Uniform Desires (Make Mine Military Romance)

by Sharon Hamilton

  “If you want to fight this, we will, but we run the chance of making it a bigger story.”

  He looked down at his wife and the shared fury in her eyes, and felt what he’d wanted for them to begin with: to be part of a team. Unable to do anything else, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. The knot of tension in his gut began to unravel. “No. I think we’ll just let it go. We have other things to do and plan for.”

  Kendall’s once flat tummy was a little more prominent, now. He loved to cup the child in his palm.

  She placed her hand over his and leaned in until she caught his eye. “Hey, we’ll get through all this. None of it matters, but this right here does.” She tightened her hand on his, pressing a kiss to his mouth.

  Emotion tightened his throat and he returned her kiss with everything he had in him. “I know, Kendall, and I appreciate it more than I can ever tell you. Thank you.”

  It was hard not to tell her he loved her right then, but pride made him snap his jaw shut.

  Chapter 10

  Kendall had bent over to slip on her heel when she felt something strange in her stomach. She stood and rested a hand on her belly, waiting to see if it did it again. But nothing happened. It wasn’t until she and Grif were jogging up the stairs to her office that she felt it again. She paused on the landing, a bolt of fear going through her. Maybe she shouldn’t jog up the stairs like she did every morning. Maybe it wasn’t good for the baby.

  Her tummy quivered again.

  “What is it?”

  Grif had come back down to her, his face concerned.

  “I don’t know. I think I may be feeling the baby move.”

  He raised his brows in surprise. “Wow. Really? What does it feel like?”

  She giggled, relief rushing through her. “It feels very strange. As if I have a butterfly trapped beneath my skin trying to flutter out.”

  The look on his face was a little comical, as if the thought kind of grossed him out, but he smiled and kissed her.

  Kendall was distracted all day, waiting for the little feeling to return. Then, when it didn’t, she fought disappointment. Her first doctor’s appointment was later in the day and she was dying to know what she was carrying. She’d taken to calling the baby sweet-pea, because it just felt wrong to call him or her an ‘it’.

  Parks swore up and down he didn’t care what it was, but when he murmured to her belly at night, he sounded like he spoke to his son.

  When there’d been no response to her pleas, his mother had faded into the gray again. Kendall had debated sending her some money to shut her up, but she had a feeling it would be a never-ending cycle. So, she let things lie.

  The paparazzi still harassed them occasionally, but even that had faded away. They went to work for the day, then came home. They stayed in, for the most part, because nausea would strike once in a while, just out of the blue. It had started to ease, but occasionally it caught her off guard.

  Kendall watched the clock all day, counting down the minutes until they could leave. Grif seemed just as anxious, pacing in front of the window.

  “Do you want to know the sex of the baby?”

  He stopped when she asked him the question, quiet for a long time. “You know, I don’t think so. I think this is one of the few real surprises I’ll ever have in my life. I’d like to anticipate it.”

  Kendall could have cried. She wanted to know, but it wouldn’t be fair to Grif if she slipped.

  It wasn’t until they were actually in the doctor’s office and the technician ran the wand over her belly that she decided.

  “We don’t want to know the sex of the baby.”

  Grif already held her hand, but his fingers tightened around hers when she said that. “Thank you,” he whispered into her ear.

  That was a day for tears. She cried when she felt the baby move, she cried when she followed Grif’s wishes, and she broke down and sobbed when she heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time and saw its little face on the ultrasound monitor.

  “Everything looks perfect. We’ll see you in a month.”

  Kendall left in a daze, feeling adrift in a sea of craziness. Luckily, Ortiz had driven them that day, so Grif could sit in the back and hold her. When they got to the condo, she climbed onto the elevator in a daze.

  The little black and white photo from the doctor’s office kept drawing her attention. It slowly began to sink in that she was going to be a mom.

  “I’m going to be a mom.”

  Grif unlocked the door and ushered her inside. “Yes, you are. And I’m going to be a dad. Terrifying for both of us.”

