Here And Now (American Valor 2)

by Cheryl Etchison

  “So . . . you must be wondering what I’m doing here.”

  Lucky still didn’t say anything. Just folded his arms over his chest and the stance made him look more imposing, bigger somehow.

  “Did you grow?” The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. Dammit. She was really losing it now. “You look taller . . . than I . . . remember.”

  At least that made him smile. Not that panty-melting grin she’d fallen for, but at least one corner of his mouth raised up a bit revealing, much to her surprise, a hint of dimple in his clean-shaven cheek.

  “It’s the boots. And the beret.”

  God, she’d missed the sound of his voice.

  “But it’s not just the uniform.” He was leaner, stronger. She could see it in his face, his hands. She stepped closer to him now, unable to keep from touching him. “You’ve lost weight.” She placed her hand on one of his and was surprised when he turned his hand over and curled his fingers around hers.

  “About twenty pounds or so.”

  No wonder. He didn’t have twenty pounds to lose when he left eight weeks ago. “Brenda wouldn’t like to hear that. You better not tell her or she’ll send you a dozen lasagnas.”

  His smile was bigger now as he lifted his hand to touch her hair, running a long strand between his fingers. “Your hair is longer.”

  “It’s the prenatal vitamins.”

  Just as he’d done so many times before, he skimmed his palm across her jaw, cradling her cheek, his fingertips tangling in the hair around her ear. He tipped her face upward to meet his gaze. “How are you feeling? How’s everything with the baby?”

  “I’m good. We’re both good.”

  She’d be happy to just stand here and look at him, and have him look at her and touch her.

  “Are you going to tell me why you’re here?”

  He dropped his hand from her face, released her fingers from his other hand, and took a step back.

  She was too late. He’d changed his mind.

  Her stomach twisted into knots, fearing her mother’s words were coming to fruition, that men didn’t keep their promises to women like them. But she’d come this far. She refused to give up without a fight. Her baby deserved better. She deserved better.

  Rachel cleared her throat as she tried to find the words she’d spent the past eight hours rehearsing. “I’m here because I wanted to see you and I hoped you wanted to see me, too. I got used to you being around all the time and then you were just gone. And I missed you.”

  He folded his arms over his chest a second time and added a little scowl to his face for good measure. “I emailed. I texted. I called when I could.”

  “I know. I guess it’s safe to assume you’re mad at me.”

  “Twelve weeks of radio silence from you, Rachel.”

  “I thanked you for the couch.”

  “Oh, yes, that’s right. You sent a picture of the couch and said how much you loved it.”

  She’d wanted to say she loved him, but she didn’t think telling him in a text message or email was the right way to do it.

  “Okay. I get why that would upset you.” She stared down at his booted feet, unable to look him in the eyes. “But I wasn’t sure what to say to you. Everything happened so fast between us. It feels like we went from arguing about who hit who in the hospital parking lot to having a baby in the blink of an eye. I was trying to straighten my life out. And I almost made it. I was standing on my own two feet, living on my own, paying my own bills, and next thing I know, my dad isn’t my dad, you’ve reenlisted, and I’m pregnant.” She looked back up at those dark eyes staring back at her. “Then you’re standing in front of me with a ring proposing marriage and I panicked.

  “I got your messages. And emails. And texts. I’ve saved them all and read or listened to them a hundred times a day.” She held her hands in front of her belly in an attempt to keep them contained and not flailing about. “And before you left you said you probably wouldn’t have time to talk and I didn’t want to bother you. Because I knew this was important and I didn’t want to do anything to screw it all up and get you in trouble with your CO.”

  He raised a brow and for a moment she thought he was amused, but then she blinked and his face was back to that same unreadable expression. “My CO?”

  “Your commanding officer? Is that not what they call it?” One of her hands broke free and started waving madly in the air. “I’ve been reading up on these army wives blogs and trying to learn the lingo and everything in case I decided to come with you. But now I’m here and you don’t look happy at all to see me and maybe it’s for the best anyway, because I don’t think I’d make a very good army wife.

  “Oh, hell,” she said, throwing both hands in the air. “I probably won’t be a very good mother either considering the job my parents did. But I’d hoped to be a good mother. And I thought I might not be the most terrible of wives, but I see that you’re not happy and I’ve completely and totally screwed up everything.”

  Lucky shook his head. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

  She couldn’t stand this space between them, so she took a step closer to him. “Because I wanted to know if you still loved me. If you still wanted me to be your wife.”

  “Why does that matter?”

  She took another step and then another, until her hands rested on his arms and she was looking into those deep dark eyes. “Because I love you, okay? I love you so much it hurts. I thought if you went away, the feeling would go away. But it didn’t. It just got worse and worse. And I’ve realized I want to be with you wherever you are.”

  His hands came up to cradle her face. “Say it again.”

  She couldn’t help but smile, and when she did, he smiled back at her. Not the little half smile, but the full-blown panty-melting smile. She raised up on her toes and whispered against his lips, “I love you.”

