The Marine's Red Hot Homecoming (3 page)

She longed for Jason to have what she had counted on while growing up, a father’s unconditional love even when she had made monumental mistakes. A father who was there through thick and thin even when the worst happened. A husband who didn’t abandon his family whenever the going got emotionally tricky. Acting on all the internal hormonal high-fives pinging along her nerve endings would only lead to another colossal mess up.

Chapter Two

Fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity for Caleb. But finally, after chugging back some of Hannah’s weird tasting green tea—stuff tasted more like twigs and rivaled his worst meal replacement kit in the sucktastic flavor department—her assistant manager arrived to take over the shop’s duties for the rest of the day.

Now he walked beside Hannah toward the crosswalk at the corner of Main and First Street, scanning the red brick courthouse to take in the sight of people wandering along the paths that circled the building. Adrenaline pinpricking in his fingers, he increased his pace, eager for the first sign of his son to come into view.

“How much does he know about me?” he asked when they stopped at the light.

She glanced his way. “I’ve kept it simple,” she said, stepping off the curb when the light switched to green. “That his daddy is a brave Marine who will come home one day. Now here you are—until you leave again.”

The breeze kicked up, and the American flag snapped at the top of the courthouse’s pole. He squared his shoulders, then moved ahead with greater purpose. “There’s no chance of that happening until my father’s back in charge,” he said before they reached the other side. He had time to connect with his son—precious little time, but he planned to make the most of every minute.

One hundred year old oaks, newly budding maples, and green tufted crepe myrtles still waiting to bloom filled Sweetbriar Springs’ town square. Bright tulips created quilts of color that surrounded the stands of trees. The sun, now rising higher in the mid-morning sky, warmed his face while he moved beside Hannah toward the playground located at the eastern corner of the historic park.

He heard water bubbling and spraying from the mini water play section, the buzz of insects, and children laughing.

“There’s Lori Catherine,” Hannah said, pointing to a woman sitting on one of the many wood benches circling the playground.

Her babysitter, a slender young woman wearing practical jeans and a T-shirt, had her face turned toward a group of children ranging in size from toddler to pre-school age. He tracked Lori’s line of sight. There, in the middle of the mix, a little blond boy dug in the dirt with a tiny blue shovel.

Everything inside him went quiet. Stilled. A strange, unsettling sensation lodged in his throat, making it difficult to speak. From the moment he’d learned about his son, Caleb had imagined what this first meeting would be like, but nothing had prepared him for the sheer wonder. He’d heard people talk about the connection between parent and child. The instant bond a father felt when he first held his baby in his arms. He’d missed out on that experience until this moment. But now an inexplicable, profound sense of awe coursed through him when he recognized this child as his.

Hannah lightly touched his arm. “You ready to meet your son?” she asked.

He swallowed hard twice, trying to get his bearings. “I don’t know what to do, what to say,” Caleb admitted. How did he ever think he could bulldoze his way back into their lives? “What if I scare him?”

“He doesn’t scare easy.” She slanted her gaze toward him. “He’s a lot like you that way. For what it’s worth, I worry about screwing up all the time. Comes with the territory.”

“You do?”

“Sure. Every mom second guesses herself—she’d be inhuman if she didn’t.” Hannah moved a little closer and her arm brushed against his. “So do dads. No one is perfect, but if we give it our best to show them we love them, our kids will survive our mistakes and love us right back.”

A tingling sensation traveled through his skin. A part of him yearned to slip his hand into hers, and go to Jason with her by his side. Like other parents who raised their child together. He suppressed the urge—she’d made it clear they’d never be together that way. “Point made. Let’s do this.” Caleb broke their connection to step closer to the sandbox where his son played.

She kept pace with him. “Follow my lead and everything will be fine,” she said as they approached her babysitter Lori. “Trust me.”

“Roger that,” he said. Oh, he fully expected her to control this first meeting—rightfully so. But he wouldn’t leave it at that. No. Once he got to know his son, Caleb would man up to become the kind of father he’d never had when he’d been growing up.

Maybe he wouldn’t promise not to leave again, but he sure as hell could promise to love his son no matter where his combat boots landed in the future. He’d also have to bust his ass to convince Hannah that he could be the man she deserved, too.

###

Hannah continued tracking Jason, who had turned his attention away from his digging efforts to push a toy dump truck up and over the hill of sand. His red dinosaur T-shirt had streaks of grass stains covering the cartoon character blazing across the front and bits of grass clung to his hair.

A bonus load of laundry was definitely in her near future. “Hey, Lori,” she said when she reached her babysitter. “Looks like Jason’s having a blast.”

Lori flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled. “He loves the dirt.” She stood, then looked at Caleb then back at Hannah.

“If you need me for
anything,
call. I’ve got the day booked for y’all, so it’s not a big deal if your plans change again.”

Sunlight sparked in Lori’s gaze along with protective light. That she’d been able to hire someone who loved Jason so much warmed her from the inside out. But now she’d have to learn to rely on him, too, for however long he remained stateside. “I’m sure we’ll be able to take it from here,” she assured Lori, then moved to the stroller that had been parked next to the bench to draw out a tan diaper bag. “Still have a full supply of snacks and drinks?”

“Yep,” Lori said. “He’s only had his first sippy cup and cereal. You’re all set.”

“Okay, great. Take the next two days off with pay and we’ll get back to our regular schedule then.” She unzipped the bag and quickly counted the diapers. “Looks like he hasn’t had a major blow yet.”

“He will.” Lori picked up her long strapped wallet style coral purse and slung it over her shoulder, making sure to secure it across her body. “Okay, see you later. Call if you need me.”

Hannah hugged Lori. “Thanks.”

