“You sound like you stumbled across something you didn’t know you needed.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she recognized them as her truth as well as his. A frisson of energy coursed through her. Could he tell?
“I guess so. I adopted him that day. The people at the shelter said that he’d been passed over for weeks because no one wanted a dog his size. He was scheduled to be put down the next day. If I hadn’t walked in…”
“But you did.” She’d learned the futility of what-ifs even though in the dark of night she fell into the bad habit.
“We both got lucky.” He let go of her hand and joined Libby. Jack gave his hand a lick as soon as he was within reach.
Harper hung back. What made luck good or bad? And could it change? Maybe something that classified as bad luck at the time later took on the cast of good luck because that pivotal moment changed the course of a life forever in ways no one could foresee.
Ben ran over to her and wrapped himself around her legs. She squatted down and hugged him. He was wet and grainy with sand, but she didn’t care. If luck existed, then he was the best kind.
He was gone again in a flash, chasing Ryan along the high-tide line. Bennett pulled a tennis ball out of a pocket in his cargo pants and handed it to Libby. Jack spotted the ball and bounced around, panting and excited.
“Want to throw it for Jack? He’s gotten chubby this winter and needs to run,” Bennett said.
A childish joy crossed her face as she took the ball, Jack on her heels.
“Ryan doesn’t seem fazed by Sophie and Darren and Allison, but I worry about Libby. She’s too perceptive and internalizes her feelings.”
“She’ll survive.” Bennett’s voice contained a certainty she didn’t share. “Most of us do.”
Surely survival wasn’t all anyone could hope for. Harper had survived, but now that she’d had a taste of happiness, she craved more.
“I want her to do more than survive; I want her to be happy.” She stared at Bennett, wondering what was going on behind his dark, secretive eyes. “Don’t you want more than to just survive? Don’t you want to be happy?”
“Not sure what that means.” He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Happiness has always been elusive. Like an exclusive club I was barred from by accident of birth.”
She wrapped her hand around his wrist and nuzzled into his palm, laying a kiss on his life line. “You’ve never been happy?”
“I was happy with Sarge, I suppose. But he died.” He hesitated, looking out over the vast ocean and not at her. His voice dropped to a whisper. “And with you. You make me happy. So much so, it scares me.”
She held still even as she wanted to throw herself into his arms to kiss away the years of loneliness etched on his bones. Her heart danced a jig even as his word choice pulled the plug on the triumphant music. “Scares” was a far cry from “amazes” or “exhilarates” but better than “makes me feel doomed.”
“You make me happy, too. After Noah, I wasn’t sure if it was possible.”
Troubles shadowed his eyes. His hand tightened around her nape as if she were a flight risk, yet he didn’t speak.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Every time it had rung over the weekend, her stomach flipped like an Olympic gymnast on speed. She fumbled it out of her pocket. Allison’s name stared back at her.
A tremble affected her voice. “H-hello?”
“She’s awake. And she knows me. She’s going to be okay.” Allison was laugh-crying. “Can you bring the kids back?”
Bone-melting relief had her leaning into Bennett. His arm came around her. “Of course. As soon as I can get us packed up.”
“Thank you, Harper. For everything. I’ll be waiting.” Allison disconnected.
Harper didn’t hesitate this time but fell into Bennett’s chest, borrowing from his strength. “Sophie’s awake.”
“Thank God.” He rubbed his chin alongside her temple, her senses heightened from the shot of fear.
“Allison wants to see the kids.”
“I’ll drive.”
She pulled back. “Are you sure? I thought you had to work tomorrow?”
“I’ll call Andrew in to open the store. You’re more important.”
She buried her face in his neck so he wouldn’t see how much his declaration meant.
“You ready to tell Libby and Ryan?” he asked while rubbing circles on her back.
“Yep.” At least this was one tragedy she could spare the kids. Maybe Sophie’s recovery would spur the mending of Darren and Allison’s marriage.
When they heard the good news, Ryan whooped and ran circles around Harper and Bennett while Libby only smiled, but she skipped next to Jack London on the way back to the house.
