The Pilot's Promise

by Pam Mantovani

  Against all attempts at restraint, she lowered a hand to her stomach. She had no idea of what Andrew’s response would be like. But, she swore as she pressed a little on her stomach, her child would never feel unwanted or easily set aside.

  When Andrew’s reflection appeared in the window, she kept her back to him. Maybe if she didn’t face him, she’d find the courage to reveal the reason for her unannounced appearance. “It’s a lovely place. Your sister’s, right?”

  “Her and Quinn’s, her husband.”

  “He’s a baseball player.”

  “A pitcher. They're in Chicago for a four-game series.”

  “I’ve never been to Chicago. Not much need for a naval base there. Have you?”

  “Once.”

  She winced a little at the abrupt tone. “It was nice of them to let you stay here for a while. And your mother lives close by, so you’ll be able to spend some of your leave with her.”

  “Hailey, why are you here?”

  She should have known he wouldn’t tolerate her evasions. She would have liked a little more time to prepare, but then she didn’t believe there would ever be enough time. It seemed wrong somehow to just blurt it out. And yet there was no point in sugar-coating the issue.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  She couldn’t see his features clearly in the reflection. She heard no sharp intake of breath.

  But the sound of dishes hitting the tile floor was unmistakable.

  Chapter 2

  “You told me you were on the pill.”

  Andrew winced and resisted the urge to reach out and turn Hailey around. He hadn't meant to sound accusatory. But, damn it, how else was he supposed to respond?

  “I am. Or I was. But, remember that bacterial infection I had right before, well, before the first night we spent together? Apparently, the antibiotics can interfere with the protective capability of the pill. Something the doctor should have warned me about. Although,” she went on, “I've been on the pill long enough that I should have thought of it myself. I guess, well, I just didn't consider the risks or potential consequences.”

  Andrew didn’t think he should comment on how ridiculously pleased he was to be reminded that they’d both ignored consequences in their hurried need to be together.

  He remembered Joe talking about how sick she was, so sick that she wouldn’t let anyone in her apartment. It had bothered him that Joe had so easily shrugged it off and hadn’t insisted on going by to make sure she was okay and didn’t need anything. It had been the first time Andrew had questioned if Joe’s feelings for Hailey were actually as strong as he claimed. That doubt, combined with three days of not seeing her made Andrew face the fact that he could no longer pretend he wasn’t interested in her. He’d grown tired of taking a back seat and wanted to know, one way or the other, how she felt about them becoming more than friends.

  So, he’d gone to her apartment after getting off-duty.

  And hadn’t left until late the next afternoon.

  Everything had changed because he’d taken that first step. It changed further when they kept the truth from Joe. Now it had changed again. They’d shared a brief time of the most incredible nights of his life. Now they’d share more.

  “A baby,” he whispered. He stared at the straight line of her spine. Why wouldn’t she turn around and face him? Then again why should she? He’d all but yelled at her when she’d confessed her reason for coming here.

  He had a flash of an old memory, one that made him wince. His only excuse was he’d been little more than a kid, enjoying the last weeks between high school and college. Because he’d already been thinking of his future and all the possibilities, he’d bluntly told a young girl that he was through being with her. Hurt by his cold shoulder, she’d turned to someone else in their group.

  And lost the baby he hadn’t known she was carrying.

  “Hailey.” He stepped forward, stopped when his shoes crunched some broken glass.

  She turned then. Not, he decided, because he’d called her, but because the sound had roused her from whatever thoughts she’d been having. He hated knowing he’d put that defensive look in her gaze.

  “Don’t move,” he instructed, glancing down to the feet he’d bared when he’d settled her on the sofa. Stepping past the debris, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the sofa.

  “Stay here,” he said. Then, before he could question the wisdom or timing, he leaned down and kissed her.

  In a world that had suddenly turned upside down, this touch of mouth to mouth, and her acceptance of the kiss, grounded him as no words could. It would be easy to think all they had together was heat and desire. Only he knew better. It was one advantage to them having maintained a simple friendship for so long.

  Her arms rose to wrap around his neck. Her mouth opened to tantalize his. It reminded Andrew of their first kiss, which hadn’t felt like a first kiss. There had been no coy, tentative brush of lips, no testing to see if either wanted to stop. From the beginning, they’d come together, fit together, enjoyed together, as if they’d been meant for each other.

  It was no less true now.

  And yet he gradually drew away. Her eyes slowly opened and revealed a reservation he couldn’t diminish. He wanted to gather her close, promise they’d find their way through this surprise. First, however, he needed to know what she wanted.

  “I should go,” she said, using the tip of her tongue to wet already moist lips. Her cheeks also showed more color than when she’d arrived tonight.

  “Go.” He blinked, automatically giving her room when she swung her legs off the sofa. “Wait.” He rose along with her, but managed to wrap his hands around her arms and hold her in place. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I don’t know. Somewhere.” She avoided his gaze. “There must be a hotel close by.”

  “You’re not leaving.”

  At his sharp tone, she finally looked at him. Her eyes narrowed, and he spotted a flicker of the same anger he was fighting to subdue. “I’m not staying.”

