Crossing Boundaries (Miles for Love Book 1)

by Sandra Alex

  “I’m thinking about donating all the recovered money to the AAFA for research. Kind of a way to give back, you know. I’ve never done anything like that before.”

  I smile, falling in love with him all over again. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  “Good. I like getting your seal of approval on things.”

  “Well, buckle up, mister. It’s hard to say no to you.”

  He chuckles in his sexy way and kisses me again, resting his chin on his hand, leaning on the bed, speaking in a murmur. “You’ll need someone to look after you when you get released. No arguments, I’m doing it.”

  “But what about school and work, Daniel? You’ve already missed two days on account of me.”

  “You let me worry about that. For the first couple of days, you’re going to need someone around. Maybe after that Heather and I can tag team or something. But internal bleeding is nothing to mess around with, babe. It’s very serious.”

  “Fine. I’ve always been a fast healer. You’ll be outta there faster than you know.”

  He leans in again and speaks low and sexy. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  The next day I’m released from hospital. Daniel wheels me into his car via wheelchair and all but carries me into the vehicle. When we arrive at my place, it’s as clean as a whistle, and stocked with plenty of food. “Nana Mary had a field day in here, just so you know.” Daniel says. Nana came to visit a couple of times, but I know she was busy doing other things, and now I know what those other things were.

  “It smells great in here. What did she do? Bake a pie?”

  “A cake, I think. Heather got a hold of that recipe for the Keto cake from what I understand.”

  “Oh, man. I was hoping for the real thing.” I whine, good-naturedly as Daniel bends down and takes my shoes off.

  He ignores my complaining. “How much would you kill for a bath?”

  I play along. “I’ll pay you.”

  “You can only sit in the bath and get your bum wet. You can’t get the bandages wet. We’ll wash your hair with the shower head and deal with the rest accordingly.” He lifts a hand. “Don’t worry, I’m a professional.”

  I lift a brow. “I thought only nurses gave sponge baths.”

  “I did some nursing in Afghanistan, babe. I’ve got this.”

  Daniel is so practiced, I felt like I was at a spa. After taking a bath, I felt like a million bucks. He gives me my pain medication and lays behind me in bed, being careful to keep his hands on my sides, not across my belly. “How are your ribs? I know busted ribs can be one of the most painful things in the world.”

  “Sore. But thanks to my world-class live-in doctor, I haven’t had to lift a finger.”

  “Get used to it. You’re not lifting anything if I can help it.” he kisses my head. “Will you sleep better with me here or if I give you some space?”

  I snuggle into him with my butt. “I sleep better with you here.”

  “Okay. Get some rest. I’m not moving.”

  Two hours later I wake up and try to stretch, forgetting about my ribs. Hissing in pain, I feel Daniel push my legs back up, knowing I won’t have the strength. “Easy, baby. It’s okay. Just relax. I’ve got it.” he whispers.

  I find my voice after a minute. “Jesus fuck that hurt.”

  He rubs my back. “I know, babe.” Then he pauses. “That must have hurt.” A chuckle. “I think that’s the first time I ever heard an ‘f’ bomb come out of you.”

  “Don’t tell Nana Mary.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me.” he kisses my shoulder. “Aside from the…blinding pain…how are you feeling?” his tone is half flippant, half serious.

  “Okay. I need to pee though.”

  “I’ll help you up.”

  After I relieve myself, we have a nice dinner together, and Daniel’s phone rings. “It’s my sister. I’ve got to take this.”

  With a mouth crammed full of ice cream, I motion to him to go ahead. He picks up the call. “Hey, it’s my favorite sister. How’s it goin’ over there? Fried yet?”

  He giggles and nods, and then listens to her speaking. “Oh, so when do you fly in?” a pause. “Yeah, who are we kidding…Christopher can barely handle getting out of bed, you don’t honestly think that he can handle that and picking you up, do you?”

  “Okay. Cool. I’ll see you then.” He hangs up and looks at me. “My sister is coming home in a few weeks.”

  “Nice. For how long?”