The next hour was a flurry of activity as everyone showered off the salt and sand and gathered up items that had migrated all over the house.
Harper’s mom gave each kid an enveloping hug along with a paper-bag lunch. She pressed a larger bag into Harper’s hands. Harper rolled her eyes toward Bennett, who stooped to give her mom a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Gail.”
Her mom patted his arm. “I put in an extra oatmeal cookie for you, Bennett. Don’t let Harper steal it.”
“Hey!” Harper’s protest lacked heat. Seeing her mom and Bennett interact settled a warm fist around her heart.
Ben blocked the door, his bottom lip pouched out. “I wanna come, too.”
Harper dropped to one knee to put them at eye level. “We’re going to the hospital, pumpkin. It won’t be any fun.”
“You’re always leaving me behind with Yaya.”
Harper sent a panicked look toward Bennett and her mom. She couldn’t even argue the point, because since meeting Bennett and working to get the coffee business off the ground she had been leaving Ben more often. Guilt sprouted like a pervasive weed that was impossible to eradicate.
Bennett knelt next to her. “Someone has to take care of Jack London while we’re gone. I was counting on you, big guy.”
“You want me to feed him?” Ben’s voice lost some of its waver.
“Feed him, walk him, and”—Bennett leaned closer and whispered, “pick up his poop.”
Ben made an eww noise, but the hint of a smile snuck back on his face. “I can do that.”
Bennett stood and ruffled Ben’s hair. “I know you can.”
Harper drew Ben in for a hug. He laid his head on her shoulder and she took a deep breath, drawing in his distinctive little-boy smell to take with her. “I’ll miss you every minute I’m gone, but I’ll be home soon. Promise. Take care of Jack and Yaya, okay?”
His arms tightened around her neck to the point of being uncomfortable. Not that she planned to complain. How much longer would he freely give her hugs? While time could heal, it also meant growing up and change.
Disentangling herself from Ben and walking away was like leaving him the first day of preschool. Out of her arms, he retreated to hold her mom’s hand. She gave her mom a quick hug and kiss and followed Bennett to his truck before her sappy tears had a chance to make an appearance.
The kids were already in the backseat with everyone’s bags stored in the bed. Jack’s deep-chested bark from the front window was like a hammer to her already-fragile emotions. Bennett didn’t speak as he steered them down the road, but he took her hand in his and linked their fingers. His steadiness in turn steadied her.
The drive seemed to take forever, yet as they pulled in to the hospital parking lot she searched for the right words to prepare Libby and Ryan.
Turning, she laid her arm over the backs of the seats. “Guys, I’m not sure how tired your mom and dad and Sophie will be or if Sophie will even be up to talking at this point.”
“Are the tubes all gone?” Libby’s gaze was fixed out the window at the hospital, her voice flat and emotionless.
“Probably not. The doctors will still need to monitor her.”
“Do you think her hair has grown back?” Ryan perched
on the edge of the seat, ready to go.
“That’s going to take a while, I’m afraid.”
“I wonder if she knows yet,” Libby said.
“Knows what?” Harper tensed.
“That her hair is gone. She wanted to grow it out like Rapunzel. She’s going to be really sad.”
“Then you’ll have to do your best to cheer her up, won’t you?”
Libby gave a brusque nod, and Harper fought not to reach for her. Libby’s stoicism didn’t mean she didn’t care; it meant she cared so much she was overwhelmed.
“Listen, guys, everything might be different for a while, but it will be okay. Not today. Maybe not even next week. But eventually. Can you trust me on that?”
Libby finally met her eyes. “Promise?” she whispered so softly, only the movement of her lips revealed the word.
“I promise.” Harper didn’t let her own roiling emotions waver her voice or her gaze.
Libby’s shoulders fell an inch, a portion of her anxiety appeased. “I’m ready.”
They piled out and made their way to the children’s floor. Harper led them through the halls to Sophie’s room. It didn’t look much different except for one huge exception: Sophie was propped up and her eyes were open.