  “Oh, hell yes, you are.” He took one step closer. “You can’t come in here, faint at my feet, then drop this bombshell on me, and expect me to just stand by while you walk away.”

  “I came to tell you. I have. That’s it.”

  “That’s it?” he asked. He wasn’t sure if he was more shocked or hurt by her words and attitude. “Not by a long shot.”

  “There’s nothing else.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? You expect me to just ignore the fact that you’re carrying my child? Our child,” he corrected. “The child you conceived on any one of the many nights that I can’t forget.”

  “On any one of the nights we betrayed a friend.”

  At the direct hit, he rubbed the heel of a hand against his heart. “Is that all you remember when you think of those nights?” he softly asked.

  “No, not all. You know that’s not true. You know Joe and I were friends and nothing more.” Tears flooded her eyes, several rolling down her cheeks. She lifted her hands, let them fall, and then brought them back up to scrub at her tears. “But I’ll always regret the way Joe handled the discovery of you and I being together as more than friends.”

  “Which changes nothing,” he said.” Where do we stand now?”

  “I don’t know. I came here to tell you about the baby. I really hadn’t thought much beyond that.”

  “How much leave time were you granted?”

  “A week.”

  Same as him. “Stay here, Hailey.” He wanted to take her hands in his. Hell, he wanted to take her in his arms, but thought it best to hold back. “Stay a few days so we can talk, figure out what to do.” The need was too strong, so he relented enough to use a fingertip to brush at her hair. It seemed to him that her parade-ready stance softened, giving him hope. “Please stay.”

  There was no instant of disorientation when Hailey awoke. Years of moving and living in one place after another had her calmly glan
cing around the room. Last night she’d barely taken in the furnishings before collapsing in bed. Her right hand stroked along the soft cotton sheets. Lying still a little longer also gave her time to determine whether or not her stomach would start the morning in mutiny.

  She’d promised Andrew she would stay. She just hadn’t said for how long.

  It was probably best if she went ahead and left. She’d done what she’d come to do. There was no reason to make any decisions now, especially not now when her emotions were so unusually unpredictable. She rolled to her side, was encouraged when she felt the improvement of mild nausea over the urgency of racing into the bathroom.

  If only her response to being with Andrew again could be described as mild. He elicited the same wild yearning in her now as he had from the beginning. She’d been so disappointed at that first meeting when it had been Joe rather than Andrew who approached her, flirted with her. At least with Joe it had been easy to think of him as simply a friend.

  On the other hand, the intense attraction she’d felt for Andrew had taken her by surprise. By all rights, they had little in common outside of their mutual military careers. There was the physical, of course, although she’d been around countless attractive men. Yet, even as they’d maintained a friendly distance, they’d shared a sense of intimacy that defied explanation. For months, as she waited for him to make a move, she’d almost given up hope of ever being with him.

  She’d felt that same attraction and intimacy again last night. In spite of being tired, edgy, and vaguely sick, not to mention anxious about his reaction to her news, she’d wanted nothing more than to lose herself in his arms. Which was all the more reason why she should leave.

  Tossing back the covers she slowly sat up, blew out a relieved breath when her head didn’t spin, and stood. Her legs were shaky, but she managed to cross to her bag, pull out a clean change of clothes and head into the adjoined bathroom. After a warm shower, she dressed, packed up her bag. Leaving it on the freshly made bed for now, she left the bedroom.

  As soon as she opened the door, the odor of bacon hit her. She paused, and then drew in a breath of relief when she realized her stomach responded with hunger rather than sickness. That's when she zeroed in on the yellow square hanging on the wall opposite her. She couldn't hold back a grin at the word kitchen, with an arrow underneath, pointing to the right. With an eagerness she hadn’t felt in weeks, she headed down the hallway, passing three other notes directing her. Her steps slowed when she heard the female voice.

  “Well, of course, you were upset. No one who knows you would expect otherwise.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Andrew, you protect people. It’s what you do. It’s what you always did for Anna whenever we moved. It’s one reason why you joined the military.”

  “I don’t know about that, but I do know that Hailey’s the most independent person I’ve ever known.”

  “Even strong people need to lean on someone every so often.”

  Having heard enough, Hailey moved into the kitchen. She stopped short when Andrew and a woman both turned her way. Andrew stood with his back propped against the counter, his legs crossed at the ankles. He wore shorts that hung low on his hips. And no shirt. Hailey bit down on her tongue to stop a moan. His chest was bronzed by the sun, his muscles developed from the workouts she knew he and Joe had competed in on a daily basis. A thin line of hair trailed down to his waistband.

  And beyond, as she well knew.

  Determined to not get off track, she focused on the woman standing next to him in front of the stove, a strip of bacon dangling from a fork His mother, she realized, when eyes the same warm brown as his, softened and welcomed.

  “You must be Hailey,” Mrs. Reynolds said while Andrew remained silent. She set down the strip of bacon and brushed her hands on a paper towel before asking, “Are you feeling better this morning?”

