Officer and the Secret (Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful.)

by Murray, Jeanette

  He would have argued otherwise, given the entire reason he came was to get a few thrills. But she truly did seem content so he let it go. “How about a bottle of water?”

  She looked up at him with gratitude. “That would be fantastic. I didn’t realize I was so thirsty until you said that.”

  He frowned and resisted the urge to put a hand on her forehead to see if she was overheating. He wasn’t her mom or a nurse. But still… “You’re still recovering from that wicked poisoning. You need to stay hydrated.”

  Patting his arm in a gesture that said you’re sweet, and you amuse me, she nodded and said, “I’ll do that. Soon as I hit up that drink stand and grab a water.”

  “I’ll get it. Go on ahead.”

  He watched as she took a few steps forward, catching up with Skye, Tim, and Madison, then headed to the nearest drink cart. Jeremy followed on his heels.

  “I think Madison and I are moving in together.”

  Dwayne nearly dropped the wallet he’d taken out of his pocket. “Come again?”

  Jeremy shrugged. “Yeah, with me getting out of the Corps and starting the contractor job, it just feels like it’s time to take the next step. And the next step is moving in together. The timing is right.”

  Dwayne nearly rolled his eyes. “And when Tim gets word that you and his sister are living in sin?”

  “Like he’s one to talk. He didn’t really do things by the book with Skye.”

  “And how about the Colonel?” Dwayne asked, referencing Tim and Madison’s retired father. He couldn’t quite bite back the snicker as he watched the blood drain from Jeremy’s face.

  “Well, I guess he’ll just have to get used to it.”

  Dwayne nodded at that. He respected Tim and Madison’s father as much as anyone else. He was the father he wished he’d had growing up. But Madison was a grown woman now, and if she chose to live with the man she loved, so be it. Glad Jeremy was sticking to his guns, he slapped him on the shoulder. “Well, good luck with the transition.”

  “Thanks. I guess the only issue now is figuring out how to handle the move with Veronica.”

  “Hmm?” Dwayne inched forward. “How so?”

  “Well, do we move into Madison’s place? If so, that’s weird for Veronica. It’s one thing for me to do an overnight, another entirely to live there.”

  He agreed with that, and the thought of Veronica living with them both didn’t settle well with him.

  “But if Madison and I get our own place, since I know she won’t move into my apartment, that leaves Veronica with the lease. And I don’t think she can afford a two-bedroom by herself.” Jeremy stepped up and paid for two bottles of water.

  Either way they sliced it, Veronica was out in the cold. Well, not entirely, Dwayne corrected. Skye and Tim would take her back in an instant. Or maybe she could find a small one-bedroom.

  Or maybe she could move in with him.

  Or… not. No. Way too soon for that. Dwayne handed the cart vendor four freaking bucks for a bottle of water, and decided to give the matter some thought later. When he caught up to Veronica, he placed the bottle, wet with condensation, over the back of her neck.

  She tilted her head back and sighed so lustily, he started fighting a hard-on there in the freaking line.

  “Wanna get out of here?” he whispered in her ear.

  She reached back and grabbed the bottle, opening it and guzzling half the contents at once. There goes two bucks.

  “Where are we going?”

  Grabbing her hand, he said, “Guys, we’re gonna hit a tame ride; they have shorter lines. You’ll probably still be here when we get back.”

  The group grumbled but agreed that yeah, they likely would, so they took off toward the boat ride.

  “This one?” She glanced up at the outer shell of the ride. “It doesn’t really look like your thing.” As she spoke, a mother with two toddlers got in line. She raised a brow as if to say really? This is the one you want?

  “I think you’re missing the virtue of this.” He led her to the back of the line, which the sign indicated would only be fifteen minutes, and pointed. “See? Already, it’s a winner. Short wait time.”

