“Yep. We’ll drop the car off and then walk down there.”
“Can I get pancakes?”
He wasn’t going to want pancakes once he saw his surprise, but for now she said, “You can have whatever you want.”
He gave a big, contented sigh. “Okay.”
“Okay.” She leaned over and kissed his head, then turned the lamp off and made sure the nightlight was on. Liam was asleep by the time she stepped into the hallway and pulled the door shut.
She paused outside of their door and took a deep breath. It was hard being a single mom sometimes, but she wouldn’t trade being a mom for anything.
But tonight she wasn’t a single parent. Her other half was here and he was waiting just down the hall. She felt her stomach flip, feeling like she had back when they’d first met. That never went away. Whenever she thought of him, or heard his voice, or saw him after months apart, her stomach flipped and she felt like she was falling in love again.
Sometimes she thought maybe being apart for long periods kept them madly in love. They hardly argued. Matt always told her she made the calls around the house and in the boys’ day-to-day lives. It just made sense. He trusted and respected her to make the right decisions. When she wasn’t sure of something or they had to make a big purchase—new car, adding more to the boys’ college fund, a new water heater—they discussed it and decided together. But they hardly ever argued. And they didn’t take each other for granted. And he wasn’t around enough to drive her crazy with any weird habits or quirks.
So, yeah, maybe being apart made them fall in love again and again.
Or maybe she just told herself that because it made her feel better about being apart.
She shook her head as she headed for the bedroom. It didn’t matter if that flip in her stomach was only there because he spent so much time away. It was there and she liked it.
Lindsey let herself into their bedroom, shrugging out of her sweater. She’d pulled the cardigan on over her dress when she’d first come in the door. The old house was a little drafty and yes, this was Louisiana, but it still got chilly—at least for them—at night in December. It was only in the upper forties right now. But she had the perfect way to keep warm tonight.
She picked up her pace on the way down the hall, but it only took her ten seconds after stepping inside her bedroom to realize that she was going to have to settle for snuggling.
Matt was dead asleep on the bed.
She smiled as she watched him. He was on his stomach, limbs stretched out everywhere, taking up far more than half of the bed. He was on top of the duvet, one foot hanging off the edge of the mattress, and his head was only half on the pillow. Almost as if he’d thought to lie down for just a second and had accidentally fallen asleep.
The trip home from Kabul was a nineteen hour flight. She didn’t know where exactly he’d started the trip or if there had been stops along the way. But no matter what, it was a long trip. She was sure he was exhausted.
And she was going to let him sleep. But she was definitely going to snuggle up against him. And there was a ninety-eight percent chance that she was going to wake him up for morning sex.
6
Morning sex didn’t happen. Shower sex didn’t happen.
Matt couldn’t believe that he’d fallen asleep. He also couldn’t believe that Lindsey hadn’t awakened him.
That wasn’t true. He could believe that. She would have wanted to let him rest. Especially since she didn’t know that their time together was limited.
Waking up with her in his arms had been amazing. For thirty seconds. Then she’d elbowed him in the gut and jumped out of bed ordering him into the closet because the boys were on their way down the hall.
So he’d hidden out, naked and semi-erect, while she’d herded his boys back out the door and into their room to get ready to run errands with her.
He’d been torn between laughing and groaning. He wanted to see the boys. He wanted to put Lindsey up on the bathroom counter and sink into her over and over and over.
He didn’t actually get to do either of those things. Yet. He was now in the kitchen of the diner where Lindsey had brought the boys for breakfast.
She needed to get the car’s oil changed. He wished he could just do it for her so that he could keep her in bed and make waffles for the boys in their own kitchen. But she already had the car appointment and, dammit, there was so much he wanted to get done while he was here, that he simply couldn’t prioritize an oil change.
But at least he was making the boys waffles. It wasn’t in their own kitchen, and they didn’t know he was doing it—yet—but it was something.
