by LK Shaw
“I sobered up enough to know what I was doing not long after we got to the hotel. You said all the right things, and believe it or not, all my troubles disappeared, and you were the only person on earth I wanted to be with. But when I woke the next morning and reality sank in, I got scared. And horrified. But mostly embarrassed. No matter how mind-blowing the sex was, I’d just had a one night stand with a man whose name I couldn’t even remember. I felt shame. I’d never been that girl. Stuart was my first real boyfriend. Sleeping around was not something I did. So, instead of facing you, and those crazy feelings I had when I was with you, I ran.”
Throughout my whole speech, David listened intently, an unreadable expression on his face. I had no idea what he was thinking. After I finished, I sat and waited to see what he would do next. Would he condemn me for my actions or understand why I’d done what I had?
“That explains a lot of things. If I had known you were that drunk I wouldn’t have taken you to a hotel. That’s not the kind of man I am. I’m sorry you were hurting, Sofie. And I feel the same way about that night. It was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had. I felt something for you. In fact, I still do. After I was deployed, you were my saving grace through so many nights. I think I would have gone insane over there if it hadn’t been for you. It didn’t matter that we only had a few hours together. I thought of you constantly. I’m sorry I left you to raise Mia alone.”
Now it was my turn to stare at him. Was he even real? What kind of man is told he has a daughter he never knew and then apologizes because he wasn’t around to help raise her? There was no way he could be this perfect. I searched his face looking for some hidden flaw. I didn’t mean physical flaw; Lord knows he didn’t seem to have one. But a personality flaw. The only thing I sensed from him, though, was complete sincerity. I sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall.
“I thought you would hate me when I told you. I’ve been anxious ever since I saw you yesterday. I didn’t know how I was going to tell you. Thank you for not hating me. And you have nothing to apologize for, David. It’s entirely my fault. I should have been woman enough to face you the next morning. It’s not like I’m the first woman on Earth to have a one-night stand.”
Unexpectedly, David reached out and clasped my hands on top of the table. A spark ignited at his touch. I squirmed in my seat when he began rubbing his thumb across the top of my knuckles. It was an innocent touch, but even still, it turned me on. A throbbing began deep inside me. I tried to ignore it and focus on what he was saying.
“So, what do we do now? We barely know each other. I mean, I don’t even know your last name or where you live. What do you do for a living? Do you even want me to be a part of our daughter’s life? For the record, I desperately want to be a part of it, so I hope that won’t be a point of contention between us.”
“No, no, not at all. I would never keep you away from Mia unless I thought it wasn’t in her best interest. Until I see otherwise, I would like you to be a part of her life. You’re her father.”
“And the rest? Because I’d also like to be a part of your life, Sofie. In what capacity, well, I guess we don’t have to decide that today. But I do want to be there.”
If I was still asleep, I didn’t want to wake up. This was almost too good to be true. This seemingly wonderful man in front of me was saying all the right things. I tried not to be pessimistic about things in life, but I kept waiting for the anvil to drop. Even though I only knew the superficial things, I wanted to know more. Could we build something together? I was willing to find out. Mustering up all my courage, I took the leap.
“Hi, my name is Sofie Chambers. I’m thirty-eight years old and live outside Manchester, NH. I’m a physical therapist at the VA Medical Center, and I’d very much like you to be a part of your daughter’s life. And quite possibly, mine.”
Whew, that wasn't so hard now that it was over. My shoulders slumped in relief at having gotten that over with. I looked over at David expectantly. He had a goofy smile on his face.
“What?”
He only shook his head, his smile still causing a flutter in my belly. “Nothing. You only looked like you were about to be executed. I’m not that scary, am I? Anyway, you’ve regained all the color in your face, so it seems like you’re feeling better now. Now it’s my turn. Hi, Sofie, it’s nice to meet you. My name is David Marshall. I’m also thirty-eight years old. I am a recently retired Navy SEAL who lives in Richmond, Virginia.”
We both burst out laughing.
Chapter Six
David
“That was like the world’s worst speed dating meeting.” Sofie continued to laugh. She was absolutely stunning. Her whole face lit up when she was happy. I wanted to see that expression all the time. And, wow, a daughter? I was still in shock over it. I wanted to know everything.
After Sofie’s giggles quieted, I asked the question I’d been dying to ask since she broke the news.
“Do you have any pictures of Mia?” I heard the nervousness in my voice.
“Of course. I think my phone is about from explode from all the pictures I have. Just a second.”
She began digging through her purse until she found her phone. She tapped the screen a few times, and then she turned her phone toward me, pushing it in my direction. Hesitantly, I reached out as though it was going to bite me. I picked up the phone, and all I could do was stare. Then, I started swiping. And swiping. I got a little choked up, but managed to maintain my composure.
Every picture, from Sofie holding a baby in a hospital room to a cheesy grin with a few teeth peeking out, brought immense joy to my heart. It also brought sadness knowing how much of her life I’d missed. I planned to do everything I could to change that. Starting with showing Sofie how good we would be together. I’d start right after lunch. We finished our lunch with Sofie telling me all about Mia.