  Kendall nodded and kicked off her shoes. “But I’m not going to be like my mother,” she vowed. “You know, she used to not let me play outside because of bruises. They were hard to cover with makeup. And because the sun caused wrinkles.”

  Grif wrapped his arm around her from behind, nuzzling a kiss to her neck. “You don’t have wrinkles.”

  “Damn, so maybe she was right.”

  They laughed together and headed to the kitchen for some lunch. As she pulled chicken from the refrigerator, she glanced at Grif. “What do you plan on doing that your parents didn’t?”

  Blinking, he looked down at the table, and the bread in his hands. “I plan on never letting my child go hungry.”

  Kendall stared at him, sure she’d heard him wrong. “You were hungry as a child?”

  “Every day. Liquor was more important in my house.”

  Her heart ached at the thought. In this day and age, no child should ever be hungry.

  “I was too, but for a completely different reason. My mother used to count out the calories in my food and tell me what I was allowed to have. Usually carrots and cucumbers, broccoli. I can’t stand to eat them raw to this day.”

  Grif shook his dark head. “So, let’s plan on doing exactly opposite what our mothers did and maybe our kid will turn out normal.”

  She nodded, throat tight.

  “My...our child will not have to worry about people belittling her little body for any reason.”

  “Our child will not be called stupid, for any reason, by anyone.”

  A shudder slid through her body when his eyes connected with hers. They nodded to each other, promising basic courtesies to their child that had been denied them.

  Grif set his sandwich down and crossed the kitchen to pull her into his arms, kissing her soundly. “Our child will be important in our lives.”

  She nodded against his chest. “Paramount. Above everything.”

  “And our child will know love.”

  They had a quiet night that night, with she on her computer and Grif watching a ball game on TV. At one point Kendall sat back in her chair just enjoying the companionship. They didn’t need to talk all the time; just being together in the same room was nice. When they went to bed that night, they made love with a stronger understanding for each other.

  “Kendall, your father is here.”

  She’s barely looked up at the intercom when her father let himself into the room. “Hey, Dad, this is a nice surprise.”

  And it was. Her father had retired and the company had been under her control for two months now. There had been a few minor growing pains, such as finding the new head of the real estate arm of the company, but other than that it had been going smooth. She’d come to realize, however, that the Herrington name did a lot of the paving.

  Frank crossed the room and wrapped her in a hug. “It’s good to see you, Munchkin.” He pulled away and rubbed his hand lightly over the baby bump. “And how is little Munchkin?”

  “Little Munchkin is fine. Bouncing off the walls of his cell. The kid is always moving. I’m scared what he’s going to be like in a few months.”

  Dad grinned like the proud grandpapa he would be and nodded his head, as if he expected nothing less than a go-getter.

  Kendall realized as she talked to him that he looked better than he had in a long time, at least before his heart
attack. His eyes were sharp but relaxed, and his skin was a healthy pink rather than a grayish color. “You look great, I have to say.”

  He nodded, brushing a hand over his gray hair. “I do, don’t I?”

  They laughed together and Kendall couldn’t remember the last time her father had seemed so lighthearted.

  “So, what’s up? What brings you down the mountain to see your baby?”

  She made a motion to the surrounding offices and he grinned.

  “Okay, I admit, maybe I do miss coming in every morning and cracking the whip, seeing people scurry from my wrath.”

  She laughed, because to some extent that’s exactly what he used to do. “You know they’ve all filed for counseling since you left.”

  He frowned, until he realized she was only kidding.

  “I thought I would see if you have time for lunch today. It’s been a while since we had some you and I time. Where’s your other half? I thought he would be here.”

  “Grif had to run to Denver for the day. He still has his apartment and stuff over there because he hasn’t decided exactly what to do about his job.”

  Dad looked confused. “Why not just put him on Security here? Hell, with his experience he could probably head it up.”

  Kendall sighed, familiar with the argument because she used it all the time. “I know. I keep telling him that. But he doesn’t want to feel like he’s taking charity.”