“Okay, they’re here,” Jay, the owner of the diner said, coming into the kitchen.
“Great.” Finally, he was going to see the boys. “Have they ordered?”
“I’m just getting them juice and coffee,” Jay said. “But I heard Liam ask about pancakes.”
Obviously, Lindsey and the boys were regulars here. Jay had been more than happy to let Matt into the kitchen to make Liam and Aidan waffles this morning. He’d thanked Matt for his service and told him that his boys were wonderful. That was pretty much all the man had to do to be Matt’s friend.
He poured more batter into the waffle griddle. “I hope they’re okay with not having pancakes.”
Jay put a carafe of coffee, a cup, and two glasses of orange juice on a tray and picked it up. He gave Matt a wink as he backed out through the swinging door. “Lean in close to the window there and you’ll hear just how okay they’re going to be,” Jay said.
Matt crossed to the window that opened between the kitchen and the dining area. He stayed to one side, out of sight of where Lindsey and the boys were sitting, but Jay had put them in the booth closest to the door to the kitchen so he could hear the exchange from where he was standing.
“Okay, guys, so we have something really special on the menu today,” Jay said, setting the glasses and coffee down. “Blueberry waffles!”
Matt peeked around the corner to see Liam shaking his head. “We don’t want waffles.” He nudged Aidan. “Right?”
Aidan nodded, but he didn’t look too thrilled. “Right.”
“What?” Jay said. “You guys don’t like waffles?”
“We like them a lot!” Aidan said enthusiastically
“Why don’t you tell Jay why you don’t want waffles?” Lindsey said. “He’ll understand.”
Liam looked up, giving Matt his first good look at his son’s face and his heart stuttered. He’d just been on Skype with both boys a couple of days ago and yet, Liam looked different. Older. Less a little boy than the one in Matt’s head. Even though he saw photos and talked to them face-to-face online, the image of his sons in his mind were of little boys. Not school-aged, with friends and activities and experiences that he was missing. It had been one thing to miss first steps and first words, but over the past couple of years, Matt had realized that it was a lot harder missing things that the boys would remember, that really mattered to them. First homeruns and first science fairs and first crushes. And there would be more. First dates, first break-ups, first victories, and first defeats.
They would talk about it on the phone, on Skype, on his visits home, of course. But it wouldn’t be the same. They were growing up fast.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he swore under his breath.
The job. It was always there. Always.
He pulled his phone out as he heard Liam say, “We only eat waffles with our dad. When he makes them.”
Matt felt like Liam had punched him in the chest.
“LaSalle,” he ground out as he answered the phone.
“New plan,” Simon said.
No. Fuck no. “What happened?”
“They weren’t looking for Dr. Badih Kahn.”
“I thought the intel was clear on Kahn.”
“Yeah. They were looking for Dr. Asadi Kahn. Badih’s brother.”
Matt closed his eyes. “And?”
“And they found him. Our mission is now a rescue.”
Matt felt his gut tighten. “Because he knows as much as Badih or because they think this will flush Badih out?”
“Not sure yet. We’re working on that part. He’s also a scientist.”
“A chemist?”
“Engineer.”
“What do they want with an engineer?” Matt asked.
Badih was a renowned chemist who had been pressured by the government to consult on the development of chemical weapons. Which he’d done. Just prior to destroying all the plans and blowing up the lab. He’d escaped and come to the Americans for protection, but he hadn’t necessarily intended to survive the explosion. He’d been willing to die to keep the plans for the weapons from being utilized. And while the plans had not survived, they lived on in his mind. Which was why he was now being hunted.
Asadi, however, was an unknown. Matt didn’t like unknowns.
“Best we can gather is that Asadi is being used as bait, but it’s not impossible to believe that he might be someone who could be useful in weapon design,” Simon said. “We’re just beginning to get the intel.”
