It was strange to see her all these years later. She still looked exactly the same, pretty—no, make that beautiful—but with a fresh-faced appearance. There was no heavily done makeup, no trying too hard. Her hair had fallen in soft waves to her shoulders, and he’d had the strangest desire to reach out and touch it. To feel all that silkiness beneath his fingertips.
She was almost exactly as he remembered, although her daughter looked to be about four now. He was surprised at how many details he seemed to recall about that day he’d helped her—those soft brown eyes looking up at him, the small frame with womanly curves concealed beneath the sundress she’d had on. At the time he’d wondered what type of bikini she’d had on beneath it, and then he’d scolded himself for even thinking about that. She was a newlywed and young mom, not some pretty young thing to chase after. And, given the circumstances, she’d barely paid him a second glance.
Tonight, however, had been different. She’d met and held his gaze, obviously interested in him, although he’d known it had taken a moment for recognition to spark in her eyes. She’d smiled almost shyly at him after he’d nodded. He wondered if she ate there often and tucked that knowledge away for a later date. He wouldn’t mind running into her again.
Her husband hadn’t been with them tonight, although that didn’t mean he was out of the picture all these years later. She could easily have just been enjoying dinner with a sister or friend while he was at work.
Their kids were close in age, with his son being only slightly older than her young daughter. She’d certainly understand what it was like to be a parent, to be responsible for another human being 24/7. Most of the women he went home with—few as though they were these days—had no idea what it was like to raise a child. Nor did they want to find out.
Why exactly he wanted to talk to this woman more, he wasn’t sure. Just because his marriage hadn’t worked out didn’t mean she was unhappy. She could have ten kids at home for all he knew.
“We’re heading out,” Matthew said, standing to leave with the blonde tucked safely against him. She was practically pawing at his chest, and Patrick could see the envy in the other men’s eyes.
Patrick nodded at them as way of goodbye.
“Us too,” Brent said, setting the redhead down beside him. “I promised this pretty lady I’d show her a good time tonight,” he added with a wicked grin.
Brent received a few howls of approval from his team and some other guys nearby who’d overheard the comment. They raised their beers to him as he and the redhead both laughed.
A few minutes later, Patrick said goodbye to the remaining men on his team and escaped the chaos at Anchors, slipping alone back out into the cool night. For the second evening in a row, he headed over to pick up his son. He had training in the morning with his men, but the weekend was near, and he was looking forward to some much needed time off.
Patrick cruised along I-264 on Saturday morning, admiring the glistening water below. The long stretch of bridge bothered some people who had a fear of heights, but he loved the freedom of sailing over the wide span of river. The only thing better would be to actually be on the water, enjoying the morning sunshine and fresh air in a boat.
When Logan was older, they’d be able to go out on the ocean or one of the local rivers more. He’d teach him to sail, to navigate the waters. They’d jet ski together, too. First the kid had to learn how to swim though. For now, fishing was about as adventurous as they got on the water, and that was fine by Patrick. He had years to enjoy all that the Virginia Beach area offered with his son.
He and Logan had gotten an early start this morning, heading toward a local amusement park outside of Williamsburg and avoiding the traffic that was often at a standstill on the bridge on weekends. He didn’t mind the traffic necessarily, not when you got to sit there and admire the view of the water. It sure beat sitting bumper-to-bumper on any old highway. But the idea of wasting time when they could just as easily leave a bit earlier and bypass the inevitable traffic jam made the most sense. Plus, the amusement park would be less crowded the earlier they got there, and he’d promised Logan a fun day.
His cell rang, and he glanced down to see his sister’s name on the screen. She lived in nearby Norfolk, and although they didn’t see each other too frequently, they managed to get together at least once every month or two when he was in town.
Pushing the button for speaker, he answered.
“You’re back!”
“Yeah, I just got back a few days ago. Didn’t you see my text?”
“I’m just excited is all.”
“Logan and I are headed to an amusement park for the day.”
“He’ll love that. Do you guys want to come over for dinner tonight?”
“Sure, I guess we could. I can’t really offer to bring anything though. We’re already driving over the bridge.”
“Just bring yourselves. Call me when you’re on your way—you never know with traffic around here.”
“Sounds great; we’ll see you tonight.”
He hung up the phone and glanced back at his son in the rear-view mirror. It was tough on Logan not knowing how long his dad would be gone each time Patrick deployed with his SEAL team, so he tried to make it up with a fun adventure for just the two of them whenever he returned.
He and Logan both looked forward to those days. He knew it was hard on Logan not having his mother around, and having to worry about his father’s dangerous job, too? That wasn’t something any kid should have to deal with.
A driver in front of him laid on the horn and swerved around a slow-moving vehicle. Patrick applied the brakes and calmly changed lanes, briefly glancing over to make sure there was no problem with the other car.
There’d been a terrible accident on the bridge last year, a five-car collision with one vehicle pushed off into the river below. Two passengers had been killed in an SUV on the bridge, and the man whose car had plunged into the water hadn’t survived either.
