“Not really. You lost your family to the same thing.”
“I didn’t experience the horror myself, though. I didn’t find my house destroyed. Didn’t have to frantically look for Sam and my family, praying they were okay. I didn’t find them dead. I don’t have memories like those branded in my mind, Rick. Mac does.” She tapped the pencil against her knee. “A big part of me feels I’m being selfish to keep doing this.”
Rick shot her a what-crazy-talk-is-this look. “What in the hell makes you say that? You wouldn’t consider giving up your career for him, would you?”
“No. Even though I know how hard this is on him, I’m not willing to stop—not even for him. That’s selfish, isn’t it? If I really loved him, wouldn’t I be willing to give it up?”
“You act like this is some kind of drug addiction, Gayle. It’s not. Your work does a lot of good for a lot of people. Even Mac sees that, or he would’ve demanded you stop.”
“He’s going to want kids one day.”
“So? You do, too.”
“Yeah, I do. But I’d always thought I’d end up with someone with an understanding of meteorology. Maybe not another chaser, but someone like me with a love of weather, who wouldn’t balk at what I do. After everything Mac has been through, how can I ask him to stay home while his wife and the mother of his children goes off looking for the very thing that killed his last family?”
“Gayle—” There was a warning in Rick’s voice. “You’re looking for reasons to run.”
“I’m trying to think ahead.”
Because there was no way this was going to end well.
“Listen, I’ve been there with you through all of this. Trust me, I do get the skittish act. But I’m telling you, Mac is different. It’s time to take a leap of faith. He’s not going to ditch you because of your job.”
She wanted so badly to believe Rick. But it was so hard. Knowing the next few days would make or break her relationship with Mac. And decide whether she would be happy for the rest of her life…or was destined for a life filled with storms and loneliness.
“How’s Gayle?” Lance asked as he hopped from foot to foot. The mouth guard and protective blue headgear around his face muffled his voice.
Mac lowered his arms and removed his guard. His friend did the same. He and Lance had been sparring for the better part of an hour. It was time for a break, anyway.
“Good. They’ve seen a few touchdowns and she’s gotten some decent data. They are down toward the border of Oklahoma and Texas today. Hopefully, they’ll be headed back up this way in a day or so.”
Gayle had been gone for three days. Surprisingly, each day had gotten a little easier for Mac. He missed her like crazy, but the fear had abated more with each passing minute. And with the abatement, his nightmares had stopped before she was even finished with this chase. A very, very promising sign for his and Gayle’s future.
She called or texted him constantly. Sent him pictures over the phone of the storms she was chasing, and kept him informed almost every hour she was out there. The fact he wasn’t completely cut off from her made it easier not to worry.
“How are you?” Lance asked.
Sighing, Mac tugged off his headgear and tossed it on a bench. “What am I supposed to say? That I like her chasing tornadoes? I don’t, probably never will, but if I’m going to be with her, I have to accept it. Hell, the way she loves weather, it’ll be my luck she will one day become an extreme weather reporter and branch out to more than just tornadoes. At least right now this worrying will only be a few weeks out of the year.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to handle it?”
“After she left, I was really nutted up over it, but she’s been out there with some huge storms this time and it’s not been as mind-fucking as I built up in my head. I’m feeling pretty damn positive.”
“So, does this mean you’re going to become my neighbor?” Lance asked with a sly grin. “I’ve liked this arrangement we’ve had since you got back.”
Mac chuckled. “Things are certainly looking that way.”
Lance thumped him on the back. “That would be so fucking awesome. I’ve missed you, man. What would you do about training?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One thing at a time. Gayle and I need to have a long talk when she gets back. Hammer out our relationship, now that this obstacle is out of the way.”