Twins for the Soldier

by Rochelle Alers

  “I heard what she said about you and Lee,” Viviana said quietly as they wended their way through the crowd to the door. “Too bad it isn’t real.”

  “Don’t even go there, Viviana. It’s not going to happen.” Viviana gave her a look that Angela interpreted as meaning she didn’t believe her. There was no way she was going to marry Lee without first dating him. She liked him—a lot, and wanted them to spend more time together before marriage even became an issue.

  They were only feet from the door when Lee appeared. “Where are you going?”

  Viviana rested a head against her chest. “I’m feeling a little woozy.”

  He shook his head. “I told you that drink would have you on your bottom.” He ruffled her hair. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “Hey, Dark Knight,” someone shouted. “Where are you going?”

  Lee glanced over his shoulder. “I’m going to walk my girls to their car to make certain some of you cretins don’t accost them.”

  “Hurry back, Batman. We still have to choose up teams for the challenge.”

  Angela chuckled under her breath as she walked to where she’d parked her Honda. There wasn’t an empty space in the lot, leaving drivers to park in a grassy area under a copse of trees. “I didn’t know you were an action hero,” she said to Lee as he opened the passenger-side door for Viviana and helped her up.

  Lee leaned inside the minivan and snapped his sister’s seat belt. “I also have special powers no one knows about.”

  Viviana waved Lee away. “Please stop talking so Angela can get me home before I’m sick.”

  “Close the door, Lee,” Angela ordered at the same time she started the engine and quickly maneuvered out of the space. She stole a glance at Viviana, who’d reclined the seat and closed her eyes. The Long Island Iced Tea was made with at least five liquors that Viviana had drunk much too quickly, while as the designated driver Angela had only taken a couple of sips of her martini. She managed to drive back to The Falls House in record time and when she unlocked the door to the historic residence Viviana bolted inside and up the staircase.

  Angela wanted to tell her host that she should follow Lee’s lead and drink beer or wine, and not an alcoholic concoction with at least five different spirits that didn’t remotely resemble tea. She decided to give Viviana the privacy she needed to cope with her discomfort before checking on her.

  * * *

  Angela groaned inwardly as she walked in and out of rooms that appeared to be no larger than the closets in the house where she’d grown up. And she wouldn’t be able to fit more than a queen-size bed and bedside table in the so-called master.

  “This house is smaller than the last one,” she said to the Realtor who’d been carefully monitoring her response to the properties she’d elected to show her.

  Milly Riley adjusted her horned-rimmed glasses and affected a professional smile. “It’s small but move-in ready.”

  Angela stared at the middle-aged woman with shimmering silver hair who’d obviously been nipped and tucked and had nearly three decades of real estate experience. She was neatly dressed and had paired a navy blue silk blouse with a lemon yellow linen pantsuit. “It’s still too small for me and my children. I want a house where I don’t have to look for another place once they become teenagers and perhaps have sleepovers.”

  “I have a few more listings, but they may exceed your budget.”

  “I’m willing to spend a little more to get what I want.” Angela had given the Realtor a figure, but it wasn’t written in stone.

  Milly nodded. “I have a client who’s planning to relocate to Texas in October and their house would probably be perfect for you and your children. The property’s address is Wickham Falls but its location puts it within the Mineral Springs school district.”

  Angela shook her head. “I’m not going to pay Wickham Falls’ school tax and then send my kids to another school district.”

  “I understand your reluctance, Mrs. Mitchell. But before you write it off I’d like you to see the property for yourself. You just may change your mind. The owners are away and won’t be back until the second week in July. Meanwhile, I’ll line up some other properties for you to see after the Fourth of July fair.”

  “Okay.” Not only did Angela have a problem sending her son and daughter to another school district but she also didn’t want to wait until October to move in. “I’ll wait for your call after the holiday.”

  * * *

  Ten minutes later Angela pulled into the driveway to the house where she’d spent more than three years in a power struggle with her mother-in-law. She hadn’t talked to Joyce since the evening she walked out and spent the night with Lee.

  Joyce stood up as she walked into the living room. “I suppose you’re back now that you’ve finished tramping with that Wolfe boy.”

  Angela had promised herself nothing Joyce could say would get a rise out of her. “I’ve come back to get the clothes I need for work,” she said with a smile.

  Joyce’s jaw dropped. “You’re not staying?”

  “No.”

  “What have I done to deserve this ungratefulness?”

  Opening her handbag, Angela took out her checkbook, wrote a check payable to Joyce Mitchell and scrawled her name on the signature line. She placed the check on a side table. “That should be more than enough to take care of the house’s expenses for a while.”

  Walking into her bedroom, Angela removed garments from the closet and dresser drawers and piled them on the bed. She filled three large weekenders with clothes that would last throughout the summer and fall. Looping the handles of two of them over her shoulders, she managed to carry the other one without too much difficulty.

  “You must really hate me to treat me like this,” Joyce said tearfully when she entered the living room.

