by Lori Leger
The breath left Mitchell’s lungs in a rush. He stared at Meagan and whispered, “Oh, man.”
“Mama?”
Meagan turned to him, attempting to wipe the tears from her face. “Uh huh?” she managed before biting back the onslaught of fresh ones waiting to overwhelm her.
“I hafta tell you somethin’…fwom daddy.”
Meagan choked back a sob as Mitch slipped his hand into hers. She latched onto it, lacing her fingers through his, using his strength to pick herself up. “What is it, Buck?”
“He said to tell you…he knows, and he’s glad you gave me his name…and that he’s home now.”
CHAPTER 27
Returns and Revelations
The door of the house swung open before Mitch even shifted the car into park. Niki came running out, with Tex bringing up the rear.
She jerked the car door open and gushed at the little boy in the back seat. “My little Buckaroo! I’m so glad you’re home, little man. Did you miss Aunt Niki?”
Buck nodded. “I missed youw pancakes, Aunt Nik.”
“Ah, the boy’s using me for food already!” Niki’s tone was overly dramatic, as she gave him an awkward hug, trying to work her way around his arm cast and leg brace. “But guess what, Buck? I baked for you.”
Buck’s face lit up. “Is it bwownies, aw cupcakes?”
Mitch laughed as he came around to lift Buck gently from the back seat. “Not even through the door yet, mom, and he’s already thinking of junk food.”
“That’s because his Aunt Niki has brown-nosed her way into his heart, via chocolate, since before he’s even had teeth.”
Niki shrugged at her friend. “Hey, when you’re good, you’re good.”
“You’re such a sugar pusher.” She reached out to give her friend a one armed hug. “But you’re allowed, this one day. Hey, Tex. Glad you could be here for this.” She kissed him on the cheek before following Mitch, carrying her son, into the house.
****
Niki covered her mouth, and held back tears at the thought of what could have happened. She leaned against Tex, happy that he’d turned up for Buck’s homecoming. “Lord, this could have been so much worse, Tex.”
“But it wasn’t.” He pulled her to him for a hug. “They make a good couple, don’t they?”
“They sure do.” She looked around to make certain the two of them were alone. “I don’t think either of them suspects it was us who sent that text. Has Mitch mentioned it to you?”
“Only that Meagan thinks it somehow could have been Buck’s dad.” Tex shivered. “That’s some freaky shit, there.”
“But convenient, don’t you think? After the crap he’d been putting us through in that house, I figure I earned the right to use his presence, just this once, to get those two together.”
“Uh huh.” Tex leaned in to give her a quick kiss. “Almost as convenient as getting locked in the club after hours with no way of getting out.”
“At least not without setting off the burglar alarm, anyway, which we never would have lived down,” she added. “Thank God, Mitch went to the club to look for Meggie’s phone.”
Tex laughed. “And his bladder that he had to go to the head, so we could sneak out of there without him seeing us.” He turned her in the direction of the house. “You think they’ll ever figure it out?”
She let him lead her inside. “I won’t tell, if you won’t.”
****
A little before 10:00 p.m., Mitch looped Meagan’s waist with one arm and planted a soft kiss on the side of her neck. “Come sit with me for a while, before I go home, Megs. We’ve done all the cleaning we can do in this kitchen for one night.”
She folded her dishcloth in half and draped it over the edge of the sink. “I guess you’re right.” A long, low roll of thunder echoed in the distance as rain pelted the windows. The lights had flickered and gone out about a half-hour earlier, necessitating the lighting of candles in some rooms. A couple of said candles were scented. As a result, the soft scents of warmed cinnamon, combined with a light orange and vanilla candle to fill the air with deliciousness.
Meagan leaned over the jar candle sitting on the kitchen counter, and used its own lid to smother the flame.
She let Mitch lead her into the living room, feeling just a little shy. Her stomach churned with butterflies as he pulled her to the couch. Since Buck’s accident, they hadn’t really ‘talked’ about much more than that. Mitch had hinted a few times that they would, once her son made it home from the hospital. Here it was, November 6th, already, six long days after the accident, three days after Buck had woken up with no loss of brain function.
Part of her looked forward to what Mitchell had to say, suspecting he’d given up the idea that she and Buck weren’t safe with him. The other part of her was too accustomed to disappointment, and terrified to hope for a life with this man. Her run of luck had been so bad for so long. Why should now be any different?
Mitch settled on one end of the couch, his back up against the arm, and pulled her down with him, holding her close. “I think we need to talk.”
Candlelight flickered from the end table while a hurricane lamp on a stool at the opposite end of the hallway cast an ethereal glow from the opening.
Oh God, here it comes. She swallowed the bile building in the back of her throat. When had she begun to rely so heavily on Mitchell’s presence for strength? When had she fallen in love with him? She could almost hear the words forming in his mind. “You and Buck are entirely too much trouble to risk a relationsh—”
“I love you, Meagan.”
What? “You do?” Her mind couldn’t seem to grasp and accept his words. There had to be a catch.
“And I’m crazy about Buck.”
Someone started a drum cadence in her chest with a pair of sledgehammers. She finally got the courage to face him, biting on her lower lip to keep the quivering to a minimum.
He reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “Well?”
She swallowed. “I’m waiting for the but…”
He frowned. “You’re waiting for the butt…it’s not a joke. There’s no joke and no butt. I love you and your son.”
She shook her head. “Not like the butt of a joke, the B-U-T…like ‘I love you, but we still can’t be together,’ or something to that effect.”
He pursed his lips, almost as if he was trying to hold back a laugh. What in hell did he find so funny about this situation?
“Are you trying not to laugh at me?” Her heart was about to pound out of her chest from anxiety and this son of a bitch was trying not to laugh?
He coughed and seemed to sober. “Ooo-kay…” he drawled. “You’re absolutely correct in assuming there is a B-U-T, and here it is.” He cleared his throat loudly. “I love you, and I love Buck, and I want you both in my life permanently…but…” He held up a finger and touched the center of her forehead. “I can’t have that unless you and Buck both want me in your lives also.”
She blinked several times, trying to keep the tears from blocking out the sight of him.
He looked at his watch. “I guess it’s kind of late to ask Buck tonight, so I guess his answer will have to wait until tomorrow. But…it sure as hell would be nice to get an answer from you right now.” He slid to his knees on the floor in front of her, fitting himself between her legs. “So, are you gonna keep me in suspense all night? Because I’m not leaving here without an answer. No—scratch that! I’m not leaving here without the right answer.”
She slipped her arms around his neck and smiled. “You don’t have to wait until tomorrow Mitch. I’m making an executive decision for both Buck and me.”
“You are?”
“Uh huh. I know how I feel about you and I know Buck’s crazy about you…so yeah. Yes, you can be a part of our lives.” She kissed him then, a long, lingering kiss that left both of them wanting for more. He didn’t have to say a word for her to know that…every square inch of his body revealed how m
uch he wanted her. She shivered at the nearness of him, breathed in his masculine scent. Then she ran her hands down the front of his shirt to his belt.
He stopped her hand from travelling any further. “Uh uh uh…not so fast. You don’t think I’m going to let you use me without getting a commitment from you first, do you?”
“But, I already said you could be a part of our lives…”
“That’s only part of the right answer and I’m a total package kinda guy.”
She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him closer. “Oh, God…You sure are.”
“So?”
“So…I love you. But you knew that already…Didn’t you, Marine?”
Mitch kissed her, then nibbled and traced a sensual path from her mouth to her ear. She shivered, her entire body anticipating his next move as he growled low in his throat.
“Mm…I suspected.”
~~~
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Excerpt of
RAINY SEASON
(title subject to change)
(Haley Broussard & Ben Bonin’s story)
Introducing a new character, Bo McAllister, into the
Niki and Tex subplot, as well as a continuation of
Meagan and Mitch’s storyline.
CHAPTER 1
Thanksgivings and Thanks for Nothings
Tex glanced up from reading the paper. Haley entered the room, looking about as cheery as a Golden Retriever with a dead duck tied around its neck. “What’s going on sis?”
She flopped down on the couch, her laptop tucked under one arm and holding a family size bag of skittles in the other. She dug around in the bag and came up with a handful of red ones, but still didn’t answer.
“Why the hell don’t you go to the mall and buy bags of just red ones?”
Eventually, Haley graced him with an irritable glare. She picked up the remote and began flipping through the stations, finally landing on the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“You know, little sister, your boyfriend may be dealing with something that requires a higher priority than keeping a phone date with his girlfriend.”
Haley turned to him, her eyes wide and filled with threatening tears. “No! Really? That thought never crossed my mind…jerk.”
“Hold on, now. I doubt there’s a hell of a lot going on where he is right now. He’s in the North Helmand Province, isn’t he? He’s probably spending most of his time on the base, being bored out of his mind.”
“If he was on base, I’d have heard from him by now.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and waved it at him. “He said he’d call or email or message me first thing this morning to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving.” She dropped her phone on the couch beside her and popped a couple of Skittles in her mouth. “He always calls when he says he will. Wherever Ben is, he’s sure as hell not sitting around being bored.”
Tex folded the Beaumont Enterprise and rolled it up as he’d found it on the doorstep of his parents’ front porch this morning. He swatted his knee a couple of times, then stood suddenly. “You need a change of scenery, Haley girl. Go get dressed, because you and me are takin’ a little road trip.”
“Where to?” She let him pull her up by the hand.
“We’re going to Louisiana. Just ‘cause mom and dad decided to go skiing in Colorado for the holidays, doesn’t mean you and I can’t have a decent Thanksgiving.”
“We’ll be back by tonight, won’t we? I’ve got to be here to take care of my horses.”
“Nope. Pack a bag for the night. Give ‘em a little extra hay, they’ll be fine until tomorrow evening.”
“But I hate leaving Dakota.”
Tex stared down at his petite sister. “For Christ sake, she’s a twelve hundred pound horse, not a child. I think she can handle one night away from you without succumbing to separation anxiety. Besides, she has three other horses out there to keep her company. She’ll be fine.” He grumbled under his breath. “God knows their stalls are all nicer than my own house.”
