady.”

They all laughed until Lydia informed Paige that she didn’t have a phone. Then there was a pause on the other side of the call. “Sabina, a phone, ASAP. Got it?”

He looked at his fellow traveler and smiled. “Yes ma’am, a phone, ASAP. Gottcha.”

“Okay you two love birds, have a good time and I’d better get a text tomorrow with a phone number for my girl there. Have a great evening.”

To be continued in part eight, Their First Kiss.

This is from the soon to be published book, "Take Her Home" by V S Campbell.
Come read the other books in the Gary Booker series of novels, available on Amazon!

Disclaimer: All content is either original and owned by V S Campbell, Author, or licensed for use from DepositPhotos.com. user ID 74584362.