Rebel

“Hey, Grams, it’s Wes.”



“Hello, Wesley. How’s the weather in California, sweetie?”



A tired smile lifted his mouth. “I’m not in California, Grams. I’m on my way to Mom’s house. I’ll see you in about an hour. Do you or Claudia need anything from town while I’m out?”



“Oh, I don’t think so. Did Missy bring you the Special K bars? I added melted chocolate on top, just the way you love them.”



Wes rubbed his eyes. When Whitney told him that Grams was deteriorating, she wasn’t kidding. Within an hour of talking to his grandmother, Wes had learned the quickest and most painful way to avoid a long-drawn-out, frustrating conversation—which she always won—was to agree with her. “Yep. Sure did. Thanks, Grams. Can I talk to Claudia for a minute?”



What a long freaking day, he thought, waiting for Claudia.



“Hey, Wes.”



“Hey. I’m on my way back, just wanted to know if you need anything in town? Grams says no, but…”



Claudia chuckled. “This time she’s right.”



“All right, then. See you soon.”



“Wes?” Claudia said as he pulled the phone from his ear.



“Yeah, still here.”



“Did Rubi find you?”



A split second of utter confusion hit him. Claudia should not know Rubi’s name. No one but Whitney should know Rubi’s name. Then his heart took a hard punch and dropped to his stomach. He braked and pulled over to the side of the road. He was suddenly breathing hard. “What do you mean find me? Did she call?”



“No, she came by. It took me a minute to figure out how she knew you, but then I recognized her California accent, that flashy car, all dressed up. She’s a beauty. Seems real nice.”



“Claudia…” Fuck he really couldn’t breathe now. “Just to be clear, you’re saying that Rubi came to Mom’s house looking for me. Like…in person.”



“Well, how else could she come? But it doesn’t sound like she found you. I sent her to the VA Medical Center. If you’re just leaving town now, I can’t imagine she missed you.”



Wes shoved the truck into Park, leaned forward, and pressed his forehead on the steering wheel. With his eyes squeezed tight and a ball of fire in his stomach, he asked, “What…kind of car was she driving?”



Before he heard the answer, he knew.



“Fancy white sports car. A BMW.” She pronounced the W as “double-ya.”



“Did she say where else she might go?” Wes asked, his forehead suddenly damp.



“Nope. Thought for sure she would have found you.”



“I think…I think she did. Thanks, Claudia. I might be later than I thought.”



“That’s fine, boy. No rush.”



Wes said good-bye and disconnected. He raked his hand through his hair, forcing his mind to engage. She’d flown all the way out here, driven herself from the airport, only to find him kissing Melissa.



“God can’t be that cruel.” He sat back and whipped the truck around, driving the direction her car had gone. “He can’t.”



He called Rubi’s cell three times in a row, disconnecting when her message came on. At a stoplight. he texted her.



WES: WHERE are you?



When he didn’t get an answer, he dialed Lexi.



“Hi, Wes,” she answered.



“You sound guilty already,” he said. “Where is she?”



“Um…I don’t want to get in the middle—”



“Lexi, she flew all the way out here just to turn around and go home? Come on. You’re her best friend. You know we’re good together. That woman needs to get out of her own goddamned way. Now tell me where she is.”



A pause. Then a heavy exhale. “The airport.”



Wes stomped on the gas. Hope flared. “Which airline?”



“United. Her plane leaves in forty-five minutes. Wes?”



“Yeah?”



“She’s…upset. She’s trying to pretend she’s not, but…she’s fragile right now. And as much as I love you, if you break her heart, I’ll break yours.”



That made Wes smile. “Understood.”



As soon as he disconnected, his phone buzzed with a message.



RUBI: I’m where I’m supposed to be and you’re where you’re supposed to be. Everything’s good.



“No,” he murmured to himself, sliding his phone into his pocket. “But everyone’s going to be right where they should be real soon.”



He reached the airport in ten minutes instead of the twenty it should have taken, parked illegally, and ran into the terminal. He purchased the cheapest ticket he could get—a commuter hop from St. Louis to Des Moines—just to get to the gate. Security was excruciating. But he spotted one of his childhood football buddies working TSA and got rushed through. He sprinted through the United terminal like one of those idiots late for their plane and pulled to a stop in front of a departure board. There were two flights leaving for LA.



“Now boarding passengers for flight 5612 to Los Angeles.” A woman’s voice filled the terminal. “We invite disabled persons, military personnel in uniform, and Global Services to board now.”



Wes’s chest burned with a punch of panic. “No, no, no.”



He swiveled on his heel, searched for gate numbers, and ran down the corridor. He slowed just before the gate, scanning the area. He was breathing hard, sweating. His heart pounded quickly in his chest.