“L-Libby.” Sophie’s voice was hesitant and stuttered a little, but her arms flew up and she made grabby hands toward her sister.
Libby hugged Sophie like she was as precious and delicate as a butterfly. Allison gave Ryan a quick hug, guided him to the other side of Sophie’s bed, then stood back and watched with a hand over her mouth.
Shock and relief and happiness crashed through Harper, leaving room for hope.
“Wh-where’s Da-dee?” Sophie’s big blue eyes peered beyond Harper and into the hall where Bennett waited.
“He’ll be back soon, darling.” Allison’s voice cracked and revealed the lie.
Harper touched Allison’s arm and mouthed his name. Allison’s mouth tightened, and she nudged her head toward the hallway. Harper followed and they gathered with Bennett, who had propped a shoulder on the wall outside the room.
“Where’s Darren?” Harper asked.
“I don’t know.” Allison ran a hand through her lank hair. The week had aged her a decade. “As soon as Sophie woke up and the doctors assured us she would make a full recovery, he left.”
“Are you still mad at him?”
“No. Yes.” Allison’s laugh contained equal amounts of irony and exhaustion. “I don’t know. I’ve called and left him a half-dozen messages. I thought about going after him, but Sophie needs me right now.”
“What do you need from us?” Harper asked.
Allison watched the kids interact. Sophie’s soft giggles were the sweetest music. “I want my family together. Could you track down Darren and bring him back?”
Bennett’s face was grimmer than normal. “I’ll find him and bring him home.”
Chapter 21
Present Day
Adrenaline careened through Bennett, lengthening his stride as he punched Darren’s name into his phone. No answer. He muttered a curse. Harper alternated between a fast walk and jog at his side, her face flushed and drawn with worry. He forced himself to slow.
It had been a long time since the dread and anticipation of a mission hovered over him. He was not handling it well. Maybe he was out of practice or maybe he was old, but his stomach felt ready to expel the sandwich and oatmeal cookies he’d scarfed down on the road.
“Do you think something is wrong?” Her question came out breathless.
He stopped. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but wisps had escaped. Brushing a piece behind her ear, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. Her skin was soft and sweet smelling. Too many nights he woke from erotically charged dreams starring her, his senses tricking him and making him believe she was with him, her scent lingering like a memory.
“The sooner we find him the better.” It was a nonanswer, but she didn’t call him on it. He walked on but at a slower, although still brisk, pace.
“It’s weird he wouldn’t stay to see Libby and Ryan, isn’t it?” she asked with the same worry growing ulcers in his stomach.
“We’ll start at their house.”
Negotiating the checkpoints grew his impatience. Bennett had to keep his voice from betraying his agitation. The MPs were only doing their job. Finally, he and Harper were free and he pulled up to Darren and Allison’s house.
“His SUV is here. Thank goodness.” Harper hopped out of the truck and ran to the front door. A quiet pall hung over the street, and Bennett scanned in all directions as if an attack could come from any direction. The hairs along his neck stood on end, his fight-or-flight instincts awakened even though he couldn’t pinpoint why. Certainly he didn’t anticipate an enemy combatant jumping out of the azalea bush.
Harper rang the doorbell, knocked, and cupped her hands to look through the mottled glass insert of the window. “I can’t see or hear anyone. Maybe he’s out for a walk?”
He tried the knob, but the door was locked. “Do you know if Allison leaves a key anywhere?”
Harper flipped up the red pot. Metal glinted through dirt. Bennett picked up the key and wiped it on his pants. He unlocked the door and cracked it open, instinctively crouching down, his hand going to his hip for a gun that wasn’t there and hadn’t been for years. His throat was parched, and when he called Darren’s name it sounded rough and creaky.
No answer. He stepped farther into the foyer and listened. Nothing. The house had an abandoned feel even as he nudged a pair of tennis shoes out of the way. Onward he scouted, expecting the worst.
The den and kitchen were clear. “Wait here while I check upstairs.”
