CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Three days later, Ash was leaving.
Phoebe hovered near the stairway, watching her husband say farewell to his aunt. Ash was holding Reggie against his chest as Reggie alternated between slapping and rubbing his back.
"You'll call once you get there," Reggie said, pulling away. She patted his cheek, then wiped a tear from her eye. "You know how I worry about you when you go on these trips."
"I'll let you know once I'm settled." He kissed Reggie's cheek. "I'm just going to Texas for two weeks. You're acting like I'm flying out to South Korea or Japan."
"Maybe, but I've seen them news stories about training accidents. Wasn't it just a few months ago that a helicopter crashed and all the crew was killed?" Reggie's jaw stiffened. "I don't think I can ever get used to you putting yourself in danger."
"I love you," he said to her.
Tears clouded Reggie's eyes. She smacked his shoulder. "Go. Get on."
Ash smiled, then stepped away from Reggie. He lowered his head and kicked his shiny boot against his duffel bag. Then he sighed and turned in Phoebe's direction.
She straightened, watching as he came to stand before her.
Things had grown tense between them. She knew she was the primary source of the tension, withdrawing from him emotionally and physically. Reggie's accident in the kitchen had reminded her of why she was here. She wasn't here to be Ash's wife; she was here to take care of Reggie.
It hadn't helped that he'd kept this trip quiet for the past month. He'd mentioned the possibility of being deployed, telling her that it wouldn't happen for another year or so. But here he was, going on a temporary duty assignment, and he hadn't mentioned it.
"You got everything?" she asked.
She already knew that he did. She'd washed, dried, and ironed his clothing, then packed all his belongings into his bags. Everything was accounted for, she'd made sure of it.
Ash had a crooked smile on his face. She found it endearing, but she kept her expression neutral as he stared into her eyes.
"I'm just about ready to go." He glanced towards the door, then looked back at her. "There's just one more thing."
He grinned. But when she didn't respond in kind, his face fell. He blinked, then placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.
She stood still, refusing to respond. He pulled away, then patted his chest in an awkward manner.
"Well, okay." He studied her face one final time before turning to walk to the door. "I'll probably get there really late tonight, so I'll send you a text message."
"Sounds good." She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head towards the door. "You better get going. You know how bad traffic can get this time of day."
Ash stood there blinking for a moment, then he nodded. He pulled his keys from his pocket and grabbed his bags from the floor. She immediately felt terrible for shutting him out so completely.
Phoebe could deny it all she wanted, but there was a strong connection between them. She'd felt his initial confusion then hurt when she rebuffed his attempts to rekindle the playfulness between them. But keeping his trip secret seemed like something Ash would do with one of his other women, and not with her. His wife.
She left her position near the stairs and walked to where he stood. She covered his hand with hers, grabbing one of the smaller bags. "I'll help you."
The corners of his mouth curled, then uncurled just as swiftly. "Thanks."
She left him, walked out onto the porch, then descended the stairs with the bag braced high against her side. She walked to his truck, opened the passenger door, and slid the bag onto the floor. He approached behind her and squeezed the two bags he carried into the same space.
She expected him to step back, allowing her to move away from the truck. Instead, he braced one arm against the door and the other against the seat. She turned around to face him.
"Are you still denying that something's wrong?" His brows lowered above his dark amber eyes. "I fucked up, didn't I?"
"No," she lied. She braced her hand against the door, resigned to the fact that she wasn't leaving this spot until he felt satisfied with her answer. "It's not you. Not really." She placed her hand against his chest, then pulled it away as if he'd burned her. "I needed some time to get some perspective about why I'm here."
"About us?" She could see his barely contained frustration. A muscle in his cheek flexed, and his hand on the door curled into a fist.
She shook her head. "No. I mean why I left Indiana and relocated to Washington." She held her breath, trying to think of the right words. "I, um, was wondering if I could sign up for classes yet? You mentioned you had to request that I receive the GI Bill, and I wasn't sure if you'd heard anything about that."
His arm fell away from the door. She expected anger, but he only smiled.
"Honey, you're dealing with the military now. Things don't happen that quickly, unfortunately." He leaned away from her and removed his other arm. His eyes twinkled with sudden merriment. "You don't have to worry. It'll come through. Hopefully within the next five years."
"Well, that's encouraging, I guess." She rocked onto her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his cheek. "I hope you have a safe journey. Text me when you get to the lodge." She made to brush past him, but he reached out and gripped her hand.
"What?" she said.
He was quiet as he scanned her face. Then he wrapped his arm around her back and drew her closer. "That wasn't a proper kiss."
"Ash." There was a warning in her voice.
He glanced around the block, then he grinned again. "Don't worry. No one's paying attention." He lowered his lips to hers and whispered against her mouth, "I promise it's just a kiss."
Phoebe struggled with her complicated emotions. She knew she'd miss him; he'd managed to wiggle himself past her natural defenses, and he'd quickly become part of her life. But she was really afraid of letting her affection for him spiral out of control.
In spite of that, when he placed his lips against hers, she didn't back away. She didn't even run when he deepened the kiss and pressed his erection into her. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and opened her lips, allowing his tongue to plunder her mouth.
The world faded away as he held her. In this moment, this kiss was everything to her. She wished they had more time, but they were dragged back to the present when a passing car honked its horn at their public display.
He pulled back and brought his hand to his mouth, covering an embarrassed smile. "I gotta go. We can continue this very important"--he wagged a finger between her and him--"thing when I get back." He backed away from the door, finally granting her freedom.
As he walked to the driver's side, she pushed the door closed and peered at him through the glass. Ash climbed into the truck, shot her an amused glance, then turned the ignition.
"I'll see you soon," he said.
Throwing her hand in a short wave, she stepped back from the truck. He reversed out of the driveway, honked his horn, then tore down the street. Watching him leave left her feeling depressed and empty. She knew she wasn't alone; she'd be busy caring for Reggie while he was gone.
But as he turned the corner and disappeared from view, she came to the reluctant conclusion that he was taking her heart with him.