She walked briskly down the street, in a hurry to get to the corner where the boy was. Rounding the corner she was glad to see him still sitting there. She had already decided to give him all her loose coins, but it dawned on her then that as long as he had flowers to sell he would remain there.
First she handed him the chocolate bars and soda. Her Spanish was rusty at best, so she couldn’t say all she would’ve liked to. Instead she handed him three bills and all of her coins. His face beamed with a bright smile as she retrieved the half-dozen flowers from their bucket.
“Gracias, señora.”
“De nada.”
He didn’t stick around. With a smile on his face he picked up his bucket and ran off in the opposite direction she’d come from. She knew what she’d done was a small gesture, but she hoped with all he had to contend with in the future that this was a short moment she was able to give him that he wasn’t sad.
She felt a heaviness lift off of her a little as she continued on her walk back to the bungalow. Dealing with Nick wasn’t something she was looking forward to, but in the grand scheme of life it wasn’t so bad. So she was attracted to him. Correction. She was insanely turned-on by him, but that wasn’t the end of the world. There were so many worse things that could happen.
With new resolve she felt somewhat at ease. She was here to take care of her father and spend his last days with him. The desire she felt for Nick couldn’t deter her from that. She would have a talk with him when she got back. She would explain to him that she would continue to do anything she could to help him, but that her father came first and nothing would distract her from that.
Yes. When she got back she would refocus. Getting involved with Nick Slater was a bad idea. Surely once she spoke with him even he would see that.
Chapter 19
Nick watched her leave, hating the fact he was the one who’d sent her away when he wanted nothing more than to have her lie beneath him while he explored every inch of her body. He didn’t know what it was about her, but he had zero self-control where she was involved. She was the opposite of most women he dated. Although, he admitted dated was a generous interpretation of something that was really more like the occasional hookup.
When she rounded the bend along the far side of the path he found himself wishing she would run back to him for one last kiss. He licked his lips and could still taste the kiss they’d just shared. Damn if he didn’t want to taste so much more than that.
He grumbled to himself and went back inside. Closing the door he checked the clock above the stove. It was just after six o’clock. He hoped to God she made it back here soon. The idea of her being out there alone and unprotected when people had tried to kill him didn’t thrill him. He wanted her right in front of him where he knew she was safe.
Before he went back to sit with Liam he made himself a plate of the food AJ had prepared for him and grabbed a bottle of water. With fork in hand he shoveled a few bites in his mouth before he even entered. When he saw Liam awake and writing down something on a pad of paper he nearly choked on his eggs.
He set down the plate next to the bed. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
Liam looked at him with tired and disturbed eyes. The man didn’t just look in physical pain, but emotional. His anguish was clearly etched in every line of his face.
“Nick, sit down.”
He did so without saying a word. The man had an air of authority about his tone. Despite being out of the military for so long, he could still sense the marine in him.
“Can I get you something?”
“No, thank you. Please just listen. I don’t have a lot of strength. I need to use all I have to write this letter to AJ in case she doesn’t make it back before…”
Nick watched as the man who had shown such strength and bravery just days before now seemed so broken. His eyes were filling with tears as he tried to speak. Liam was at or near his end. Here he was lying before him and close to taking his last breath.
Nick had seen men, even friends, die before, but this man didn’t have a bullet wound or shrap metal tearing up his body. Just the opposite, this man had saved him from a bullet wound and death, and here he was about to watch him die and there wasn’t a goddamned thing he could do to stop it.
The realization that he had sent AJ away hit him like a ton of bricks dead center in his gut. She came down here to spend time with her father and enjoy their last days together, not to spend her days caring for him and to be sent away when he drew his last breath.
“I’m listening, Liam. Go on.”
“AJ is very special. You must know that. She mustn’t be hurt.”
The look on the man’s face told Nick he wasn’t just referring to the pain of losing a father. Could he have over heard them in the kitchen? Suddenly uncomfortable, he fidgeted in his chair.
“I won’t let anyone hurt her. I promise.”
“I believe that. You seem to be a good man, from what I know of you, Commander Slater.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “There is no one to protect her from you though, is there?”
He wanted to look away. Liam’s stare was penetrating him like a father holding a shotgun. He had never been a coward though, and he didn’t see the reason to take up that characteristic now.
“I won’t hurt her.”
He was surprised when the frail man before him let out a loud and boisterous laugh.
“Sir?”
“Stop it with the ‘sir’ nonsense. I’ve already told you that.”
Nick gave him an agreeing nod and waited for him to continue.
“Look, I know there is no way you can guarantee you won’t hurt her, but I do ask that you remember who you are.”
“With all due respect, Liam, I know very well who I am. You don’t know me. I’m sorry you had to overhear what happened between us in the other room, but I’m not an asshole. I won’t hurt her.”
Nick didn’t like the way Liam’s face changed. He seemed to have a hint of anger in his eyes.
“I didn’t overhear anything between you two. I can see the way you look at her. Even through your fever and your day and a half of rest, every time you woke you searched the room for her.”