“I’ll come with you.” Harper took a step backward, but he stopped her with his arm, blocking the way back.
“No. Let me. In case…” He couldn’t bring himself to say what he was thinking, but by the way her eyes widened and fear flickered across her face he didn’t have to.
He waited for her to nod before he returned to the stairs and took them on soft feet, only a slight creak giving him away. He pushed each door along the hallway open, revealing nothing more than empty rooms. In front of the master bedroom, he hesitated, preparing himself. The door swung open with a whine of the hinges.
It took a heartbeat for reality to crash with expectation. His knees trembled and he expelled a long breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
Darren stood at the open back window, the flowered curtains fluttering with the breeze. He was barefoot in worn-out jeans and a T-shirt. Bennett’s gaze hung on the matte black 9mm in his hand. It was pointed at the floor. Even though Darren hadn’t acknowledged Bennett’s presence, he was too well trained not to be aware he was no longer alone.
“Why didn’t you answer the door, man?” Bennett approached like the gun was a water moccasin, ready to strike at any moment.
“Because I don’t want you here.” Darren continued to stare out the window.
“Harsh, but I appreciate the honesty. Whatcha you doing with that gun? Shooting squirrels?” Easing ever closer, Bennett forced a false casualness into his voice the same time his heart was clawing its way out of his chest.
Darren raised the gun and Bennett froze, but he just looked at it as if surprised to see it in his hand. He let it fall to rest against his leg once more. “Not really any of your business, Griz.”
“Seeing as how you’re my brother-in-arms, I’m making it my business.”
“Fuck off.” He might have been wishing a stranger a nice day by the tone of his voice.
His cold calmness scared Bennett almost as much as the gun. “Not gonna happen.”
“I don’t need witnesses.” Darren waved the gun to the side, and Bennett stepped backward, tripping over the clawed foot of the old-fashioned mahogany bed frame, but no bullet erupted from the barrel. “I left a note.”
Bennett’s gaze shot to the dresser. A white envelope leaned against Allison and D
arren’s wedding picture, the front scrawled with her name.
“Letter ain’t good enough. She wants you. Sent me and Harper to find you and bring you back.”
His pronouncement elicited a response from Darren. He half-turned so he could peer at Bennett. Sunlight limned his body and left his expression a mystery, but his voice pitched higher. “Bullshit. She hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you. She’s hurting and confused, but she still loves you.”
“Sophie is going to be okay.”
“I know. We dropped Libby and Ryan at the hospital so they could hug up on her. We left Sophie giggling.” Bennett paused for effect. “She asked for you. Sophie wanted her daddy.”
Darren didn’t speak, only turned back to the window and brought the gun up to rest on the sill.
Bennett continued. “They’re great kids, all three of them. Libby’s so smart. Older than her years, though, because she’s worried about you and Allison. Ryan bounds around with the energy of a puppy. Speaking of, he really took to Jack London; you should get him a dog. And Sophie’s sweet and innocent enough to still believe her daddy can conquer all.”
“I can’t, though. I can’t even conquer what’s in my own head.” He rubbed the barrel of the gun against his forehead. Bennett measured the distance to Darren and wondered if he was strong and fast enough to wrest the gun away before one of them got shot. Darren was leaner than his time in the SEALs but as fit as he’d always been. The odds were not in Bennett’s favor.
“How about you give me the gun? You’re making me nervous,” Bennett said.
“Afraid I’m going to shoot myself in front of you?”
“The way you’re waving it around, I’m afraid you’ll accidently shoot me.”
A rusty laugh came from Darren. Bennett took that as a positive sign.
“I wouldn’t kill myself in the house. Too messy. I was trying to decide whether to do it by the fence, in the middle of the yard, or in the toolshed.” Darren’s voice was back to being supernaturally calm.
Bennett debated his options. Maybe the best one was to play along until he could get the gun away from Darren. “You want Allison or one of the kids to find you with your brains blown all over the fence or grass or gardening equipment? Less mess if you hang yourself.”
The Military Wife Page 25