Chapter 7: A New Direction
The rain followed them home that evening.
The white haired man did not.
The Spartans ended up trouncing the visiting team, and watching the home team claim victory canceled out some of the negativity brought on by their threatening encounter. They shed their dripping ponchos before they got back into the Jeep, and Will kept the heat blasting until he saw Kelly's shivering subside and her fingers were warm like his. He took her to dinner at a steakhouse in the city they had seen advertised on a billboard along the wall of the stadium. They both ate unconcerned that their meal would be interrupted by anything other than their full bellies after the last bites of their shared cheesecake.
Will parked in the dooryard of his house a few minutes after midnight. He shut the Jeep off, but neither one of them were eager to leave the shelter of the vehicle. The rain pattered on the top and ran down the windshield in fat rivulets with no clear destination other than towards the earth.
Kelly was wrapped in a quilt of drowsiness, brought on by the lull of the road home and the steadfast comfort of Will in the driver's seat. She didn't want to wait until they entered his house to show him how much she appreciated his dedication to her welfare, for the resolute security he offered her. She leaned over and watched his face, shadowed by the watery light of the street lamp behind them, as she kissed him.
Will kept his eyes open as he kissed her back. He held her face in both of his calloused hands, his lips roaming from her mouth to her cheek, to her brow and the tip of her nose.
Kelly sighed, floating in his peace. "Thank you for today. For everything."
"You don't have to thank me. It was my pleasure. I'm gonna do what it takes to make this work."
Kelly studied the scar on his chin. It was small but pronounced, and older than the cuts he suffered defending David, and she touched it with reverence.
"Me too."
Will smiled and lit up the interior of the Jeep, and Kelly's heart. She had never seen him smile with such sheer joy.
"C'mon, let's make a run for it. It's starting to get chilly in here, and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed."
Kelly agreed, and they made a mad dash into the house. Will made her stand by the door while he flipped on lights and checked that everything was the same way they had left it earlier that afternoon. She waited patiently until he was confident there was nothing amiss, then went upstairs to get ready for bed. Will gave her her privacy and tended to the kitchen tidying and coffee pot preparations for the next morning.
When he finished, he went to say goodnight to her. He crashed on the bed, fully clothed, with his head on Kelly's stomach. Her fingers combed through his curls, and they drifted towards slumber together. Will jerked himself awake before sleep fully claimed him, then bundled Kelly under the covers and left her with his sweet goodnight kiss.
She didn't ask him where he left the gun.
They both tossed fitfully after he went downstairs, Kelly clad in his t-shirt and no panties in his bed and Will in his boxers and wife beater, reclined in his living room chair. He left the light on over the sink but didn't bother turning on the TV, choosing instead to cross his arms under his head and bite vacantly at his bottom lip.
Kelly asked him why when she slid over the arm of his easy chair and curled up in his lap.
Will dropped his arm to draw her closer to him, burying his nose in her hair, inhaling her bed warmed scent. "I ain't in the mood tonight," he whispered.
Kelly nodded. "Will…"
"What?"
"I miss you," Kelly murmured, her hand gliding underneath his wife beater so she could feel his skin, her fingertips playing in the soft fur of his lower belly. "I wanna be with you tonight."
"I'm right here, Kel," he reassured her softly, both hands touching her now, one sifting through the cool silkiness of her hair, the other stroking her back under her nightshirt.
"Will," Kelly whined, and Will answered her with a deep groan, his hand covering hers on him, pressing himself into her palm.
"What is it, baby?" he breathed into her ear before pulling her face up to look at him, his lips ghosting over her cheek.
"I want you," Kelly whispered, her hand finding its way into the front gap of his boxers to wrap around his erection, already throbbing with need.
His chest heaved, and he held her waist as she pulled down his underwear so she could sink on to him. Will bucked hard into her, her wetness admitting him readily, and she gave him as much depth as she could straddling him in the chair.
He was content, for awhile, to drop his head against the back of the chair and watch her languidly ride him. He stripped his shirt off of her and cradled her breasts in his hands, his thumb and forefinger rolling and pinching at her nipples until she was as stiff for him as he was for her. Kelly braced her palms flat against his chest, her thumbs sweeping over his hardened nipples every few pulses through his undershirt, her hips undulating in the same slow rhythm as his. When their eyes weren't locked, they were watching him move in and out of her where they were joined, him glistening with her arousal in the faint light from the kitchen.
"Mmm, that's unbelievably hot, seeing you push into me," Kelly told him, leaning back to grip his wrists, both of his hands now latched onto her ass to control the movement of her pelvis.
Will answered her with a soft moan. "Feels so good, I wanna be in you like this forever," he said, closing his eyes and jutting his chin up.