  “She didn’t say. My other two brothers are due home shortly thereafter, too, but that’s only temporary.”

  I tread carefully. “Cool. Do I get to meet them all?”

  We’re sitting on the couch, side by side. I’m leaning into him with my back, and his arm is resting across my arm. He kisses my head. “Sure. You want to meet them all at once, or one-by-one?”

  “Why?” I giggle.

  “Well, we usually have a big dinner when we’re all together at the same time. I didn’t know if you were into that or not.”

  “I’m not the shy type, Daniel. You should know that by now.”

  “True.”

  I make him go to work the next day, insisting that I’m okay to be alone for the day. He speaks to Heather himself and determines that she’s still not over the flu bug enough to take care of me. She’s still got a cough, and I can’t argue with him that a cough with three broken ribs will not be pretty. He kisses me half a dozen times before he finally agrees to leave. “And you’re going to class tonight, too. Who else is going to take notes and get me caught up.”

  “Fine. I have to stop off at home and grab more clothes anyway. You need anything while I’m gone?”

  I pucker up after saying. “Just you.”

  He kisses me tenderly, gently embracing me, speaking to me in a soft, sexy murmur. “It’s going to be a long six weeks with comments like that.”

  “Just think about how explosive it’ll be.” I goad.

  “You’re killing me.”

  I kiss his nose. “Go, or you’ll be late.”

  “Call me if you need me.”

  “I will.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  I’ll never get tired of hearing him say that.

  Chapter 25

  Daniel

  After taking Kayla to the surgeon three weeks later, she’s given the okay to go back to work, and resume normal activities, less any lifting. Her stitches have healed nicely, and her ribs are nicely on the mend. The visible bruising is gone, but she’s still tender and sore, since her ribs are not completely healed yet. The bandage around her ribs is about as comfortable as it sounds, but she has to keep it on for another week or two. As we drive to the airport to pick up my sister Mallorie, for some reason, I’m nervous.

  “I told you I heal fast.” Kayla points out proudly.

  “Easy, killer. You’re still on the ‘no lifting’ list for a couple of weeks.”

  Her hand finds my thigh. “Can I do other things?”

  I look at her and stare at her lips but smile. “Not yet. Believe me, you’ll regret it. Exertion will hurt, trust me.”

  “What if you do all the work?” she teases.

  I test her. “I tell you what. Run around the block once and tell me how you feel.”

  She removes her hand. “Point taken.”

  I take it back and envelop her hand with mine. “That doesn’t mean you can’t touch me, babe.”

  She smiles at me, but then her smile slips a notch. “Your hand is sweaty. Are you okay?”

  “I’m a little nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve introduced a girlfriend to my sister. It’s kind of like throwing a cat in with a wolf. She’s a bit of a tough one.”

  “She didn’t like your last girlfriend?”

  I look at her pointedly. “Hated her from day one.”

  “Yeah…but look how that turned out. Maybe your sister’s got a sixth sense.”

  “Maybe. But
she’s coming home kind of out of the blue, which worries me. She sounded weird on the phone.”

  “Has she spoken with anyone else in the family?”

  “That’s the other weird thing. No. Just my mom knows she’s coming home.”

  “Did she get hurt?”

  “No, not to my knowledge. And we would have heard from her Battalion if that were the case, not directly from her at first.”

  She drags her thumb across the inside of my palm. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Daniel. For all you know she’s just missing her man.”

  “True. But she wouldn’t be able to come home unless her mission was complete if that were the case. I sure as hell hope she isn’t sick. That’s the last thing this family needs.”

  “Well, did she allude to anything at all on the phone?”

  I shake my head. “No. Nothing.”

  I’m holding Kayla’s hand when I see Mallorie come down the escalator in her camouflage outfit. I’ll never get used to seeing my older sister dressed like that. I’m so proud of her. Best part is, she’s proud of me, too. I start walking towards her when her foot is on the last step of the escalator. She’s carrying a backpack in front of her, her short brown hair is under a camouflage hat. Mallorie looks like a female version of Christopher, only way prettier. Her hair is curly like his, and she’s very tall, almost as tall as me.

