Always Ch. 02

*****

Raph woke up to see Riley packing her suitcase on the bed.

"Hey, Babe, everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Riley sighed, sadly. "I'm sorry about last night. I know how Mom is, yet every time, it's like she's leaving me all over again. I don't know why I put myself, and now you, through this time and again. I just have to face the fact that she doesn't want me as a daughter, and never did."

"I'm so sorry," Raph said, climbing from the bed and hugging Riley close as she started to cry again.

A knock at the door caused both of them to look, especially when it was opened before either of them could say anything. Rose stood in the doorway in her robe from last evening.

"Riley," Rose started, "I need to talk to you."

"Mom!" Riley squealed. "We're not even dressed yet."

Riley did have on a shirt and a pair of running shorts. Raph however was clad only in his boxers.

"We're all adults here and all the naughty bits are covered so I think we're good," Rose said, testily.

"What do you want, Mom?" Riley demanded.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about last night. I probably had too much to drink so if I hurt your feelings -- I'm sorry," Rose said, looking again at Raph as he tried to hide behind Riley. Finally, she turned and left, pulling the door closed behind her.

Raph and Riley just looked at each other for a moment.

"Need help packing?" Raph finally asked.

"Yeah," Riley said, sadly.

They sat out an outfit each and finished packing. Once they were packed, Riley took a shower first, then Raph. Once they were finished and dressed, Raph shouldered his bag and took both of Riley's. He took them straight through the house and out the front door. He put them in the trunk and started the car to let it start cooling off before going back inside for Riley.

"I thought you were staying all weekend," he heard Rose's voice coming from the kitchen. "I was about to make everyone breakfast."

"I'm sorry Mom, but we're going to go home. You don't have to worry about cooking for us, or entertaining," Riley said as Raph entered the kitchen.

"Raph," Rose commanded, "tell her to quit being so dramatic and to sit down."

"I'm sorry Rose, I don't 'tell' Riley anything. If she wanted to stay, she would have said so. If she wants to go home, as I told you last night, Riley is my only concern, and I will take her home. You're missing the opportunity of a lifetime, Rose. The opportunity to be a part of Riley's life. To catch up on the time that you've missed. I can tell you that even this loving, beautiful woman has her breaking point and there are a finite number of chances. Don't waste another one."

Rose just stood, looking from Raph to Riley. Even though it was early morning, her brain was still fogged from too much alcohol. Raph reached and took Riley's hand and they both turned to exit the kitchen.

"Bye, Mom," Riley said as she turned.

Rose never replied. She just stood and watched as they walked out.

*****

"I'm so sorry," Riley said when they got in the car. "I don't know why I keep trying."

"She's your mother. I get it. You don't have to apologize for her though. She's made her choices and while I don't agree with them, that's on her, not you. I am sorry that this has all happened though. I can see how much you try to make this work so I would say the problem is hers."

"I know, deep down I do. It's just that I can't understand why she didn't want me then and still doesn't. I'm happy now that things turned out as they did. I feel like I might have been a drastically different person had I gone with her when she left. I shudder to think of how I might have turned out if it had been just the two of us for the past 15 years," she said, physically shuddering.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you stayed with your dad. You've become a rarely beautiful woman, and I say rarely because you are truly as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. I still have to pinch myself daily to make sure I'm not dreaming. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I hope that I'm able to keep the Archibald Andersons of the world at bay for a long time to come," he added, trying to cheer her up.

Riley did a combination sniffle and snort as his last comment.

"Oh my God, I still get the creeps when I think of him and his hair-brained scheme for me and him to become the next American power couple," she half chuckled.

"Would you mind going somewhere with me? It's a surprise. I can't tell you until we get there," he asked.

"Yes, Raph. I will go anywhere with you," she smiled at him as a tear rolled from the corner of her eye.

"Okay, let's go," he said, putting the car in gear and heading down the street.

*****

Raph looked over and smiled at Riley as he released the brakes and let the TBM-850 start down the runway. He lifted clear, scanning his gauges and raised the flaps and landing gear. He turned to his assigned heading of 270 degrees and climbing to his initial altitude of 8,000 ft.

