by Amy Reece
“I think we can cut you some slack this once.”
“Thanks. Anyway, I discovered I was pregnant three weeks later. I didn’t even know his full name. I’m so embarrassed.” She picked her drink up again.
“Well, that does explain it.” Chris picked up her wine glass and sipped.
***
Mac
“So…she’s pretty.” Darius was clearly fishing.
“She’s beautiful.” Mac couldn’t believe he’d run into her, in the mall of all places! Of course he’d been hoping, dreaming he’d meet her again. It was the main reason he’d accepted the transfer to Albuquerque with such alacrity. She looked different…not older, exactly, but more mature than he remembered. To be honest, he was a bit intimidated by her sleek glamour. The girl he remembered had long flowing hair, not the shining dark bob she now wore. And her face was more…determined, maybe…than he recalled. And she’d been shocked, obviously, to see him. It wasn’t quite the reaction he’d been expecting. Or hoping for.
“And her name is?”
“Bella.”
“Bella what?”
“I don’t know.” Mac grinned at his friend. They were more than co-workers; they had served together in Special Forces for nearly a decade. They had watched more than one of their fellow Green Berets torn apart by a roadside bomb, and Darius had been the one to pull Mac to safety when his career was ended by a sniper’s bullet. When the opportunity had appeared to move closer to his best friend and the girl he’d never been able to forget, he’d grabbed it with both hands.
“Of course you don’t.” Darius shook his head and punched his friend on the upper arm. “She didn’t look exactly thrilled to see you.”
“Yeah. That was unexpected. Shit.” The reunion he’d pictured in his head had gone down differently; there’d been a whole lot more hugging and, in some versions of the fantasy, even a little kissing. “At least I got her number. I can remind her what a great guy I am on our first date.”
Darius laughed. “What I wouldn’t give for a small dose of your cockiness. Just a small dose, mind you.”
“I prefer to think of it as a healthy self-confidence. Hey, she went out with me once.”
“That was a long time ago, wasn’t it?”
Mac stopped walking, crossed his arms, and demanded, “What’s your point?”
“Hey, don’t be like that. I’m just saying, what if she’s married or something?”
“She’s not married. I asked.”
“Well, what are the odds someone like her doesn’t have a boyfriend? Women who look like that always have boyfriends.”
“Shut up.” Mac started walking again.
“Fine. I’m just sayin’.” Darius jogged to catch up. “You should call her.”
“I plan to. Now, let’s get this threat assessment finished. I freakin’ hate malls.”
“God, that’s for sure. If one more dude tries to sell me a cell phone, I’m gonna shove it down his throat.”
“Get in line.” They arrived at the glass doors leading to the mall’s administrative offices. “Hello.” Mac and Darius both flashed their badges. “We’re with Homeland Security.”
“Yes, we’ve been expecting you.” The administrative assistant picked up the telephone receiver. “Have a seat, gentlemen. I’ll call Mr. Aguilar.”
It was nearly five o’clock before they were finished with the threat assessment at the mall and the accompanying paperwork back at their office. “Well, it’s no Mall of America, that’s for sure.” Mac flipped through the pages of the report they’d spent the last three hours writing.
“Yeah, but it’s definitely a soft target, with a crap-ton of ingress and egress points.” Darius sighed as he stood to stretch.
“Is that a metric crap-ton?” Mac slipped the report into a manila folder and tucked it into a file drawer. He’d already emailed it to their boss, but they were required to keep hard copies.
“So, you gonna call her tonight?”
Mac grabbed his jacket and headed to the door. “Probably. Maybe.”
“Don’t be a chickenshit, Mac. Call her!” he yelled to his friend as the door closed.
