“Make it the day after,” Bullard said. “I have a little bit of healing to do here yet.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Dave said. “Jesus.”
“I feel the same way, man. It feels like I’m connected to the world again.”
“You are. I promise I’ll be there as soon as I can.” With that, he hung up.
Bullard stood here for a long moment, the phone against his chest, realizing how momentous this one phone call was. Not only would he get his life back and be reunited with the people in the world he cared about, but he would also lose somebody he cared about here. Somebody he hadn’t expected to care for. He hadn’t realized how difficult this would be, until now that they were at this point in time.
He looked over to find that Leia had disappeared. He winced at that. He couldn’t stay here forever though. And, as much as she said it was her world, he wasn’t sure that it was as much her world as it was the place she hid in. He was sorry for that too, because obviously a ton of pain and trauma of some kind held her back. He would like to do whatever he could to get her back into the real world, but, more than that, he wanted to take her with him and to show her that the rest of the world wasn’t all filled with assholes. In order to do that, he might have to dig a little deeper into who she was and what had gone on in her life.
He called Dave back. “I don’t know anything about her,” he said, “but can you look into it quietly for me?”
“I will,” he promised. “She’s a heart surgeon?”
“Yes, and I got the impression that she’s from the US. I don’t know anything else about it. And I can’t confirm her last name. So that ads to the problem. But I’m sending a picture.”
“Got it,” Dave said. “Ice’s father might know something.”
“Right.” And Bullard realized that was who he should have called in the first place. But his feelings were a little mixed up in that quarter, and he wasn’t sure why. After hanging up with Dave, Bullard turned and headed toward Leia’s place. “I’ll go for a swim,” he called into the cabin.
“Okay,” she said, “just don’t overdo it.”
She was always watching out for him; that was one thing about her, how she never quite let up. “Will do,” he said, knowing that any other answer would just make her worry, and he didn’t want to do that. He headed to the river and slipped into the water, using the stronger current as a means to power up. He swam against it until he got too tired, and then he let it push him down toward the opening of the river. Around the corner, he hauled himself up onto the rocks and walked back across.
It was such a gorgeous location and such a beautiful place to be that he saw why she didn’t want to leave. It was sheltered and had been a home for her when she needed one. Obviously she hadn’t had anybody else here to help her and nobody who could get her where she needed to be at that time. He felt sorry for her for that, having to heal all on her own, and again letting him help her now was not something that she would accept from him. She was stubborn and prideful—something else he understood full well—but he wanted answers, and he wanted to find a solution to bring her home with him.
At that, Ice’s face flashed before him. Dear beloved Ice, a woman like none other. A woman he cared about, who was so incredibly strong. If Levi wasn’t there for her, Bullard would have snatched her up in a heartbeat. But Levi was there, and something tugged in the corner of his memory. They were starting a family, which was another reason Bullard needed to walk away and to find a life without her. Because he couldn’t spend his whole lifetime sitting in Ice’s background because Bullard knew Ice would never walk away from Levi willingly.
And for the first time Bullard realized how much of his life he’d been silently waiting for Ice. Not that he wished Levi ill; they were close friends, but Bullard knew he could never have more with Ice. But this time with Leia had shown him that it was time for something new and different. As he turned to stare back up at the cabin where Leia was, he knew exactly what he wanted, but he would have a hard time convincing her that he was what she wanted and needed too.
Chapter 6
The next morning Leia rose, dry-eyed, having not slept much during the night. She had gotten up several times to look into the bushes, realizing that his world had already infiltrated hers. She had gotten him a phone, and he had immediately contacted the outside world, and now everything was coming undone. She went for a swim, letting herself float down to the mouth of the river, before sitting on one of her favorite rocks, staring out at the world around her. Somehow it had all gone to hell, and she needed to just get through these next few days.
Because she knew he’d be gone at that point. He would leave so damn fast that it would make her head spin. But then why wouldn’t he? He had people out there, waiting and hoping that he had survived, and he had. She probably should have contacted people earlier, but she’d been selfish, keeping him to herself. She gave a broken laugh at that. What a fool. She had no excuse. She could have sent word to the world, but she thought it was wrong to do so and had followed that instinct, but even now it sounded foolish to her ears, like she was some dried-up old maid, pinning her hopes on this one person.
And here he was leaving. Of course he was leaving; he had no reason to stay. This wasn’t his world. Giving herself a headshake and bolstering her confidence, she turned and headed back to the cabin. She had a quick cold shower and then shucked her bathing suit for a long flowing dress. She didn’t know if people would arrive today or not, but she figured that anybody trying to find him would be here as soon as possible. She set out breakfast as she always did, and, when there was no sign of him, she walked down to check on him, but he was gone. She frowned, calling out, “Bullard? Are you here?”
But still no answer. She wondered if he’d already left, without saying goodbye. Her heart constricted at the thought—until she heard him call out behind her, and she spun to see him coming up from the water. Somehow they just missed each other. “Breakfast is ready,” she said.
He nodded, his gaze searching. “Did you get any sleep?”
“Not much,” she said quietly. “Did you?”
“No,” he growled. “I don’t want to leave.”
That stopped her in her tracks. She turned to look at him. “Then don’t.”
“That won’t happen,” he said. “I have a life out there, several companies, property.”
“Good for you.” She turned to get water from her place. “I’ll put on the coffee.” She half expected him to grab her and haul her around to talk to him because he had that kind of look on his face. But he didn’t. He let her go. She wasn’t sure if she was sad about that or not. Obviously they were at some impasse, and neither knew how to move forward. She was just as guilty—being like a robot, as she had for months, years even, feeling the pain inside that she couldn’t even begin to explore. She dared not verbalize it because she felt she would shatter as soon as it came to light. She set out coffee and breakfast.
When he stepped up on her porch, he nodded and sat down beside her. “You could come with me.”