Knowing what she did about the eat-your-own culture of special operations, she couldn’t help her fervent, “Wow. That’s truly amazing.”
“Yeah.” A few beats of silence, and then Geo said softly, “Some of the worst people I’ve ever met are in the SEAL teams, but Cade, he was one of the best.”
His ragged sigh made her heart ache. “Someone worth toasting, then. I’m honored to have been a part of that.”
His jaw rippled, and a haunted look flitted across his face. “You have no idea how much you saying that means to me.” His voice was barely audible. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Drawing her knees up, Lani wrapped her arms around them, unable to keep from wondering what’d happened to Cade. A firefight in a distant country, the full details of which might never be known? An IED? A training accident?
Something about Geo’s body language kept her from asking. Besides, in this moment it didn’t matter. They were celebrating Cade’s life, not his death, and the impact his simple gesture of encouragement had made on a young man on the verge of an enormous mental and physical challenge.
She sifted the cool, damp sand through her fingers. Next to her, Geo had his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he wrestled with his memories, until at last he exhaled slowly and sat up again. They both stared out over the dark, roiling ocean, the silence not uncomfortable.
Suddenly he grimaced, and he fished his buzzing phone from his pocket. He glanced at it briefly, then silenced it.
“You need to go?”
When he nodded, the regret that shot through Lani startled her. Surprisingly, his eyes mirrored that regret back at her as he stood and dusted off the seat of his pants before reaching down to help her to her feet.
Squeezing her fingers, he said, “Thanks again for listening. I, uh, had been wondering how I was going to get through tonight.”
She gazed up at him. “Well, thanks for holding my hair, and listening to my tale of woe. I’d been wondering how I was going to get through tonight, too.”
They smiled at each other.
“Guess it was fate, then, huh?” he said lightly. “Does that mean we should keep in touch?”
A tiny bolt of happiness sizzled through her. “I wouldn’t mind.”
Of course it’d never go anywhere. He’d soon disappear back into the depths of the spec ops world, while she’d be busy trying to work out her own very uncertain future. Still, it’d be nice while it lasted, and she couldn’t deny it felt really good to know she’d been what he needed tonight, puking, hair-holding and all.
They’d reached the boardwalk by then, and Geo waved his hand at a sleek motorcycle parked at the curb. “That’s mine.” Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he extracted a card and handed it to her.
She glanced at the simple black lettering, which read GeoFrog Tactical K9, followed by a phone number. “You have your own K9 business?”
He shrugged. “I own a bite suit, and sometimes I’ll go work with law enforcement, things like that. It keeps Bosch and me sharp.” Tapping the edge of the card, he said, “Call me anytime, okay? You’ll probably talk to my voice mail a lot, but I promise to call back when I can.”
With that, Geo straddled the bike and unlocked his helmet. “Take care of yourself, Lani. You got this.”
Lifting his hand in a final wave, he roared off, and she stood there long after his taillights had disappeared into the distance.
“I got this? Glad you think so.”
But there’s no one else, is there? It really is up to me.
Okay, so...
Assess the situation.
She wanted to keep the baby.
Prioritize the tasks.
Talk to the manager and find out her work options. Evaluate her insurance coverage. Start saving money.
Eliminate the things you can’t control.
How she’d feel when she first held her child in her arms.
Impatiently, she dashed yet more tears from her eyes. “God, stop with the waterworks and grow the fuck up already. All you can do is your best.”
With a sigh, and one last glance after Geo, Lani took the first halting step into her new normal.
Time to go home and find herself a good OB.
Chapter Two
“Dude, you gotta tell Drew something before you leave town. We’re at the club. Get over here.”
Geo punched the Bluetooth button on his handlebar to disconnect the voice mail. Guilt burned its way through him, almost immediately followed by a secondary wave of annoyance. Shit. He’d been hoping to avoid this.
Gunning the engine, he leaned into the next curve, the chill San Diego wind whipping at his T-shirt and jeans. Brake lights glowed on the interstate up ahead, but instead of slowing, he threaded his motorcycle in between the lines of stopped cars. They flashed past on either side of him, row after row of colorful, glinting metal.
As he drove, he rehearsed what he’d say to Drew.
“I don’t want you to wait for me. Go find someone else.”
Yeah, that’d go over like a fart in church.
“If I was going to be with anyone, it’d be you.”
Geo grit his teeth. No way would Drew fall for that “It’s not you, it’s me” bullshit.
“It’s over, kid. Bye.”
Groaning under his breath, he took the next interchange to head inland, where the traffic thickened even more, demanding every bit of his attention. When he roared into the parking lot of his destination at last, he killed the engine and sat for a minute staring up at the brightly lit building, fists clenched on his thighs.
How things had changed. For so many years he’d had to sneak here, heart in his throat, afraid someone would see. Now he could walk in whenever he pleased, openly and without fear, but Geo still found himself glancing around, searching the shadows, wondering who might be watching him.
Old habits died hard.
Inside the bar, he paid his cover and received his wristband, then ran lightly down the stairs to the main part of the club where the music thumped and strobe lights flashed. Even on a weeknight, the dance floor was packed with writhing bodies, most of them shirtless. He felt the admiring glances slide over him and even held a few hot gazes himself before making his way toward the bar and the man who sat at the end sipping a club soda with lime.
He smiled when he saw Geo. “Buy you a drink, sailor?”
Geo leaned down to kiss him lightly. “I’ll get something in a second, Ash. Where’s Drew?”
“Around.” Ash hooked his foot over the barstool next to him and pulled it closer. “C’mon, sit down for a minute. He’ll find you.”