Okay, yeah. He would call her. Definitely. But ten minutes later, he pulled his new SUV into the parking lot of his gym. I really need to work out. My back will stiffen up like an iron vise if I don’t. He recognized the rationalization for what it was, but shoved it aside and changed into his workout clothes. After a punishing forty minutes, he showered, changed, and finally returned home to his new townhouse. He hadn’t taken the time to unpack all his boxes yet, and had purchased only the most rudimentary of furniture: a recliner, a 50-inch flat screen, and a bed. His last apartment had been fully furnished and he’d sold his few crappy personal items before the move to New Mexico. He knew he should care about this place more, but he was rarely here. Maybe I should get a dog. It might make coming home less depressing. He grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and headed to his recliner. He pulled her number up on his phone and stared at it while he drank his beer. Call her. What can it hurt? It took three quarters of his beer, but he finally found the nerve to hit the call button. It went straight to voicemail, as if she’d turned her phone off. He left a short message, trying to sound upbeat, and clicked the end button. Well, what did you expect? Nothing in your life has ever been easy, so did you really expect this to be any different? He didn’t. Not really, anyway. He’d met her a lifetime ago; they’d only had one night together, and he’d always known she’d almost certainly moved on and forgot all about him. But, for some reason, he hadn’t been able to forget her. He reached into his wallet and removed the small scrap of pink paper he still carried.
Stay safe.
Love, Bella
Four words. But he’d kept them for nearly six years. And he’d never been able to banish the memory of the beautiful girl he’d met in a downtown bar on his last night before shipping out for yet another tour of duty. He’d come to Albuquerque with Darius to visit his family before they both started their last overseas assignment in Iraq. Mac had already spent several days with his dad in Cleveland and was happy to spend a few with Darius’s family, who treated him like a son. Darius had wanted to spend their last night with his girlfriend, so Mac had found his solitary way to a downtown bar, hoping for nothing more than a few drinks and maybe a game of pool. Meeting Bella had simply been a fortuitous accident. There had been other pretty girls before her and even a few since, but she remained, standing out for some reason. He knew next to nothing about her—not even her full name—but the memory of her smiling face and gorgeous blue eyes, dark hair spread across the pillow next to his, had lived strong all these years. And he had no idea why.
He downed the last swig of beer and heaved to his feet, his back protesting, causing him to suck in a quick breath. Some days were worse than others and standing around on the concrete floors of that damned mall all morning hadn’t helped. His workout earlier had made inroads, but he knew walking would be the best thing in the long run. His stomach rumbled and he decided to walk to the grocery store for something to prepare for dinner. The mile round-trip hike, plus a few Aleve, would help insure a decent night’s sleep.
Forty-five minutes later, he was staring at the chicken breasts he’d purchased, wishing he’d gone for the sirloin. Now what the hell do I do with them? Years of army fare had nearly killed his palate and he’d never had much time to devote to learning to cook. He racked his brain, trying to remember what his mom had done with chicken in the distant past of his childhood. He rummaged through his meager pantry and came up with a solitary can of cream of mushroom soup. He shrugged, threw the chicken in a baking dish, dumped the soup on top, and put the whole thing in the oven, praying it would be semi-edible in a half hour or so. He turned to the fridge for the salad fixings he’d also bought when his phone dinged with a text message.
Bella: I got your message.
His heart pounded as he texted back quickly.
Mac: Great! Liste
n, I’d like to see you again. Soon.
He waited impatiently for her reply, dying a little as he watched his stubbornly blank screen.
Bella: OK. When?
He grinned and decided to press his luck.
Tonight. Have you had dinner yet?
It seemed to take forever for her reply to appear.
Bella: No. Where?
Yes! Victory!
Mac: I can pick you up. What’s your address?
This one came back quickly.
Bella: Let’s meet somewhere.
Yeah, yeah. He knew about safe dating rules too, but it still pricked.
Mac: Elephant Bar? In Uptown?
It was nearby and had decent ambience without being too fussy.
Bella: Sure. Half hour?
Mac: Perfect. See you there.
He shoved his phone in his pocket, turned off the oven, and flew to his bedroom to shave and change. He barely remembered to cover the chicken with foil and shove it in the refrigerator before he left.
She was waiting in front of the restaurant when he arrived, pacing nervously, he thought. She smiled, though, when she caught sight of him, and he felt a tiny bit of renewed hope.
God, she’s so beautiful! My memories didn’t do her justice. “Bella. Thanks for meeting me. It’s chilly out here. You should have waited inside.”
