I snort. "She told me the guest room is always available when I come to my senses and decide to marry a nice local boy." I use air quotes around "local boy" because I hadn't found any of those before I left, but that wouldn't matter to her. She pushed my brother into marrying the neighbor girl he had a play wedding with in preschool. "Worst case scenario I could go to college and get a degree in an acceptable field.""Doctor, lawyer, maybe an accountant?" Bennett ticks most of my mother's list off on his fingers while I nod at each. "Yes." He bites the side of his lips. "You're definitely not an accountant.""Accountants aren't allowed so much color." It wouldn't be me if it wasn't pink. "I enrolled in the business program at the local community college to keep her happy but quickly flunked out. I had more fun working my part-time job at this little diner in town. It was full of truckers and other riffraff. A rather tough crowd, but I loved it.""So you left the truckers, moved t

The small ring I wear on my right hand catches on the fabric of my apron. I need to take it off. The once bright pink fabric is now covered with large patches of red. They're slowly becoming crusty as they dry. It's enough to make my stomach roll if I think about it. So I try not to. Instead I stare at the light blue walls of the hospital waiting room.I need to get up and throw the apron away. Find a bathroom and wash the matching color from my hands. But what I should do, what I need to do, and what I want to do are all things my body can't do in this moment. The paramedics directed me to the small waiting room off the side of the ER less than ten minutes ago. I plopped my ass in one of the uncomfortable plastic grey chairs and haven't moved since.My legs seem to have forgotten how to carry me places. Not that I know where to go if they could."Where the hell is she?" a voice booms from right outside the waiting room door.Before he receives an answer, Bennett sticks his hea

The doors to Ridge's security building are tall and glass, the words Pelican Bay Security etched out in the frosted glass. It's nothing at all like what I expect his building to look like. To be honest, I hadn't given it much thought except for the few minutes it took to drive here from the hospital. So I guess, in a way, it's a perfect example of what a group of rough tough ex-military guys would have for an office.Bennett uses one of his long, thick arms to push open the door, holding it so I can walk in. My steps end abruptly when I reach the middle of a large room. Everything, and I mean everything, is grey. The carpet, the chairs, even the walls are painted a light smoky grey color. This is much more of what I expected from a business run by men. In the middle of the room a large dark wooden desk sits at an angle to greet people as they enter.Except, there's no one sitting behind it. The desktop is neat and orderly. A flat screen monitor and keyboard use up a small portion o

Bennett Walker has a son.A real live son.One who looks exactly like him. From his brown hair to his bright green eyes, right down to the way his cheeks fold up when he smiles.Wow.The small child takes a flying leap and lands directly in Bennett's arms. Bennett, with his arms wrapped around the small person, the two of them whispering back and forth to one another, takes a few strides toward the house. When he realizes I'm not following, he stops, turns back, and tilts his head toward the front porch.That's all it takes.One quick head flick and I follow Bennett to the white front porch surrounding the spectacular home. With each step, more and more of the information Bennett shared about himself the last few days falls into place.I figured maybe he needed to get back to the states because his mother was sick. Or maybe a brother. I never guessed a child. Children normally come with a wife. Or at least a girlfriend. Now I fully understand why Bennett fought with Ridge

Sunlight pours from the open window on the other side of the room. It heats my face and forces me to open one eye before I'm ready. Right away I notice the bed is empty. Bennett made his exit sometime in the middle the night or early this morning. I don't know. And even though I'm happier this way — who wants to wake up next to the guy you spent all night crying on? — I use the entire walk to the bathroom feeling disappointed. My feet drag on the carpet.The upstairs is quiet but there's a continuous banging of pans and loud muffled noises coming from downstairs while I brush my teeth with a finger and splash water on my face. I finish taking care of business, flush the toilet, and wash my hands, drying them by flapping them around in the air as I walk out of the bathroom since I couldn't find a hand towel.On the first floor the sounds increase in the area of the kitchen, and since they're too loud to ignore, I hesitantly make my way there. Bennett could be torturing eggs this mor