Shit. Talk about playing your cards too soon. He’d just fucked up majorly with a man who had saved his life. The look on Liam’s face told him that he wasn’t too happy to hear that there had been anything to overhear.
“Liam, I can assure you…”
Despite the man’s weakened state he shut him up quick. “Stop! You can assure me of nothing. You are a man. We are by definition less-than-gentle creatures.”
He couldn’t argue with the man, but there was something different about AJ. Could he explain it? Hell no. It was true nonetheless.
“Nick, you are a navy man. Honor on and off the battlefield. Remember those words. Please. She is my only child, and she deserves nothing but happiness. Please remember that. I’m begging you to remember how well she cared for you.”
A pit started to churn in his stomach. With each sentence and every word Liam’s voice became quieter and seemed more strained. It wasn’t emotions that were causing it but his overall will. He was about out of everything he had.
He shook his head, not willing to accept the fact that he would die before AJ returned.
“Damn it, Liam. Knock this shit off! You’re a marine! You hang on. She’ll be back in around an hour or so.”
He shook his head in response and handed the pen and paper to Nick. “I can’t write anymore. You need to write it for me.”
“No!” Nick shot up from his chair and loomed over the man. “Once a marine, always a marine! Now buck the fuck up and hold on.”
Liam smiled at him. “Nice try, son. I’m tired. I don’t know if I’ll wake up again. I need you to write my words for me. Please, do it for AJ.”
He turned away, not wanting the man to see his emotions. He barely knew the man, yet he seemed to play such an important part of his life. Hell, h
e saved it. That and…he brought AJ to him.
“Nick?”
He turned around and faced him, knowing all too well that his watery eyes would give him away.
“Jesus, pull yourself together. I need you to be strong for her.”
He sat in the chair again and cleared his throat. “Liam, I will write what you say, but you have got to hold on for her. She’ll never forgive…”
He stopped himself from finishing, not even realizing until the words almost came out how utterly selfish they would have sounded. A man was dying, his daughter would be heartbroken, completely devastated, and all he could think about was whether she would blame him.
“I will do my best. Now please, just listen.”
And so he did. He listened and wrote down everything that was said, ignoring the emotion that tried to seep its way into his subconscious as he heard Liam’s voice crack. He hated that he was doing this, that he’d sent AJ away and she might have to hear her father’s final words in the form of a letter. She deserved so much better than that. In an odd way he felt like he was eavesdropping on a private conversation between the two. As Liam poured his heart out to his daughter while he transcribed it, he couldn’t help but feel like he was doing something wrong, as if he was invading their privacy.
Finally he was done. It was unbelievable to him that the man lying in bed was the same man who had saved his life. He couldn’t speak for his state days ago, but now he looked so frail and weak.
He saw Liam’s eyes start to close. “Please stay awake. I can’t…Just please hold on.”
Barely able to move his head, he answered in a straggled whisper, “I’m trying…she’s…so prec..ious…to me.”
Nick closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to make it. He’d watched men take their final breath before and knew the signs. At most he figured Liam had minutes.
Damn it.
AJ.
Please hurry.
He grabbed onto Liam’s hand and held it tight. Squeezing, he looked at him with sincerity and respect. “I won’t hurt her. She’s become special to me. You have my word. And my word is all I have.”
Liam squeezed Nick’s hand in return. He could barely feel it, but he knew that he had put everything he had into it.
“Hon..or.”
It was hard to hear the once-strong man, the marine, sound so broken and barely able to say one word. He knew what he was trying to say though. He knew, and he respected him even more for it.
He nodded his head. “Yes, sir. Honor. On and off the battlefield. You have my word. I will not hurt her. I will take care of her. I will keep her safe.”
The two of them exchanged a moment of mutual admiration for one another. For their service, for what they’d both undoubtedly seen in their years at war, and for their love of AJ.
Yes. He was in love with AJ. As epiphanies went this was a big one. Yet he felt no great sense of shock or disbelief. He loved her. It was just that simple. The look in Liam’s eyes told him he knew it, too.
“Tell…her…she’s…best thing…ever did.”
Nick watched as his eyes closed and felt his grip loosen. In that moment he could literally sense an aura fill the room. The sadness felt only seconds ago was now replaced with a sense of peace.
He dropped his head and prayed that AJ would also feel the peace he now did. Her father was no longer suffering. He would now watch over her from above. God, he hoped she would be able to understand and accept that.
Raising his head, he looked toward the ceiling. “Fair winds and following seas, sir. I won’t break my word. I swear to you.”
* * * *
Nick sat on the steps that led to the beach. He sat in the room with Liam after he’d passed and allowed the peace to consume him. He had never believed in ghosts or the afterlife, but he could swear he felt the man giving him peace of mind and calm to have the strength to be there for his daughter.
Out of respect to AJ, he hadn’t covered his face like he would’ve in the battlefield. Instead he rested his hands on his stomach as though he was lying there taking an afternoon nap. He struggled with it, wondering if it was morbid, but he knew she wouldn’t want his face covered. So he did what he could to try to soften the sorrow she would feel when she returned.