"So, you're not going to tell me where we're going?" Riley asked over the headset intercom.

"Nope," he grinned, keeping his eyes forward, scanning for planes, birds, or anything else that could cause a problem. At 3,000 he turned off the inertial separator and moved the flap selector into 850- mode which gave Raph access to 150 more shaft horsepower.

They quickly reached their cruise altitude of 26,000 feet or flight level 260. Raph decreased the prop RPM from the governed 2000 RPMs to 1900 RPMs which changed the tone of the turboprop engine, making it slightly quieter. With the prop set, he added torque, allowing for a max cruise speed of 302 knots, true airspeed. The total flight time was one hour over a distance of 286 nautical miles.

"It's so peaceful up here," Riley said, looking out the side window. They were above the puffy white clouds and the air was relatively smooth. Raph had the autopilot set so his primary responsibility was to maintain contact with ATC, monitor the gauges, and the moving map display to ensure he was following his filed flight plan.

"Yes, it is. I love the feeling I get when I fly. It's the same today as it was the day I took my introductory flight when I was 17. I can't see ever tiring of doing this. Sometimes the schedules get hectic and you get tired, but even then I when I get into the air, it's like I leave all my troubles on the ground. Some days can be uncomfortable or even downright scary, but it's worth it."

"I can see why you love it. It sure beats sitting in an office looking at spreadsheets."

"Well, if it weren't for people sitting in offices, looking at spreadsheets, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. Telling me about your dad's philosophy of the one-big-machine theory, I realized now that it takes many moving parts, all working in concert, to allow me to do what I love."

The conversation continued until they received their landing instructions. Riley knew that Raph needed to concentrate fully during the landing sequence. She sat and just admired him as he worked. He was so handsome in his aviator glasses, his collared tee-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of dark brown Justin boots.

Raph nailed the landing on the single 7508' x 100' runway. He rolled onto the taxiway and looked for the parking area as the airport was uncontrolled by a tower or ground controller. He taxied to the southeast end of the airport, pulled into a parking spot, and set the parking brake before shutting down the single turboprop engine.

"Okay, here we are," Raph announce.

"And where is here?" Riley asked.

"Fort Stockton, Texas," he said. "Birthplace of yours truly."

"Do you still have family here?"

"A couple of distant cousins that I haven't seen or talked to in years. There is someone I want to introduce you to," he said.

"Of course, I'd love to meet someone from your life."

Raph called Amistad Motors, a local dealership, for a rental car. 30 minutes later they delivered an F150 Ford truck. Raph opened the driver's door and Riley climbed in and scooted over to the center of the seat. Riley climbed in behind her and closed the door.

"So who is it you want me to meet?" Riley asked as they pulled out from the airport onto the highway.

"Paisano Pete," he said simply. He left the airport and turned onto Highway 285. He crossed over Interstate 10 and continued into the city of Fort Stockton. He stayed on 285 until the intersection of Main Street where he pulled over to the side of the road and turned the truck off. He got out and beckoned Riley to follow. In a triangle formed by 285, Main Street, and Railroad Avenue stood Paisano Pete, an 11' tall, 22' long statue of a roadrunner. It sat perched atop a brick and concrete base with the 'Welcome to Fort Stockton' sign on its base.

"Riley, meet Paisano Pete," Raph said with a smile.

Riley looked from Raph to Pete and back before bursting out laughing. She laughed so hard she had to sit on the brick facade.

"Oh, thank you, Raph. I needed this today," she said when she finished laughing.

"I'm glad it helped cheer you up," he said, sitting down beside her and putting his arm around her.

"So this is where you grew up?"

"Yep, this is it. The thriving metropolis of Fort Stockton, Texas. Population around 8,000 last time I remember. Come on, I'll show you the highlights," he said, standing and reaching for her hand. She took his hand and stood up.

"Excuse me, Sir?" she asked, a man walking by. "Could you take our picture?"

The man walked over and took Riley's phone that she offered. She and Raph stood, arms around each other, smiling, in front of Paisano Pete and the Welcome to Fort Stockton sign. The man took a couple of pictures and handed the phone back to Riley. She looked at the pictures and smiled a happy, content smile.

