“Not making me feel better by telling me tonight’s incident wasn’t unusual. Just please be careful. I can’t have found you now, only to lose you.”
Kenna smiled. “You aren’t going to lose me. I’m right here.”
Marshall chuckled in her ear. “You know what I mean.”
“I do. But I don’t remember signing a contract that said I’d live to be a hundred years old. All I can do is live my life the best I can here and now. I can be kind, and helpful, and stand up for others, no matter what’s thrown in my face.”
Marshall didn’t answer immediately, and Kenna frowned. “Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” he said quietly. “I think that’s one of the reasons I’m so drawn to you. You’re the antithesis of the people we’re sent to battle against when we’re deployed. You’re the light to the dark that sometimes threaten to overtake my damn soul.”
Wow. Kenna both liked and hated that. “I’ve just learned that a little bit of kindness goes a long way. Maybe I made that woman and boy’s situation worse tonight. But then again, maybe they’ll remember the kind waitress they had and realize there are people out there who are more than willing to help.”
“I hope so too,” Marshall said.
Kenna’s voice lowered. “And maybe when you start feeling that darkness creep in, you’ll think about me and how much I respect and admire you, and you’ll beat that shit back.”
“What time can I come over tomorrow?” Marshall asked.
Kenna blinked at his change of topic. “Um…whenever you want? The stalls at the swap meet don’t open until eight, I think. But they’re open until eleven, so we have plenty of time.”
“Is six too early?”
Kenna nearly choked. “In the morning?”
“Yeah. It’s taking everything I have not to get up and drive over there right now. I’ve missed you this week. Lunch yesterday was amazing, and I really liked seeing you on a weekday. And after the night you’ve had, and with what you just said…I really want to be with you.”
Kenna was tempted to tell him to come on over, but it was late. She was exhausted and she knew Marshall had to be too. She’d talked to him before her shift started and knew he’d spent all day in training. He and his team had been dropped off in the middle of the ocean and left to make their way back to shore on their own. He’d nonchalantly mentioned it was a four-mile swim, which seemed insane to her, but for her SEAL, it was apparently just another day. “Six is fine. Although don’t expect me to be fully awake.”
“You drink coffee?” he asked.
“Um…who doesn’t?”
“You like it sweet or black?”
“The sweeter the better,” Kenna said.
“No wonder you and Lexie get along,” Marshall said. “I’ll bring coffee. And malasadas.”
Kenna’s mouth watered. “Deal. Thanks for letting me vent.”
“Anytime. I mean that,” he told her. “And maybe in the future, you’ll do so while I’m holding you.”
God. The image that sprang into her head made Kenna’s heart pound. She wanted that. Badly. “I’d like that.”
“Me too. Sleep well, babe. You did the right thing tonight.”
“Thanks.”
“See you soon.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
Kenna clicked off her phone and realized she was smiling like a loon. She set an alarm for five fifty-one the next morning—she was going to get every minute of sleep she could—and put her phone on the table next to her bed.
Usually after an intense situation like the one that happened tonight, it was difficult for her to fall asleep, and she frequently had at least one nightmare. But with Marshall’s words of praise rattling around in her brain, she was adrift in a dreamless sleep within minutes.
Chapter Thirteen
Aleck took a deep breath before knocking on Kenna’s door the next morning. It was five fifty-eight and he couldn’t wait one more minute to see her. He knew how close he’d come to losing her, and it still haunted him.
He heard the locks click open, then Kenna’s face appeared in the crack of the door.
“Marshall?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” He’d have a conversation with her later about opening the door before knowing who was on the other side.
The door opened all the way—and it was all Aleck could do not to burst out laughing. Kenna’s hair was sticking up on one side and matted on the other. She was squinting as if the light in the hallway bothered her, wearing an oversized T-shirt that swamped her frame.
“Come in,” she said, then turned and headed back into her apartment.
Aleck pushed the door open all the way and closed it behind him. There was a light on over the stove, and that was it. The apartment was dark, but he could make out Kenna climbing into the large beanbag in her living area.
“Not a morning person?” he asked softly.
“No,” she said.
“How long have you been awake?”
“About four minutes. I set my alarm, got up, brushed my teeth, and then you were here,” she told him as she grabbed a blanket and curled up into the squishiness of the beanbag.
Aleck placed the coffee he’d bought for her on the kitchen counter, along with the bag of malasadas. They could wait. Without hesitation, he kicked off his shoes and headed straight for Kenna. Her eyes were already closed, but when he eased himself onto the beanbag next to her, they popped open.
“What are you doing?” she asked sleepily.
“Napping with you,” Aleck informed her. He held his breath to see if she would kick him out. But to his relief, she nodded, closed her eyes and, once he was settled, snuggled into him. They were squished together just as they’d been the other day, and nothing felt better than having Kenna curled up in his arms.
He wasn’t tired in the least, but he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to hold her. Aleck stroked her hair slowly and felt her sigh. She shifted a little, burrowing closer.
“Did you sleep okay last night?” he asked.
“Mm-hm. I fell asleep immediately, which is amazing after everything that happened. But I’m just so tired still.”
“Then sleep,” he said.
“I should get up,” she protested halfheartedly.
“Why? The swap meet doesn’t close until eleven. We have plenty of time. That’s what you said.”
“But you’re here, and I want to spend time with you,” she said.
Aleck fucking loved hearing that. “You are. Sleeping in my arms,” he said quietly.
“Is this weird?” she asked.
“No.”
“Okay. Wake me up in an hour. I’ll get up and shower and eat the food you brought—which smells amazing by the way—and then we’ll go.”
Aleck nuzzled her temple but didn’t answer. He wasn’t going to wake her up at seven. There was no need. He’d let her sleep as long as she wanted to.
“Marshall?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I needed this.”