by Susan Stoker
“Eventually, yes,” Truck said, and took her hand in his as they waited for the employees to bring their children into the room. “But I also think it’ll take a while. You know they’ve had a hard life so far. As good as this orphanage is, it’s still not like a home. There are people who look after the children here, but we were warned that they might be standoffish. They won’t understand what’s going on.”
“We sent that photo album with our pictures,” Mary said, looking up at Truck with big eyes. “Maybe they’ll recognize us.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Truck warned. “I don’t want you to be disappointed if they don’t.”
“Disappointed?” Mary asked incredulously. “Truck, I was disappointed when you made spaghetti for dinner the other night and I was in the mood for steak. I was disappointed when Rayne had to cancel our girls’ day out because she had morning sickness. I don’t give a crap if Aarav and Deeba recognize us today or not. They’ll get to know us because we’ll be there for them every day of their lives. We’ll comfort them when they cry and feed them when they’re hungry. They’ll learn to trust us, just like I learned to trust you. If I did it after thirty years of being disappointed and let down by the people I thought were supposed to love me, they can do it after only two and three years.”
“Fuck, I love you,” Truck whispered. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
“Well, for starters, you love to rub my feet,” Mary quipped.
Truck still didn’t mind in the least that she didn’t say the words as frequently as he did. She showed him every day they spent together how much she loved him. She had no problem telling Rayne or her other girlfriends how she felt about them. She was constantly whispering words of love to the babies and children in their circle, but Truck still didn’t care for one second that the words didn’t come out of her mouth all that often.
Because when she did say that she loved him…it was as if the angels came down from heaven and bestowed upon him an otherworldly gift. She’d said the words twenty-two times in the five years since they’d renewed their vows. But she’d told him in a million and one nonverbal ways as well.
“I do love to rub your feet,” Truck agreed. “And other things.”
Mary blushed and smacked him on the arm. “Shut up. Don’t get me all worked up right before we meet our children for the first time.”
Before Truck could retort, the door opened and two Indian women walked in, each holding a small toddler in her arms.
Truck let go of Mary’s hand as they both instinctively went to their knees when the women bent over and placed the children on their feet. His heart in his throat, Truck took in the sight of his kids for the first time. He’d seen pictures, but they hadn’t done these precious babies justice.
Aarav was the older of the two. He had dark brown hair that was too long and fell onto his forehead, almost covering his eyes. He was wearing a pair of loose brown pants held up with a drawstring. His feet were bare, and he had on a white short-sleeve shirt.
Deeba was only two, and she wobbled on her feet when the woman holding her took a step back. She wore a gray dress that came down to just below her knees. Her hair was black and was shorn close to her head. Truck knew it was because she’d had a bad case of lice not too long ago, but her hair barely even registered.
He gazed into the eyes of his children and for the first time, he understood the big undertaking they had in front of them. The kids looked scared to death; he couldn’t blame them. Not only were he and Mary white—he had no idea if the kids in the orphanage had ever seen a white person before—but he was big. And he had the awful scar on his face.
Truck wanted to cover it up with his hand, but he didn’t dare move. He didn’t want to do anything that would scare these precious children in front of him. His children.
“Namaste,” Mary said softly and held out one hand.
Neither child moved. Aarav stuck his hand in his mouth and sucked on it, and Deeba just stood there, wavering on her feet.
“Maa,” Mary said, pointing to herself. “I’m your mom. And this is your pita. Your dad.”
Truck held his breath, then whispered, “Maybe I should go. Leave you alone with them for a while.”
The second he said the words, Deeba looked at him and tilted her head.
“We played the tapes you sent every night,” one of the women said in the quiet of the room. “We thought maybe if they heard your voices, they’d be more comfortable when they actually met you.”
“Every night?” Truck asked.
Before the woman could answer, Deeba moved. She teetered toward him with her arms outstretched.
Without thought, Truck leaned forward and held out his hands, wanting to catch her if she fell. But she didn’t. Deeba walked right up to him and didn’t flinch when Truck’s large hand wrapped around her tiny back. She was small for her age. Underweight and undernourished, but the only thing Truck could see was the yearning in her eyes.
“Pita,” she said softly.
Truck nodded. “That’s right. I’m your father.”
Aarav, not to be outdone by his sister, followed behind her and came toward Mary. Without a word, he burrowed into her, dropping his forehead on her chest as if he’d done it every day of his life.
Truck’s eyes came back to his daughter when he felt her little hand pat him on the cheek. “Chot?”
Having no idea what she’d said, he looked to the women.
One translated. “She wants to know if you’re hurt.”
Truck closed his eyes and counted his blessings for what seemed like the millionth time since he’d met Mary. When he felt little Deeba patting the cheek with his scar impatiently, he opened his eyes and covered her hand with his own. He shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Then she melted his heart even more when she held up her arms in the universal sign to be picked up.
Truck stood up with his daughter in his arms then reached down and helped Mary stand with their son. They stood there looking into each other’s eyes, ignoring the warnings from the caretaker of the orphanage. She was telling them that the kids would probably be scared later, and that they shouldn’t take it personally. She was instructing them on what the kids liked to eat and cautioning them to take it easy for a while on new foods so they didn’t get sick. She also told them last-minute things they needed to do in order to get clearance from the Indian government to take Aarav and Deeba out of the country and back to Texas.
