The Marine's Red Hot Homecoming

by Christine Glover

  “Name them,” he said. Because he’d do anything to make sure his son grew up with the knowledge that his father loved him even if he couldn’t convince Hannah to marry him.

  “You have to maintain a residence in Sweetbriar Springs that you’ll use between your tours of duty instead of living like a nomad on a motorcycle and crashing anywhere but in your family’s home.”

  “Done.” He had already rented a mountain house north of Sweetbriar Springs. No way was he staying in that mausoleum his parents lived in. The wealth that had built that place had never been able to make it a home. Not when his father continuously screwed around on his mother. But then his folks would never have gotten hitched if not for Caleb’s conception.

  Something his father liked to rub in his face every chance he got, and something Caleb blamed himself for whenever he heard his mother crying behind her closed bedroom door. The marriage had been empty from the get-go. Which gave Hannah ample reason to say no to him beyond her personal experience with her ex boyfriend.

  She had seen firsthand how his father’s absences, cruel words, and constant demands for perfection from his first born, unwanted son had driven Caleb to act out. Until he’d finally hooked up with the Marines.

  “I also expect us to have family time,” she said. “Jason’s got a lot of people who care about him, including his grandparents.”

  If only the family time included some couple time. But he simply nodded. “Sure, your...”

  She raised her palm to stop him from speaking. “Both sets. Yourparents love our son. If Steven hadn’t had the stroke, he’d be the one playing at the park with him instead of my babysitter, Lori.”

  Shock reverberated against his breastbone and he rolled back on his heels. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Steven Gibson had always loomed larger than life to Caleb. Constantly traveling, relentlessly brusque when he had returned home from his business trips, and tireless in his pursuit of the almighty dollar along with all the sexy side perks that being on the road had brought him. “My dad only knows one speed. Work.”

  “You’d be surprised what a grandchild can do to change a person.” Hannah touched his arm. “Now that he’s had this scare he might slow down even more. You’ll have a tough choice to make.”

  A new zip of awareness zinged through him. She was way too close for comfort. “First off. Nothing scares my father.” Though Steven lay half paralyzed in a rehab center in Asheville, and unable to speak a coherent sentence, one thing about his dear old dad hadn’t changed. When He’d visited his father two days ago the glint of steel in Steven’s clear blue eyes challenged Caleb, which brought out the irrational urge to rebel again.

  But rebellion was for kids. Caleb had long ago given up acting like a prick to get the old man’s attention. He broke away from her reassuring hand. “Second of all. I don’t plan on staying longer than it takes to get him back into the CEO’s chair where he belongs.” He’d come home to run Gibson Technologies for his mother. And to preserve the company’s vast financial legacy for his younger brothers while they finished up their boot camp training period.

  “I hate that you’re going back, but I’m not surprised,” she said. “But you know what they say about fourth tours.”

  Concern underscored her firm tone. He didn’t like hearing either emotion and fought to reassure her, and maybe himself, too. “I’m not planning on coming home in a body bag. So you and Jason are permanently stuck with me.”

  She blinked and inhaled a sharp breath. “Good to hear, but you can’t guarantee that promise. You know damn well that there are other issues that people drag home from the fields of battle. For every family that stands together, there’s two that fall apart.”

  The sudden sheen in her eyes nearly undid him. Memories of the night he’d caved to her not-so-secret crush on him slipped through his mental guard. He had wanted to comfort Hannah after she had told him about her craptastic ex-boyfriend’s bullshit behavior. The bastard had been a jerk toward her inside and outside the bedroom after he’d returned from a tour in Iraq. When she’d gone to him two weeks before his cousin Kennedy’s wedding to Zach Tanner, he’d heard everything she’d said about how her ex had self destructed. He’d hugged her, hoping to reassure her that she’d be okay. But Caleb’s attraction to Hannah had grown over the years, and his brotherly-style hug had quickly transformed into so much more.

