Monty walked off in the cabin's direction, needing a little space to figure out how to act and not alert his friends to what was going on with him. Inside the cabin, he stared at theirpacked bags lying on the beds they’d not used for days. A sense of dread he’d done his best to ignore for the last twenty-four hours crashed down on him. Did his budding relationship with Rue stand a chance?
Was it just sex?
Could the distance between Kendrick and them really work for them all?
In the middle of the night, when Rue gravitated towards him, wrapped himself around Monty, the answer was less ambiguous. Feelings were tricky, more so when he was the one carrying the burden of them alone.
You aren’t.His animal side was so much more confident.
Then why does it feel like it?
Give it time. You’re always in too much of a hurry.
If you say so.
Boots hitting wood got Monty heading to the bathroom to shower. Up to now, bar the first night they’d stayed at Kendrick’s, they’d kept the trips to town under the radar. Stinking up the plane would give his friends the opportunity to interrogate him that busy ranch life had prevented. Monty could thank Ziggy and Silas’s engagement for deflecting attention from him and Rue, only it wouldn’t last long.
He knew his friends. Monty had spent three years with most of the PAs. Ziggy, being the newest recruit, was the one Monty knew the least about. That being said, Ziggy was the one everyone talked to about their problems. He was a good listener, Monty could see that. But he’d never had cause to talk to anyone about Rue. It would have felt like a betrayal, especially when Rue was such a private person.
Would it matter now, talking it out with a friend?
Monty chewed this over and still had no answer by the time they boarded the company jet to leave the ranch.
“I miss the ranch already,” Bowie murmured, looking down at the little stuffed chicken that Cassidy had given him, or so Monty believed, as he took the seat next to him.
“I won’t miss the early starts,” Monty pointed out, yawning genuinely, just not because of work.
“You might have gotten a bit more sleep if you’d been in your own bed,” Isley whispered into his ear.
Flustered at being caught when Monty thought he’d been good at acting like he’d been in the cabin when everyone rose, he blushed hard enough to feel it creep up his neck as he met Isley’s knowing stare.
“My comfy king-sized bed is in Hazardville. A two-foot six wide bed just isn’t the same,” he lied through his teeth, the continuing heat flooding his face making it impossible to maintain eye contact when Rue’s brothers were right there.
“Whatever you say,” replied Isley, giving him stink eye, which Monty caught before looking at his hands, thinking he’d need to apologize once they were off the plane.
Monty tugged at the collar of his shirt, not quite meeting anyone’s gaze. “Do you think we will have to go into the office today?” he asked to change the subject. It was Friday, and Monty had refrained from asking why they needed to return when they had the weekend in front of them.
A lonely weekend to look forward to.
Far enough away from the brothers not to hear, Frey answered, “’Cause we did all those extra hours, Booker said we get the afternoon free. I’m ready for some Emmy cuddles.”
“Do you think she missed you?” Bowie’s question got a head shake.
“She’s had the best time with Lane and Derick. I can tell with all the giggling in the mini videos Lane sent me.” He tugged out his phone, and they all gathered closer to watch the small screen as Frey hit play.
Baby laughter—was there any greater, more joyful sound? Monty didn’t believe so. He’d admit he’d missed the little girl too. And from the conversations with the others, he wasn’t alone. The hour every day they got to have her was something they all enjoyed. Lane had organized a rota to allow Frey to continue to work and keep Emmy close by. There was no hard sell when it came to Monty, or indeed any of the others. He’d discovered that his favorite time was the third hour of the day when Emmy liked to snuggle and nap in his arms. Monty had found a big comfy chair on the fourth floor in a coffee lounge that got little use. He liked to go there and sit in the quiet with Emmy in his arms. If he pretended she was his, it hurt no one.
The kit he’d come from gave him three siblings that were much older than him. They had all left home by the time Monty was old enough to play with. His parents were busy in the grocery shop they owned, meaning Monty spent a lot of time in the shop. By the time he was old enough to go to school, he’d learned to occupy himself. His parents had done their best. They loved him, but didn’t seem to notice how lonely he was. After school, he headed straight to the shop to help, unlike everyone else, who got to go out and play with friends. For this reason, Monty had very few friends as he grew up.
University hadn’t changed that when Monty didn’t seem to fit in any group. All that changed when he’d come for the interview at Starling Enterprises. After already receiving two other job offers, one he planned on taking, he’d gone for the interview more out of curiosity after the phone call with Lane. Lane’s ability to foster friendships with those who worked with him got Monty turning down the other jobs. It was the best decision he’d ever made, moving to Hazardville. Even with the turbulent relationship with Rue, Monty wouldn’t want to work for anyone else. They were friends, only more like family the way they all stuck together and supported each other.
The guilt of keeping secrets left him shifting uncomfortably on his seat. He glanced down the plane to where Rue sat with Booker. They both wore grim expressions. Rue met his stare. For a brief moment, the grimness faded. He did no more than incline his head a fraction to acknowledge Monty, and it was enough to set his heart fluttering like a bird trapped in a cage.
“What do you think, Monty?” He turned his attention to Isley, frowning. What had they been talking about?
“Catch me up, I was thinking about what I could do with my free time.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, but he had wondered how he was going to fill his time.
Isley frowned at him. “That’s what we were talking about. Do you want to go to Frey’s to see Emmy? Maybe head to the park and try out the place Frey raves about that makes brownies?”