  “Uh-huh. As if you were really suffering before, standing in line for all those rides you love.” She crossed her arms behind her back, pulling her tank top tighter over her breasts. Was it his imagination or were they… nah. Probably just the shirt. It was the skimpiest thing he’d ever seen her wear—well, when she was wearing clothes—though to be honest it was still more conservative than half the women in the park.

  “What are the other virtues?” She lifted her ponytail off her neck and waved a hand over her skin to cool her down.

  He leaned in and blew on her damp skin. “It’s in the shade, so we get a break from the sun.”

  She angled her neck so he could reach more surface area. “That’s a good point.”

  They inched forward a little. Though the ride was low on wait time, it still wouldn’t be a speed. Each boat only contained two seats. Which brought him to point number three…

  Leaning in further, as if he were still blowing on her skin, he whispered, “And it’s in the dark, so nobody will know when I slip my hand down your shorts.”

  She gasped loud enough to have the mother turning around to give her a dirty look. Covering her mouth with one hand, she turned shock-wide eyes to him. “You’re not serious.”

  “Sure I am. You think I wanted to ride around in a boat just for the hell of it? With no explosions or waterfalls or anything? Gotta get the thrill another way.”

  She poked him in the chest with one finger. “Told you. You need the thrill.”

  “But this is my favorite kind.” He reached around and brought her back against his chest, resting his chin on the top of her head. “Anything with you seems to be my favorite.”

  He waited to see how she would react. But she didn’t say anything, didn’t tense, didn’t relax. He almost wondered if she’d even heard him, but he knew she had. Then, as if knowing he was waiting for it, she settled back just a little into his hold.

  “I could fall asleep just like this, I think.” Her voice was drowsy, like when they turned to each other in the middle of the night to make love.

  But it was the middle of the day, and they’d barely done a third of the park. “You tired?”

  “Exhausted.”

  Okay, she wasn’t an athlete, but she wasn’t a slug either. She spent entire days on her feet at the restaurant. So far this wouldn’t compare. “Maybe you’re not as recovered as you think from your food poisoning. Do you want to call it quits early? Tim and Skye can bring both Madison and Jeremy home.”

  “Uh-huh. Just needed a little break. So your boat ride has four good points. Not three.” She shifted enough to look up at him over her shoulder as they inched forward again. “Thanks.”

  Her little smiles, the ones that she gave only to him, he loved those most. So he squeezed her gently and vowed to keep an eye on her just in case.

  ***

  She shook her hands out, trying to wish away the nerves. This wasn’t easy, but she needed to ask someone and Skye was her cousin. The closest thing she had to a sister. So she knocked and waited

  A minute later, Skye answered the door wearing a pair of huge sweats, likely Tim’s, and a towel wrapped around her head. With a clean-scrubbed face, she beamed. “Hey, you. I didn’t know you were coming to see me.”

  “Is that okay? I know you work the late shift but if you have things to do before then I can—”

  Skye grabbed her arm and tugged her inside. “Don’t go back to that. Don’t go back to assuming you’re intruding. You know I love seeing you. So come in.”

  Had she done that? She was nervous, a little confused. But had she really slipped back into old habits? Definitely not okay. “Thanks,” she said, insti
lling some confidence in her voice and heading for the living room.

  Skye started to fall into the armchair, then caught herself at the last moment. With a sheepish grin, she pushed a few magazines and catalogues off before sitting down for real. “I still can’t manage to keep the place clean for the life of me. Luckily Tim puts up with it… mostly. So, what brings you by?”

  Veronica was pretty sure Tim would put up with way more than just a few scattered magazines to keep Skye in his life, but she didn’t say anything. She could waffle, deflect, pick a starter subject. But in the end, it was easier to just ask outright. “With birth control pills, should I have had my period by now?”

  Skye blinked a few times and her eyes drifted off to the other side of the room, a thoughtful frown puckering her forehead. “I mean, I’m not a doctor. I’m sure Madison—”

  “She’s working. And I still don’t have health insurance. So if I’m being silly and this is an obvious question, I’d rather not spend the money on an office visit to hear, ‘You’re worried over nothing.’”

