The Officer Says "I Do" (8 page)

Skye could only stare as Madison drove through the front gates of Camp Pendleton. She’d never been to a military base before—why would she ever need to?—but for some reason the real deal didn’t just come close to her expectations. It blew them away.

Gate guards—Madison called them sentry—stood in front of the opening, checking cars for the proper identification and car registration. Madison flashed her own ID and the guard gave a quick salute, calling out to have a good day as they drove away.

“Do they always salute people?” she asked.

Madison laughed. “Officers they salute. Like Tim and myself.”

“Oh.” She needed a notepad to write all this down. If this were school, she’d have already failed the pop quiz. “So where are we headed?”

“I just thought we’d drive around base for a bit so you could see the place. It’s huge, like a city all itself. And for the most part, self-sustaining. People who live on base don’t have to leave for much of anything if they don’t want to. Don’t feel bad if you can’t remember where anything is. It’s the second-largest Marine base, period, so it’s a good size. But you’ll learn your way around fast enough.”

Skye glanced around as they drove, trying to memorize landmarks while knowing it was useless. “I can come here on my own?”

“Oh sure,” Madison replied, her voice breezy and light. “It’s no problem at all. Tim will have to get your military ID all set up and get your car reg… um. Hmm.” She trailed off, and Skye looked over to see her new friend blushing furiously.

“What?” When Madison said nothing, Skye rewound the last sentence in her head. “Oh. The ID thing? You’re not sure if Tim is ready for all the paperwork. That’s okay. I know he told you the deal we have going on. I’m not embarrassed or anything. It is what it is. For now.”

Madison’s eyes darted over before returning to the road. “You’re taking this all really well, the uncertainty of it. For someone who was dead set on staying married, I mean.”

Skye shrugged a shoulder and sat back. “I’m dead set on giving it a chance. That’s the purpose. That we at least give the marriage the chance to thrive. No sense in getting worked up over this. I’m sure there are other things to worry about. But whether the marriage will end or not isn’t one of them.”

Madison laughed. “You know, I’m pretty sure that people spend a fortune on marriage counseling to become as Zen as you are about their marriage. And you’ve been at it for less than a month.”

A smile tilted Skye’s lips. “Yes, well, I was raised to pick my battles, and pick wisely. Trust me, when I feel the need to fight, it isn’t pretty. I suggest you hide, in fact.”

“Luckily I’ll have a nice little apartment of my own to do that in,” Madison said, referring to the rental she’d signed a lease on late that morning.

“I’m glad you’ll be close by. I hate that you’re moving out. I feel like I’m shoving you out of the house.” And as much as she liked Madison, she truly was torn. Guilt was a large factor, even though Madison had said repeatedly that she would have found another place to stay whether Skye was there or not. But at the same time, she was grateful that she and Tim would have the townhouse to themselves. In order to make a true run at their relationship, they needed their space.

“I would have whether you moved back or not,” Madison assured her again. “One O’Shay per house is enough, trust me. Okay, there’s the hospital. It’s where I work. I’m in the OB wing for now, but they have us on three-week rotations, so I’ll be in a new area next week.”

“So this is where the Marines are cared for?”

“And dependents. Families,” she corrected when Skye gave her a
huh?
face. “Spouses and children are referred to as dependents.”

Skye wasn’t a fan of that. It seemed like such a… demeaning way to refer to someone’s family. “I don’t like the thought of being dependent on someone. Seems so… nineteen fifties.”

“Just a word. Doesn’t have to mean anything,” Madison reminded her.

Apparently this was just one of those things Skye needed to get over, since there was no changing it.

“Now if you follow this road straight down, you’ll hit the commissary and the exchange. Basically the grocery store and the shopping center. Tax-free shopping. It won’t have everything you want, but it usually has the basics and can be way cheaper than shopping in town.” She made a left turn at a light instead of driving straight.

“Where are we heading now?”

“Oh, I thought we’d stop by Tim’s battalion, see if he’s in his office. Maybe say hi to Dwayne. And Jeremy too, I guess.” Madison’s fingers drummed on the steering wheel. If Skye didn’t know better, she’d think her friend was nervous. But that wasn’t possible. She’d been here a million times. Maybe just too much bottled energy.