“Fuck,” Matt breathed. A man had been kidnapped, their scientist was still under threat, a foreign government was hell-bent on developing chemical and biological weapons—okay, unfortunately more than one foreign government—and…his kids needed waffles.
In some ways, it would be easier to disappear now. Before the boys saw him. Before he got all caught up in everything about being home and the holidays and then had to leave. The leaving was the hard part. Should he just spare them all?
“So we’re leaving…”
“Monday morning.”
His two-week leave had just turned into two days. Matt blew out a breath and shoved a hand through his hair. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
There wasn’t anything more to say. “Keep me posted on any intel that comes in,” Matt said.
They had to go in after Asadi, but it would really help if they knew why the government had him. Was it just to try to draw Badih out or was he working for them? And was he working for them willingly or not? It could be a true kidnapping. Or bait. And the bait could be for the man’s brother, or for the American troops that the government forces knew were protecting Badih.
“Will do.”
They disconnected as Jay came through the kitchen door. “You ready?”
No. “Sure. Of course.” He forced a smile. He was home for another thirty-six hours give or take. That was better than nothing and he was going to see the boys.
He and Jay worked to get the waffles plated and the whipped cream and strawberries arranged in the Tic-Tac-Toe pattern he always did for the boys. Then Matt took a deep breath, picked up the tray, and forced his mind back into the moment. There would be plenty of time to wonder about what was happening across the ocean. Plenty of time. Too much time. He’d be in the midst of it far too soon.
And yet, not soon enough. Asadi could be in real trouble. And if he cooperated with his captors, they could all be in real trouble. And if Badih found out…
“Matt?”
He looked over at Jay. “Yeah?”
“You okay?”
He realized he’d stopped just before the door with the tray of waffles and bacon. He took a deep breath. “Yep. Absolutely.”
Waffles. His family. Christmas. That was all he was thinking about it for the next few hours.
Jay pushed the door open and preceded Matt into the dining room.
“Okay, so I told you we have a new cook and he’s really trying to get the waffles right. We need some taste testers,” Jay said. “I know you only eat waffles with your dad, but maybe you can make an exception in this case?” He stepped to the side, revealing Matt and the tray of waffles.
Liam looked at the tray first. “I don’t really want to.”
Matt caught Lindsey’s eye and she gave him a smile that was so full of love and excitement for what was to come that he felt the tension banding his chest loosen. It will all be okay. That was what she did for him. She made him believe that.
“Hey, Aidan, what do you think?” Lindsey asked.
Aidan looked up from coloring the photo on the back of the placemat. His eyes went to the tray first too.
Matt grinned. His boys were all about the food.
“I guess,” Aidan said. “I’ll take one bite.”
“Just one?” Matt asked. “What if these are the best waffles you’ve ever had?”
Both boys looked up at him at the same moment.
And everything just froze for a few seconds.
They stared at him and Matt just stood, letting it all sink in.
Then Liam said, “Dad?” and Aidan started crying.
Matt handed the tray off to Jay and knelt beside the booth as both boys slid out and threw themselves into his arms.
And everything was right in his world.
Matt squeezed his eyes shut as he hugged the boys to his chest. “I missed you guys so much.”
They clutched at his shirt and Liam just kept saying, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!”
“I like waffles so much,” Aidan said against his shirt.
“Me too,” Liam assured him. “Just yours. I only want them with you.”
Matt felt bad that his boys would go months at a time without waffles, but truthfully, he loved that they were so adamant about only eating them with him. It was a small thing, but damn, he didn’t get many exclusive parts of their lives. He’d take waffles if that was all he could have.
He dragged his eyes open and focused on Lindsey.
She, of course, had tears streaming down her face, but her smile was bright and the love and pride shining in her eyes told him everything he needed to know about what was in her heart and mind. She was fully in this moment. So were the boys. And so would he be. He’d make sure of it.
Finally he said gruffly, “Okay, let’s eat. I’ve got a ton of stuff for us to do today.”
