Love of a Marine (The Wounded Warriors Series Book 2)

by Patty Campbell

  “Women say dumb stuff like that all the time. It’s best not to confirm or deny anything they say when they first wake up. Unless you like wandering through a minefield.” Cluny shared the joke with her grinning son.

  Graciella stuck out her tongue. She loved both of them so much. She lifted a napkin to her lips so they couldn’t see her smile. Nothing could spoil this day.

  The doorbell rang.

  Graciella smoothed the front of her robe and went to the door. She peeked through the peephole and saw a teenage girl standing on the porch. She opened the door. “Hello.”

  The girl’s face turned scarlet. She took a step back. “Oh!”

  “Yes?” The girl looked familiar. “Ah, didn’t I see you at baseball yesterday?”

  Her face got redder and she shifted her feet. “Um, yes, my, um, my brother is on Coach’s team.” She clutched a shoebox next to her chest.

  “Would you like to come in?”

  The pretty girl shook her head so hard, Graciella worried she might give herself whiplash. “No! I, um, I brought something for Coach McPherson. Here, you take it.”

  “Cluny, honey, there’s a little girl here who has something for you.”

  Oh, Graciella that was cruel. Shame on you.

  Cluny, in his bathrobe, strolled into the hallway. “Hey, Kaylin. What have you got there?” He nodded at the box.

  Kaylin thrust it toward him. “Here, take it.” She turned and ran down the driveway.

  “What the hell?” Cluny’s chin bobbed. He blinked at Graciella.

  “Don’t look at me. Is she one of your groupies?” She pressed her lips tight to muffle a giggle at his perplexed expression.

  Santos joined them. “Who was that?”

  “Kaylin. Leo’s sister. She brought me something.”

  “What is it?”

  Cluny lifted the top off the shoebox.

  Santos grinned. “Oh boy, sticky buns, my most favorite.” He took the box. “Sticky buns and blueberry waffles. This is my lucky day!”

  Cluny scrubbed his hands over his unshaven face. “For the love of God, just what I need, a pubescent teenager making a move on me.” He jammed his hands in his pockets. “You don’t have to enjoy it so much.”

  “I love eliminating my competition.” She slid her hand inside his robe and stroked his chest. “She’s so mortified you’ll probably never see her again, poor young thing.”

  He’d snorted at the word competition. “Enjoy it all you want now, baby, because you’re going to pay later.”

  “Mmm.” She sashayed away, adding an extra swing to her hips. “Can’t wait.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Wednesday evening

  “Here’s Marla. I don’t know when we’ll be back from shopping.” Graciella heard no answer. “We’ll make the rounds of a few bars then go to a male strip club before we come home. Magic Mike is making a special appearance.” She stuck her head through the living room doorway. “Are either of you listening to me?”

  Two males, one tall, blue-eyed, and handsome, and the other skinny, dark, and cute, stared at whatever sporting event they were fixated on but shook their heads. Graciella shrugged and walked out the front door to Marla’s car.

  Marla smiled when she opened the passenger door. “Everybody all set to spend the evening without Mom?”

  “They won’t even notice I’m gone.” Graciella fastened her seat belt.

  “I doubt that.” She laughed. “Dwayne will miss me. I left Amber in charge.”

  “You married into an interesting family, Marla.” Graciella had enjoyed the many tidbits she’d heard about the Dempsey clan. Marla’s family was unique too. Twin daughters and twin sons!

  “What about your family? I don’t mean your late husband’s parents and sister. Do you have family in Brazil?”

  “My parents are both still living and I have a younger sister. We stay in touch by phone. I haven’t been back since I married Marvin.”

  “How come?”

  “I’m not an American citizen.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “When Marvin got killed in Iraq, and I was left to raise Santos on my own, I let the naturalization steps slip into the background. I really should start the process again. Even though I married an American and Santos is an American, I’ve been wary of leaving the country for fear they wouldn’t let me return.”

  “Do you think that could happen?”