A ball of lead settled heavily in Skye’s stomach. She glanced down at the thin blouse and lightweight gypsy skirt she wore to combat the dry heat. Her flip-flops were cute and adorned with jewels, but definitely nothing nice.

Madison, on the other hand, looked easy and simple in a pair of dark jeans, cap-sleeve brown shirt, and brown flats. Suddenly, although the outfit didn’t appeal to Skye, it seemed like a much better option. And she felt very out of place.

“Um, are you sure that’s a good idea? He might be busy or something.”

“Maybe. But we’re right here, and if he is busy I can still give you a tour of the building. Though some areas are restricted, a lot of it is just office buildings, so we can roam around.”

She opened her mouth to argue but realized it was fruitless. Madison was already pulling into a parking lot filled with cars. The building was long and all-brick, and a tank that looked like it might have been used in World War I was sitting off to the side in a grassy area, roped off with signs stating it was definitely not a toy. After squeezing the car into a spot, they walked inside. Marines passed by, some nodding to Madison. Many gave Skye an assessing glance, like she was an oddity in the day.

Well, at least her shoes were cute.

Madison led her up a flight of stairs to a long hallway, down to the end, and opened the door. The scene could have been any normal outer office in corporate America. Minus the imposing guys in camouflage, that is. Desks sat cubicle-style around the large, open room. Phones rang, people swiveled in chairs, fingers flew over keyboards. A copy machine that sounded like it was on its last leg ran in one corner. It was a beehive of activity.

Bam!

The heavy door slammed behind Skye, and all heads turned their way. It was the dream where you went to high school naked all over again. She had never felt so conspicuous.

“Hey, guys.” Madison acted like it was no big deal being stared at by twenty men in uniform. Though being in the military herself, it likely wasn’t. “Is my brother around?”

“He left for lunch a bit ago with Robertson and Phillips. Should be back soon,” one Marine answered Madison. But his eyes never left Skye. She might have taken the attention as a compliment, if the kid looked old enough to shave. But she was pretty sure attraction wasn’t his main reason for the double-glance.

“We’ll wait in his office then.” And with that, Madison wrapped one hand around Skye’s arm and tugged her into a room off to the side.

After shutting the door carefully behind them, Madison sighed. “Sorry, I thought most of them would be at lunch now. Stupid me, forgetting there’s another deployment gearing up immediately. I didn’t know how to introduce you, so I didn’t.”

Skye was about to say that was fine when the door opened.

“O’Shay, I need you to—oh. Sorry, ladies. Madison!” A man who looked to be in his late forties stood in the doorway, a smile on his face for Madison. “I didn’t know you were here.” He took a step in the office, propping the door behind him. “Tim’s not around?”

“Afternoon, sir.” Though she didn’t pop a salute or anything, Madison’s posture became stiff, almost rigid. “The PFC said he’d be back soon so I thought we’d wait. Is that all right?”

“Sure is.” He looked over at Skye. She could feel his gaze raking over her from head to toe. Observing, judging. She should be used to it by now, really. She must have some sign on her back that said
Peruse
at
your
leisure
. “And who is this young lady?”

A movement in the doorway caught Skye’s eye. She turned and, with a combination of relief and dismay, found Tim standing there. His mouth was set in a grim line, eyes shuttered and unreadable.

“Afternoon, sir. This would be my wife.”

***

So much for easing into the marriage slowly.

Colonel Blackwater turned, his face a blank slate. “Wife?”

Tread
carefully, man
. “Yes, sir. My wife, Skye…” He hesitated, not sure whether to use her own name or his. She hadn’t legally changed it, but keeping her own last name might not sound right to a conservative man like the Colonel. So he pushed on. “My wife. Skye, this is my CO, Colonel Blackwater.”

The man wasn’t an idiot. He might have questions for Tim, but he turned a smiling face to Skye and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. You’ll have to excuse my surprise. Apparently Tim was keeping a lid on this one.”

The man had no idea.

Skye smiled and nodded, then gave the Colonel a firm handshake. But he could see she was nervous. “Nice to meet you, sir.” From Tim’s angle, he could see as she reached back to covertly wipe her hands on her flowing, ruffled skirt. Sweating palms. Tim could relate. Then he took a moment to look over her whole outfit.