  Angela stopped and gave her children’s grandmother a long, penetrating stare. “I don’t hate you, Miss Joyce. In fact I love you as much as I love your son and his children. And because I want to continue to love you I realize we can’t live together. You fail to understand that I’m an adult and I don’t want my kids to grow up seeing you undermine me when it comes to their upbringing. When I tell Malcolm he can’t have something, you go behind my back and give it to him. And I’m certain you would’ve had a hissy fit if someone did that to you when it came to Justin. Then there are times you act as if Zoe doesn’t exist because you lavish all of your attention on her brother. I don’t want my daughter growing up to resent Malcolm because you treat him as if he’s the chosen one. I’m only a phone call away in case you need me.”

  She walked out, not seeing the tears filling the older woman’s eyes because of those threatening to overflow from her own. Not only had she turned a page, but also a corner in her life—now she alone would be responsible for herself and her son and daughter.

  Angela loaded the minivan with the bags, and without a backward glance, drove away from the home where she’d begun life as a new mother.

  Chapter Seven

  Lee waited at the door for Angela to emerge from the elevator. She’d called to let him know she’d been shown several properties and none met her specifications. He registered something in her voice when she said she’d gone back home to pick up more clothes. She hadn’t mentioned that she’d had another confrontation with Miss Joyce, and he’d left it at that.

  Lee felt the need more than before to take care of Angela. Looking for a place to call home while attempting to maintain a positive relationship with her children’s grandmother was certain to take a toll on her emotionally.

  He had been an eyewitness at an early age to the domestic upheaval between his mother and grandparents whenever they attempted to make her divorce his father because they felt he wasn’t good enough for their daughter.

  Lee had offered Angela safe haven at The Falls House when he actual
ly wanted her to move in with him at the extended stay. However, suggesting she live with Viviana had worked well because his sister needed a positive person in her life after the recent debacle with her ex.

  He smiled when Angela exited the elevator carrying a bag. Lee hadn’t wanted her sleeping in the house alone—Viviana was attending a baby shower in Charleston for one of her high school classmates and staying over there after the event.

  It was the first night of the Fourth of July three-day celebration and Angela had admitted she couldn’t wait to eat hotdogs and cotton candy and ride the Ferris wheel. Reaching for her hand, he pulled her into the suite and closed the door. Cradling her face in his hands, he pressed a kiss to her forehead when he wanted to taste her mouth to discover if it was as sweet as it appeared.

  “How are you?”

  Angela dropped the bag and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Much better than I was several days ago.”

  He brushed several strands off her forehead that had escaped her loosely pinned bun. Lee smoothed out the slight worry lines between her eyes with his thumb. “The only thing on tonight’s agenda is fun and more fun.”

  She smiled up at him. “I like the sound of that.”

  Lee scooped his keys off the dining table. “Let’s roll, beautiful.” During the drive to the fair he curbed the urge to ask Angela if she had given any thought to what he’d revealed to her at the Wolf Den. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know how he felt about her and now the ball was in her court to accept or reject his offer to take their friendship to another level.

  The upside was they’d always gotten along and it probably was because they’d never been intimately involved with each other, unlike her and Justin, who at times appeared to have had a love-hate relationship. They appeared so much in love and then without warning they did not speak for several weeks, and then repeated the cycle so often that Lee wondered why they dated.

  After seeing his parents’ fractured marriage, he’d become very cynical when it came to affairs of the heart. The woman he’d been dating before he’d applied to Ranger School had unceremoniously announced she was engaged to someone else and that she’d only slept with him because she’d enjoyed the sex. He’d known men who used women for sex, and unknowingly the roles were reversed when he’d become an unsuspecting target.

  Lee had no intention of making love with Angela until she made the first overture. He had waited fifteen years to make his feelings known, and he was willing to wait many more years to fulfill the promise he’d made to take care of her.

  “Were you serious about wanting to date me?”

  Angela’s query broke into his thoughts. “Very serious,” he said, as he stared out the windshield.

  “Why?”

  He gave her a quick glance. “Do you really have to ask me why? I’ve already told you how I feel about you.”

  “You talked about making a promise to Justin, but to me that doesn’t translate into our having a relationship.”

  Lee counted slowly to ten. “Would it make a difference to you if I said that I’m in love with you? When Justin asked me to be the best man at your wedding my first reaction was to turn him down. But I didn’t because I was given the chance to see you once more before you took your vows.”

  A ragged sigh echoed inside the vehicle. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Why would I, Angela? I didn’t want you to think that perhaps you were marrying the wrong man.”

  “I didn’t marry the wrong man because I truly did love Justin.”

  “I know you did,” Lee said in a quiet voice.

  Angela sighed again. “Do you think it’s possible for me to love two men in one lifetime?”

  “I can’t answer that for you. There’s only way to find out.”

  Angela’s eyelids fluttered wildly. “I need time to process all of this because it’s coming at me much too fast.”

