He had no idea what the future held for them, but for now, he could admit that he was head over heels for this woman and wanted to be around her as much as possible. Spending the day with her had been wonderful so far. And watching her haggle over the price of a trinket at the swap meet was enlightening. She was stubborn and liked to win.
He was too—no wonder they got along so well—though he didn’t like to haggle over prices. Maybe it was because he didn’t have to worry about money, but he’d almost rather pay too much for something than try to save a buck or two. And paying extra helped the vendor as well.
Kenna had said she wanted to eat out on his balcony, which wasn’t a surprise. They’d just finished their meal and were watching the sun slowly set, enjoying the evening breeze, when Aleck heard his phone ring from the other room.
“Shit,” he muttered.
“What? How do you know who’s calling?” Kenna asked.
“I don’t. But I’m not expecting anyone to call.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s something bad,” she reasoned as Aleck got up and headed inside to get his phone.
But Aleck suspected otherwise. His teammates all knew he was spending the day with Kenna, so they wouldn’t interrupt him. It could be either one of his parents, but he didn’t think so. He had a bad feeling the call was about work.
Gritting his teeth, he answered. “Hello?”
“This is Commander Huttner. You’re being called in for a mission.”
Generally, Aleck liked his commander. Dylan Huttner was fair and genuinely cared for the SEALs he managed. But his timing was complete shit. “Can you give me any details?” Aleck asked.
“Just that the situation we’ve been looking at for the last two weeks has gone to shit and we need to move, and move fast,” Huttner said.
Which meant Aleck and his team were headed to Iran. Fuck. “Understood. What time do I need to report?” he asked.
“Immediately.”
Aleck was too well trained to react in surprise, but if they were being called in without any prior warning, the situation had to be extremely urgent. “Yes, sir.”
“See you soon. You’ll get details when you get here.”
Huttner hung up without another word and Aleck put his phone down. Damn. His and Kenna’s plans for the night had just changed…for the worse. And he had to figure out how to not only let her down, but tell her he was headed out on a mission for which he couldn’t give her any details.
“Everything okay?” she asked tentatively from the doorway to his balcony.
Taking a deep breath, Aleck turned toward her. “No,” he said. “I have to go.”
“Go?” she asked.
Shit, he was fucking this up. He couldn’t just leave. He needed to reassure her. Explain. Something. He strode across the room and pulled Kenna close. He put his hands on either side of her neck and held her gently as he said, “The team’s been called in. We’re heading out on a mission.”
“Now?” Kenna asked in disbelief as she grabbed hold of his wrists.
“Unfortunately, yeah.”
“Well…shit. What can I do to help you?”
That so wasn’t the reaction Aleck had expected. “You aren’t upset?”
“Of course I’m upset,” Kenna said. “But being pissed, or sad, or hysterical isn’t going to help you or change the situation. I’m disappointed that I don’t get to jump your bones tonight, but you’re going to come home safe and sound, then we’ll have something to really celebrate.” Her voice wobbled a bit at the end, but she took a deep breath and got herself under control.
“Fuck, you’re amazing.”
“I’m not,” she countered. “I’m scared to death on your behalf, but this is what you do. What you love.”
The first thing that sprang to his mind was that he loved her, but he kept that to himself. Because that was crazy…wasn’t it?
“So…what do you need me to do to help you?” she repeated.
Taking another deep breath, Aleck forced himself to start getting into SEAL mode. “Can you put the dishes away while I pack?”
“Of course.”
“Just throw everything in the dishwasher. Once they wash, they’ll be fine in there until I get back. And please take the leftovers with you.”
“Okay, no problem.”
“I can run you back to your place before heading to the base,” Aleck said.
“No way. That’s completely out of your way. I can take a taxi or an Uber.”
Aleck frowned. “It’s late.”
“Not that late,” Kenna said.
“Would you consider staying here for the night and heading to your apartment in the morning?” Aleck asked tentatively. He dropped his hands to her waist and held her in a loose embrace.
She was quiet for a moment before asking, “You wouldn’t mind me being here without you?”
“No, of course not. In fact, come over whenever you want. Maybe on days you don’t have to work the next day. You’re on my list of approved visitors so it won’t be an issue. You can get in because I programmed your palm print into the reader. And,” he added as he thought of something, “if you want to invite Lexie and Elodie over and have a girls’ night, feel free. They’ll probably be down because Midas and Mustang are gone too.”
“Wow, um, okay. Maybe.”
He smiled at her.
“But I’m sure I’ll be fine going home tonight.”
“Stay,” he cajoled. “I might not be able to join you in my bed, but I love the thought of you being there.”
“Well, shit. How can I say no to that?” she teased.
“You can’t.”
“Okay. I’ll stay.”
“Good. I’ll get the bags with the stuff you picked up this morning at the swap meet from the car, and give them to Robert or whoever is on duty to store for you until tomorrow. I’ll also arrange for a taxi for you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do.” They stared at each other for a moment before Aleck pulled her closer. “Come ’ere,” he said gently.
Kenna snuggled into his embrace. They both sighed.
Aleck hated that this was how their night was ending. Not because he wouldn’t get the chance to go to bed with her, but because he could tell she was now stressed and sad.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
“I know. Marshall?”
“Yeah?”
“I know your job is dangerous, and your team is one of the best, but…” Her voice trailed off.
She didn’t need to continue. Aleck was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say. “We’re good at what we do. We’re coming back,” he told her. He really shouldn’t promise anything of the sort, but there was no way he could just stand there and not reassure her.
Kenna nodded against him. He felt her take a deep breath before she pulled back. Tears shone in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Right. So…you need to get packed so you can go kick some ass.”
Fuck, this woman killed him. “I’m gonna miss you. I think we’ve talked and texted every day since you jumped on my head.”