“That’s only because you live like a slob. Bachelor pads are supposed to be welcoming to women, but yours is disgusting.” She shivered. “You can’t set foot in that place without having to step over take-out cartons, empty beer cans, or dirty laundry.” She tucked her computer under her arm and scooped up her phone. “You really should hire somebody to clean once a week. God, I thought Marines were supposed to be neat and organized.”
“Hey, I had to be neat and organized for twenty years. Now I can be as sloppy as I want to be. Besides—” he slapped one of his biceps. “Once the ladies get a hold of this, they’re too mesmerized to see anything else.”
Haley walked away from her brother, snorting with laughter. “Yeah, Stud…you just keep tellin’ yourself that.”
Tex watched his sister slip her boots on and head outside, thankful he’d been able to pull her out of her temporary depression. There were a few good reasons for a Marine not to contact his favorite girl on Thanksgiving Day. Worse-case-scenario? Him, lying dead from some sniper, rocket, or IED, which was a possibility, though less so at this point in the war. Other reasons were injuries, which were also a possibility, a lack of signal, or wanting to dump one girl for another. From the sickly-sweet phone conversations he had witnessed on occasion between Haley and Ben Bonin, he figured that was highly unlikely. Chances are he was busy with supply runs or on patrol and lacked the equipment to phone home. Both included an element of danger. She’d just have to wait it out. In their parents’ absence, he figured the least he could do was to make the waiting less painful for her.
He pulled out his phone and found the contact he was looking for. He punched in the number and waited through three rings before Mitch Hebert picked it up with a jovial “Happy Thanksgiving shit brick!”
“You also, jerk wad! You up to a visit from your two favorite Texans?”
****
“Mom!”
“Hang on, Buck, I’m coming.” Meagan topped the green bean casserole with the last of the French fried onions and slipped it back in the oven for the last 10 minutes of baking time.
She wiped her hands on her jeans and went into Buck’s room. He sat on his bed trying to dress himself, but without much success. She laughed at his half-dressed predicament, one leg in and one leg out of a pair of oversized sweat pants, and one arm and his head through a #8 Texans football jersey.
After a struggle, she finally got his braced leg through the second leg of the sweats. She sat back and groaned at his choice of shirts. “Son, you have other shirts, you know. Two weeks straight of the same football jersey is getting old.”
“But it was my daddy’s favwite team, and Mitch gave it to me.” He looked up at her with pleading eyes as he kicked his good leg against the side of his bed. “Please mom?”
“Okay, but after this cast comes off, I don’t want to see you in jerseys for a while. And you will be dressed up in an adorable little suit for Christmas if it kills me!” She finagled until she finally got the cast through the arm of the jersey. “You want me to carry you in the living room?”
“No, I want to go in the kitchen with you and Nik.” He got his crutch and hopped to the kitchen as if he was born using the darn thing.
Niki passed him in the hallway and groaned. “God, I can’t wait until he gets off of that crutch. It’s like having our own little Tiny Tim from that Dickens novel.”
Meagan laughed as she placed the buttermilk pies on the snack bar next to the pumpkin pie. “I know, but it’s so much better than the alternative, right?”
“Definitely! Hey did you remember to pick up whipped topping for the pumpkin pie?”
“I’d forgotten, but Mitch is bringing it.”
“Are you sure? Because, I only have pumpkin pie once a year
and it’s not the same without it.”
Meagan looked up at the sound of knocking at the front door. “There he is, go ask him yourself.”
****
Niki jerked on the door and held it open wide as Mitch entered, carrying a large roasting pan. “Good Lord, that smells awesome!” Her gaze followed the roaster as she pushed on the door. “But where’s the whipped topping?” Something large stopped the door from closing. She turned to see Tex Broussard in the doorway, wearing a shit-eating grin.
He pushed his way inside brandishing two cans of whipped topping and a twelve-pack of domestic beer. “Ask and ye shall receive, madam.” He bowed gallantly at the waist before holding the cans out to her.
His younger sister, Haley, pushed her way around him. “Yeah, yeah! Mitch already bought it, you just carried it in. Hey Niki, how are you?” Haley reached out to give Niki a hug. “I hope y’all don’t mind that Mitch asked us to come along. Our folks went to Colorado and it sucks being alone on a holiday with only him for company.”
“Not at all, and I’m good, Haley. More importantly, how’s it going with Lance Corporal Bonin?”
Niki watched enviously as Haley’s soft brown eyes lit up with barely concealed excitement. “God, I miss Ben so much! He sends me a rose every single Monday, Niki. Isn’t that the most romantic thing? He wants me to fly out with his mom to Hawaii when he gets back from this deployment in six months.”
Tex groaned and made a show of rolling his eyes. “Jesus Christ, that’s all I hear lately. ‘Ben said this!’ and ‘Ben did that!’” He shook his head. “Give me a break, would you?”
Haley surprised her brother with an effective punch to his gut. “Shut up, you jerk! You know, it’s not a sin for a guy to be romantic. From what I hear, you could take a few lessons from him in the consideration department.” She winked at Niki before heading to the kitchen and leaving the two of them alone at the doorway.