The SEAL's Best Man (Special Ops: Homefront Book 2) (13 page)

Eight years later

Impatiently, Jack checked his watch again
as the morning line at Al’s Donuts edged closer to the counter. It was barely
6:30, and he was hoping to be back before Maeve even awakened, though he had left
a note just in case.

Chocolate frosted glazed—Jack
remembered her favorite from eight years ago when he had raced here one morning
during their weekend together. He hadn’t known which donut she’d like the best
back then, so he had gotten two dozen, one of every kind. But it had been the
chocolate frosted glazed that had her mouth watering for more. Not many places
actually double dip the puffy donut in a sweet glaze before spreading it with a
thick coating of chocolate frosting.

He wondered if she remembered every
detail, like he did. So many times in the months after he had first met Maeve,
he had played the moments with her over in his mind, waiting for his cell phone
to ring.

Yet it never had.

Jack wouldn’t accept any back-peddling
from Maeve this time, and he was fully prepared to face that battle this
morning. No regrets. No “let’s just be friends.” So he would arrive armed—with
chocolate frosted glazed donuts and a cup of coffee fixed just the way she
liked it.

“Can I help you?” The girl behind the
counter flashed him flirtatious smile.

I’m taken, he wanted to tell her. Completely,
unequivocally spoken for. “A dozen chocolate frosted glazed. And two large
coffees. Do you have some brown sugar to put in one?”

She looked at him blankly. “Brown sugar?”

“Yeah. My girlfriend likes it mixed in
her coffee.”

She looked only slightly downhearted at
the mention of a girlfriend. “I’ll go get some from the back.”

Jack grinned and said his thanks, leaving
an ample tip in the jar when she came back with a small scoop of brown sugar in
a separate cup.

He sped home and slipped his key in the
lock. He tiptoed quietly—hard to do at 6’2”, 215 pounds—and peeked
around the corner to his bed.

Seeing Maeve sitting there awake made him
smile momentarily, till he knew the look on her face wasn’t that of a satisfied
lover. Had she been crying?

“I got donuts,” he said cautiously.

She nodded. “I saw your note. Thanks.”

“Chocolate frosted glazed, remember?”

Her pale face hinted of smile. “I
remember.”

In her hands she held a handful of condom
wrappers, and tears were in her eyes. Unless she was crying because they had
run out, this was a really bad sign.

He reached out, taking them, and tossed them
into the garbage. “We were busy last night, I guess.”

“Yeah.”

“Maeve. You’re not having regrets, are
you? God, I knew you would and I’m not going to put up with it. I’ve got donuts
and coffee for you.”

She reached for the coffee.

He pulled the cup back. “But you’re not
getting a drop till you tell me you have no regrets.” He grinned, despite the
worry that gnawed at him.

“That’s cruel.”

“Desperate times call for desperate
measures.” He sat beside her, still keeping the steaming cup up out of reach.
“What’s going on? Talk to me. We’re through holding things back now, remember?”

“Oh, Jack. It’s not regret at all. God,
no. More like, why the hell didn’t we do this sooner?”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming on.”

“But there is something I didn’t tell you
last night. I don’t know how or why I didn’t. I think I just got swept up in
the moment.”

A tear dropped, and Jack wiped it away. These
past twelve hours held more emotion from Maeve than he had seen in the last two
years with her smashed together. If it wasn’t regret that was making her cry,
what could be this bad?

Panic seized his heart, and he felt the
blood rush from his face.

The cancer was back. Her fight wasn’t
over.
Oh God, don’t let it be that. I can’t lose you. I won’t lose you.

His hands were shaking—actually
shaking. Disarming a missile while under enemy attack, his hands had been as
still and calm as a brain surgeon’s. But imagining Maeve fighting cancer was
enough to make him feel completely, impossibly vulnerable. “Talk to me.”

She wiped her eyes, and took a defeated
breath. “I can’t get pregnant.”

“What?”

“I can’t get pregnant. The cancer treatment—damaged
my eggs.”

The air rushed out of Jack’s lungs. “That’s
it
?”

In response, she just gazed at him,
baffled.

“Christ, Maeve, you scared the hell out
of me.” He almost laughed—at his reaction, and at the terror he had no idea
he was even capable of feeling.

“Huh?”

Relieved, he shook his head. “I thought
you were going to tell me the cancer was back or something. Jesus. I need a
drink.” Gripping his head, he took a long sip of the coffee that still rested in
his hand. “God, my hands are shaking. Look at this.” He showed her, with a
feeble laugh.

Maeve looked bewildered. “You don’t
care?”

“Of course I care. And I’m so sorry. I’m
not—you know—minimizing this or something. It’s just that I thought
you were going to tell me something so much worse.” He took her hand. “Is the
cancer gone? Are you okay now?”

“According to my last check I was.”

“So that’s all that matters.” He took her
hand in his and kissed the underside of it. “Why didn’t you tell me all this
before? Why wait two years? I could have been some kind of support for you.”

Maeve took her hand from his, scooting
back onto the bed. “Hard to explain. When you looked at me, I felt like I was the
same as I was at 29. There was no pity. No worry. Having you over for Scrabble,
eating pizza, having barbeques—it was all like going back in time to me.
You would come over nights and look at me the way you had way-back-when. You
still thought I was attractive. Complete. It made me feel desired. I could tell
myself that
I
was the one turning
you
down, not the other way
around.” She pulled the sheet around herself. “Around you, I felt I had power. I
had the control. And there’s something about cancer that strips a woman of control.
You feel so powerless, Jack. You just don’t know what it’s like.”

Hearing her voice trail, he moved next to
her as another tear dropped just in time to kiss it away. “But you are
powerful. You fought cancer and won.”