But Truck barely heard any of it. His eyes were glued to his beautiful wife and their son.
“I love you,” Mary whispered as she gazed into Truck’s eyes.
Twenty-three.
“I love you too, baby.”
Then Mary turned to her son and kissed his forehead gently. “I love you, Ford Aarav Laughlin.” She then leaned forward and kissed her daughter’s temple. “And I love you, Elizabeth Deeba Laughlin. Welcome to the family.”
Truck’s throat closed up with emotion once more. He reached forward and pulled Mary toward him with a hand on her nape. He kissed her on the lips and whispered, “Love you.”
Ghost and Rayne, five and a half years after the weddings.
* * *
“Give him to me,” Ghost ordered, wiggling his fingers at his wife. She was holding their four-year-old and struggling to walk with him.
She gladly handed him over and winced, arching her back.
“I told you to take it easy today,” Ghost said, shaking his head at his wife.
She smiled at him but shook her own head. “Yeah? What was I supposed to do, lie around while your son single-handedly clogged up every toilet in the house? Or when your daughter decided to take the permanent marker she found and draw pretty pictures all over the wall in her bedroom?”
Ghost winced. “That’s it. I’m calling that girl Chase recommended tomorrow.”
“We don’t need a nanny,” Rayne whined. “I can look after my own kids just fine. I don’t need someone el
se to do it for me.”
“It’s not that I don’t think you can do it,” Ghost said patiently. “It’s that I hate seeing you so exhausted. And when this one is born,” he put his hand on Rayne’s enormous belly, “it’s just going to get more hectic.”
When tears sprang to her eyes, Ghost didn’t panic. He put his son down and swatted him on the bottom. “Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner, sport.”
“Okay, Daddy!” the little boy said happily and ran off toward the bathroom.
Ghost pulled Rayne into his embrace and held her as she sniffled. “I feel like the world’s worst mom. I’m awful. They’re going to grow up to be delinquents, I just know it.”
“You aren’t,” Ghost reassured her. “You think every mother is all hearts and rainbows all the time? I don’t give a shit what people post on social media, I’d bet everything I have that there are times when they want to duct tape their kids. This is normal.”
“I’m just so tired,” Rayne said softly.
Ghost kissed her forehead. “I know. And I haven’t been helping, being gone so much lately, have I?”
When Rayne didn’t respond, Ghost felt even guiltier. The team had been on three missions almost back to back recently, and he knew he hadn’t been helping with his family nearly as much as he should be.
“Go lie down,” he told Rayne. “I’ve got the kids tonight.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll get some nuggets in the oven for Billy, and Greta still only eats hotdogs, so I can boil some of those and—”
“I got this,” Ghost interrupted. “Seriously.”
The tears returned to Rayne’s eyes and Ghost felt awful. “I’m sorry, Princess. I’m gonna get you some help so you aren’t so exhausted by the end of the day.”
“I…okay,” she said softly. “I hate to admit it, because it makes me feel like a failure, but Billy has so much energy he sometimes makes me tired just looking at him. And Greta is so picky, I swear to God I spend most of my day pleading with her to eat something, anything, so she doesn’t blow away in a stiff wind. I sure as hell hope this one is a little more easygoing.” Rayne put a hand on her belly and rubbed.
Ghost leaned down and kissed her pregnant belly, then spun her around and gave her a gentle push toward the stairs. “Go on. Relax. I’ve got this. And tonight, if you’re up for it, I’ll give you a back rub.”
“Oooh.” Rayne turned back and her eyes lit up. “Just a backrub?”
“I’ll give you whatever you want, Princess. You know that.”
She stood up on tiptoes and untucked his shirt. Putting her hand on the small of his naked back, she whispered, “I’m so fucking horny, Ghost. I swear I don’t know how it’s possible when I’m this big, but I am.”
“I’ll take care of you.”
“I know you will. I’m gonna take a nap, but call me if you need me.”
“I’m not going to need you. I can survive one night with them.”
She nodded. “Make sure you wake me up when you get the kids put down for the night.”
“I will. Now go.”
Ghost watched as his wife waddled up the stairs toward their bedroom. The pregnancy had rounded her out once again, much to her chagrin. Ghost knew she’d worked really hard to get rid of the weight she’d gained when Greta was born, but he liked her this way. Lush and curvy. He wasn’t sure what the night would bring; sometimes Rayne only wanted to get off, with either his help or with her vibrator, and other times she wanted actual intercourse. But whatever she wanted and needed, Ghost was happy to provide. He was more than able to get himself off, and in fact, Rayne loved watching him masturbate in front of her.
Life certainly wasn’t easy or calm, but it was exactly what Ghost had dreamed about. He loved having a hectic life. Loved watching his kids grow up and explore the world. This was why he’d become a soldier. Why he’d joined Delta Force in the first place. To keep families safe and ignorant of the evils of the world.
