Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

AXEL

I was excited to show Luna the farm today. Each tree on the lane was wrapped in white lights.

Luna leaned forward in her seat. “I love the lights. They remind me of the palm trees in Sanibel. They wrap them in lights just like this.”

I'd never had the urge to go to the beach at the holidays before, but the way Luna described it made it an attractive idea. Made more desirable by the fact that she'd be living there again soon.

Did I want this relationship to extend beyond these few weeks? I parked next to the other trucks and Teddy's cruiser.

“It's exactly how I pictured it. A farmhouse, a barn, and rows of Christmas trees,” Luna gushed.

I placed the truck in Park. “The lights and decorations are Charlotte's doing.”

“She did a great job with the place.”

The barn had a large wreath on one end that was lit up. “Charlotte added a sign at the entrance that said The Calloways in large print with Pine Valley Farms smaller underneath. It was a branding change that Dad had approved. She wanted our family to be identified with the farm.”

“Interesting. Maybe I should talk to this Charlotte about marketing my new business.”

“It wouldn't hurt, and I think she's looking to expand her business. She's been working at a local inn and doing this on the side.”

We got out, and I met Luna at the hood of the truck. “Are you ready to meet my crazy family?”

Luna let out a laugh. “I guess?”

“They'll love you,” I said, pulling her close because I couldn't imagine how anyone couldn't love her. The truth of those words settled into my chest. I loved her, but she was leaving soon. We hadn't discussed the exact date, but I remembered her saying something about airline tickets to go home for the holidays.

I didn't have much time left with her, and I was balancing it with my family.

I didn't bother knocking on the door; I just went inside. It was loud as soon as we walked in. I should have been used to it after being in the military for so long. But the last few weeks had been quiet.

I braced myself for the million questions I was going to get about why I was bringing a woman home.

Daphne appeared in front of me, her son, Colson, on her hip. He was sucking his thumb, never taking his gaze off me. He hadn't decided whether he liked me yet. “It's so good to see you again,” she said to me, and then to Luna, “And who's this?”

“This is Luna. She's renting the cabin next to mine.” I winced slightly, realizing I hadn't introduced her as what she was to me—a girlfriend? My lover?

Luna tried to shake her hand, but Daphne pulled her in for a hug instead. “If this one is bringing you by, you must be special.” Daphne threw an arm around her shoulder and led her into the kitchen.

Teddy appeared with a beer. “You're brave to bring her.”

I grabbed the beer and took a long swig. “She's the brave one for coming.”

“You two okay? I know she's leaving soon.”

I licked the foam on my lip. “I guess. It is what it is.” Even though it physically hurt to think about it.

Teddy's brow furrowed. “You're just going to let her go?”

I shrugged. “What else can I do? I offered to flip houses with her, but she turned me down.”

Teddy laughed. “You offered to go into business with her, and she said no? What a romantic gesture.”

I punched him in the shoulder. “Shut up. Asshole.”

Teddy rubbed his shoulder. “You sure know how to woo the ladies.”

Wes appeared at his side. “What are we giving him a hard time for?”

Teddy smirked and threw a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. “For bringing Luna to a family dinner.”

Wes raised a brow. “She mean something to you?”

I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “She's just here on vacation. She lives in Florida.”

Wes whistled low. “That sucks.”

“We know what it was going in.”

Wes grinned. “Just like we knew my marriage to Sutton was fake.”

I'd heard after the fact that their marriage had started out fake, but I wasn't surprised by any of it. They'd been friends for years, and when her grandmother issued the ultimatum—get married or lose the estate—Wes stepped up and offered to marry her. They'd fallen in love. “That's not my situation.”

Wes raised a brow. “You don't love her?”

I couldn't respond because I wanted to tell Luna first.

“It's like that, huh?” Wes moved closer. “Let me give you a little advice. Don't assume she knows how you feel. Tell her.”

My forehead wrinkled as I considered him. “Isn't that changing the rules in the middle of the game? We promised ourselves it would only be a few weeks. Then we'd go our separate ways.”

“Things change. You know how it is.” Wes shrugged, but I didn't know how it was.

I'd never been in love before. It was complicated when you lived and worked in different states. How could it work? What if she didn't want to even try? That's how it seemed when I offered to flip houses with her, but maybe that wasn't the relationship declaration I thought it was. Had she gotten pissed because it was a work thing?

I only offered it because of how I felt about her and how good we were together, working and otherwise.

The front door opened, and Faith rushed in first to greet Izzy. Ryder and Violet followed behind.

I approached Ryder.

“It's good to see you.” He pulled me in for a hug.

“You're staying here now?” I asked him, remembering he'd transferred here for work and was undecided on whether he'd stay.