  Skye bit her lip and stared off into the distance for a moment. “For the record, I think Madison is a better person to ask. But I’ll answer what I can, and suggest you defer to an expert for the rest. How long has it been?”

  “I started the pills just over two months ago.”

  “And since then you haven’t—”

  “Nope.”

  Skye’s eyes widened. “Why did you wait?”

  Veronica shrugged. The truth was embarrassing. But also, “I just thought it was my body adjusting. Could that still be it?”

  “Maybe,” her cousin said slowly. “I think my cycle was tossed off guard a bit when I switched brands, so it’s possible.”

  She sat in silence, waiting for more. But Skye was unusually quiet. Unnervingly so. For a woman who didn’t like to leave anything unsaid, it was disturbing to see her still and quiet as a statue.

  “Skye, tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Skye screwed her eyes shut for a moment, then nodded and blinked them open again. “I think we need to go upstairs and pee on a stick.”

  “Why do you have sticks in the house?”

  “Right. Yeah. That’s definitely not one you’re gonna know. Sorry. Pee on a stick, sort of lingo for taking a pregnancy test.”

  “A pre—oh. No. Okay, you’re right. I should have gone to Madison.” Veronica laughed, relieved for a moment. “I told you, I’m on birth control.”

  “Which is only about ninety-eight percent effective, when taken correctly. Have you missed any pills?”

  “Nope.”

  “Taken any antibiotics?”

  “No. I haven’t been sick in…” Her mind flitted back to the memory of her body draped over Dwayne’s bathroom tile, too weak to even crawl to the bedroom. “Okay, well, I did have that bout with food poisoning. But I didn’t take anything for it. And it passed after a few days.” Mostly. She was still tired, but that was just rehydration. If she were better about drinking water, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

  “Uh-huh. You know, you could have lost your medication while you spent that two days puking up everything that went down.”

  “But he still wears condoms,” she said quietly.

  Skye glanced around the living room. “Why are you whispering?”

  “It’s embarrassing, and I don’t want anyone to hear.”

  Skye smiled. “The house isn’t bugged, and Tim’s gone. It’s just us.” She held up her hands. “I’m not an expert. But it might be possible. In the meantime, I have an extra test from when I bought a three-pack a few months ago.”

  “Why do you have pregnancy tests if you’re on birth control?”

  Skye shrugged. “False alarm, my period started late and I just ran out and grabbed one. I’m impatient.”

  “Were you upset it was negative?”

  Her cousin laughed. “Not at all. I know I want kids sometime, but not yet. I want to be married first, newlyweds, before we toss in the addition of babies.”

  “Oh. That sounds nice. But I don’t want to waste your other test. It’d still be a waste of money.”

  “Tell you what.” Skye pushed up from the chair. “Just take it. I’ll buy you lunch when it turns negative, and I’ll feel better.”

  Skye looked so earnest that she couldn’t say no. “Fine. But I’m picking a nice restaurant and ordering steak.” Actually, no. Steak didn’t sound good. Meat didn’t sound good at all. Maybe a salad.

  “Let’s go upstairs and prove me wrong.” She bounded up the stairs and Veronica followed her to the hall bathroom, where she would be proving her cousin wrong.

  Chapter 21

  “Shit.”

  Skye stared at her from the ledge of the tub. “I’m sorry, did you just curse?”

  Had she? It didn’t even register. With a dull voice that felt rusty coming out her throat, she asked, “Does it matter?”

  “Oh, honey.” Skye slid onto the tile and gathered Veronica in her arms, rocking her just a little like she was a child. “It will be okay. I swear.”

  She wanted to believe. Wanted to think it would all just go away, be a bad dream, a nightmare. She could wake up tomorrow and there would be no plus sign haunting her.

  And the worst part was… she couldn’t help that small voice in the back of her mind from whispering harshly, Your mother was right.

  “What have I done?” she whispered, mostly to herself.