  Graciella sighed. “I don’t know, but I’m not willing to risk it. My father’s a rabble-rouser. He’s a communist with strident political opinions. My poor mother has had to put up with more and more as he’s grown older. My sister, Catia, was Amber’s age when I left Brazil, so I’ve never had a close relationship with her like you have with Charlene. I love them, but not enough to risk losing our life here.”

  “Gosh. Does Cluny know?”

  “It’s never come up. Why?”

  “I think he’d do anything to keep that from happening.”

  “Like marry me, maybe?” She wanted Cluny to propose because he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Not because she needed a permanent green card.

  “He’s crazy about you and Santos, Graciella. I have a hunch he’s going slow, afraid to rush you into marriage.” Marla took surface streets in the direction of Simi Valley.

  Graciella changed the subject. “Where are we going to shop?”

  “We’ll start at Simi Town Center. If we can’t find what we like tonight, we’ll head over the pass to the Valley tomorrow night.”

  Cluny said he loved her every day, but she had no intention of giving up her apartment to live in his house. She’d be reopening Rio Samba in less than two weeks, and unless more trouble with Jamal reared its ugly head, she and Santos would go back to their apartment in Chatsworth. Being apart would be a more reliable test of their relationship than living together. What kind of example was she setting for her son? She believed in marriage and everything, good and bad, that went with it. And she wanted Santos to understand that.

  Graciella dug through her shoulder bag. “I saw an ad from one of the stores, maybe it was Chico’s. Where did I put it? They had a very dressy black silk, ankle-length pants outfit with a shimmery silver tunic. I’d like to try it on. I know it’s not a sexy dress, but it really looked good in the print ad.”

  “Sounds like it would be perfect for you. I don’t have your willowy figure, so I’ll definitely be shopping for a dress. Dwayne will love anything that shows off my cleavage, and Lord knows I have plenty of that at the moment.”

  “Marla, you have a glamorous figure. I’d kill for some of your curves.”

  “Pooh. I’m lucky to have a husband who appreciates them because I don’t see myself slimming down anytime soon.”

  “I doubt he’d want you to.” She was hyperaware of the way Dwayne looked at his wife. The man ate her up with his eyes. It also hadn’t missed her notice that Cluny loved putting his arms around Marla’s curves in a nice hug whenever he got the chance. But then, he was a huggy kind of man.

  “Dempsey’s very diplomatic with his comments. When I complained about the extra ten pounds I’d kept on after Declan was born, he said, ‘Honey, it’s all the more of you to love.’”

  Graciella drew in a breath and put hands over her heart. “Aw, Marla, that’s so romantic.”

  Marla grinned. “Yeah, it is.” She took the street for the main entrance to the mall. “We’re here. Let’s get shopping!”

  Graciella found the black and silver silk pants outfit and it was perfect. The pants hugged her long slim legs, and the way Marla and the saleswoman exclaimed when she exited the dressing room convinced her it was the right choice. “I do love it. Now I need some silver spike heel sandals and a matching evening bag.”

  Marla held her cell phone aloft. “I’m going to program nine-one-one on my speed dial because Cluny may have a heart attack when he sees you in that. Turn around, so I get the full effect. Wow. It was made for y
ou.”

  Graciella gulped, paid with her credit card, and pushed the guilt out of her mind. “He’d better have a heart attack, because I’m going to have one when I get my bill.” She grinned in spite of it. His reaction to her would be worth the cost. They left with her purchases.

  “I just found the perfect dress!” Marla pointed to a low-cut, emerald-green dress in the window of a small boutique. “I hope they have it in a twelve.” She sighed. “I hope I can get into a twelve, if they do.”

  They entered the shop, found the dress rack, and pushed hangers back and forth looking for a size twelve. Marla grabbed it and ran to the dressing room. She stepped out in less than five minutes. “What do you think, Graciella?”

  “Oh, Marla, you look like a movie star walking down the red carpet at the Oscars.”

  Graciella stood back and admired how the dress emphasized every luscious curve. “Turn around.” She drew a breath when she saw the back of the dress.

  Marla wore a look of mild panic on her face. “Is it too slutty?”