  Her gaze shot to Andrew, who shook his head in denial. Relieved he hadn’t confided in his mother, Hailey turned back to her. “I’m certainly feeling better than I did last night.” She managed a smile. “And if you’re sharing that bacon, Mrs. Reynolds, I can almost guarantee I’ll be well enough to get out of your way.”

  “Lillian,” she corrected as Andrew straightened to his full height. “Don’t feel you have to leave on my account,” she said, turning back to the stove. With a deft hand, she poured beaten eggs into one pan while poking at the bacon frying in another. “I only stopped by this morning so I could check in and see how you’re doing. Plus I wanted to drop off some perishables so they don’t go bad while I’m out of town.”

  Andrew smiled at his mother. “And of course, she decided I’m not capable of cooking for the two of us, so she just took over.”

  “You’re capable of whatever you set your mind to.” She rose on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I just miss taking care of my baby boy.”

  “At least I don’t have to worry about you feeding me carrots for breakfast.”

  “Keep being a wise guy and I’ll slip some into your eggs.”

  “No, you won’t.” Andrew leaned down to kiss his mother’s cheek. “We all know I’m your favorite.”

  They were so comfortable with one another. Hailey felt a prick of envy. She couldn’t recall the last time she and her mother had exchanged more than a few polite words, let alone the obvious affection Andrew and his mother felt for one another. Then it struck her that she stood here, staring at her child’s grandmother.

  “When you get to Denver,” Andrew said, breaking Hailey out of her musing. “You’ll have a couple of days to take care of the brat.”

  “He means his sister, Anna,” Lillian explained. “And he calls her a brat when he misses her.”

  “I don’t miss the way she nags me.”

  “She only nags when you deserve it, dear. I’m sorry,” Lillian said to Hailey. “We’re being incredibly rude talking as if you weren’t standing here. Comes from too many years of being on our own, I suppose. Something I think you understand since Andrew tells me your mother’s in the Navy.”

  “Yes, she’s an Electronics Technician in Nuclear Operations.”

  “That sounds important, although I’ve been told you have an impressive job yourself. Andrew, these eggs are ready so you need to put on a shirt.” Lillian spooned scrambled eggs into a bowl.

  “That’s right.” He straightened. “Family rules mean we can’t have a naked male chest at the table.”

  “At least none that I want to tell you about.”

  “Mom.” His jaw slack, Andrew stared at her.

  Lillian winked at Hailey. “Hurry now so these eggs don’t get cold.”

  She’d thought to excuse herself, to simply use this moment as the perfect time to slip away. Instead, Hailey was seduced by the scent of warm food and the inviting smile of Andrew’s mother.

  Lillian’s easy acceptance of Hailey’s appearance the night before was something she would never have expected, and certainly wasn’t the way her mother would have reacted had Andrew been the one showing up on their doorstep. They exchanged stories of military life, compared various places they’d each lived. Lillian asked about Hailey’s position in the Air Force. She listened to mother and son talk about his twin. They made it easy for her to relax and enjoy this brief lull from all the recent disruption in her life.

  “Now, I should go and let the two of you have some time,” Lillian said, after putting the kitchen to rights.

  “Oh,” Hailey said, folding the towel she’d used to dry a few dishes. “I’m not staying.”

  “Why not? You said you're on leave. You should take a few days and relax. I'm sure Andrew would enjoy the company. I know Anna and Quinn like having someone here to keep an eye on the house.” She gestured toward the sliding glass doors. “Swim, relax by the pool. It's heated so even if it cools off in the evening you should be fine. You should even consider treating yourself to some time at the spa in town. Or just lay around and read. Both of you could use some do
wn time before your next deployment. I imagine that's why your Commanding Officer gave the two of you leave.”

  “I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” Hailey said, knowing it was a weak argument. But, looking into those soft brown eyes, she couldn’t find it within herself to argue against Lillian’s suggestions. Even as she didn’t want to think of the reason why she was here.

  “Easy enough,” Lillian said with a casualness that Hailey had already come to recognize as natural for the woman. “There’s plenty of shopping to be done around here.” She turned to her son. “And don’t scowl like that. You face worse dangers on a daily basis while flying a mission than you will with a couple of hours of shopping.” She rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I love you.”

  “I love you, Mom. If I don’t see you before you leave, have a good trip. Call me when you land.”

  “Oh, how the times have changed,” Lillian laughed. “That used to be my line.”

  Andrew smiled. “It still is.”

  Then, before Hailey could escape, Lillian hugged her goodbye and she was alone with Andrew.

  “I like your mom.”

  “She’s the most remarkable woman I’ve ever known.” He crossed the room, poured another cup of coffee, and, settling back against the counter, crossed his legs at the ankles. “Whenever Dad was deployed or we moved, she never broke stride. At least not so that Anna or I ever saw. Things just continued as they always had. Different place and circumstances, sure, but she made sure we kept the same traditions and stuff.” He grinned. “And when Dad was home, which wasn’t all that often, she made him tow the same lines Anna and I had to follow.” His lips flattened. “When we lost Dad, Mom pushed through what needed to be done and made sure she was there for Anna and me.”