I paid our bill and led Sofie outside.
“You don’t have any plans for this afternoon, do you? I’d love to take you for a drive down to the pier and maybe a walk on the beach.”
Her shy smile had me feeling as though I could conquer the world. “I’m all yours.”
I couldn’t help but wiggle my eyebrows at her suggestive words. “All mine?”
Sofie looked puzzled for a minute, and then she blushed the brightest shade of red when she realized what she’d said. She lightly smacked my arm, and I couldn’t help but tug her toward me and into the vee of my legs. Her hands rested against my chest where I was sure she could feel the pounding of my heart.
My arms wrapped around her waist, and I couldn’t resist resting my hands against the top of her luscious ass. She stilled at the touch. Not wanting to spook her, I moved one hand upward to push her hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. I couldn’t stop my fingers from trailing along her jawline toward her chin. I clasped Sofie’s chin in my forefinger and thumb and slowly, so she could sense my intention, lowered my head to hers.
Instant heat shot through my body at the touch her lips against mine. Needing a taste, I dipped my tongue inside. Hers tangled with mine as we re-learned each other’s flavor. I deepened the kiss and swallowed a moan that escaped her. Sofie ground her pelvis into my erection and moaned again. I didn’t want this to end, but I vaguely recalled we were in the middle of a parking lot in broad daylight. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss and pushed her slightly away from me, meeting resistance the whole way. She mewled a little as she tried to push back against me.
“Sofie, sweetie, we have to stop now.”
Unconsciously, a pout crossed her lips. She blinked a few times, and finally, her eyes opened fully as she focused on my face. Another becoming blush spread across her cheeks when she realized what she’d been doing and where.
“Oh my God, why can’t I control myself around you?” Her hands left my chest to cover her face in mortification. I tried to hold back the chuckle. She peeked between her fingers, and the death glare I received would have had a lesser man quaking in
his boots. It only made her appear more adorable, and I laughed louder.
“Sugar, you’re welcome to lose control any time you’re around me. But maybe we need to save it for a more private location?”
I laughed again when another strike hit my arm.
“You’re such a jerk.”
“Ha, whatever. You love me, and you know it.”
We both froze at my words. She ducked her head as she took several steps backward, and an awkward silence surrounded us. I coughed to clear my throat.
“Well, then. You still up for that walk?”
She looked up at me and, without saying a word, nudged me out of the way as she made to open her door. I stayed her movement.
“Let me.”
Once we were both in the car, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the road. I wanted to take her for a ride along the coast, but this close to Miami it was too commercially built up to see the ocean. Nothing like the Pacific Coast Highway in Cali. Maybe one day I’d take her and Mia there.
We headed down to South Beach and South Pointe Pier. We walked down to the end of the pier and stood silently enjoying the view. I was surprised when Sofie laced our fingers together.
“Let’s head over to the beach. Maybe we can find some seashells for Mia.” I was almost surprised at the invitation. So far, I had been the one pushing to move our relationship further. Just as we reached the boundary of sand, she removed her shoes and looped the straps of her sandals over her finger.
We strolled, hand-in-hand, along the water, ignoring the crowds of tourists around us. It was just like that long ago night when everyone and everything just disappeared, and we were the only two people on the planet. A comfortable silence settled between us as we walked. Neither of us seemed to be in a hurry for the afternoon to end. I knew I needed to hang out with the Kyle, and I’m sure she wanted to spend time with her friend, but I could sense she was reluctant to part.
Eventually, I could tell she was getting tired.
“Are you ready to head back? I’m sure you’d like to get back to your friend.”
“I probably should. I only get to see Callie once a year. And I missed last year because Mia was too young. While we’re walking back, tell me about you and your friend.”
“We’re former military who served together. Both of us have seen, and sadly, done, some bad shit during our careers. We meet once a year, as well, to decompress. To not think about all that shit for a short time. Both of us have been affected in some way by the war, Kyle more so. He lost his leg to an IED. These trips are our time to focus on healing and to take our minds off the military. Plus, I’m really the only family that Kyle has, so it’s important that we spend time together whenever possible.”
“That’s such a wonderful thing that you can get together like that. I work at the VA, so I know how important the brotherhood of military men is. For some of the guys I treat, their brothers-in-arms are the ones who push them to get better. To help pull them out of the funk that they most go through. They need others like them to talk to. Who know what they’re going through and who can relate to how they’re feeling.”
“Exactly. We support each other in all ways.”
We arrived back at the car, and Sofie balanced herself against me while she dusted the sand off her feet and put her sandals back on.
“It’s got to be tough, but I’m glad you’re able to be there for each other.”
I couldn’t resist cupping Sofie’s face in my hands. I didn’t mind talking about Kyle and our military history, but I’d rather focus on the woman in front of me.
“As much as I love my friend, he’s not the one I want to talk about. You are who’s important right now. Well, you and me, rather. I know we’re both supposed to be spending time with our friends, and I still plan on doing that, but I need to spend this time with you as well, Sofie. How about we all go out to dinner tomorrow night? There’s a nice restaurant on Ocean Drive called The Local House. I know we don’t have any concrete plans so I’ll bring it up tonight.”