Ryder pulled Violet into his side. “This one convinced me to stay.”

She laughed. “Hardly. He loves living here with his family. And Faith does too.”

“It's nice to meet you,” I said to Violet.

Ryder's first wife seemingly kept him away from the family, so it was nice to have him living nearby. Especially since I was back now too.

“Everyone will be home for the holidays,” Wes said.

Violet's gaze zeroed in on Luna, who was approaching us. “Luna? What are you doing here?”

“I brought her. You two know each other?” I asked, looking from Violet to Luna, whose expression was one of surprise.

Violet put her hands on her hips. “I thought you were renting a cabin in the woods, and you didn't want any visitors?”

Luna winced. “I am.”

“Then how did you two meet?” Violet waved a hand between us.

The others had fallen silent, probably sensing something was happening.

I cleared my throat, hoping I wasn't betraying Luna's confidence. “We're actually neighbors. We got to know each other, and she wanted to see the farm.”

“We need to talk.” Violet stepped closer to Luna, looping an arm over her shoulder as she guided her away.

“Dinner's ready,” Daphne called from the kitchen.

It was chaos while everyone helped carry in the drinks and bowls of food. There was a mad dash to grab a seat at the table. I managed to get one next to Luna.

“How's it going?” I asked her, a little worried she'd be overwhelmed.

Luna smiled wanly. “I didn't realize Ryder was one of your brothers.”

“You didn't know his last name?” I liked when it was just about us, and we didn't have to worry about what anyone thought. “What did you tell Violet?”

“That we're friends. I don't think she believes me,” she hissed.

I sipped my water to soothe my dry throat. “I might have said otherwise.”

Her brow creased. “Why would you do that? I didn't think you'd want your family to know what was really going on.”

“Teddy saw us, and I can't lie to them anymore.” I didn't want to. I was going to hurt when she left.

Luna looked uncertain. “I wasn't sure what you wanted me to say.”

I wanted to ask her what she thought was best, but everyone started passing food around, and she turned to grab a bowl of potatoes from Jameson.

When the food was served and we dug in, I asked Luna, “I hope that was okay.”

Luna shrugged as she took a bite. “This is your family. It's whatever you want. But Violet's going to have questions.”

The implication was clear. She'd be gone soon, so she didn't care one way or the other. Maybe I was in love with her, but she didn't feel the same way about me. She'd kept to the limits put in place for our few weeks, and I'd gone out of bounds.

I was quiet for the rest of the meal while my family asked how Violet and Luna knew each other and peppered them with questions about living in Florida. Luna talked fondly of the beach, her family, and the business. It was crazy to think she'd leave all of that for me.

She was able to keep her feelings in check because she never considered staying. She was halfway out the door when we met. I was the one who'd stupidly hoped for more.

When she talked about her design business, I saw her light up in a new way. She was excited and confident in herself. At least I'd helped her with that.

When we were finished eating, everyone got up and helped clear the table. Afterward, I found myself alone in the living room with Dad. My brothers spilled outside to hang out, but I wasn't feeling it.

Dad had a serious expression on his face. “Teddy told me you were home earlier than you said.”

The space between my shoulder blades tightened. “I'm sorry about that. But I needed some time to decompress.”

Dad gave me a look. “If you'd told me, I would have understood.”

“I was avoiding everyone until Teddy showed up at my place. He kind of forced the issue,” I said, my mouth feeling dry again.

“I can't pretend to understand what you've been through. But we want to help, not make things worse.”

I tipped my beer back. “I appreciate that. I think I just need my own space. The cabin is that for me.”

“We won't just show up like Teddy then. You come here when you want to visit.”

I nodded. “I can do that.”

Dad was quiet for a few seconds assessing me. Then loud laughter sounded from the kitchen. I looked over to find Luna's head tipped back as she laughed at whatever my sisters were saying.

Dad nodded in her direction. “What's going on with Luna?”

“Her life is in Florida. She's helping me with the cabin renovation.”

Dad made a disbelieving sound deep in his throat. “Are you sure it's not more than that?”

I glanced over at Luna, and her gaze met mine. Her cheeks flushed, and she gave me a smile before turning her attention back to Violet, who was talking animatedly with her hands.

“I'm not sure about anything anymore. I wanted time to myself, to regroup, and figure out my life going forward. I didn't expect that anyone was renting the cabin next door, and I certainly didn't plan to start up a relationship so soon. I wasn't ready.”

“These things happen when you least expect it. The timing isn't always perfect.”

“It was nice while it lasted.” Even if I wanted more, she hadn't indicated she felt the same. She was excited to get home and start her new business. I was happy for her even though my stomach sunk at the thought of her cabin sitting empty, or worse, a new tenant moving in.