  Lee chuckled. “Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

  * * *

  Angela saw the colorful lights from the various rides even before they entered the parking area where the carnival had been set up. Deputies from the sheriff’s department were efficiently directing long lines of continuous traffic. It was reported that people came from as far away as the state capital to attend the three-day, two-night celebration. There were signs warning fairgoers not to bring handguns into the fair or they would be confiscated and returned only pending an appointment, and with the proper identification.

  Lee helped Angela out of the jeep and sniffed the air like a large cat. “Smell that?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “It smells like popcorn.”

  He smiled. “It’s corn on the cob.”

  Angela slipped her hand in his. “Are we going to ride first or eat?”

  Lee glanced up at a ride where riders were screaming at the top of their lungs as the baskets in which they were riding swung back and forth before rotating at crazy speeds. “Which one do you want to go on first?”

  “I only ride the Ferris wheel.”

  He gave her an incredulous look. “You’re kidding.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “What about the roller coaster?” he asked.

  Angela shook her head. “It’s too scary fast.”

  Lee released her hand, curved his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. “You can close your eyes while I hold you tight.”

  There came a beat. “Okay. I’ll try it just once.”

  He pressed his mouth to her temple. “That’s my girl.” Lee led Angela to the ticket booth and purchased ten tickets.

  “How many rides do you intend to go on?” she asked.

  “We’ll start with two and if you don’t wimp out on me we can try a few others.”

  She gave him a sassy smile. “I just happen not to be a thrill seeker, unlike you who probably got a high from Special Forces HALO jumps.”

  Lee gave her a puzzled look. “How do you know about high-altitude military parachuting?”

  “It was months after Justin’s funeral that I recalled the reason why you’d lost so much weight and went online to look up the requirements for becoming Special Forces, and read about free-fall parachute jumps.”

  Lee wanted to tell Angela she was right. He’d earned a Master Military Freefall Parachutist Badge with three bronze combat stars centered on the dagger for five or more combat jumps. He’d stored his ranger tab and various medals in a felt-lined case along with a set of fatigues and a dress uniform in a plastic under-the-bed container.

  He squeezed her fingers. “Now it’s time to show me what you’re made of.”

  “I’m no punk, Lee.”

  “We’ll see.”

  * * *

  Angela had overcome her fear of heights at the age of ten when she ventured to ride the Ferris wheel sitting between her mother and father. Her dad had reassured her he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, because she was his precious princess. The butterflies in her belly had vanished once the car moved slowly upward, and when the wheel had made a full revolution she was hooked. Malcolm and Zoe were still too young to ride the wheel, but she planned to introduce them to her favorite ride once they reached the height requirement. Their car was suspended at the top of the wheel when the operator stopped it to load more riders.

  “It’s amazing how far we can see sitting up here,” she said in awe. With a full moon and star-littered sky, the views from the ride were spectacular.

  “You’re right.”

  Angela shifted her gaze from the sky to Lee’s profile. There was a longing in the two words that had garnered her attention, and she wondered whether he would have been been involved in some maneuver or combat mission on the other side of the globe if he hadn’t come back to Wickham Falls, or if he and his team would be on high alert when seeking out an unseen or unidentified insur
gent.

  She’d given him furtive looks during his homecoming celebration at the Wolf Den, not recognizing the Leland she’d come to know in high school. He was more animated than she had ever seen him and realized it had to do with sharing a bond with those who had served. There were some men who lived for sporting events and others to collect cars, but for Lee it was the military. As a US Army Ranger he’d become a part of a brotherhood of men who did not judge him on his family history or his father’s shortcomings, and Angela knew acceptance was something he’d sought all his life.

  Angela had watched him eating by himself in the high school cafeteria until she told Justin that she was going to sit with him. She knew she’d shocked Lee when he stared at her with a pair of large blue-gray eyes that lacked warmth. She introduced herself and she had to wait a full minute before he told her his name and resumed eating. Justin joined them and they ate in silence until the bell rang. The following day Angela sat at Lee’s table before his arrival and he thanked her and then apologized if he’d appeared rude, because he had not expected anyone to befriend him. What had begun as an awkward meeting had segued into an unbreakable bond that had continued to date.

  Angela looped her arm through Lee’s and rested her head on his shoulder. Justin had rarely defended her when she told him she’d overheard his mother’s disparaging remarks about her, and the flipside was she always took his side whenever he complained about Joyce attempting to control his life. Rather than put down her mother-in-law, Lee had suggested she claim her own autonomy and independence. The wheel started up again and she closed her eyes. The feeling of weightlessness and the whisper of a warm breeze feathering over her exposed skin proved therapeutic for Angela. She didn’t feel as confident as she had on the Ferris wheel when the operator fastened and locked the safety bar on the car of the roller coaster.

  * * *

  Lee grasped Angela’s hand tightly. “Don’t worry, babe. It’s going to be fun.”