“It’s all right. I put our name on the list.” She held up a small black pager. “It’ll be about ten minutes.”
“No problem.” He opened the massive front door and ushered her inside. They chatted about inconsequentials until the pager lit up. They were shown to a booth in the far corner of the restaurant and he helped remove her coat before they sat down. “You look great, Bella.” She wore a short dress in some sort of wine color and high heels, which brought the top of her head nearly even with his nose. Again, she was rather intimidating, but he was too happy she’d agreed to meet him to be bothered. He caught a whiff of perfume as she shrugged off her coat and was instantly transported back in time. It was all he could do to refrain from grabbing her then and there to see if her kiss was as amazing as he remembered. She’d probably slug him, though, so he simply smiled and took his seat.
“Sorry about earlier. I know I acted like a lunatic. I was just surprised to see you. I had no clue you lived here. I thought you were from the Midwest somewhere.” She fiddled with her silverware and napkin as she spoke.
“Cleveland, yeah. After I got out of the army, I joined Homeland Security and worked out of Chicago for a while. When the transfer opportunity came up for New Mexico, I grabbed it. Darius was here—it’s where he’s from—and I was tired of snow.”
She smiled and it lit up her whole face, sending a jolt straight to his heart. “My sister-in-law’s from Chicago. She says she’s glad to be away from the winters too.”
“That’s the one who was with you today at the mall?” He was eager to know everything about her.
She shook her head. “Chris is my sister-in-law, but I’m talking about Mel, my other sister-in-law.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“Four. And one sister. But Hugh and Finn are the only ones who are married yet. And I’ve got the only—” She cut off suddenly, a horrified look on her face. The waiter appeared at that moment and she turned her attention to ordering a drink.
He placed his own order. “Five siblings? Wow. That’s, uh, intense. I’m an only. My dad still lives in Cleveland, but I’m trying to get him to move out here.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without my parents nearby. They’ve been a huge help with—over the last few years.” She appeared to have said more than she planned again and took a rather large sip of the drink the waiter placed before her.
He wondered what she was keeping from him. They didn’t actually know much about each other; their previous time together hadn’t exactly focused on small talk. Well, he would honor her wish to hold back, at least for now. He’d waited this long to find her; he could be patient a bit longer. Maybe they could start with the easy stuff. “So, I realize I don’t even know your last name. Or if you’re seeing anyone.” He was desperate to know if she was available.
“DeLuca. And I’m not.” She smiled apologetically. “You really don’t even know my first name. It’s Isabelle, but everyone calls me Izzy.”
“Izzy? Okay. It’s kind of cute. I can call you Izzy, if you prefer. Can I ask why you told me it was Bella?” He was rather taken aback that he’d thought of her all these years by the wrong name.
She shrugged, refusing to look at him directly. “I guess I was trying to be someone else that night, Mac. That is your name, isn’t it? Is it short for something?”
“My full name is William MacNeil, but only my dad calls me Will. I’ve been Mac since middle school.”
“Okay. It suits you.” She fiddled with a piece of bread, crumbling it into small pieces.
“Izzy,” he said, trying it out and liking it. “Can we both agree we weren’t at our best that night six years ago and move on? I’d had way too much to drink and didn’t act like much of a gentleman. I don’t make a habit of one-night stands. I was about to ship out for a tour I was dreading. I didn’t have much hope of returning, actually. I’m not trying to excuse my bad behavior, but, well…”
She smiled and reached her hand to touch his lightly, sending a jolt of heat up his arm. “I get it. I’m not judging, Mac. I was running away too, trying to be someone I’m not. That’s why I told you my name was Bella. I was tired of being Izzy and thought I’d try something new. I don’t make a habit of one-night stands, either.”
He turned his hand over and clasped hers lightly. “Fair enough. We were both idiots once, a long time ago. I’ve never forgotten you, Izzy. I’d really like to get to know you. Maybe we could try a more conventional approach this time?”
She chuckled, but nodded. “I think I’d like that.”