Kelly couldn't resist bending to kiss his throat, lapping at his collarbone and nibbling the line of his jaw, his end of the day stubble burning her lips.
Will gasped at the sudden change of angle, and Kelly responded by barely sinking her teeth into the straining tendon on the side of his neck, and that was Will's undoing. He held her in place, full length on top of him, with his arms banded around her hips, his thrusting becoming harder and faster.
Kelly whimpered and ground into him, her forehead against his, her fingers threading through the curls behind his ears.
"I can't," Will growled, his eyes searing into hers, the force of his breath blowing out her hair curtaining their faces.
Kelly's body bloomed in sweat at the fierceness of his words and the look on his face. "You can't what?"
"I can't get deep enough in this goddamn chair," he grumbled.
Kelly touched his flushed face and smiled at his perturbed frown. "You're so cute when you're grouchy," she giggled.
"Ha ha. Hang on," Will ordered her, and before she had a chance to reply, Kelly found herself flat on her back on the living room floor, Will shirtless and grunting above her. He cushioned the back of her head with his hand, and his other arm stretched out on the floor above her shoulder, his fingers curled into the carpeting, desperate for purchase.
Will found the contact with her he craved, and Kelly fell right behind him in a blissful orgasm when he made repeated contact with that spot meant for only him to find. Will rolled his face into her shoulder as he rode out the waves of his pleasure. He let out a strangled sigh and slumped on top of her, and Kelly smoothed back his hair to kiss and coo against his damp forehead. They came down together quietly, until Will realized she was holding his full weight and he reluctantly rolled off of her, Kelly mewling in disappointment.
"Now I miss you again," she said, pouting for him cutely.
"Oh, I'm not goin' anywhere, pretty lady," Will chuckled, Kelly raised up on her elbow, and him spread eagled on the floor.
"Me either," she promised, giving him a little kiss on the corner of his mouth before she stood up. "Except to the bathroom," she laughed.
Will smiled up at her, but his smile quickly faded.
Kelly noticed. "What's wrong, baby?"
"Ya got a bunch of stuff stuck to your hair, and your back's all red from me screwin' you into the carpet," he said, his hands splayed over his chest.
"A few dust bunnies stuck in my hair is worth every second of you screwing me into the carpet," she smiled, making a show of brushing off her butt for him, but he was still glowering. He agilely rolled to his side and climbed to his feet, pulling her in front of him by her elbow. He spun her a quarter turn and trailed his fingertips over the rug rash that flared up on the previously unmarred expanse of her skin, then bent to soothe the redness with gentle kisses.
"It doesn't hurt. I'm fine, Will," Kelly whispered, nearly brought to tears by his tenderness.
"It's not fine when I got a decent bed I can take you in. One I can sleep beside you in so we don't have to miss each other in the middle of the night. This bullshit's gotta stop, Kelly. Go use the bathroom. I'll meet you in our bedroom," he told her, cupping her jaw and kissing her. "We don't have to be up tomorrow morning, and I wanna spend all night and all day holding you."
Even after Kelly was cuddled into Will's side, finally next to him in bed, she laid awake, fulfilled but restless at the same time. Will mirrored her mood, switching from fondling the ends of her hair to massaging her ass, his heart beating slow and steady under her ear.
"I changed my mind," he announced.
Kelly lifted her head so she could see his face, one brow quirked up. "About what?"
"It's time to go."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. We gotta leave, the sooner, the better. Is it too late to withdraw your request to stay, and take the position in Galveston?"
"Um, well, I'm not sure," Kelly stuttered, not able to hide her shock. She turned Will's face towards her, barely able to make out his features in the red glow of the digital clock. His brows were in a determined v, but she couldn't see his eyes. She had to make sure.
"It wouldn't hurt to ask, if that's what you really want?"
"Mm hmm," Will said with a nod. "It's what I want. After all these years of being alone, you found me, Kelly. You're what I want, and you stayin' safe is more important than anything, and the best way to keep you safe is to leave, to keep moving. Your job gives us the flexibility to do that, see? And I know finding work for myself won't be a problem. Carpenters are in demand everywhere. I'm sure I can work as much as I want, wherever we end up, and maybe you won't have to work as much…"
Kelly interrupted him with her fingers over his lips. "Will, what about David?"
Will pulled her hand off his mouth and laid it over his cheek. "David will always be my son, but he's not a boy anymore. He's a grown man. He chose to take care of himself a long time ago, and no matter how much I love him, he don't need his sorry excuse for a father-"
"No, that's not right-"
"And if he does," Will continued, shushing Kelly with his fingers over her lips, "he'll find me whether I'm here or not. I promised him he'd always have a home to come back to, and he will, with me and you, wherever we're livin'. My home is with you now."