“Sometimes you have to hold onto good things. You can't keep your distance from them.”

I was pretty good at keeping everyone who was important to me at arm's length. I couldn't get hurt if I didn't feel things too deeply. But I'd ignored that advice when it came to Luna, and it was going to bite me in the ass.

“I worry about you.”

“You don't have to.” I hadn't given my family any reason to worry about me growing up. That was by design. They had enough to worry about without adding me into the mix. That was why I'd enlisted after high school graduation. One less college tuition to consider. It had the added bonus of putting space between me and my family.

“You're the one who seemed okay after Mom died. I'm not saying you were, but you acted like you were fine.”

“I wasn't.” We never talked about Mom dying.

“Oh, I'm sure. But you didn't want to make me worry about you. Especially when I had Daphne and Jameson to consider. They were so young.”

“Wes and Teddy helped out. Fiona was already gone, but Daphne and Jameson needed you.” I didn't fit into that scenario. I saw the way Wes and Teddy covered their own grief to help everyone else. I couldn't be an extra burden to anyone.

“It's okay to take a little happiness for yourself.”

I chuckled uncomfortably. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“If this thing between you and Luna is real?—”

“It was a way to pass the time. That's all.”

My sisters, Violet, and Luna filtered into the room, followed by Sutton and Claire. I hoped no one had heard me dismiss Dad's assertion. I didn't want anyone to pity me when she was gone. I planned to put on a good front, like I always did. There was nothing to worry about. I was just as strong as I'd always been. I might not know what my future held, but it was here with my family.

We stayed for a little while longer, playing a few card games. Then couples started getting ready to leave.

Violet hugged Luna, making her promise to catch up soon. She'd have questions, and I wanted to know how Luna would answer them.

On the drive home, Luna said, “Your family's great.”

“You're probably wondering why I needed space from them.” I wondered if she thought I was crazy because my family was nice. I was the one who didn't fit in.

Her forehead creased with concern. “You're going through a transition, and you're probably a different person than when you left.”

“They're pairing off one by one, and I don't fit in anymore.” They had different lives now.

Luna reached over to touch my thigh. “Just take it slow. I think it will be okay.”

“Dad knew about me getting home early. Teddy told him.”

“Was he upset?” Luna asked.

“He said he understood.” But I detected the underlying pain.

“Give it some time.”

Time we didn't have. I'd avoided asking questions, but I wanted to know the answers. “When do you leave?”

“My flight is a couple of days before Christmas.”

Christmas was in five days. She was leaving in two. “That's soon.”

Luna's smile was shaky. “Yeah, it will be hard to leave. I enjoyed the break.”

“But it's back to reality,” I said gruffly.

“Yeah.” She didn't say anything more like she was sad about leaving me. But I hadn't expected her to. She was always going to leave. I was the idiot who hoped for more.

“Teddy's going to help you with the rest of the kitchen install?”

“He'll be here the next two days.”

“I'd like to watch and learn if that's okay.”

Did she think I was going to walk away from her before she was scheduled to leave? I'd soak up every second with her.

When I parked the truck in front of our cabins, there was an awkward beat of silence. I wasn't sure if she was going to ask me to come inside. I'd learned not to assume anything when it came to her.

Luna glanced at her cabin, then me. “Do you want to come in?”

“We only have two more days.” My throat was raw.

“We have to make the most of it,” Luna said, but her voice was strained.

I followed her inside, both of us taking turns getting ready in her bathroom before shutting off the lights. “My cabin will be done soon.”

“It will be so nice.”

“Thanks to you.”

“You would have figured something out, and it might have taken longer. But you would have gotten to the same place in the end.”

I turned to face her in the bed. It was too dark to see her face. “I'm not so sure about that.” My chest filled with emotion. I was fairly sure Luna was special, she was one of a kind, and I was letting her walk out of my life.

But she wanted to be with her family. She wanted to start a new business where she already had contacts. I didn't have anything to offer her.

Our arrangement was meant to be temporary, and I wouldn't complicate matters by asking for more.

She reached out to me, her palm pressing against my chest. I grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward me. We only had two more nights, and I wasn't going to waist a second with her.

I rolled her so that she was underneath me, and I took my time, tasting every inch of her. This never got old. The only thing different was the emotion that threatened to escape my pores. Instead, I channeled it into my touch, my kiss.

I'd never get enough of her. She was everything to me. She came into my life when I needed her the most, and she was leaving when I didn't want to let her go.

But weren't you supposed to? She had dreams and a life that had nothing to do with me.

As I slipped inside her, adjusting to the feel of warm walls pressing against my dick, I couldn't help but think that nothing could be better than this. I just wished she felt the same.