“For now. But every day I’m still scared
it will come back.”

“And if it does, you’ll fight again. And
you’ll be more powerful because you’ll have me by your side.” He took her face
in her hands and kissed her. “What is it you see in my eyes now?”

Maeve shrugged.

“Any pity?”

Maeve frowned. “I guess not.”

“Desire maybe?”

“Maybe.”

He took her hand and led it to his
already erect cock. Just sitting this close to her in bed turned him into a
horny teenager. “Just maybe?” he asked playfully.

She smiled. “Maybe definitely.”

“That’s better. Here’s your coffee. Drink
up because you’re gonna need your energy with me this morning.” He wrapped his
arm around her as she took several long, thirsty sips. “Because I haven’t waited
eight years to get you back in bed with me to just settle for a one-night stand.”
To emphasize his point, he took her coffee, set it down on the nightstand, and he
gently pushed her back into the cool sheets.

“I’m open to that.”

“Good.” He touched his lips to hers, and wondered
how someone could taste so damn good in the morning. “Because these donuts come
with a price.”

Maeve grinned. “So if a man buys me a
donut, I’m expected to sleep with him.”

“Of course. And I bought you twelve.”

***

Pulling into her driveway, Maeve checked
herself in the mirror. Her hair was disheveled, lips pink and puffy, and she
was wearing the same clothes as last night.

Time to do the walk of shame.

She stepped from the car, the clicking of
her heels on the concrete seeming to echo in the quiet of the late morning. She
slipped her key into the lock and punched in her security code when she heard
it whine after she opened the door.

“Damn well about time you came home.” Lacey’s
eyes were narrow as she leaned against the entry to the kitchen.

Bess popped out from behind her, frowning.
“I can’t believe you slept with him.”

Confused, Maeve’s eyes darted in between
the two women. They knew? “Umm. Yeah?”

“Geez, Maeve, and right after Jack’s big
night? You probably broke his heart if he figured it out.”

Maeve cocked her head. “Okay, I’m missing
something. Figured what out?”

“That you slept with Captain Shey.”

Maeve laughed so hard, leaning against
the wall and sliding down to the ground. “I didn’t sleep with Joe. He just
drove me home. Totally innocent.”

Lacey raised a hand to her chest. “Oh,
thank God. I just saw you leave with him, and then when you didn’t come home, I
assumed you were with him.”

Maeve tilted her head. “Give me some credit.
Though the man is as tempting as a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.”

Bess eyed Maeve suspiciously. “Wait a
minute. You just said you slept with him. So if not Captain Shey, then… who?”

Maeve felt a blush creep up her neck.
Here
we go
. No delaying the inevitable. “Jack.”

Gleeful screams filled the room as Bess
and Lacey grabbed each other’s hands, jumping up and down like jubilant
preschoolers.

Maeve rolled her eyes. “Oh, God, grow up,
you two.”

They continued their revelry, laughing
hysterically, till they joined Maeve on the floor in an exhausted heap.

“You finished?” Maeve raised an eyebrow
at her two flushed friends.

“Hey—you acted the same way when I
finally slept with Mick,” Lacey reminded her.

“True,” Maeve admitted.

“And this was a long time coming,” Bess
added.

“Also true.”

Bess leaned her head against the wall, grinning.
“So… I’d ask how it was, but I’m guessing we already know the answer.”

“It was… he was…” Trying to put it into
words was impossible for Maeve. “God, he’s amazing.”

“So, I take it you told him everything.”

“Everything. No more secrets.”

Bess’s eyes hinted of relief. “And see? It
didn’t bother him at all, did it?”

Maeve shrugged. “He says he doesn’t care.
I mean, we’re just taking it one day at a time, you know? I’ll never marry him,
but—”

“What?” Lacey lifted a hand. “Wait a second.
Why?”

Maeve lowered her chin. “Well, for one
thing, we just started this. Marriage isn’t nearly in the picture. And it’s
stupid to wonder how or when it will end when we just began.” She stood up,
brushing off her wrinkled dress. “All this time, we could have been enjoying
time together, and I wouldn’t go there because I knew it would only end. So
what? Most the relationships we start in life end miserably. But does that mean
we don’t enjoy the ride?”

Lacey and Bess exchanged a look.

Bess stood. “Guess you’re right. But I
still wouldn’t count on ending it, Maeve.”

“Believe me, I am counting on it. He
deserves more. Hell, I deserve more.”

“Huh.” Lacey looked unconvinced.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy
each other until this thing burns itself out. He’s only going to be here
another few weeks anyway.”

“Mm’kay.” Lacey said, glancing at Bess. “She’s
not much of a romantic, is she?”

“So when are you seeing him next?” Bess
asked, offering her hand to Lacey and giving her a tug.

“Tonight. He said since he’s leaving soon,
he wants to spend as much time with me as possible.”

Bess followed Maeve toward the kitchen. “Aww.
Where are you going?”

“I’m hoping nowhere. I haven’t had sex
that good in years, and I can’t get more of that in public.” Maeve sighed. “Why
the hell didn’t I do this sooner?”

“I have no idea.”

Maeve sat at the table. “And how am I
going to live without it when he leaves?”

Lacey smiled. “As Mick always says, ‘We’ll
base jump off that bridge when we come to it.’”

“Come on. I’m making omelets to
celebrate.”

Maeve laughed. “Wow. You know it’s been a
long time since you’ve gotten laid when your friends want to celebrate with you
after.”

“That’s not all we’re celebrating.” Standing
at the refrigerator, Bess glanced over her shoulder. “I checked your blog
yesterday and you got 36 comments last week.”

“You’re sure they’re not just my mom and
dad posting under false names?”