Everlasting Love

Chapter Nine

I had dropped Izzy off at school and was currently sitting in my office ordering various ingrediants and consumables. *Knock knock* I glanced up to see Sammi one of my new waitresses standing in the door. "There's a very handsome man asking for you out front" She blushed. Jesus, the affects of Bone's and young girls. "You can send him through Sammi, thanks".  A few minutes later.. "Your early" I stated. "I know, I got bored waiting at the base". I sniggered, he was so impatient sometimes. "I've still got a bit to do". He nodded taking a seat. "I'll just sit here, watching". I had to look away to hide from his cocky smile. I focussed on nothing else by my laptop.

"Right done". I closed my laptop and starting to tidy my desk. "So where we headed?" I stopped thinking for a moment. "Erm... I have no clue". *Ring ring ring~* I looked on my desk lifting various catalogues and papers. I looked up as Bone's had my phone in his hand holding it out to me. "Hello?.... hi, yes. ........ oh right...... it's more than I was expecting..... erm... yeah, okay. Thanks. I'll get back to you........ Okay leave it with me. Thanks". I hung up slumping down into my chair feeling disheartened. "What was that all about?" I sighed. "Nothing, it was my last quote for the work I want done. I was hoping to expand here and I can't afford it". I got up and headed out through the bakery then followed Bone's to his car silently. He pulled out and off we went. I stared out the window, disappointed. "What work are you trying to do?" "Hm?" I asked not paying much attention. "What are you wanting to expand on?" "Oh, er. I want to increase seating capacity inside and because the park is always full during summer I was to try making ice cream and stuff meaning I need a space for a cooler out front and the prep space in the kitchen too". He nodded remaining silent for the remainder of the journey. We finally turned off the motorway and along the countryside for a little until reaching a car park. Bone's explained he'd seen it when he was passing through for a training excercise. It was pretty, a huge nature reserve with various walking trails. Lot's of trees with a well kept path heading upwards. It felt so nice with the sun beaming down on us. "How much?" I glanced over to him. "What do you need for the expansion?" He asked for more detail. "I've got 4k saved by that I can use leaving me enough for bills and stuff. But the quote came in at 6k". Before I had the chance to say anything else. "I can give you the rest". I stopped walking as he just dropped that in casually. "No. No I'm not taking-" He looked at me rolling his eyes. "Hayley. Let me do this. I've not got many bills in my life living in barracks. Other than my car. And we've not even discussed money for Izzy yet either. I have literally minimum outgoings. 2k is nothing to me with the money I've got saved from deployment money on top of my salary. Let me do this". "Bone's I-" "Hayley. Shut up and say ok. Thank you". I sighed, smiling looking down. It was hard to say no to him when he had his mind made up. "I'll pay you back". "No you won't. It's a gift". We kept walking until I eventually tired. I didn't have eevn half of his fitness levels. We sat on a bench overlooking a small lake. Super pretty, no wind. It was like looking at a sheet of glass. "I never meant to hurt you, when I left. I thought... I thought I was doing you a favour". Standing up Bone's took a few paces forward keeping his face from me. "What do you mean?" I stayed sitting unsure of how I'd react to what he was about to tell me. "The tour previous. The one before I left for that training excercise, it was so bad. Still one of the worst tours I've been on. The amount of fuck ups. Just lead to death. It was so bad. Brining their bodies home, it was just horrible. The funerals were even worse. The cries that echoed through the churches of the girlfriends and wives of the men. It made me grow up without realizing it. I changed on that tour. And I knew I didn't want you to end up that way, crying un-controllibly if something ever happened to me. I thought I was giving you a fresh start. No more worries of if I'll come home in one piece, or missing pieces or not at all. I know it was gonna hurt, but time would heal you and you'd meet someone else and move on". Tears rolled down my cheeks hearing each word. The pain and love through each sentence. I could never hate him. "Why couldn't you just talk to me about it?" I finally found the courage to stand and walk to be by his side. I placed my hand in his, he flinched looking down at our hands in-twined with each others until he relaxed into it. He scoffed. "I knew if I'd seen you I wouldn't have had the balls to have gone through with it. All I wanted was for you to be happy and forget about me". I turned and pulled him round so I could see his eyes. "And now?" I asked, I felt like all the air had been sucked out of this place. He stayed serious for a moment until a small smile appeared on his face. He moved his hands placing them on my waist. "All I wanna do is kiss you Hayley Edwards". Our eyes didn't break contact. I finally found air and exhaled. The words I'd so longed to hear. It should have been a perfect moment until my phone started buzzing in my pocket giving me a fright. I jumped back and grabbed it seeing it was the school calling...... I hung up sighing. "Izzy needs picking up from school, she's not feeling too well". We both had that look of typical timing. "Grab my car and you come with? She's been beggin for you since she last saw you". He nodded smiling. We walked hand in hand back down the path till we reached his car.