  Lowering her bag, she embraces me. Kayla is just behind me, and as I give Mallorie a quick hug, I’m about to introduce Kayla, when I notice something different about my sister. There is something akin to a beach ball under her suit. “What the…” I step back and look at her belly. “You’re not…”

  “Yes.” She purses her lips together, giving me a look that says that it’s taken her some time to get used to it too.

  “But you and Mark…”

  “Broke up.” She says with finality.

  “But you’re….”

  “Yes.”

  “Then who is the…”

  “Not important. You don’t know him.” she waves me off and looks at Kayla. If there was a hole in the ground, I think Kayla would jump in, broken ribs or not. “I’m Mallorie, and you are?” she holds out her hand for Kayla to shake.

  “K…Kayla.” She stammers. Mallorie shakes her hand and gives her a perfunctory smile and then addresses me again.

  “So now you understand why I’m home, and why nobody else knows about it except mom.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. The baby is due in eight weeks, and I have a lot of work to do in that time.”

  “Does mom know that you’re pregnant?”

  “Yes. But dad doesn’t, and I have no idea how to tell him. I’m thinking I’ll just show up in a maternity outfit and let them all figure it out.”

  I’m flippant. “Yeah, ask me how that felt. I’m sure that’s just what dad needs…another stroke.”

  She gives me a look. “You have another brilliant plan?”

  “About as brilliant as you getting pregnant.” I spit back, picking her bag up off the glossy floor, grunting as I lift it.

  “Hardy har.” Mallorie says, unamused. “I’ll need a place to stay.” She looks at me as if I’ll fill in the blanks.

  “Christopher’s staying with me for now. He’ll find out the moment you set foot in the door.” I chuckle mirthlessly. “But I suppose you didn’t think of that, either. I suppose you staying with Mark wouldn’t work.”

  “Don’t be a dolt, stupid.” She says, shoving me with her hand. “He doesn’t know I’m back and he especially doesn’t know that I’m pregnant.”

  We walk towards the baggage area. “So what happened with you guys, anyway. I thought you were going to get married.”

  “I thought so, too, until my bestie caught him cheating on me.”

  “Handy.” I clear my throat. “So what did you do? Go and have revenge sex?”

  “Not exactly.” She says, watching the bags start coming down the line. “It was a drunken one-night stand, which is exactly why I didn’t want anyone to find out about it. Then when I found out I was pregnant, it threw that idea out the window.” She looks at Kayla. “I’d never done casual sex before…and now I know why.”

  Kayla lifts her brows. “I hear ya.”

  Mallorie addresses me, changing the subject. “Hey, why is Christopher living with you still?”

  “Delays with his house.” I answer, my voice is flat.

  “How’s dad?”

  “He’s good.” I pause. “Try not to do anything to ruin that.”

  She places a hand on my back as she recognizes her bag approaching. “I promise you I’ll use discretion.”

  “I say you should treat it like a Band Aid. Let’s just go to mom and dad’s right now and let the cat out of the bag. I’ll get Christopher to meet us. Between me and Christopher, there will be enough medics there.” I shrug. She’s picking up on my outrageous idea, and the fact that I’m only half joking.

  “Funny. Hey, where did you get this sense of humor?” she picks up her bag and I take it from her. “You didn’t have that when I left.”

  I ignore her and address Kayla. “You up for meeting the Lynch clan?” I take her hand in the one that isn’t holding Mallorie’s bag, and I give her a quick kiss on the lips before she answers yes.

  “You two are cute.” Mallorie comments.

  I lift a brow. “Hormones suit you, big sister.”

  “You wait and see.” She guffaws. “That’s half the reason why my Battalion sent me home. No weapons needed. I’d beat the hell out of anyone who crossed paths with me. Besides, combat is no place for a pregnant woman, even though I’d rather give birth there than deal with the family.”

  “So what’s the plan? Are you keeping the baby or giving it up? I’ll assume the father has nothing to do with you? Does he even know about it?”