  And she’d realized that the more she argued for it, the more stubborn he became.

  “Then hire him as a consultant. If he’d be comfortable leaving you with some of the other guards, he can go site to site and deal with some of the issues that pop up occasionally.”

  Kendall hadn’t thought about him doing that, but it made perfect sense. It wouldn’t be all the time, but he could be earning a living.

  She understood why he was being so stubborn. He didn’t have anything out here. None of his stuff, nothing to mark her apartment as his as well. Guilt chewed at her. She should have thought of that. Maybe they needed to look at a house. But then he’d want to contribute money, which he needed a way to earn. It was a catch-22.

  “But back to your original question, yes, I would love to go to lunch with you.”

  Ortiz had gone down to the security lounge, so she called him and told him they were going to The Chophouse, one of her father’s favorite restaurants. Charles, her father’s driver, would drive them. Ortiz promised to meet her in the lobby.

  They got to the restaurant without incident. June in Vail tended to be busy, though not nearly as bad as in the winter.

  Kendall was famished, so the Chophouse, well known for its steaks, suited her perfectly. The baby had taught her to eat more substantial food. Salads and a piece of fruit just weren’t keeping her anymore. Protein had moved to the top of her list. The doctor had warned her she would gain weight. Years of cultivated fears kept her off the scale. She didn’t want to know how much she had gained, though they told her every time she went to the doctor’s office.

  Over appetizers, her father finally got around to the reason for his visit.

  “My divorce from Deedra is almost complete. My lawyer called me today. I’m going to have to pay her a settlement, but hopefully it will get her out of our lives. She’s been at a resort for the past few weeks.”

  Kendall’s brows shot into her hairline. “I didn’t know anything about this.”

  “Yeah, we had a blowup after the last board meeting, and we each retreated to our separate corners for a while. She took a shopping trip to New York - with Hunter, I assume- because he disappeared about the same time, and I stayed home for Emily to take care of me.” He grinned at her. “I think Deedra was trying to remind me how much I needed her in my life, but it thoroughly backfired. I enjoyed every minute of her being gone. When she finally did turn up I told her not to unpack her bags, that I was ready to move on.”

  He paused as the waiter appeared to take away their plates.

  “You should have seen her. She was livid. Ripped me up one side and down the other and tried to say her infidelity was my fault.”

  Kendall choked on her water. “Are you serious?”

  Frank’s green eyes twinkled as he nodded his head. “She thought I’d been sleeping with Emily the entire time. I have to say, if Emily had consented I probably would have, but she won’t take scraps anymore she said. So I asked her to marry me once the Deedra mess is straightened out.”

  Kendall’s mouth dropped open, but for the life of her she couldn’t do anything about it. When she could finally catch her breath, she circled the table to give her father a hug. “About damn time! Although I don’t know if you should get married again so quickly, even to Emily.”

  He nodded. “She said pretty much the same thing, so we’re just going to take it easy for a while. I might take her on a trip and enjoy some of the money I have laying around.”

  Kendall nodded as she sat back down. “I think that would be a fabulous idea. Take her on a cruise. It’s on her bucket list.”

  His eyes lit up. “A cruise, huh? Okay. I can definitely do that.”

  Their entrees arrived then and she dug into her steak. It tasted phenomenal; the fat on the edges burnt crisp just the way she liked it, but pink in the middle. It satisfied the carnivore in her.

  They were almost through the meal when the waiter stepped up to their table. “Sir, I am so sorry to interrupt you, but your wife is trying to pay her tab and the card has been declined.”

  Her father laughed out loud. “Good! I had them cancelled for that very reason.”

  Kendall laughed, knowing for fact that he’d done it out of spite. But could she blame him?

  “Tell my soon-to-be ex-wife that she’s going to have to find some other golden goose to pay her bill.”

  The waiter cringed, but turned away to do as he was told.

  “You’re making that poor man’s day very difficult.”