  “Nothing.” Skye’s voice was fierce as a warrior as she sat back up and cupped Veronica’s face with her hands. “You have done nothing. It is what it is, and it will be okay. Dwayne is an amazing guy, and it will all be fine. He’s half in love with you already, anyone can see that.” She stood and held out a hand. “Let’s go downstairs and get some lunch. I’ll make us some sandwiches.”

  She took Skye’s hand, not even feeling the pressure as she stood. Numb, that’s all she could register. Like she was sleepwalking down the stairs, into the kitchen.

  Skye started to make sandwiches and stayed silent. As if she knew Veronica couldn’t handle anything more right that moment.

  She would have been right.

  So why was it, when she most needed a quiet minute to absorb the shock, did one particularly loud voice continue to rudely echo through her mind?

  And did it have to be her mother, of all people?

  She shut it down as best she could and laid her head on the table.

  “Babe?”

  Tim’s voice filtered into the kitchen and she lifted her head.

  “Tim? What are you doing here?” Skye walked over to poke her head out of the kitchen.

  He walked in and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “Half-day, since we’ll be in the field all weekend. You making lunch?”

  “Just sandwiches for me and Veronica. If you wouldn’t mind—”

  “Oh, hey, didn’t see you there. How are ya?”

  Before Veronica could answer, he started walking back out of the kitchen. “Hold that thought. I’m gonna change and wash up. Dwayne is meeting me here for lunch. We can all eat together, if you guys don’t mind waiting another few minutes.”

  Veronica sat there, feeling like she’d just been the victim of a drive-by greeting.

  Skye rubbed her back. “I can get rid of him easy. Just tell him we planned a girls’ day and—”

  “Hey, Skye,” Dwayne’s voice called out from the front door. “I saw Veronica’s car outside. Is she here?”

  Veronica let her head thump to the table. If things weren’t so very wrong, it would almost be comical.

  Skye waited a moment before answering. But Veronica just shrugged. He knew she was there. They could talk later. As Skye called out they were in the kitchen, she worked on her smile. Now wasn’t the time to go into it.

  Dwayne’s boots thudded, ann
ouncing his entrance before she could see him. With monumental effort, she put on a smile. It hurt. Actually, physically hurt to stretch her lips into the fake gesture. But now wasn’t the time. She just couldn’t have the conversation in Skye’s home, with her cousin and husband listening in.

  “Hey, darlin’. Didn’t know you were over here. Nice surprise.”

  Surprise. Right. Word of the day.

  No, the word of the day would be panic.

  He leaned down and gave her a kiss, and she breathed in the calming scent of his soap and scent. It did something to her insides, calmed the fluttering nerves just a little.

  “How about you two go and sit in the living room? I can bring out the sandwiches in a few minutes.”

  “Do you need help?” It was the polite thing to ask, but Veronica felt about as capable of helping as an infant, so when Skye shook her head she was relieved.

  Dwayne unbuttoned his uniform blouse and draped it over the arm of the sofa before sitting down with a groan, stretching his long arms over the back. She watched as his olive undershirt stretched across his chest, and new fluttering happened low in her belly. The stirrings of want.

  Inappropriate timing. But when he patted the cushion next to him, she sat.

  “Okay. I’ve got the mother of all lazy lunches here.” Skye walked in from the kitchen and set a big plate on the coffee table with one hand, and set a few bags of chips down with the other. “Some are simply PB and J, four are turkey—” she shuddered visibly, her vegetarian side clearly objecting “—and there are a few different kinds of chips. Dig in.”

  “Thanks, babe.” He reached over and snagged a turkey sandwich in each hand.

  “Skye?” Tim thundered down the stairs, landing in the living room, looking more flustered than Veronica had seen him, ever.

  “Lunch is on.” Skye started to sit down, but Tim grabbed her by the arms and spun her around.

  “Is it true? Are you?”

  “Am I lunch?” Skye looked as confused as Veronica felt.