  “No! You have a sexy back. There won’t be a man at the party who’ll want to miss a chance of dancing with you, so he can get his hand on it.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh Deus, your hair color compliments the dress to perfection. Wear it down around your shoulders the way you have it now. You’re stunning, Marla.”

  “If I look too slutty, Dwayne will reluctantly let me dance with some of the other guys, but he won’t be a good sport about it. Because of his leg, his version of dancing is to hold me tight and sway. It’s very sexy really.” She brought her hands to her cheeks. “Oh, God, I am slutty. I’ll be lucky if I’m not pregnant for the next ten years.”

  Graciella giggled and pointed to the next dressing room where another shopper laughed at the remark.

  She’d never had such a frank conversation with another woman or so much fun shopping. “Shoes next, my friend.”

  Carrying their bags and hangers, they flopped in chairs at a bistro table outside a coffee bar. “We made great time, Marla.” Graciella glanced at her watch. “It’s nine on the dot. You guard the packages, and I’ll go in and get a couple of pick-me-ups. What would you like?”

  Marla groaned and kicked off her shoes. “Decaf cappuccino would be great, thanks. I’d prefer the real stuff, but I’ve been avoiding caffeine while I’m breast feeding.”

  “I’ll be right back.” She went inside the quaint shop, ordered the drinks, and was told the attendant would bring them out. She added a couple of macadamia, white chocolate chip cookies to the order and rejoined her new friend.

  The spike-haired, nose-ringed barista delivered their order. Graciella and Marla sipped in silence and enjoyed people-watching.

  “Marla, I want to tell you something I’ve never told anyone.”

  Marla held up her hand. “Don’t tell me anything I can’t tell Dwayne. We have no secrets from each other.”

  Graciella thought about this before she answered. “I don’t want Cluny to know. I do plan to tell him soon, but I’m not ready now.” She prayed she wasn’t making a mistake she’d be sorry for later.

  “If I tell Dempsey you don’t want Cluny to know, he won’t say anything.” Marla’s forehead creased and she sat forward. “Be honest with me, Graciella. Has my sweet Cluny said something he shouldn’t have?”

  “No! This is something that happened a long time ago and it still hurts. It’s affecting my relationship with the man I love.” Her breath caught and she looked away. “I have to tell somebody.”

  Marla reached across the small table and squeezed her wrist.

  “Um…” Graciella cleared the clog from her throat. “I loved Marvin so much. I left my family and my country behind to be with him. Then he cheated on me. I felt like a naïve young fool when I found out. It destroyed me. Some of his fellow SEALs, their wives, and even Chief knew before I did. It’s not a subject Chief would ever bring up.” It was hard for her to believe Earl and Lillian didn’t know what kind of man their son was, but she’d never said anything to them.

  The pained expression on Marla’s face and the increase in pressure from her hand had Graciella swallowing back tears.

  “It wasn’t just once. He was shacked-up with a woman in his apartment after we were married, while he was waiting for my paperwork to clear so I could join him in San Diego. I found something of hers when I moved in. He looked me straight in the eye and told me they were Krystal’s, but ten-year-old girls don’t wear that style undergarments. I was so broken-hearted and lost. I thought about killing myself.” She swallowed a sob and hung precariously to her fractured composure.

  “I can’t begin to imagine…”

  “He hadn’t had the decency to make sure there was no evidence for his new bride to find. He lied and said it had been over for a long time, and I shouldn’t freak out about it.”

  Marla breathed through her nose, lips pinched, and shook her head.

  “I got pregnant with Santos right away. I had horrible morning sickness and migraines. Instead of comforting me, he stayed away for days at a time, telling me he was on assignment for the Navy. I wanted desperately to believe him. Then I asked one of the other wives if she knew where the men were that kept them away from home at night. The poor woman didn’t want to tell me, but finally admitted the team was still on shore leave, waiting for their next deployment, and were home every night. Marvin had taken up with a bimbo he’d picked up in a bar.”

  “My, God, Graciella. I don’t know what to say.”