  Lucky wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. “It’s about damn time, Shortcake.”

  FOR A MOMENT, Lucky had forgotten where they were as he kissed Rachel right there in front of God, his fellow Rangers, and everybody. At least until the loud whistles and clapping began.

  “Where’s your rental car?” he asked as he lowered her to the ground and tried to ignore the fact that several cell phones had been pointed in their direction.

  “I’m in the visitors’ lot.”

  Lucky took her by the hand and began towing her down the street. “Have you booked a hotel room?”

  “Your dad reserved me a room at the Holiday Inn. The directions are in my car.”

  Earlier he thought he’d be on the road to Oklahoma by now. And that he’d be fortunate to spend sixty hours with her. But now . . . oh . . . the possibilities.

  “Lucky.”

  Admittedly, he ignored her pleas, knowing they were walking at a pretty good clip. But there would be no stopping. His central focus was to get her to that hotel room where they could have four full days together. He wouldn’t be able to make up for the twelve weeks they were apart, but he’d give it a good, solid effort.

  “Lucky!” Rachel tugged her hand free from his.

  Now he turned around to see her standing there with one hand low on her belly, the other on her chest.

  Shit.

  “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”

  “You take one step for every two of mine,” she said, waving one hand in the air. “I’m practically at a full sprint here and I can’t keep up.”

  He placed both hands on her waist and bent at the knees, bringing his face level to hers. “You’re okay, then? No pain?”

  “I’m fine. It’s just . . .” That little crease appeared between her brows and she balled up her delicate hand into a fist and punched him in the shoulder. “You know how much I hate running!” Lucky laughed and she punched hi
m a second time. “It’s not funny!”

  But it was funny. And it only reinforced how much he had missed her.

  “Well, then, I’ve got an easy fix.”

  Rachel squealed as Lucky scooped her up in his arms and started jogging through the parking lot, much to the delight of his fellow Rangers and their families. Once again, the cell phones were up and capturing the entire scene. He wouldn’t be surprised if the video was uploaded to YouTube by the time they reached the hotel.

  Within the half hour, they were checked in. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it would suffice, because it had a bed, it had delivery menus, and most importantly it had her. And he didn’t plan on them going anywhere for the next four days if he could help it.

  Lucky swiped the key card in the lock and had barely shoved the door open when Rachel pushed past him to get to the bathroom. The door closed behind him as he tossed his beret on the dresser and set her small suitcase on the floor at the end of the bed.

  “Do you need me to go get you some ginger ale and crackers?”

  The toilet flushed but she didn’t answer. He waited a few seconds, then decided to get comfortable, taking a seat on the end of the bed. He unzipped his ACU jacket and unlaced his boots. Then, much to his surprise, the bathroom door opened and Rachel appeared with a smile on her face.

  “I take it you weren’t sick.”

  “Nope. The morning sickness has passed. I just really, really needed to pee.” She dropped her purse on the bed beside him and straddled his lap. “So, Mr. James? What did you have in mind for this weekend?”

  “Plenty, Shortcake.”

  The next few seconds was a flurry of hands and arms as she pulled and tugged off first his jacket, then the gray-green T-shirt he wore beneath and tossed them in the direction of a nearby chair. Her bright blue eyes widened as her soft hands smoothed over his shoulders, his arms, and chest. “Wow. RASP really does a body good.”

  “Glad you approve,” he said with a laugh. He grasped the hem of her soft cotton dress. “Can I have a turn now?”

  Rachel raised her arms above her head. “Sure thing, baby. Knock yourself out.”

  “Well, well. What do we have here?” Lucky trailed a finger across her collarbone and down her sternum, admiring the heavy swells of her breasts. “I have to say these are amazing.”

  “I know, right?” Rachel cupped her breasts over her bra and arched her back, lifting them higher and giving him one hell of a look. “I’ve never had boobs this great in my life.”

  He pushed her hands out of the way, wanting to cup and caress her breasts himself. “Do we get to keep these?” he asked before leaning over to place a kiss to the soft skin that swelled above the lace.

  “That all depends.”

  Rachel leaned over to grab her purse and pulled a familiar-looking box from the side pocket. “I wanted you to put it on me,” she said, handing him the small velvet box. “Of course, I feel like I should be the one asking you since it took me forever to make up my mind.”

  Lucky cupped her cheek with his hand. “So ask me.”

  Rachel took his left hand in both of hers and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. Then those bright blue eyes lifted to meet his as she took a shaky breath. “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. From here on out, wherever you go, I’ll go. Because I’m not scared anymore as long as I have you.” She took a fortifying breath. “So . . . Lucky James—”

  He silenced her with a kiss, not really wanting her to ask because he was old-fashioned. And proposing was his job.

  “Why didn’t you let me finish?”

  “Because I asked first. And I’ve been waiting a long time to hear you say yes.” He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissed the tender skin of her wrist before he wrapped his hand around hers. “You’ve been a lot of things to me in these past few months. Friend. Coworker. Fishing buddy. Mother of my child. But what I really want is ‘wife’ added to that list.” The tears that had been building in her eyes finally spilled over onto her cheeks. He caught each one with his fingertip, brushing them away. “Rachel Louise Dellinger, will you marry me?”