She walked to the sandbox and knelt to eye level with Jason. His blue eyes, so like Caleb’s, lit up. A wide smile bloomed across his face and into his cheeks. “Momma,” he called, standing and dragging his truck with his left hand. “Come play.”

She glanced at Caleb. His brilliant azure eyes shined, softened, and glossed over. The look of wonder she’d originally read in his face when he’d first caught site of Jason in the distance had grown deeper, more reverent. Whatever happened from this moment on, she was sure of one thing: Caleb would love their son without reservation.

Her pulse fluttered wildly in her throat and her breath quickened. A shifting feeling twanged behind her sternum. How could she keep her heart protected from this man after seeing the love and affection written on his gorgeous features?

She pressed her palm against her chest, and willed her heart rate to slow down lifting him into her arms, not caring about the grains of dirt that would muss her clothes. “Hey, there little guy,” she whispered. “I’ve brought someone very special for you to play with today.”

“You play, too,” Jason said.

“Absolutely,” Hannah said as she carried him to where Caleb stood waiting for his first meeting with their little boy.

Birds called alongside the familiar sounds of cars driving beside the square. Around her people chattered, their conversations a trilling hum while they went about their day-to-day lives, playing with their children, or discussing business deals.

Normal.

Everyday.

Mundane.

Yet, there was nothing normal, or everyday, or mundane about this tiny speck of time that was drawing her closer to Caleb with Jason in her arms.

When she stood directly in front of Caleb, she lost her words and the ability to simply give Jason to his father without hesitation. One beat. Then two followed. Still, Hannah struggled to let go of the one thing that had been the center of her world from the time she had first read her positive pregnancy test.

Caleb’s jaw moved. He held her eyes with his before popping the bubble of silence encircling them. “Hey, Jason.” He tilted his head and grinned, his dimple a perfect match to his son’s. “I dig that truck. You got another one you’d like to share with me? We can build a big town with lots of roads if you want.”

“I got trucks.” He scrambled to get down and she released him. “And cars.” Then he looked up at his father, his little mouth pursed in a question before he grinned in return. “Play?”

Caleb kneeled, and nodded. “That’s sounds great to me, little guy.”

Before she processed the enormity of Jason’s ready acceptance, and the gratitude flowing through her for his willingness to hold off explaining why he had joined in the fun, Jason lifted his big truck to toddle back to the sandbox. And, with the confidence of a well-loved child, their son didn’t doubt that he’d have two willing people following his lead.

Maybe, just maybe, Hannah thought with a tendril of hope unfurling low, that would be how they’d all come through this reunion and temporary homecoming unscathed.

###

Hours later, Hannah picked up the photograph she’d placed on the nightstand beside Jason’s crib and traced her fingers over the image of Caleb in his dress uniform. The picture blurred and she tilted her head back, blinking rapidly to tamp down the overwhelming urge to cry.

She couldn’t tell if her tears came from a place of happiness, relief, or from somewhere far deeper. When she heard him squealing in the adjacent room and Caleb’s accompanying laughter, Hannah replaced the picture—the one Jason had kissed goodnight for untold countless lonely nights. Now he’d kiss the man himself.

Her belly fluttered, and yearning bloomed low. She’d never forgotten Caleb’s taste, the sweet sensation of his lips moving across hers, or the incredible hunger he evoked in her with every sweep of his tongue against hers. How often had she thought about doing the same thing during this long day?

But that fantasy, and the memories that spurred her desire, needed to remain locked down. Period. The end. No way was she exploring a physical reunion with him. She’d focus on helping Caleb build a relationship with their son.

“How’s it going in there?” she called with a steadier voice than she’d thought possible.

“Almost done.”

“Great.” She crossed the room to the white dresser, opened the top drawer to withdraw Jason’s pajamas. “Bring him in here when you’re finished. We’ll get him ready for bed together.”

Moments later, she heard the water draining and Caleb murmuring to Jason to stay still. In a few minutes, Caleb stepped into the bedroom with Jason in his arms with a hooded super hero towel tucked around their little boy’s freshly scrubbed skin.

Her heart rate accelerated. While Jason was dried from head to toe, Caleb was another story. His wet black T-shirt molded perfectly across his huge muscles and his jeans? She couldn’t help taking a peek at the outline of Caleb’s impressive male package bulging beneath his waistband.

She licked her lips, then forced her gaze to leave the tempting sight to focus on Caleb. “You were supposed to give him the bath, not the other way around.” She held out her arms, and Caleb flew Jason into them.

She buried her head into Jason’s hair and inhaled the scent of baby shampoo while at the same time she did her level best to ignore the heat emanating between them. “Mmm, you smell shiny and all brand new,” she said.

“Smell Daddy,” he demanded.

Caleb’s blue eyes crinkled at the corners. “Jason didn’t miss a beat when we told him about me,” he said, smiling.

“The real thing is better than a picture,” Hannah said. She’d never hidden his identity from Jason. After they’d finished playing at the park, they returned to her apartment where she had shown Jason the photo he said goodnight to every night. Connecting the dots had been relatively easy afterward. He’d accepted the new information without fuss. Though he did ask if that meant he’d get a puppy, too.

“Smell Daddy,” Jason insisted again, wiggling in her arms.

“Okay,” she said, then complied and sniffed Caleb’s shoulder. Baby shampoo and minty bubbles mingled with Caleb’s unique masculine aroma—clean, tart, and very tantalizing.

More butterfly wings fluttered in her belly. Her nipples pebbled against the fabric of her shirt.
Not good. Not good at all. Bad. Bad. Bad. Do not think about how delicious he smells. Stop. It. Now.
“You want to get Jason ready for bed?” She stepped away from Caleb. “Read him a story while I check in with my brother?”

Her voice sounded like a squeaky wheel in her ears as Caleb tracked the length of her body and paused long enough to read the desire in its traitorous response.