  Graciella held up a hand. “Here’s the best part. Right before he shipped out, the last thing he said to me was he hoped by the time he got home to meet his son, I’d have my act together.” Involuntary tears brimmed on her lower lashes. She dabbed them with a paper napkin.

  “God, I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Tears of sympathy sparkled in Marla’s eyes.

  “It’s been extra hard for me because I’ve let Santos believe Marvin was this virtuous, noble war hero.” She blew her nose. “He was a war hero. I won’t take that away from him. I’ve never discussed this with anybody because I was afraid it might get back to my son. I never want Santos to know the truth about his father. He’d be devastated.

  “The shameful thing is…when he was killed, I momentarily felt a jolt of savage justice, that he’d been punished. I have a lot of guilt about that, Marla.”

  “Oh, honey, don’t blame yourself. You were just a kid.”

  “I blame myself for being so foolish. For falling in love with him at first sight, leaving my life and everyone I loved behind to be with him. Marvin was handsome and charming. His smile could stop traffic. He was the kind of man everybody enjoyed, he made those around him laugh. His fellow SEALs had him on a pedestal and they trusted him with their lives. I’m trying so hard not to let this spoil my chance of happiness with Cluny.”

  Marla pushed aside the dregs of her cappuccino. “Don’t you think it would help if Cluny knew this? You’ll have to tell him eventually, won’t you?”

  “Yes, I will tell him, but what I don’t want is to make him feel pressured to rush into marriage as a way to fix me.” Her stomach cramped with indecision. It was a secret she’d have to share with him. She knew that, but not yet. “I need for him to understand that protecting Santos is my primary concern.”

  Marla gathered her packages. “Trust Cluny. He’ll protect your son no matter what.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s time we got home. I’ll keep your confidence and Dwayne will never breathe a word of it without your permission. I wish I could do more.”

  “Just sharing it with you has been a relief.” She retrieved her hanger and bags. “I can think less emotionally about it now and decide the right time to tell him.”

  Marla drove into Cluny’s long driveway and turned off the engine. She reached for Graciella and kissed her cheek. “For now, let’s concentrate on how great we’re both going to look at that big party Saturday night. It will be a happy occasion for the four of us to share. I’m so glad I m
et you, Graciella. I hope we’ll be friends for many years, until we’re old and gray. You can always tell me anything. I’ll never betray your trust, I promise.”

  “That means a lot to me, Marla. And I do feel better.”

  “I suppose the men will have a plan for one or two cars on Saturday night. I’ll put my two cents in with Dempsey about driving two cars. That way if for any reason one of us has to leave early, we won’t have to spoil the party for all of us.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll plant the seed in Cluny’s mind too. Will we be taking the kids to your parent’s house, or will they come to yours?”

  “Dad will pick them up from our house. He’s planning a cookout for them and he’s erecting the pup tents in the family room so they can sleep over at their place if we’re late. It all depends on my mother. We’ll check with them when we’re ready to leave the party to see if she’s OK keeping Dec overnight. I’ll be pumping breast milk for the next two days. Ick.”

  Graciella grinned. “Or maybe for the next ten years?”

  Cluny and Santos were asleep in front of the TV. A partially eaten bowl of popcorn sat precariously close to the edge of the coffee table. Graciella tiptoed to her bedroom and hung up her new outfit and hid the shoebox in the closet. She had no intention of giving him a peek until Saturday night.

  Queen wandered in to investigate. “Don’t say anything, Queenie. I’m counting on you.” She knelt down and gave the dog a vigorous back scratch, giggling at her twitching leg and moans of pleasure.

  “Are you spoiling my dog?”

  “Cluny! You scared me to death!” She dropped her forehead on Queen’s back.

  He chuckled and pulled her to her feet. “How’s about a kiss? I missed you.”

  “Oh, pooh, I don’t believe that for a minute, but I’ll take the kiss anyway.”

  Drawing her tight against his lean body, he came up with a real knee-knocker. “Believe me now, baby?”

  She trembled in his arms. “Oh, yes. Do that again.”