Which meant I needed to follow Troy’s advice and get some rest, because when Mom woke up, when she was released from the hospital, the real work would begin.
“Ahh, Troy…” I said as the taxi pulled up out the front of the ‘motel.’ “Is this the place?”
“It was close to the hospital.” He squinted through the window and then blanched at the sight of the motel. Weeds in the parking lot and a sign that would’ve had its glory days in the 1950s, it didn’t look like it’d been updated since then. A couple of people milled around outside one room, making me wonder if this was their place of business. “Cheap too.”
“I can see that,” I said.
“You getting out?” the taxi driver asked, eyeing the place warily.
“We’ll find somewhere else,” Troy said hurriedly, then turned to the taxi driver. “Mate, do you know of any nicer hotels around here?”
“It’s fine.”
Troy was right, I needed to rest and my body was done pretending. Exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks as I openedthe door and got out of the cab. Standing there, wavering on my feet, Troy paid the taxi driver, then carried our bags over to what passed for a front desk, eyeing the people in the parking lot the entire time.
“Hey…” A skinny guy who looked like a greasier, older, more stoned version of Shaggy fromScooby Doosaid as we walked in the door. “Looking for a room.” The way he checked me out, then turned to Troy had my nails itching to scratch at my arms. “Only ten bucks an hour.”
“An hour?” Troy stared at the man, his brows drawing down. “Why the hell would we want a room for an hour?” Oh, my sweet summer child. Before I could explain, he forged on. “I booked us a room online under the name, Drysdale?”
“Online?” The man seemed a little befuddled at that. “Oh yeah, here it is.”
He went to grab a set of keys off the wall behind him, but Troy stepped closer to the desk.
“That better be the nicest, most secure room you’ve got,” the big Aussie growled. “And at the opposite end of the complex than those… people who were hanging around out front.”
The man glanced back over his shoulder and seemed to measure up Troy mentally, before grabbing another set of keys.
“There you go, my man.” The man’s grin had me fighting back a shudder. “Best room in the place.” He gave Troy the once over, then nodded. “And hey, if you need someone else to tap in to keep your girl happy?—”
Troy’s hand moved so fast I only caught the moment when it grabbed the stained front of the man’s shirt, before hauling him closer.
“The next words out of your mouth better be ‘I’ll have clean sheets and towels brought to your door’ or so help me, I’ll punch your teeth down your throat.”
“Yeah, man.” The guy made a show of straightening his shirt when Troy released him. “Of course. Housekeeping will get right on it.”
“We’re finding somewhere else,” Troy growled as we walked back outside and then along the motel, towards the rear stairs. “What the hell kind of place is this?”
“The kind of motel where people only need a room for an hour or two.” I stared at him, willing him to understand. Were there no sex workers in rural Australia?
“Who would need to sleep for an hour or two?” he asked, hoisting our bags up as we walked up the stairs.
“I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of sleeping going on,” I replied, unable to stop myself from smiling.
“What?” He paused and then looked down at me, that frown deepening, before his eyes went wide. “Oh…” The scowl was back again as he glared at the reception. “So he thought…? That you?—?”
He was just about to storm right back to the front desk to correct the sleazy guy’s assumptions when I put a hand on Troy’s chest.
“I don’t care what some random guy thinks,” I told him. “What I do care about is getting some rest. You called it, Troy. Seeing Mom get out of surgery, it’s like all the adrenaline of the last few days is gone, and I am so tired…”
A jaw-cracking yawn helped make my point and that had my man springing into action. Bags were abandoned as he swept me into his arms again and despite my protests, he carried me right up to our door, before opening it and sweeping in. The room smelled close and musty, the decor so dated it could almost be featured on an antique show, but I didn’t care.
“I thought I said goodbye to all of this when I got on the plane,” I said. “That no other guy would be able to pick me up and carry me around like a doll. I…” My hand found the smallcurls at the nape of his neck, teasing one free. “I thought it was just some summer dream, but you’re here. Troy, you’re here.”
“Always, love.” He pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. “When I woke up and found you gone, it was like all the light, all the warmth, went out of the world. Thought I could just keep going through the motions on the farm, but Charlie set me straight. They staged an intervention and made clear that being an arsehole was not a viable option anymore. That I needed to go where my heart is and, Mackenzie, that’s with you. I…”
Never had I been so fascinated by a man’s Adam’s apple. I watched it bob, tried to count all the stubbly hairs on his throat, because that was easier than hearing this.
“I’m in love with you, Mackenzie. Think I have been since the moment I found you in Wally’s field. I?—”