  She said “yes” several times, her voice never raising above a whisper. Lucky slipped the ring on her finger, happy to see it finally freed from its velvet confines and on her hand where it was supposed to be. He kissed her lips, her cheek, her neck, and shoulder before he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against him. Now that he finally had her, he intended to never let her go.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  May

  LUCKY STOOD IN the middle of their new condo looking at all the work that still needed to be done before Rachel arrived in forty-eight hours. The living room alone was filled with paint cans and drop cloths, unassembled baby furniture, and beer coolers. But if he and the guys could finish painting within the next day, that would leave the following day for him to put everything together and clean up the house. That way, when that U-Haul truck pulled in the drive, he and the guys could move everything in right away and make this cold empty space feel like a home.

  When his post-RASP graduation leave ended, Rachel returned to Oklahoma and Lucky reported to Hunter Army Airfield. If he’d had his way, she would have moved with him to Savannah that very day. But he was temporarily assigned to the barracks and she didn’t feel comfortable staying with people she’d never met before. She was also being practical not wanting to move multiple times. Rachel wanted to line up an OB/GYN before moving, give two weeks’ notice at work, and take another week to pack. When he reminded her they’d moved all of her things in a day, she was sure to point out she hardly had furniture then and she’d only been moving across town, not across the country.

  For a time, it felt like she’d never get here, and he’d be lying if he said he worried more than once that she might change her mind.

  So for four weeks he was here and she was there until their new place was ready to go. Luckily for them, he didn’t have to look very far since Bull offered to rent them the three-bedroom condominium he had been awarded in his divorce proceedings. A condo he would lose money on if he tried to sell. So leasing it to him and Rachel was a win-win for everyone.

  Two weekends earlier, the C-Co guys packed up what remained of Bull’s things and moved them into a storage locker per his instructions. Then, under the strict supervision of Ben’s interior-designing wife, Marie, the guys spent the following weekend rolling on a fresh coat of builder’s beige paint on all of the walls. The only exception was the upstairs bedroom that would become the nursery, complete with an eastern exposure that would flood the room with early morning light and a scenic view of the marsh.

  While Lucky and Ben taped off the trim, and Danny covered the wide plank floors with drop cloths, Gibby pried the lid off the first gallon of paint.

  “You’re having a boy?” Gibby shouted.

  Lucky, Danny, and Ben all turned to see Gibby holding up the can lid, the underside coated in light gray-blue paint. Within an instant, three pairs of eyes were staring back at him.

  His eyes went back to the can lid held in Gibby’s hand. “We don’t know what we’re having. Rachel wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “Maybe she found out and this is her way of surprising you with the news?” Ben suggested.

  “Like those cake reveals!” Gibby added. “Where they cut into a frosted cake and the inside is either pink or blue.”

  All eyes now landed on Gibby.

  “First of all . . .” Danny started. “That’s weird. People do stuff like that? And how the hell would you know about it?”

  Gibby shook his head. “I have three sisters, man. I know way too much about shit like that.”

  Hearing the commotion, Marie appeared in the doorway. “Is everything okay?”

  When Lucky, Danny, and Gibby dared to question Marie’s color choice, wondering out loud whether or not blue would be appr
opriate for a little girl, Ben quickly abandoned his post and ran for the hills, leaving his little Italian wife standing in the doorway and blocking their exit. She proceeded to give them a thirty-minute dressing down about the art of interior design and explaining that in this scenario she was the commanding officer. Questioning her expertise was akin to insubordination, especially since their idea of stylish colors began with cinder block gray and ended with desert sand.

  There were no further questions.

  Over the next two days the four of them taped, painted, and assembled furniture, with Ben being the only one authorized to hang the plantation shutters and curtain rods. According to Marie, he had been properly trained and possessed the installation experience the others lacked.

  No one dared question her.

  Finally, with the draperies hung and the new furniture moved in, assembling the crib was the only major item left.

  “You have to insert the tenon of the Crib Ends Top A into the slot of Crib Ends Bottom B before you insert the bolts through the legs and the threaded inserts.” Gibby flipped to the next page of instructions, shook his head, and took another drink of his beer.

  Lucky held up a wooden piece in one hand and a bolt in the other. “Is this a Top A?”

  “No,” Ben answered from where he sat in the window seat. “That’s a Bottom Stretcher Bar.”

  “What the hell is a Top A?” Lucky asked.

  Danny held up another crib piece. “This has an ‘A’ sticker on it.”

  Lucky took it from Danny’s hand and held it up against the other. “But it looks just like this one.”

  Much to everyone’s amusement and surprise, the exception being Ben who’d been down this momentous path more than once, it took Lucky two hours to finally win the battle of Tab As and Slot Bs. Once the crib assembly was complete and standing on its own, Ben grabbed hold of one side and gave it a violent shake.