Page 53 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

FORD

I watched Lila bounce around the block party we were throwing in her honor. Taylor and Addy were there, as were Dan and his wife, Jared and the new girl he was seeing, as well as a few of the people she’d grown close to in the support group.

All the neighborhood dogs had been invited this time too, and strangely, Rook was actually playing with Jared’s dog.

Lila seemed to have made even Rook more sociable.

He was a lot friendlier these days and he seemed to enjoy having friends to play with even though he used to snub his nose at them all.

Once again bestowed with the highest honor at a block party, I was behind the grill, talking to Taylor, Dan, Jared, Mr. Winslow, and some of the other men who lived in the neighborhood. Taylor and Dan were right next to me, and Taylor grinned as he clasped my shoulder.

“How are you feeling after you shared?” he asked. “You been okay? We haven’t had the opportunity to catch up after, but your story really moved everyone. Even one of the new guys started opening up a little this week.”

I grinned. “Yeah? Glad to hear it. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Jared has been roping me into some of his commercial projects.”

“Kicking and screaming,” Jared chimed in from the side. “He doesn’t want to work on them at all, but he surprised me when he agreed to help.”

I shrugged. “I guess I’m just feeling a little more open to new ventures recently.”

“What was this I heard about you sharing?” he asked, glancing between Taylor, Dan, and me. “You’ve been going to those meetings for years and you’re only talking now?”

A low groan rumbled out of me. “Yes. I’m only talking now, but we’re dropping it.”

Dan looked at me with a knowing gleam in his eyes. “You should talk to Jared some time too. He’s part of your support network. You’re on the right path, but you need to stay vigilant.”

“It’s true, man,” Taylor agreed with a slight grimace. “Why do you think I still go to the meetings? I told you before when and how I started sharing and it’s been a while since, but it’s important to keep it going.”

“I will,” I promised, but I wasn’t really talking to them.

I was speaking to Lila, who was with Addy and some girls from the neighborhood over at the gazebo.

I knew she needed me to keep fighting the good fight and I would.

I refused to drag her down, and now that we were basically living together, that meant I had to keep reaching for the light.

She made it easier to find. “Seriously, though. Can we drop it now?”

“If you answer one question,” Dan said, but his tone was easygoing enough that I knew he’d let it go if I wanted him to.

“In one of the meetings, you mentioned that you ran into Luke’s girl.

All I want to know is why seeing her made you finally take the leap and open up about what happened to you over there. ”

“It wasn’t just her.” I sighed and raked my hand through my hair, glancing at the burgers to make sure they weren’t about to burn while these guys were waiting for me to spill my guts to them again.

On the other hand, as I looked at each of them in turn, I realized that Dan had been right. This was my support network and I’d been neglecting it for way too long. I needed to lean on them sometimes. Lila had taught me how to do that and I was determined not to slip.

I desperately wanted to be the man she deserved. “It was you too, Dan. That chat we had in your office made me realize that while guilt is normal, I do have the right to keep on living. I wasn’t at fault. I couldn’t do more than I did. I just needed some time to accept the truth of that.”

“And then you ran into Luke’s girl,” Taylor guessed out loud. “How did that go?”

“Surprisingly well.” I shook my head, feeling what had to be a sheepish smile on my face. “She wasn’t pissed at me. I honestly expected her to blame me, but she didn’t. When we saw her, she smiled as soon as she recognized me and came right over.”

Dan’s features morphed into a mask of gentle understanding. “And if she wasn’t pissed at you, then it really couldn’t have been your fault?”

I nodded slowly. “I think so, yeah. She also named her son after him, which I thought was awesome. She married a guy who had also served, also been hurt, and they still named one of their sons after Luke. No one has forgotten about him, but he would’ve hated if everyone had stayed stuck because of him. ”

Dan grinned. “No one should expect anyone to stay stuck. Tragic as it is, life is for the living, son. I’m glad you realized it.”

Taylor nodded his agreement, then excused himself when Addy called him over. Dan eventually meandered to the gazebo after him to track down his wife.

When it was only Jared and me on our side of the grill, my friend turned to me and inhaled a deep breath. “I never knew how much all that stuff was still weighing on you. I mean, I knew some of it, but I’m happy that you’re free now, Ford. Seriously.”

“If you hadn’t hired Lila, I’m not sure that ever would’ve happened, so I owe you. I also owe you big time for giving you shit about it after I found out you hired her.”

He winked at me. “As soon as I saw her sunshine, I knew she was exactly what your grumpy ass needed. I did it for the team as much as for you, man. You’re much more lovable these days.”

I barked out a laugh, but I couldn’t say I blamed him for taking the shot when he saw it. Mr. Winslow had been chatting to the guys from the neighborhood on the other side of the grill, but he moved over to us and grinned at Jared.

“I hear you’re the one responsible for giving my baby girl a shot.”

“Yes, sir.” Jared smirked. “I know talent when I see it.”

Mr. Winslow laughed but then surprised Jared when he enveloped him in a great big bear hug. “You’re the one who set the dominoes in motion for her here. Thank you. You’ve played a big part in bringing her fully back to life.”