“Where are you?” he whispered, his gaze darting from person to person at the crowded gate. People were already in line to board according to group number, blocking his view.



He couldn’t find her. Fuck. His heart sank. Blood drained from his head, leaving him dizzy.



Wes pulled out his phone, hit the speed dial number for Rubi with his thumb, then watched the passengers and listened for the ring. But got nothing.



“Dammit.” Could she have anticipated Wes coming? Given Lexi the wrong airline?



He pushed a hand through his hair and walked past the gate, now searching for the restrooms. He turned in a circle, spotted them, and watched the women going in and out for a moment.



“We now invite group one to board.” The woman’s voice filled Wes’s ear.



Group one included first class. That would be Rubi.



He turned again, scanned the line. Searched the gate seating area.



Rubi turned from looking out the windows facing the tarmac as if she’d just appeared, but in reality, she’d been standing in a corner behind the airline’s customer service booth. Relief nearly took Wes to his knees. His air whooshed out of his chest, and he bent at the waist, pressing his hands to his thighs to stay upright.



He straightened and started toward her, suddenly blank on what he wanted, needed, to say. How he’d missed her, he couldn’t begin to understand. She wore a deep red dress with a large abstract pattern of chocolate and black spread over the arm and the opposite side of the skirt. The dress was long sleeved but low cut in the front, and the material clung to her every perfect inch. Her spiked heels were black. She wore her silver bangles, a long silver necklace, and several silver rings. Her hair was wound into a pretty knot at her neck, secured with a silver clip, and dark, wavy tendrils framed her gorgeous face.



She sat in a chair at the end of the row and pulled a piece of paper from her purse, then studied it. Wes approached, but Rubi didn’t look up. He dropped both hands on the arms of the seat and used them to lower himself to his knees in front of her.



Rubi gasped and sat back. When her bright eyes met his, a frown of annoyance marred her face, but her eyes were red, puffy, her cheeks still damp with tears. The sight sucked the air from his chest.



“Baby…” was all he managed through the relief, the regret.



“What…?” she started, her frown vanishing. “How…?” Her mouth closed, eyes narrowed. “Lexi. Damn her. She promised.”



“It’s my fault. I didn’t give her a choice. You know how impossible I can be.”



“Yes, I do.” She sat back, putting room between them. “Look, this was a whim, and coming was a mistake. I seem to be making a lot of them lately. Let’s just forget this happened. Forget the last week happened. We’ll go back to being friends. You go back to…whatever you were doing. But I have to go now.”



She sat forward, but Wes didn’t move. “I know you saw me with Melissa, and—”



“I did. She’s way more your type. I get it. It’s fine. A relief, really. We’re all good. Let me get on the plane, Wes. They’re boarding—”



He leaned in and shut her up with his mouth.



Her lips were tight, unyielding. She pushed him back on the chest, eyes blazing. “Don’t even.” She kept her voice to a whispered growl. “I’m not going to play games with you. I won’t share, and I won’t ever settle for being second in a man’s life. I’ve lived that way too long. And I know for a fact that I’m better off alone.”



“Now boarding group number two on United Airlines flight 5612 to Los Angeles. Group two.”



She pushed to her feet, but Wes grabbed her arms and pulled her back down.



“Goddammit,” she rasped. “Don’t make me throw a fit here.”



“Melissa and I dated for a long time back in high school and college.” He let the words spill out. “She kissed me, I told her I was seeing someone, and she apologized. That’s it. That’s all there was to it.”



She considered a moment, the anger in her face draining. “It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have come. I realized this was a mistake the moment I hit thirty-thousand feet. But I had forward momentum, so I kept going. Seeing you and Melissa just confirmed this was wrong. You looked so right together. I just realized we shouldn’t be trying to force something that isn’t, I don’t know, natural. Meant to be. We just need to let it go, Wes.”



Panic flared in his veins, and determination settled in. “No way.” The sound came out more menacing than he’d intended, but he felt her slipping, and he was holding on tight. “You made plane reservations. You found someone to take care of Rodie. You drove over an hour to the airport. Got on a plane. Rented a car. Drove all the fucking way to my parents’ house in a place you’ve never been before, then drove back to the VA. You are not making me believe this is a goddamned whim. If you want to go home, go. But you’re going to admit I matter to you before you get on that fucking plane.”



“Of course you—”



“None of that friend bullshit.” His vehemence made her wince, and she looked down at her hands in her lap.



“Is there a problem here?” A female voice made them both look up. One of the United representatives from the desk towered above them, a stern look on her dark face. Her gaze travelled from Wes to Rubi. “Do you want me to call security?”



She offered a tight smile. “No. I’m sorry. We’ll—”



“We’ll take it somewhere else,” Wes finished for her.