Kelly stared at him, speechless. Will had just put all her hopes and wishes into words, and a part of her was afraid if she opened her mouth or blinked, his words would dissolve, and she would be left dreaming.
"Sooo...whadya think?" Will pushed ahead. He patted her bottom and grinned, appearing to have his mind made up and unphased by Kelly's silence.
"I…" A slow grin dawned over her face, and Kelly hugged him tightly around his neck. "Yes, Will. Just...yes," she whispered into his ear, her voice tremulous from her tears. "You're my rocket man. You fell into my life and gave me a home, too."
"Rocket man, eh? That's even better than Chef Rice," he chuckled.
"I thought so," Kelly laughed wetly. She let Will dry her face with his thumbs, and nestled into his arms. "I'll talk to my supervisor as soon as I go back to work on Monday. Hospitals are screaming for nursing positions to be filled, so I doubt they'll care where I'm working as long as I'm available."
"I gotta guy in the realty business. I'll get on the horn with him tomorrow. He's always on the prowl to make a buck, and he won't give a crap if it's Sunday. I bet he'll have this place up on the market first of the week."
Kelly plucked at the hairs springing up at the base of Will's throat. "Are you sure you wanna sell your house? You don't have to do that, you know. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can make enough to cover rent and expenses."
"Mm hmm, I'm sure," Will hummed. His caresses over her hip were slowing along with the rise and fall of his chest, and Kelly wriggled closer. She wanted nothing more than to sleep beside this man and wake up next to him in the morning.
He was the home she never knew she needed.
"So am I."
Will's guy in the realty business had an offer on the house by the end of the week. Will insisted on a low list price to increase the chances of a quick sale. Once he made up his mind about selling, he wanted a deal signed yesterday. His strategy worked. The closing date was pushed through in record time since Will and Kelly were set to leave town, and the young couple buying the house were set to lose their rental property and had a baby on the way. After talking it over with Kelly, Will threw his truck into the deal as well. To prevent being tied to a regular, easily identifiable car, they decided to continue with Kelly's practice of renting vehicles short term.
After living the same life for decades, in the same house, driving the same truck he worked on for hours just to keep it on the road, Kelly was astonished by how easily Will was walking away from it all. She was also afraid.
"I don't want you to wake up one day and be disappointed," she confessed the last Saturday afternoon they would spend together in his house.
Will said nothing at first. He finished taping up the box he had packed full of personal items related to his prior life with Mary, including photo albums and the picture of her from the bookcase. The house was sold as furnished, and Will was relieved he wouldn't have to deal with getting rid of things like furniture and kitchenware. He wanted to travel as lightly as Kelly, and they were working on combing through the house for things he wanted to save for David. Will wasn't interested in keeping anything for himself other than a few snapshots of his son. He shared the photographs and the stories behind them with Kelly, smiling ruefully. Kelly's favorite was of Will holding a baby David to his shoulder, his big hand splayed protectively over his son's back and his cheek laying on David's full head of dirty blond hair.
An image of him holding their child flashed through Kelly's mind. She closed her eyes and held the photo to her breast, hastily handing it back to Will when he turned around to face her.
Hope for the future spread through her body like the rush of alcohol hitting her bloodstream.
Kelly didn't know how she would bear it if Will developed doubts about his decision to be with her.
Will carried the box over to the stack they had started by the kitchen door, and returned to her to enfold her in his arms so tightly she could barely draw a breath. "That ain't gonna happen. I can promise you that," he whispered huskily into the hair behind her ear.
A single tear spilled down Kelly's cheek, and she sniffed, her hands buried in the soft flannel of his plaid shirt. Will was a man of deep waters and few words, and she believed in his promises wholeheartedly. They were not to be taken lightly, because they were not extended lightly.
"Okay."
The way Will made love to her that night, slowly and sensually, surrounding every inch of her body with his, showed Kelly the feelings behind his promise.
There was no room left for doubt when she was filled with him.
There weren't many boxes he saved from his old life. He slipped a few bucks to the woodworking guy he used to build cabinets towards rental for a corner of the loft in his shop. The man had known Will for years, knew David, knew their story and had no problem storing their things in case David ever wanted any of it. Will told Kelly over the phone how his friend wished him well and shook his hand when he talked to her on her break at work. She told Will how her supervisor did the same for her, and how Jan had organized a going away celebration for her. Kelly's coworkers drifted in and out of the nurse's lounge, and ate the cupcakes Jan had baked herself and signed a card that Kelly got to keep.