The waiter returned for their order and Mac waited until he had left to continue. “So, what do you do for a living?”
“I help my older brother run our family’s construction company. I do the books and payroll; he works with clients and contractors. Not very exciting.”
“I wouldn’t say that. So, you’re an accountant?” He didn’t know what he’d pictured her doing all these years, but it wasn’t anything business related.
“Yeah, basically. What do you do with Homeland Security? I guess I didn’t realize we had it here in Albuquerque. I would have thought we were too small for something like that.”
“I work with something called the Fusion Program. We help coordinate a multi-agency anti-terrorism task force here in New Mexico. There’s a Fusion Program in every major urban center. Smaller states like New Mexico just have one for the whole state.”
“Terrorism? Here in New Mexico?”
“You might be surprised.” He turned the conversation in a lighter direction until their food arrived. He watched her throughout the meal, enchanted anew by her beauty, her dry sense of humor, her way of looking at him and really seeing him. She might look different and have a different name, but she was the same girl he’d foolishly fallen in love with during a one-night stand, nearly six years ago.
Chapter Two
Izzy
The chamomile tea was helping. Izzy sat on her sofa, wearing sweats and wrapped in a fluffy blanket, trying to process the events of the day. In the span of less than twelve hours, she had come face to face with a man she’d thought she would never see again, a man with whom she’d shared a stolen night six years before. A man with whom she shared a child. She remembered the first sight she’d had of him all those years ago, in a downtown bar.
“Is this guy bothering you, ma’am?” The new guy stood next to the pool table and gestured with his beer to the man she couldn’t seem to shake. New guy was about a thousand times cuter and she was willing to bet he smelled better.
She’d only been at the bar for about thirty minutes and it already seemed like one of
the worst ideas she’d ever had. She knew better than to bar hop alone, but a friend—or worse yet, a sister—tagging along would defeat the purpose of tonight. She’d ordered a drink and wandered over to the pool tables. She’d found a game, but now she couldn’t shake one of the guys. His name was Mark or Mike and he smelled like he hadn’t bathed in a few days. He kept offering to buy her drinks and asking when they could get out of there. Um, ‘no’ and ‘never.’ If she were smart, she’d get out of this bar and go directly home—alone. But she was tired of being the smart, responsible one. She nodded slightly to the new guy, wanting the creeper gone, but not willing to cause a scene.
He took over, managing to firmly repel Mike/Mark without a scene. She couldn’t hear what he said to him, but the unpleasant man left without another word. “I’m Mac, by the way.”
His hand was warm and calloused as it clasped hers; it set her stomach to jumping. Her pulse hitched when he smiled, two adorable dimples appearing in his cheeks. He had bright green eyes that danced with humor and a sexy unshaven jaw. “I’m Iz—Bella. I’m Bella. Thanks for that.” She waved her pool cue in the direction of the retreating Mike/Mark.
“No problem. I was watching you—hmm, that sounds kinda stalkerish. I happened to notice the most beautiful girl in the bar didn’t seem to be enjoying the attentions of a certain guy, so I stepped in. I can step back out if you prefer. I don’t want to be creepy.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You want a game?”
He grinned, causing her stomach to flip. “Rack ’em up.”
***
The early morning sun creeping through the crack in the curtains woke her. Her head pounded vengefully as she turned to look at the man next to her. She didn’t have that Hollywood where-am-I moment; she knew exactly where she was and exactly what she’d done: she’d spent the night with a man she’d just met. She’d had a one-night stand. And it would definitely be one night only. Mac had told her he was in the army and shipping out for another overseas assignment the next day. They had played their game of pool, and then another. And another. They both drank freely, both seeming to crave the release of social constraints and responsibility as they continued. He was funny and nice and made her feel special. She hadn’t felt special in a long time. The bar closed before they were ready to part and it had seemed natural to walk hand-in-hand across the street to the hotel. He’d paid for the room, while she stood in front of the tourist information stand, wondering if she had the nerve to go through with what they both wanted. He’d approached, placed a key card in her hand, and tipped her chin up, rubbing his thumb across her lips.