  What had happened between them had been amazing. Explosive and emotionally intense. He had wanted to believe in the trust she’d given, the love that had been whispered in the dark. But she only whispered those words to try to hold him in Sweetbriar Springs. She’d attempted to stop him from going overseas, and had asked him to examine why he really wanted to risk his neck for his country when he had the chance to run his family’s multi-billion-dollar conglomerate of companies’ legacy.

  Hannah once had the power to render him weak. Now, standing in front of her and reading the unspoken concern in her answering gaze, a part of him yearned to make her realize he was the man she could count on to be there for her in the future. But he’d blown it when he’d left her after that night. By the time his cousin got hitched to Zach, he’d already signed on for another dangerous mission with the Marines. One that would keep him in deep cover for two years with no way for anyone to contact him unless it was his commanding officer.

  Even now he didn’t intend to stay stateside when he returned to Sweetbriar Springs to takeover Gibson Technologies’ helm while his father recuperated. But he’d make every effort to change her mind about being hooked up with him.

  ###

  Hannah waited several tense beats for Caleb to speak, her throat tight and her heart thumping against her sternum. How could he act glib and nonchalant about the reality of the dangers facing him overseas?

  He looked away, then back into her eyes. “I can guarantee that our son will always have my protection and support whether I’m dead or alive. I’ll make sure my lawyers cover all the financial bases.”

  “Funny.” She hugged her waist. “You never wanted the Gibson money or the responsibilities that went with it. I remember you vehemently denying your birthright two years ago.”

  “What I didn’t want was to become a carbon copy of my father. Still don’t.” He scrubbed his hand through his close-cropped military hair. “But Jason should have what he rightfully deserves. No way will he be denied his birthright.”

  God. Her chest ached, and the ball in her esophagus grew larger. His focus on the financial practicalities rather than the emotional ramifications contradicted his claim that he refused to walk in his father’s footsteps. Which, the more she’d thought about it over the past two years, she realized Caleb taking off for Afghanistan instead of facing his father head on mirrored his father’s behavior. Yet another reminder that she’d made the right decision to reject his ridiculous offer of marriage.

  “The only thing Jason needs is you,” she said. The only thing she had ever wished for was for Caleb to return her love. But school girl crushes and memories of one incredible night of passion were no longer motivating her. She wasn’t about to ask him to give up a career that clearly defined him as a man. Not again. “I’ll text Lori to tell her we’re heading to the park.” Only her son’s welfare mattered now.

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Sounds good.” He took one step back, turning to walk to the door.

  She withdrew her iPhone from her back pocket to quickly contact her babysitter, then sent a message to her assistant to come in before her regularly scheduled time so she could leave the shop with Caleb and finally introduce Jason to his father. “We’ll go as soon as my assistant manager gets here.”

  Hannah moved around him, briefly brushing against his powerful backside. A shiver of longing tripped along her spine. Oh, how she wanted him, then and now. She shook her head to scoot the ridiculous thought out of her sex-starved mind. No way that was ever going to happen again.

  “How long will that take?”

  Impatience, maybe so
mething more, made his voice sound gravelly. “About fifteen minutes.” She folded her step stool, walked to the backroom door and pointed to a metal carafe on a table next to the store’s front window display. “Help yourself to some herbal tea while you wait.”

  As she opened the door and stepped inside the sanctuary of her office area, Hannah promised herself she’d focus all her energy on figuring out how to get this stubborn man to realize how much his leaving again would impact their little boy. Not on how incredible it would be to surrender to Caleb’s fierce possession, or to possess in return.

  She longed for Jason to have what she had counted on while growing up, a father’s unconditional love even when she had made monumental mistakes. A father who was there through thick and thin even when the worst happened. A husband who didn’t abandon his family whenever the going got emotionally tricky. Acting on all the internal hormonal high-fives pinging along her nerve endings would only lead to another colossal mess up.