With her blouse and sandals, and her hair a curling mess, she looked like a wild gypsy come to entertain the troops. He half-expected her to break out a tambourine and start dancing for coins.

And why did that mental image make him want to smile?

“How long have you two been married?”

Skye started to answer, but Tim cut her off. “Newlyweds, sir.”

Blackwater gave him a long look, then nodded. “I’ll just head back to my office and give you a few minutes alone.” The Colonel paused by Tim as he headed out the door. In a low voice only Tim could hear, he warned, “We’ll talk about this later,” then left.

The silence in the room was deafening. Tim had no clue what to say. He was glad to see Skye, yes. But not here. Not in his office. Not yet anyway. He wasn’t even close to ready to make the news of his marriage public knowledge before he had a chance to figure out the angle.

Guess that was just too damn bad.

He wanted to say something, but she looked so miserable. Her hands were clenched around the edge of his desk, and she wouldn’t make eye contact. Well, wasn’t this marriage just off to a great start.

Madison cleared her throat. “I, uh, found an apartment. I’m moving in over the weekend.”

“I’ll see if Jeremy and Dwayne can come over to help.”

“Oh, don’t bother them,” she said quickly.

“They’ll want to help.”

“Great!” Her voice was cheerful. But Tim knew that smile was the one she used every time she wanted to pretend the world was right, but everything was really wrong. What the hell was that all about?

She grabbed Skye’s arm and tugged. “Sorry we intruded. I thought we could just slip in really fast and catch you to say hello but…” She shrugged. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He tousled his sister’s hair, just to piss her off. He wasn’t disappointed. Her face flushed and her mouth set in a stubborn line. “I’ll see you when I get home. What do we have in the freezer?”

“I’ll get some steaks out.”

Skye mumbled something under her breath, and Tim looked over, surprised. Shit. Was dinner something he should be talking to her about? Was she upset? God, being married was hard.

“Um, are steaks okay with you?” He didn’t even know if his wife ate meat. Everyone ate meat though, didn’t they?

“Uh.” She glanced to the side and gave a strangled, “Sure.”

Okay. So maybe she wasn’t a huge red meat fan. Tim liked chicken as much as the next guy. “How about barbeque chicken instead?”

Skye’s face paled just a little and she swallowed hard. “Sounds delicious.”

Total lie. But she clearly didn’t want to talk about it now. His eyes still on Skye’s, he motioned with his head toward the hallway. “Madison. Out.”

He waited for the door to shut. “What are you doing today?”

She sighed. “We spent the morning looking for a place for Madison. And now I’m going to go put in some résumés at restaurants.”

“What? Why?” He stepped back to look at her.

Skye wore a bemused smile. “Because there are no casinos that I could work at,” she said, like it was obvious.

“You don’t have to work.” Did she think she needed to? That he didn’t make enough money to support her?

“I want to. I’ve always worked, and I want to continue. So I’m looking for something related to my old job. I might have to start at the bottom of the food chain, but that’s okay.”

Tim shook his head. Talk about a one-eighty from expectations. “If that’s what you want then.”

“It is.” She slithered by him, her skirt wrapping around his ankles for a moment. It would be so easy—so damn easy—to toss her up on the desk and flip that skirt up. What would she wear under something like that? Cotton? Satin? Lace?

Nothing?

“Tim. Hello?” Skye waved a hand in front of his face.

His mind snapped back. “Huh?” Okay, maybe it didn’t snap back so much as make a slow slide into Idiot Land.

“You were staring at your desk. You just blanked. I was trying to say good-bye.”

“Ah. Right.” Skye was having an entire conversation and he was stuck in a zone, staring at the spot he’d imagined her ass perched on. Even without touching her, he wasn’t safe with her around. “I’ll walk you to the car.”

“Nope. That’s okay. We already interrupted your day enough as it is.” Her smile was wide, but her eyes weren’t shining like he was used to.

With another quick check to make sure the door was shut, he reached out and pulled Skye to him. The feel of her arms wrapped around his back was heaven. Added bonus, he was completely restricted from trying anything that might or might not have been appropriate, since anyone could come through the door. But God she felt good against him.