Kelly cried a lot the last week she spent in Ann Arbor, but they were all tears of joy, every one of them. It seemed to her the universe was overflowing with love and excitement and hope for the future, and she was half expecting David to make an appearance, drawn by his father's cheerful energy.
That never happened, and she understood why. It was something she wanted for Will, some acknowledgment from his son that everything was happening as it should and he was glad his father was happy, even though Will never expressed any such desire for himself. Kelly tried to think of a way to incorporate David into their new life's journey as she busied herself pulling together the last of her things, and coordinating for their arrival in Galveston. Fortunately, she had some time to get settled with Will before she began her new work assignment. They were due to return the Jeep and fly out in two days and had prospective rental properties lined up to investigate as soon as they got into town. She was expecting to spend a night or two in the hotel she booked, but hopefully they would have a place of their own right off. Will had also made some connections in the area through his carpentering coworkers, and already had jobs lined up on various projects close to where Kelly would be working. He sold all the tools of his trade to an up and coming apprentice carpenter he knew and planned on using that money to buy the supplies he would need when they got to their destination.
They were both traveling with little more than the essentials they would need to build their life together. It was an exhilarating feeling, to have a clean slate and a new adventure to look forward to every time she relocated, and Will shared her enthusiasm. She tried to encourage him to take as much time as he needed, that he could fly out after her if that's how things panned out, but Will refused to hear of them being separated, not even for a short time. He forged ahead with their plans and stayed up late at night to accomplish everything that needed doing. Kelly fussed at him about the bags under his eyes, and he quieted her with heated kisses and wide smiles.
He was a man on a mission, propelled forward by joy. His boundless energy during the day and his sound snoring next to her during their resting hours showed her the extent of his happiness. She fought her own need for sleep to stroke Will's face and watch him sleep.
But Kelly wanted him to have a piece of his past, something he could carry with him into their future. She wanted to find Will an item that was part of him, part of his story, part of the person he always had been before she came on the scene.
That hunt was what kept her at Will's house on the day of their departure while he waited for her at the airport.
A representative from the hospital had called earlier that morning to inform her of some last minute paperwork that required her signature. Kelly was going to hire a cab and attend to that while Will dealt with the Jeep, and she would also gain a few extra minutes to peruse the house for a keepsake for Will. Usually, hospital business was processed without a glitch, but Kelly shrugged it off with their below average cafeteria food.
Will was not that blase about it. He was tense enough about her not being with him, never mind the possibility of her running late.
"It's a quick errand on my way, that's all," Kelly assured him before he left to return the Jeep to the rental lot, and they would shuttle him to the airport.
"Screw 'em, we'll pay for an extra day if we gotta 'cause the things returned five goddamn minutes later than they say it oughtta be," he grumbled, zipping his deodorant into the packed duffel bag he was using as his carry on luggage. "Then I can take you to the hospital myself."
"No way!" Kelly said, shaking her head. "There's no sense wasting money like that. Besides, it'll give me a chance to give Jan one more hug," she added, skimming her checklist of things to do and items to make sure she didn't forget.
She peered over her glasses at Will when she heard him sigh. He was frowning at the floor, his hands on his hips.
"Will," Kelly called him back to her with a smile, looping her arms around his neck. "I won't be late, I swear."
Will rolled his eyes, his hands still planted on his hips. "Famous last words."
"Aww," Kelly sang, moving her body closer and nuzzling his face with hers. "We're good to go, right?"
Will relented, slipping his hands under her oversized sweater and into her leggings to hold her against him by her bottom. "Yes, ma'am, we are."
"Don't be late," she warned him in a gruff voice.
"No, ma'am. You either," he gruffed back, kissing her for emphasis. "I can't wait 'til we're finally in the air, Kelly. You don't know what a relief it's gonna be, to have you next to me, and to put this place behind me," he admitted. "Then I'll be able to relax and enjoy the rest of my life."
Kelly blinked away her tears. She wanted him to see her smiling when he left, to see her joyful anticipation of spending the rest of her life with him. "I love you, Will," she whispered.
"I love you, too, baby. I'll see you soon."
"Yes, sir."
Kelly followed Will out to the driveway, her hand wrapped in his. He stopped in front of the Jeep and turned around, his gaze slowly drifting over his house and garage, the fiery red hedgerow and the American flag snapping smartly in the chilly breeze. "They better get that roof replaced before snow," he said stoically, "else the ice will dam up on the eaves, and they'll have water damage for sure." He looked at Kelly and grinned. "I'm so glad I'm gonna be in Texas and I ain't gotta deal with that shit."