The boys pulled back. Both had red faces and wet cheeks, but they were smiling.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Liam said.
“This is a huge surprise,” Aidan agreed.
Matt laughed, even as he silently prayed that they wouldn’t ask him how long he was going to be home. He was going to pack the day with all of the things he’d thought they’d have two weeks to do and hopefully keep them so busy and get them so tired that they wouldn’t think about when the end might be.
The boys climbed back into the booth, but when Matt went to slide in next to Lindsey, the boys insisted he sit with them, right in the middle. He agreed and happily sat and watched two of the three greatest loves in his life shovel waffles and strawberries and whipped cream into their mouths as they chattered about how surprised they were and what they were going to do for the rest of the day.
And Lindsey sat across the table, her chin propped on her hand, just watching her three guys. The look on her face was one of the most beautiful things Matt had ever seen and he wished, as he often did, that he could somehow have a photograph of that moment.
After they finished, Matt spent five minutes convincing Jay to take payment for breakfast while the other man insisted that he wanted to cover the tab in thanks for Matt’s service. They finally settled on a fifty-percent discount. Matt knew that people really did want to do those kinds of things for soldiers to show their appreciation and that it was important to let them do it once in a while. Once he got his family out onto the sidewalk, he pulled Lindsey up against his side, needing to touch her. She slid her hand under his jacket, wrapped her arm around him, her fingertips on the bare skin just above the waistband of his jeans.
Damn. He wanted to spend the entire day with the boys. He also wanted to spend the entire day in bed with Lindsey. He didn’t have enough time.
He squelched that thought, splayed a hand on her hip, intending to keep her against him as much as possible, and said to the boys, “Okay, so we’ve got
a lot to do. We’re going to hit Christmas Fest first.”
“What’s Christmas Fest?” Liam asked.
“Have you been before?” Matt asked Lindsey.
“We were going to go last year with the support group but Aidan got an ear infection.”
Matt nodded. “You are going to love it. We get to go ice skating, have a snow ball fight, go on rides, have hot chocolate. All kinds of stuff. They have ice slides and we can get into a giant snow globe to get our picture taken.”
Christmas Fest was an annual event at the convention center that combined just about everything awesome about the Christmas season into one gigantic space. There were carnival rides, games, crafts, food and drink, and, of course, a chance to visit with Santa.
“Ice skating?” Liam said, eyes wide. “I’ve never done that before.”
“I’ll help you,” Matt promised. “It will be fun.”
“And rides?” Aidan asked. “I love rides.”
“Me too, buddy. This is going to be great.”
Lindsey gave a contented little sigh. That Matt wanted to hear over and over again. He knew that making their boys happy would make her happy, but he also wanted to give her some amazing memories of this holiday. In the few hours he had.
He shook that off and kept his smile big and steady. “Then we’re going to go have a Reveillon dinner and we’ll go look at the lights and trees in City Park after dark.”
The boys were nodding excitedly, but Liam asked, “What’s a Reve—” That was as far as he got into the word before he couldn’t remember it.
Matt put a hand on his head. He loved the idea of being able to show the boys some of the best holiday traditions and teach them something new. He wasn’t here often enough to do that. “I’ll tell you about it while we walk down to get the car.”
They started in that direction and Matt told the boys all about the tradition of Reveillon dinners after midnight Mass on Christmas Eve when everyone went home and wined and dined until dawn.
“It was a Creole tradition,” he said. “But over time, people just stopped doing it. They started having other traditions. Then, when I was a kid, some of the restaurants in the city started it up again. They started having special holiday menus around this time of year and my grandmother would take the whole family out to her favorite place, Vacherie Restaurant, for a family Reveillon dinner. It was always one of my favorite things to do. The pecan pie there is amazing. Better than your grandma’s. But don’t tell her I said that.” He gave the boys a wink and they both grinned at being included in on a secret.
Eggnog Makes Her Easy: A Boys of the Big Easy Holiday novella Page 6