Raph and Riley got back into the rented truck and he took her around, showing her the highlights of Fort Stockton. They saw the historic Fort Stockton, for which the town was named. They visited the Fort Stockton High School where he had attended and graduated, and also where his mother had been an art teacher. He took her by the Pecos County Sheriff's Office where his dad's picture hung on the wall of fallen officers. His dad had died of a heart attack while on duty so he was awarded fallen officer status. Several of the deputies knew Raph and called out to him or came up and said hi. He showed her the Pecos County Feed & Supply where he had worked from the time he could drive until we went away to college. He drove her out of town to the small farm where his family had lived. He had sold the place after his dad had passed and he realized he wouldn't be coming back to Fort Stockton anytime soon.

By late afternoon, Raph had shown Riley everything he could think of. They got a room for the night at the La Quinta Inn and Suites off I-10 and N. Front Street. They were both tired so they ran through the drive-thru of the nearby Burger King and grabbed a burger and fries each before heading to the hotel to check-in.

Once in their room, they ate their supper and Riley decided to take a shower. She came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel with a second towel wrapped around her wet hair. She sat on the edge of the bed and lay back, her arms extended above her head. Raph, sitting in the chair beside the bed, scooted the chair over until he was directly in front of Riley's legs as they hung off the side of the bed. He reached down, taking both her legs by the ankles and put her feet across this thighs. He picked up one foot and started to massage it as Riley moaned her appreciation for his efforts. He took his time, moving from one foot to the other, and up to her calves. As he approached her knees, her legs started to spread ever so slightly. As his gaze rose to her shapely legs, he could see that she hadn't put on any panties yet. He leaned down and started planting soft kisses on her thighs which elicited louder, longer moans. Raph smiled and lowered his head to where they both wanted it to be.

*****

Riley woke early, feeling happy and satisfied. Raph had done an excellent job of taking her mind off the episode with her mother. He'd taken her mind off it several times last night. She slid from beneath the sheets and walked unashamedly, naked, to the bathroom. After taking care of her morning business she brushed her teeth and looked at her unruly hair in the mirror. She started to brush it out, then decided she liked it. It was evidence of the passion and pleasure she felt last night. She returned to the bedroom to find Raph sitting on the edge of the bed.

"My God you're beautiful," Raph said, looking up at her.

"Beautiful? Look at my hair," she laughed.

"Trust me, with a body like that, no one's ever going to be looking at your hair," he said, looking at her naked form before him. Her feet, her legs, her shapely hips, her narrow waist and flat stomach, her high round breasts, her nipples hardening as he watched, her slender neck, beautiful face, sparkling hazel eyes, and even her crazy hair just made her even more appealing.

Riley padded over and sat down in Raph's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you for yesterday," she said softly, kissing him on the lips, "and thank you for last night."

"Trust me, it was my pleasure," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"What time do we need to head back?"

"Well, checkout time is 1:00 and unfortunately, I pretty much exhausted Fort Stockton's attractions yesterday so I say we get a shower and get ready. I know a good barbecue place, Dickey's, where we can have lunch and then we'll head out to the airport."

"Sounds good," she said, kissing him again before standing up and heading back to the bathroom for her shower. Raph waited a full five seconds before racing after her.

*****

Raph and Riley had a leisurely flight back to Amarillo. Raph filed an IFR flight plan for the 269-mile flight which he flew at 17,000 ft. The one hour flight was relatively uneventful except for a little turbulence going through a series of clouds over Lamesa and into Lubbock. They landed in Amarillo and taxied to the Charter Air FBO and powered down the TBM-850. Raph got the plane ready to be placed in the hanger before going inside to finish up the paperwork. Once everything was done, he and Riley headed out.

"I told you, you didn't have to stay while I was finishing up," Raph told Riley as they walked out to the parking lot.

"I know," she said, "I just hated to leave you cleaning up and me just skipping out and heading home."

"Well, thank you for staying. I do cherish every minute I get to spend with you," he said, honestly.

"Me too," she said, stopping to kiss him on the lips. "Do you have a flight in the morning?"