Kelly threw her head back and laughed. "Every place has its challenges, but fingers crossed we won't have to deal with snow in Texas!"
"Nope. And guess where we're gonna spend Thanksgiving this year?"
"Where's that?"
"The desert," Will said, his eyes glittering with excitement. "Would you like that?"
"I can't wait for you to show me the desert, Will," Kelly replied with a smile, kissing his cheek lovingly.
"Then it's a date!" Will proclaimed, planting a kiss on the back of her hand and jumping into the Jeep. "I'll meet ya at the airport, and for God's sake-"
"I know, I know, don't be late!" Kelly finished for him, waving as he backed out of the driveway.
Will tooted the horn as he left. He never looked back.
Kelly wrapped her arms around herself for insulation against the bite of the mid-November air, and because she missed Will already. She watched him brake and disappear around the corner, and then she turned to face the house. Meandering slowly up the driveway, Kelly searched the yard for a possible keepsake that Will might like. She thought about taking a clipping of his shrub, but worried about how to transport it in a pot once it began to grow. His bush needed to be able to sink its roots in its own spot of ground. Kelly opted to leave it to thrive undisturbed with the new, growing family that would be moving in the next day.
Instead of entering through the usual kitchen door, Kelly mounted the steps and went in by way of the small enclosed porch at the front of the house. The hinge of the outside door creaked loudly, and her footsteps echoed hollowly on the plywood floor. The space was empty, mostly unused because of lack of protection against the fluctuating temperatures outside. There was a mismatched set of ladderback chairs cornered against the far wall with an empty wrought iron plant stand placed between them, and that was about it. Kelly's breath puffed out in small clouds, highlighted by a beam of sunlight coming in through the undressed windows, as she paused with her hand on the house doorknob. She was thinking there wasn't much to see here and went to walk into the living room when she noticed a rectangular sign hanging on a nail by a length of plain rope. It was a piece of unfinished board, about a foot long, with the words 'welcome to our home' painted crookedly in a child's lettering. Blue stars and a white crescent moon adorned the rest of the plaque.
Kelly shook her head and smiled. "Thank you, David," she said softly as she carefully unhooked his sign, leaving a rectangle of darker paint behind on the faded wall. "This is just what I needed."
Now that she had found the perfect memento, the rush was on to finish her last minute tasks before she joined Will at the airport. She stowed her treasure away in her backpack, swaddled in Will's shirt she wore to bed every night and started off on a quick walkthrough of the house to see that all the lights were off and windows were locked. She made sure the toaster was unplugged and all the knobs on the stove were turned to off, reflecting on the time she spent with Will in his kitchen, sharing the simple tasks of living together. Her heart skittered when she imagined them together in their next kitchen. She had no idea what size it would be, whether the countertops would be formica or if the refrigerator would be almond colored.
All she cared about was that it was going to be their kitchen. Not his. Not hers. Theirs.
Together.
Kelly clapped her hands in a little dance of joy and trotted up the stairs to check the bedroom. She reached the landing, one hand still on the polished wood of the banister, and nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang shrilly next to her on its circular table. She picked it up on the second ring. She was sure she knew who it was.
"Hello."
"You ain't left yet?" Will barked.
Kelly giggled at his exasperation with her. "Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you're grumpy?"
There was a moment of silence when Kelly could hear only the distant murmur of a crowd and a staticy woman's voice announcing flight numbers, then a raspy hmpf. "Maybe."
"I sense you are both at this time," she teased.
"Well, I wouldn't be one out of the two if you were here, not talking to me on the phone. Please tell me your cab is waiting and you are ready to walk out the door at this time?" Will asked. His words were clipped, but Kelly could hear the happy twang in his rough voice.
"I haven't heard a horn yet," Kelly said, checking her wristwatch, "but I'm sure they'll be here any minute. I'm gonna finish making sure I have everything, and then I will go stand on the curb and wait for their imminent arrival."
"Yeah, good, you do that. Look, I'm gonna give you the number to this pay phone I'm using, that way you can get ahold of me if you need to, if something comes up-"
"Will, you don't have to stand by a pay phone, I'm fine-"
"Kelly, please, humor me on this one-"
"Why don't you relax and go get a cup of coffee? Maybe something to read? Ooh, I know! See if you can find an almanac or a road atlas, that'll come in handy wherever we end up, and-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Will cut her off, and she imagined his impatient eye roll. Kelly was busy trying to think of another suggestion to help him stay occupied until she got to the airport when she was startled by ringing for the second time in nearly as many minutes.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded.
"Umm," Kelly unwound the phone cord as far as it would go so she could lean over the railing and look down the stairs. "I think that was the doorbell. I guess my ride out of town is here."