She’d been gone over an hour, so he knew she’d be back soon. He hated knowing that tears would flood her eyes. Realizing he was in love with her wasn’t something that he expected, but it wasn’t something he cared to analyze either. It seemed to just be a matter of fact, just one of many, like his promise to Liam. He would not hurt her, not a chance.
He caught sight of her in the corner of his eye. Her pace was hurried as she came toward the bungalow, but a bird in one of the tall palm trees caught her attention. It wasn’t until she was a few feet from him that she looked down and saw him sitting there.
“Nick? What are you…”
He stood up and closed the distance between them. “AJ, something’s happened. I’m so sorry.”
She shook her head at him. “No! No! I wasn’t gone that long. I hurried! I’m here now…I…”
Tears poured from her eyes like a waterfall. She pushed past him to get inside. She threw her purse on the kitchen table and ran toward the bedroom.
He came in after her, closing and locking the door before following her down the hall. His chest tightened in pain as he found her head lying on Liam’s chest. Her sobs echoed in the room, slicing through the peace that once loomed.
He came up behind her and placed a hand on the back of her head. “Sweetheart.”
Not prepared for the way she swung around at him, he nearly fell backward. Shouting and screaming, she began beating on his chest. Her words were barely audible through her choking sobs.
“You! You did this! You made me leave him! I hate you! I hate you! I wish you’d died!”
He wrapped his arms around her as she continued to pound her fists against him. He ignored the pain both her words and blows caused. He’d expected this and would take anything she gave him as long as it helped her cope with her grief.
“Say something! Damn you! I hate you! Why did you have to come? Why did you…Why?”
Despite the force with which she was striking him, he could feel her tiring, both emotionally and physically. He kept his arms wrapped around her back, holding her to him as she pummeled him.
Several moments passed. Her shouts were no longer understandable. Her grief was overpowering and taking hold of her emotions. She continued to beat against his chest as her tears drenched his T-shirt.
He wasn’t sure how long had passed before she finally stilled in his arms. Her breathing was erratic like she’d just run a marathon. Wrapping his arms further around her, he pulled her into him. With one hand he gently pushed her head into his chest and rested his chin atop it. He wanted to completely surround her, make her feel safe and cared for. He wanted to take away her pain.
She didn’t say anything, nor did she push him away or fight him. Her body curled into his, and she allowed him to comfort her. The simple gesture on her part meant so much to him.
They would have to call the local coroner and make plans for whatever she wished to have done with the body. It was something they hadn’t had a chance to discuss in their short time knowing each other. That could wait just a bit longer, he decided. Right now all that mattered was holding her and making sure she knew she wasn’t alone.
It was no longer about him wanting her. It wasn’t even about his promise to Liam. It was about her. She was what mattered. Whatever he had to do for her to help her through this awful part of life, he would do. AJ Harwood was too important to him. She was now his responsibility. He loved her, and nothing or no one would come before her.
She was his. She just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter 20
Nick paced anxiously in the cellar. He could still hear voices upstairs and what sounded like wheels rolling across the floor. From what he could tell, the island’s coroner had already left with
Liam’s body. He wanted to be upstairs with her when she dealt with one of the hardest things a child would ever have to endure. It pained him to think of all she’d been through in the short time since he’d come into her life.
He finally heard the door shut, followed by a few steps and then silence. He waited for a minute, not moving so that he could clearly hear what, if anything, was happening upstairs. Still no sounds could be heard.
Quietly he took the steps one by one, careful not to step in the center where he knew they squeaked the loudest. When he reached the top he slowly turned the handle and opened the door. Through the small opening he was able to see AJ sitting at the kitchen table. She was hunched over it, her arms laid out while her head rested on them. He flung open the door and took three long strides to reach her.
He placed a hand on the back of her head. “AJ, are you okay?”
She turned her head just enough to see him. Her eyes were swollen and red from her tears. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
No sound escaped her as a tear fell from her eye. It was as if someone had just turned the tap to her emotions on, releasing more anguish.
“Oh, sweetheart. Come here.”
He didn’t allow her the chance to protest. He sat in the chair next to her and pulled her to his lap. Cradling her in his arms, he was so grateful when she didn’t fight him. Her arms wrapped around his neck without hesitation.
They sat there in the kitchen for the longest time. He held her tight as she just curled up in his embrace. She never once removed her hands from around his neck, nor did she say a word. They were in silence. He didn’t need words and was sure she didn’t have the energy to talk. All he cared about was being there for her, giving her strength and trying in any way he could to take away some of her pain.
It had long since turned dark outside. The window above the kitchen sink was open, and a cool ocean breeze flowed through the room. The moon shone through onto the worn tile floor in an almost peaceful sight. He wondered if that was Liam sending him a message, thanking him for taking care of his little girl. It would be an unnecessary gesture, because there was nowhere he would rather be at this moment than having her in his arms.
Morgan, Nicole - Sweet Affliction [Sweet Awakenings 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 12