My eyebrows arched. “She was already living life to the fullest when we met her. I’ve never met anyone who embraces life the way she does.”

“Yeah, but she’s always wanted to find her one true love.

She used to call it her epic love.” Mr. Winslow looked at me in a way that made me suspect he knew she loved me—and that I loved her just as much but hadn’t had the balls to say it yet.

“Lila acts tough but people have failed that girl time and again. This is the first time that I’ve seen her looking like she genuinely is fulfilled. ”

As my gaze drifted over to her again, I had to admit that I’d never felt more fulfilled myself. With her in my life, everything felt brighter. Lighter. Like there was so much to look forward to that I didn’t even know where to start.

It was the strangest feeling I’d ever had, but I went to sleep every night already kind of excited about seeing her again when I woke up. Shaking my head at the absurdity of that, I watched as she jumped up and came rushing over to me.

Her blue eyes were so bright that they were practically glowing and she grabbed the spatula out of my hand, passing it over to her dad. “Will you step in here for a minute? I just need to borrow Ford.”

He chuckled. “I think I can handle a few burgers as long as people aren’t too picky about how they’re cooked.”

Jared reached for the spatula. “Maybe I should take that. How about you keep me company?”

Mr. Winslow happily relinquished the honor while I followed my now official girlfriend halfway across the yard of the house closest to us. She was brimming with excitement, a smile so wide on her face that her cheeks had to hurt.

“I just found out a secret,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Obviously, that meant I had to share it with you immediately. In my defense though, Taylor said I could tell you, so I’m not betraying his confidence.”

“Taylor?” I frowned. “What’s his secret?”

“He’s going to propose to Addy,” she squealed, but she did it quietly enough that she didn’t attract any attention. “He asked for my help picking out a ring!”

“Of course, he did.” I took her hands and it was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that Addy would be helping me next, but there were probably a few other things we needed to talk about before we got there.

We’d already covered the part where I’d told her I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

Now I just had to tell her it was because I loved her more than life itself.

“Are you going to be able to keep this secret from Addy?”

She mimed zipping her lips and smirked at me as she started dancing backward, obviously aiming at getting back to her friends. “I’m a vault, Mr. Grumpy Pants. She’ll never hear it from me.”

With that, she winked and ran back to the gazebo and I chuckled, unable to wipe the smile off my face. While Jared was already handling the grill, I figured I might as well use the time to head back to my house to grab some meat from the fridge.

We’d brought out a ton of burgers, but the turnout had been better than I’d originally expected. Luckily, I’d bought extra just in case. As I jogged back, I thought about Taylor’s plans and Lila’s excitement, and I still couldn’t fucking stop smiling.

I never thought I’d get married. I honestly never thought I’d want to, but now, everything had changed.

I didn’t just want to get married. I wanted to do it soon.

As soon as I possibly could. I just had to make sure that when I popped that question, I could offer her the life I wanted to be able to give.

Which means it probably won’t be that soon, but still.

I walked into my kitchen, immediately spotting the black, rectangular device lying on the counter. In an effort to be fully present at the party, I’d left my phone behind, but I swiped it up now, toying with the idea of doing something I’d been thinking about for a couple weeks now.

If I did it, it would be another step in the right direction. Not just for me, but for Luke’s parents as well. They’d been reaching out to me for so long, but I couldn’t fathom why. I really hadn’t understood it at all until I’d seen Melissa’s reaction to me.

I desperately owed these people a phone call, at least, and I’d kept them waiting long enough. My heart started pounding as I scrolled to his mom’s number, my stomach twisting when I hit dial. I closed my eyes as I waited for her to pick up, but in the end, I got her voicemail.

I hadn’t really been prepared for this, but I left a message anyway. “Uh, hi. This is Ford. Ford Callahan.”

Drawing in a deep breath, I thought back to all the times I’d met them while Luke had still been here and all the conversations we’d had on the phone when I’d been deployed with him.

I thought about all the calls they’d made to me over the years and the effort they’d made to come see me in the hospital when I’d come back.

“I just wanted to say that I’ve thinking about you a lot and I’m so sorry I missed the memorial.

Again.” I exhaled a deep, rattling breath.

“I’ve been making some changes recently though, and I’d love to come out there to visit you soon if you’ll have me.

There’s someone I’d like you to meet. Okay, uh, call me anytime.

I really miss you guys and I’ll explain when I see you.

If I see you. But for now, please just call me whenever you’re ready. ”

After I hung up, I felt like another part of me had begun to heal. I’d been putting that off for way, way too long.

I shook my hands out at my sides to rid myself of the residual nervous energy, then grabbed the meat and headed back to the party. With my phone in my pocket this time. Just in case.

Lila was at the grill with her dad and Jared, and she grinned when she saw what I was carrying. “Man find meat, huh?”

I pumped my eyebrows at her and slid my free hand around her waist, tugging her to me and laying a big kiss on her lips. “Man cook meat, then man might need to go grab a shower. This is a lot of burgers.”

She chuckled, but before she could say anything, there was a clap of thunder overhead and the heavens suddenly opened up. Chaos ensued, but I didn’t let go of her, just dropping the meat on the table next to the grill and then kissing her like I should’ve kissed her that first time in the rain.