Sofie leaned into my touch and covered my hands with hers. She sighed a small sound of contentment.
“I’ll talk to Callie when I get back. I’d love that. We can all get to know each other. And I want her to meet Mia’s father.”
I leaned down and brushed my lips across hers, softly and tenderly. “Can I call you later? Just to talk.”
She nodded and, after digging my phone out of my pocket, I keyed in the number she gave me. I drove back to Kyle’s house and walked her next door with a promise to call her after supper.
Chapter Seven
Sofie
After David and I parted, I went inside and called Aunt Charlie. I talked to Mia for a couple minutes, but I discovered that conversations with a thirteen-month-old over the phone were quite the challenge. I knew she was in good hands, but I still worried. After I finished talking to Aunt Charlie, I spoke to Callie about dinner the next night, and she was game for it. I was curious how it would go since we were all mostly strangers. Sleeping with David two years ago made us more than strangers, but certainly not friends. More like acquaintances. Who’d fucked.
He called me as promised, and we talked into the wee hours of the morning. We both decided we would spend time with our friends the next day and then meet up at the restaurant. Callie and I did some shopping in the souvenir stores, with me picking up an adorable little t-shirt for Mia and a few cheesy souvenirs for Uncle Walt, Aunt Charlie, and Gran.
I indulged in a short nap before we headed to The Local House. We walked in the front door, and the smells of delicious food wafted around us. There was a lot of lively chatter going on from the bar. It looked like a restaurant near the beach would with everything being tan and powder blue. There was an additional room attached to the main restaurant, and I could see people sitting at tables in there eating. I also spotted a staircase that led to the upstairs where I saw people eating when we’d arrived.
“Good evening and welcome to The Local House.” The hostess greeted us. “Just the two of you ladies?”
David told me he’d placed a reservation under his name. “No, um, we’re meeting some friends here. There’s a reservation for Marshall, I believe.”
“Oh, yes, ma’am, the gentlemen are upstairs. Please, follow me.”
We straggled behind her like little lambs as she guided us through the maze of tables and up the stairs. Just then, I spotted David and his friend. I gave a cursory glance at his friend, but then my eyes went straight back to David, and I couldn’t look away.
A smile broke out across his face when he saw me. He rose from his seat when the hostess reached the table and directed me to the chair to his immediate right. Chivalry wasn’t dead apparently, and he pulled my chair out for me. Once I was settled, he took his seat.
“Hi,” David greeted me, a goofy grin on his face.
“Hi, yourself.”
“I’m so glad you could come.” This time he spoke a little louder and addressed Callie as well.
“Thanks for the invite,” Callie told him.
“It was my pleasure. I guess I should introduce you guys. This is Kyle. He and I served together.” Kyle nodded as he was introduced.
“This is my best friend, Callie.” Then my attention returned to David, and I let Callie and Kyle talk to each other. The nice thing about Callie was that she never met a stranger. She could talk the ear off most people so I wasn’t worried about her feeling ignored. I knew she could keep the conversation between herself and Kyle going. To the point that I briefly felt sorry for Kyle. Callie was a force to be reckoned with, and I’m sure she would overwhelm him. Especially since he gave off that strong, silent type vibe. I almost felt guilty about ignoring them, but it didn’t last long. Especially after David reached out for my hand.
“Did you have a good time today?” He rubbed his thumb across my knuckles, and his question took a few seconds to register.
“I did. We went shopping, and I bought a few tri
nkets to take home to the family.”
“It’s crazy the number of souvenir shops that grace the town. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to any beach town, and I forgot how many there were. Plus, I’m not much of a shopper, so I don’t really pay them much attention.”
“Honestly, I’m not really a fan of shopping either, but I always pick up something for my relatives when we go on these trips. And surprisingly, I had fun looking for things for Mia. I hate shopping for myself, but baby girl clothing is so adorable that I can’t help but love finding the cutest outfits for her. I try to buy something a little big because she grows out of everything so fast.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
Throughout the evening, conversation flowed. We each enjoyed our meal, and I sipped slowly on my single glass of wine. I hadn’t had a drink in so long; I didn’t want to get too tipsy.
Eventually, we all finished our meals, but I was reluctant for the night to end. I wasn’t ready to leave David. As if reading my mind, while we were waiting for the bill, he leaned over to whisper in my ear.
“Kyle can take Callie home. Why don’t you and I get out of here?”
“Definitely.”
We paid the bill and headed downstairs. I asked David to give me a minute while I let the Callie know I wasn’t coming home with her.
“I’m going with David. He said that Kyle offered to take you home. Are you okay with that?”
Callie wiggled her eyebrows. “Of course. Don’t worry about me. But, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Oh, and use protection this time, would ya? We already know he’s got good swimmers.”
“Oh my God, Callie. You’re such a bitch.” I embarrassingly, and jokingly, laughed at her words.
Her expression turned serious then, and she spoke softly. “On a serious note, though, please be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt, sweetie. You really don’t know him, and no matter what he says about stepping up to the plate for you and Mia, you never really know someone. Just guard your heart a little. For me.”