  She stops dead in her tracks, lifting a defensive hand. “Now hold on a second here. Give me some credit, Daniel. Yes, I told the father about the baby, and no, he doesn’t want anything to do with it. He said he did but he’s been fazing himself out of my life for the last seven months. Yes, I plan to keep the child. Mother would have my ass mounted on the wall if I gave it up. You know how much she wants grandchildren, and this will be the first.”

  “Hang on…is this…our mother you’re speaking of?”

  Mallorie rolls her eyes. “Yes, Daniel. Mom wants grandchildren. Dad, too. They just never act that way in front of the Lynch boys. God forbid.”

  “Oh,” I say with my neck craned back slightly.

  “Anyway, I suppose you’re right. Dad will be equally upset if he finds out I’ve been home and didn’t make an appearance. It’s now or never.” She sighs.

  “I’ll text Christopher and have him meet us at mom and dad’s.” I say.

  A half hour later, we’re at my parent’s place. Christopher’s car is already in the driveway. “Ready to pull the Band Aid off?” I grunt as I exit the car.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Mallorie answers.

  I take her bag in one hand, and Kayla’s hand in the other as we walk up to the door. Kayla looks pale, but when I ask her if she’s okay, she nods convincingly. I suppose I’m not the only one who’s nervous. I kiss her twice on the lips before we enter the house. Christopher answers the door. Thankfully he’s cut his hair…finally. He looks about ten years younger with it short. There also isn’t such a striking resemblance between him and Mallorie with it shorter. He looks at Mallorie. “Holy shit, sis! What the hell are you doing home?”

  I hear dad’s voice coming from the living room. “Mallorie?”

  I know he’s going to try to get up by himself, so I release Kayla’s hand and trot over to him.

  “Yeah, dad. Mallorie’s home. It’s a surprise.” It’s not the only surprise.

  Helping him up, I hear Christopher noticing said surprise. “Whooaaa!!! What happened here?”

  “Long story.” Mallorie answers.

  Mom approaches from the kitche
n and gives Mallorie a hug. “Nice to have you back, sweetheart.” She says warmly.

  “I’ll bet.” Christopher scoffs.

  Dad sees Mallorie’s belly right away. “She pregnant?” he asks under his breath. A twinge of excitement dances in his eyes, surprising me.

  “Yeah, dad. I just found out at the airport.” I say honestly.

  I expect him to be standoffish with her, but he walks over and gives her a warm embrace. “Oh, love, it’s so nice to see you.” He starts to tear up. Dad never does that with her. It’s half worrying and half endearing.

  “Well, I knew.” Mom admits, clasping her hands together. “It’s been killing me not telling your father.”

  “Sorry, mom.” Mallorie says, giving her another hug.

  “So how did Mark take the news?” Christopher asks.

  Uh….oh.

  The expression on her face tells me that Mallorie was ready for this. “He doesn’t know. Mark and I split up.”

  Dad’s face falls. “What happened?”

  “He cheated on me, dad. I didn’t want to tell you.”

  “So, who is the father?” Dad asks.

  Mom wraps her arm around Dad’s shoulders. “It doesn’t matter, dear. Mallorie doesn’t want to talk about that right now.”

  “No, it’s okay, mom.” Mallorie says. “He’s a guy I met in combat. He knows about the baby but he’s not ready to be a father yet. I’m okay with it.”

  Dad smiles. “Out of all my kids, you’ve always been the toughest one.”

  “We’re having our first grandchild, dear.” Mom pats dad on the back and then gives it a rub. It’s the first gesture of affection I’ve seen between them in a while. Maybe having a little one around here will be good for them.

  Mallorie changes the subject. “Well, aren’t you going to introduce Kayla?” She says, turning to me. My face turns five shades of red. Kayla smiles and sticks her hand out to mom first, and then to dad. She’s a natural. It’s nice that she doesn’t attach a title to herself, even though I’m madly in love with her and would proudly call her my girlfriend.

  Dad warms to her immediately, giving her a quick hug. She reciprocates and Christopher tries to get in there, but I shove him aside. “You’ve already met.” I warn.