When Greta screeched and came running into the living room, Ghost quickly scooped her up and flung her over his shoulder. Billy, who’d been tormenting his sister with his soapy hands, wanted in on the fun, and sat on his dad’s foot and wrapped his arms around his calf.
With two squirming kids hanging off him, Ghost smiled and made his way into the kitchen. He needed to get them fed, play with them for an hour or so, read them a story, put them to bed, and then he could take care of his wife.
His smile grew as he thought about what that entailed. He couldn’t wait.
Hollywood and Kassie, Seven years after the weddings.
* * *
“That kid’s a menace,” Hollywood groaned as he watched Fletch’s little boy chase Kate around the backyard. They were hanging out with their friends and watching the kids play.
“No, he’s not,” Kassie told her husband. “I bet he’s just like you were at that age. Besides, he likes her. That’s what kids do when they like someone else but don’t know how to tell them.”
“Kate is only seven!” Hollywood said in horror. “She’s too young to have a boyfriend.”
“Annie knew Frankie was the boy for her when she was seven,” Kassie said calmly.
“No. Just no,” Hollywood said, folding his arms across his chest.
Kassie giggled and turned into her husband and wrapped her arms around him.
Hollywood kept his eyes on his daughter and the little boy who seemed enamored with her, even as he hugged his wife to his chest. The kids had grown up together, spending a lot of time playing, but the thought of them liking each other hadn’t even dawned on him until right this moment.
Just then, Kate fell. She’d been running from Ethan and laughing and had tripped over something in the yard. Hollywood jerked and moved to go help her, but Kassie held him tightly.
“She’s fine,” she whispered.
Hollywood clenched his teeth and forced himself to not run to his daughter to make sure she was all right.
He watched as Annie went over to the children and made sure Kate was okay. She had the little girl laughing within seconds. Hollywood didn’t miss the way Ethan patted Kate on the shoulder lightly, as if comforting her.
“Fuck, I’m in deep shit, aren’t I?” he asked.
Kassie merely chuckled. “Yup. Are you seriously just noticing for the first time how pretty our daughter is?”
“No,” Hollywood admitted. “I already knew she was the most beautiful girl in all the world…second only to her mom. But I am just realizing that it’s a problem. The boys are gonna be all over her.”
“Look at me,” Kassie ordered.
Hollywood continued to stare at his baby girl—who wasn’t so much a baby anymore—as she played with Ethan. When he felt Kassie’s fingers on his cheek, he tore his eyes away from the child who meant so much to him.
She’d been sickly as an infant, and when she was two, they’d found out she had sickle cell anemia. The doctors had been surprised, as it mainly affected African-American children in the United States, but somehow Kate had inherited the sickle cell gene from each of her parents, resulting in the anemia.
It had been a tough road for a while, with tons of doctors’ appointments and trying to get her medicine right. But today she was a happy and beautiful child. As a result of everything they’d been through with Kate, Hollywood and Kassie had decided to not have any more children. They didn’t want to risk passing on the disease to another child.
Hollywood wasn’t sorry. He loved Kate with all his heart, but it wasn’t easy being a parent. He was more than okay with only having one kid.
“She’s smart,” Kassie told him. “I have a feeling you’re right, and in a few years she’s going to be fighting off boys with a stick…”
Hollywood growled, but Kassie ignored him and continued. “But by then, she’ll have learned from observing her dad how a man is supposed to treat a woman, because she watches you with me. She sees how your teammates treat their women. She’s gonna want that for herself. She�
��s not going to put up with anyone treating her badly.”
“She’s not allowed to date until she’s eighteen,” Hollywood said with a frown. “I know how boys are…I was one, you know. They’re gonna want to get in her pants and they don’t like hearing no.”
“So we’ll teach her how to protect herself if there’s a boy who doesn’t take no for an answer.”
Hollywood growled. “If anyone touches my little girl, they’re gonna wish they hadn’t.”
“I love you,” Kassie said with a smile.
“I love you too,” Hollywood said immediately. “But I don’t know why you’re smiling like that.”
“Fifteen,” his wife told him. “And only if she’s at either our house or his when adults are home. When she’s sixteen, she can start going on dates.”
Hollywood closed his eyes. “Why can’t she stay this age forever?” he whined.
Kassie turned in his arms until her back was against his front and Hollywood interlaced his fingers together over her stomach.
“Because as much as we want to stop time, we can’t. She’s going to grow up and be a beautiful woman. I wouldn’t be surprised if she got into modeling, she’s literally that pretty. But she could also decide to go into construction and I’d be just as happy if she wore a hard hat every day and was covered in dirt.”
Hollywood lowered his head until his lips were next to Kassie’s ear. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
“For what?” she asked.
“For loving me. For being amazing. For just being you.”
Kassie chuckled, and Hollywood knew he’d never get tired of hearing that laugh. “It’s not a hardship loving you…except when you come back from a mission and smell like you’ve been crawling through shit for a month.”
Hollywood huffed out a laugh…she wasn’t exactly wrong. Some of the places he’d been and some of the things he’d had to do weren’t far from what she’d described.
“I talked to Karina this afternoon,” Kassie told him.
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh. She’s dating a new guy.”