  Frank shrugged and grinned, tipping his head to eat the rest of his steak.

  Within about thirty seconds they heard a screech from the front of the exclusive restaurant. Deedra barreled back through the room, zeroing in on Frank. “You bastard! How dare you!”

  Frank gave Deedra an innocent look. “How dare I what, dear?”

  “How dare you cut me off like that. I took care of you for two years, through your heart attack and retirement, and this is how you repay me?”

  Kendall couldn’t help but snort. She tried to cover it with a cough, but the woman’s vicious gaze swung in her direction. “And you, you little pansy ass bitch, how dare you let him do this to me? I was your friend.”

  Kendall sat back in her chair in surprise. She hadn’t known that. “Well, Deedra, I’m sorry you feel I let you down.”

  The woman’s crazed eyes flared even sharper with fury at Kendall’s carefully worded response.

  “Deedra, you knew this was coming. Your lawyer told you about it last week. I don’t understand why you’re acting so surprised now.”

  Her big blue eyes filled with tears and she stepped forward enough to rest her hand on Frank’s shoulder. “Because I never thought you’d be so harsh. I was hoping there would be a way we could work all this out, without all the lawyers and legal stuff.”

  Kendall felt more than saw Ortiz step in from the side.

  Frank shook his head and pulled his shoulder out of her grasp. “If you liked the life you had, you never should have jumped into bed with somebody else. You rocked the boat, Deedra.”

  She stamped her high-heeled foot in fury. “No, I didn’t. You’ve been sleeping with the housekeeper for years, so it was only fair I slept with Hunter.”

  Smiling, Frank shook his head. “You know, years ago I probably would have slept with Emily on the side, but I’ve matured, Deedra. I don’t need all the drama anymore. I made a mistake in marrying you. Go back to Hunter in New York.”

  Deliberately he looked her up and down, then, with a bored look turned away from her and picke
d up his silverware. “But don’t go back to the penthouse. I’m having the locks changed. Your items will be placed into storage unless you take too long to retrieve them; then I’ll send them to charity.”

  People around them snickered.

  She gasped in mortified outrage and stepped forward, holding out her hand. “But I don’t have anywhere to go,” she cried. Tears dripped down her cheeks, but her father just shrugged.

  “Not my concern.”

  With a furious cry, she reached for his steak knife, but her hand never connected. Ortiz was there in a flash, twisting her arm behind her back. Deedra screamed all the way out of the restaurant.

  The manager arrived then, apologizing profusely. Frank waved away his apologies. “Don’t worry about it. Just know that she is no longer my wife and if she tries to tell you otherwise, kick her out.”

  Mr. Ortiz returned, straightening his suit jacket as he walked.

  Frank held out his hand to the guard. “Good job, Ortiz. Have you eaten?”

  He shook his dark head and clasped hands with the older man. “No, sir.”

  “Go eat something then. We’ll wait for you.”

  Ortiz nodded and stepped to the side, giving the manager his order. Within just a few minutes his steak was brought out and the guard was putting it away.

  Kendall was more than a little shaken. She never imagined that Deedra would go off on her father like that.

  When they left the restaurant, the light beaming through the trees blinded her. Kendall held onto her father’s elbow as they crossed the brick sidewalk to the black SUV idling at the curb for them. She stepped inside and buckled up as her father slipped in beside her. Ortiz climbed into the front.

  “Back to the office, Charles, to drop my daughter off.”

  The driver nodded and pulled away.

  “Grif is going to be upset he missed the excitement. The one day he’s gone and the shit hits the fan.”

  Her father laughed, nodding. “Indeed. Well, we couldn’t have known how exciting our lunch was going to be.”

  He’d no sooner closed his mouth than Ortiz yelled out. Kendall didn’t even have a chance to swing her head before the SUV was slammed in the side and her world went spinning. The seatbelt tightened over her tummy as the SUV rolled end over end, landing with a crunch. She thought she might have cried out before her head smacked something hard and her world went dark.