"I don't think so," Raph said. "I'll have to get online and check, but when I checked from the hotel last night I didn't have anything scheduled until Tuesday."

"Lucky you," she joked. "Some of us have to work tomorrow."

"Some of us worked all weekend," he countered, a sly grin on his face.

Riley started to come back but realized that what he said was true. He had been working for her since Friday evening when they left for Austin.

"Okay, you got me there," she conceded. "So what are your plans for the rest of the evening?"

"Well, I need to wash some clothes, do a grocery order, and all that other mundane stuff that I used to easily find time for," he said innocently.

"Oh, I see," she pouted, "I'm taking too much of your time. Is that it?"

"You're not taking near enough of my time, Darlin'" he smiled at her.

"Good answer," she smiled back.

Raph opened her truck door and she climbed in while he put her suitcases in the back seat.

"Text me when you get home?" he asked.

"Always," she said, leaning out to kiss him before closing her door.

He stood and watched as she backed out and pulled out of the parking lot. He remembered a day, not so long ago, when he'd stood in this very spot and watched her drive away. If he could go back and tell his past self what was going to happen, his past self would have been sure that sometime soon he was going to go completely insane.

Raph went to his truck, stowed his travel bag, and climbed behind the wheel, and headed home.

"I made it home," came a text from Riley just as Raph pulled into his apartment complex.

"Me too," he responded.

"Thank you again for a wonderful weekend, despite my being a crybaby part of the time."

"Everybody has to cry sometimes. Don't worry about it. I'm glad you had a good time despite all that happened."

"I had a good time because I was with you."

"Same here. Love you, more than you'll ever know."

"Oh, believe me, I know because I love you more."

"Not possible, but I'll agree to disagree."

"Don't argue with me, Mister. Go wash your clothes and order your groceries and I'll talk to you later."

"Yes ma'am. Love you."

"Love you too."

Raph did sort and put on a load of clothes. He also looked through his refrigerator and cabinets to figure out what groceries he needed. He opened his laptop and placed his grocery order with pickup the following day.

Once he had everything done, he changed into his running clothes and went for an afternoon run. When he got back from his run, he stripped off his sweaty clothes and put them in the washroom for the next load. He walked, naked, to the bathroom and turned on the shower. After it had warmed up he stepped inside and let the warm water run over his head and shoulders. He took his time showering and once finished he toweled off and thought about shaving, but since he didn't have to work tomorrow, he decided he could skip it for the night. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair and with just a towel wrapped around his waist, he headed out of the bathroom. Just as he opened the door, he heard knocking coming from his front door. He debated on running to his bedroom to put on clothes, then decided "what the hell" and went to the door in his towel.

Raph looked through the peep-hole but all he could see was someone holding what looked like a garment bag up in such a way that he couldn't see their face. He opened the door a crack, looking around the corner of the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"You can open the door before I drop this bag," he heard Riley's familiar, musical voice from behind the garment bag. He immediately whipped the door open and took hold of the large bag.

"Well, is this how you greet all your guests?" Riley asked, with a giggle.

"What, I was, uh, no," he stammered.

"May I come in?" she asked, sweetly.

"Oh, yes, please," he said, moving to the side. Besides the garment bag that Raph now held, she also had a suitcase and another case hanging by a strap from her shoulder. She came in and went straight to the bedroom. Raph closed the door and followed as if in a trance.

When she reached the bedroom, she placed the suitcase against the wall, next to the dresser, and placed the shoulder bag on top of it. She took the garment back from Raph and hung it in the closet before turning to him.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I got home and my dad wasn't there and the house just seemed so empty. I unpacked and washed some clothes but I just couldn't stop thinking about how nice it was, waking up with you these past few days. I went to my room, grabbed a couple of outfits for work, and some other clothes, and threw them back in my suitcase. I grabbed my makeup bag and a couple of pairs of shoes and threw it all in the truck and just drove over here hoping you wouldn't throw me out," she said, hardly taking a breath.

"Hey, hey. Slow down," he said, taking her in his arms and pulling her close. "It's okay, Babe. You're welcome here anytime you want, for as long as you want."

"Oh, thank you," she smiled at him. "I was afraid you might think I was some fatal attraction type girl."