  Chapter Two

  Fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity for Caleb. But finally, after chugging back some of Hannah’s weird tasting green tea—stuff tasted more like twigs and rivaled his worst meal replacement kit in the sucktastic flavor department—her assistant manager arrived to take over the shop’s duties for the rest of the day.

  Now he walked beside Hannah toward the crosswalk at the corner of Main and First Street, scanning the red brick courthouse to take in the sight of people wandering along the paths that circled the building. Adrenaline pinpricking in his fingers, he increased his pace, eager for the first sign of his son to come into view.

  “How much does he know about me?” he asked when they stopped at the light.

  She glanced his way. “I’ve kept it simple,” she said, stepping off the curb when the light switched to green. “That his daddy is a brave Marine who will come home one day. Now here you are—until you leave again.”

  The breeze kicked up, and the American flag snapped at the top of the courthouse’s pole. He squared his shoulders, then moved ahead with greater purpose. “There’s no chance of that happening until my father’s back in charge,” he said before they reached the other side. He had time to connect with his son—precious little time, but he planned to make the most of every minute.

  One hundred year old oaks, newly budding maples, and green tufted crepe myrtles still waiting to bloom filled Sweetbriar Springs’ town square. Bright tulips created quilts of color that surrounded the stands of trees. The sun, now rising higher in the mid-morning sky, warmed his face while he moved beside Hannah toward the playground located at the eastern corner of the historic park.

  He heard water bubbling and spraying from the mini water play section, the buzz of insects, and children laughing.

  “There’s Lori Catherine,” Hannah said, pointing to a woman sitting on one of the many wood benches circling the playground.

  Her babysitter, a slender young woman wearing practical jeans and a T-shirt, had her face turned toward a group of children ranging in size from toddler to pre-school age. He tracked Lori’s line of sight. There, in the middle of the mix, a little blond boy dug in the dirt with a tiny blue shovel.

  Everything inside him went quiet. Stilled. A strange, unsettling sensation lodged in his throat, making it difficult to speak. From the moment he’d learned about his son, Caleb had imagined what this first meeting would be like, but nothing had prepared him for the sheer wonder. He’d heard people talk about the connection between parent and child. The instant bond a father felt when he first held his baby in his arms. He’d missed out on that experience until this moment. But now an inexplicable, profound sense of awe coursed through him when he recognized this child as his.

  Hannah lightly touched his arm. “You ready to meet your son?” she asked.

  He swallowed hard twice, trying to get his bearings. “I don’t know what to do, what to say,” Caleb admitted. How did he ever think he could bulldoze his way back into their lives? “What if I scare him?”

  “He doesn’t scare easy.” She slanted her gaze toward him. “He’s a lot like you that way. For what it’s worth, I worry about screwing up all the time. Comes with the territory.”

  “You do?”

  “Sure. Every mom second guesses herself—she’d be inhuman if she didn’t.” Hannah moved a little closer and her arm brushed against his. “So do dads. No one is perfect, but if we give it our best to show them we love them, our kids will survive our mistakes and love us right back.”

  A tingling sensation traveled through his skin. A part of him yearned to slip his hand into hers, and go to Jason with her by his side. Like other parents who raised their child together. He suppressed the urge—she’d made it clear they’d never be together that way. “Point made. Let’s do this.” Caleb broke their connection to step closer to the sandbox where his son played.

  She kept pace with him. “Follow my lead and everything will be fine,” she said as they approached her babysitter Lori. “Trust me.”

  “Roger that,” he said. Oh, he fully expected her to control this first meeting—rightfully so. But he wouldn’t leave it at that. No. Once he got to know his son, Caleb would man up to become the kind of father he’d never had when he’d been growing up.

  Maybe he wouldn’t promise not to leave again, but he sure as hell could promise to love his son no matter where his combat boots landed in the future. He’d also have to bust his ass to convince Hannah that he could be the man she deserved, too.

  ###

  Hannah continued tracking Jason, who had turned his attention away from his digging efforts to push a toy dump truck up and over the hill of sand. His red dinosaur T-shirt had streaks of grass stains covering the cartoon character blazing across the front and bits of grass clung to his hair.

  A bonus load of laundry was definitely in her near future. “Hey, Lori,” she said when she reached her babysitter. “Looks like Jason’s having a blast.”

  Lori flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled. “He loves the dirt.” She stood, then looked at Caleb then back at Hannah.

  “If you need me for anything, call. I’ve got the day booked for y’all, so it’s not a big deal if your plans change again.”

  Sunlight sparked in Lori’s gaze along with protective light. That she’d been able to hire someone who loved Jason so much warmed her from the inside out. But now she’d have to learn to rely on him, too, for however long he remained stateside. “I’m sure we’ll be able to take it from here,” she assured Lori, then moved to the stroller that had been parked next to the bench to draw out a tan diaper bag. “Still have a full supply of snacks and drinks?”

  “Yep,” Lori said. “He’s only had his first sippy cup and cereal. You’re all set.”

  “Okay, great. Take the next two days off with pay and we’ll get back to our regular schedule then.” She unzipped the bag and quickly counted the diapers. “Looks like he hasn’t had a major blow yet.”

  “He will.” Lori picked up her long strapped wallet style coral purse and slung it over her shoulder, making sure to secure it across her body. “Okay, see you later. Call if you need me.”

  Hannah hugged Lori. “Thanks.”

  She walked to the sandbox and knelt to eye level with Jason. His blue eyes, so like Caleb’s, lit up. A wide smile bloomed across his face and into his cheeks. “Momma,” he called, standing and dragging his truck with his left hand. “Come play.”

  She glanced at Caleb. His brilliant azure eyes shined, softened, and glossed over. The look of wonder she’d originally read in his face when he’d first caught site of Jason in the distance had grown deeper, more reverent. Whatever happened from this moment on, she was sure of one thing: Caleb would love their son without reservation.

  Her pulse fluttered wildly in her throat and her breath quickened. A shifting feeling twanged behind her sternum. How could she keep her heart protected from this man after seeing the love and affection written on his gorgeous features?

  She
pressed her palm against her chest, and willed her heart rate to slow down lifting him into her arms, not caring about the grains of dirt that would muss her clothes. “Hey, there little guy,” she whispered. “I’ve brought someone very special for you to play with today.”

  “You play, too,” Jason said.

  “Absolutely,” Hannah said as she carried him to where Caleb stood waiting for his first meeting with their little boy.

  Birds called alongside the familiar sounds of cars driving beside the square. Around her people chattered, their conversations a trilling hum while they went about their day-to-day lives, playing with their children, or discussing business deals.

  Normal.

  Everyday.

  Mundane.

  Yet, there was nothing normal, or everyday, or mundane about this tiny speck of time that was drawing her closer to Caleb with Jason in her arms.

  When she stood directly in front of Caleb, she lost her words and the ability to simply give Jason to his father without hesitation. One beat. Then two followed. Still, Hannah struggled to let go of the one thing that had been the center of her world from the time she had first read her positive pregnancy test.

  Caleb’s jaw moved. He held her eyes with his before popping the bubble of silence encircling them. “Hey, Jason.” He tilted his head and grinned, his dimple a perfect match to his son’s. “I dig that truck. You got another one you’d like to share with me? We can build a big town with lots of roads if you want.”

  “I got trucks.” He scrambled to get down and she released him. “And cars.” Then he looked up at his father, his little mouth pursed in a question before he grinned in return. “Play?”

  Caleb kneeled, and nodded. “That’s sounds great to me, little guy.”

  Before she processed the enormity of Jason’s ready acceptance, and the gratitude flowing through her for his willingness to hold off explaining why he had joined in the fun, Jason lifted his big truck to toddle back to the sandbox. And, with the confidence of a well-loved child, their son didn’t doubt that he’d have two willing people following his lead.