It was a horrible story, with dive teams searching several days to recover the body. The accident had caused a traffic back-up for hours, with people trapped in their vehicles on the bridge and unable to go anywhere, stuck in complete gridlock until the lanes and bridge reopened.
Emergency crews had been able to drive along the shoulder to attend to the victims, but the entire clusterfuck made him realize why some people were wary to ever travel across the bridge and tunnel stretch of the highway. There was little way to avoid it living near the beach, though, unless once you arrived, you never left.
“Dad, can we go on the biggest roller coaster today?” Logan asked excitedly from the back seat.
“We’ll have to see how tall you are, buddy.”
“Am I big enough?”
“Maybe so. We’ll measure you when we get there, all right?”
“Yes! I want to ride them ALL.”
“We’ll ride what we can. How does that sound?”
“Awesome. Thanks, Dad.”
They spent the morning on all the rides Logan was old enough for and then grabbed some hotdogs and funnel cakes for lunch. Logan eagerly slurped down his soda, his eyes wide with excitement, while Patrick enjoyed a frosty mug of beer as they sat in a shaded area.
The place was already packed, and he figured they’d hit a few more rides before calling it a day. With the lines growing, they wouldn’t be able to get to everything Logan wanted, but the poor kid was already looking tired. It was a lot of walking around for a six-year-old boy. Patrick had a feeling that by the afternoon he’d be carrying Logan to the parking lot, completely exhausted from all the excitement.
His CO had warned the team yesterday that they may have to deploy again in the coming week, so Patrick wanted to get in as much quality time as he could with Logan. It was unusual but not unheard of that they’d be called up again so quickly.
Luckily, Logan’s grandparents were close by and able to watch him, but it almost made Patrick wish to be married again someday, to have a
That line of thinking wouldn’t get him anywhere, because he knew for a fact that he was better off alone. Watching his ex-wife suffer from cancer was almost more than he could bear, and he was certain that he’d never let a woman get into his heart that way again. Hell no, he and Logan were doing just fine.
Another ten years or so, and his son would be off with his own friends on the weekends, having fun and getting into trouble like all teenagers. He probably wouldn’t even notice when Patrick wasn’t around.
The time they had together now was theirs alone, and Patrick would do anything to protect that. His son needed to be shielded from getting hurt again just as he did, and if that meant living his life alone, protecting them both from the inevitable hurt that went along with loving someone, then so be it.
Chapter 4
Rebecca chased after her daughter as they ran to the playground down by the beach on Sunday afternoon. She was glad she’d worn flat sandals, otherwise she’d have no chance in keeping up with her active four-year-old.
Gone were the days of strolling down the boardwalk in sundresses and cute wedge sandals, grabbing a drink at one of the bars. Even walking hand-in-hand along the water with a man was a long-forgotten memory. Those days felt like a lifetime ago, but she wouldn’t change anything for the world.
Her weekend with Abby had already been filled to the brim with kid-friendly activities: a birthday party for a preschool friend, kite-flying on the beach, and brunch with her parents in Williamsburg earlier that morning.
She’d been terrified as always driving over the bridge as they headed back home, but traffic was light on Sunday morning, and since it was a clear day, she’d managed to calmly drive across while only gripping the steering wheel somewhat tightly.
Okay, maybe she’d held it in a death grip, but they’d made it across, hadn’t they?
“I wanna swing!” Abby shouted as she raced toward the swing set.
“Wait for me!” Rebecca chastised, hurrying after her.
A family with two little boys was over near the slide, but otherwise, they had the place to themselves. Rebecca hoped the busy day would mean Abby went to bed early that night. She had some depositions to read through in preparation for a hearing later in the week and didn’t relish the idea of a late night. She’d had enough of those recently, thank you very much.
After an hour spent running around outside this afternoon to wear her out, she’d be able to tuck Abby into bed as soon as dinner was over.
“Can I swing, too?” a little boy asked a few minutes later.
“Of course,” Rebecca said, moving aside so that the child could climb onto the other swing.
“Watch me!” Abby shouted.
Abby had finally mastered the ability to swing by herself, without Rebecca pushing her “faster, faster!”
Rebecca enjoyed the few moments of respite as she watched her daughter, thinking of how quickly things had changed in such a short time. One minute she’d been nursing an infant in the quiet confines of her home and the next she had an active preschooler, shrieking wildly with glee. Abby would be driving before she knew it, she thought.
“Logan, don’t forget to say ‘please,’” a deep voice behind her said.
Rebecca jumped, startled, at the low rumble that somehow worked its way inside her, twisting her up in knots and setting her whole body alight with awareness. She turned around and her eyes widened in shock at seeing the man from the other night here, on the playground of all places.
He was larger than life, standing well over six feet, and practically oozed testosterone from his pores. The guy was ripped, evident even in the navy blue tee shirt and cargo shorts he wore. The tee hugged his broad chest, showing off large pecs and wide shoulders. His biceps bulged beneath the sleeves, and Rebecca had to force herself to meet his cool blue gaze to keep from ogling him.
The guy looked like he should be jumping out of airplanes or something, or at the very least engaging in some sort of outdoor activities with his buddies. But standing here on the playground? Not exactly.
She wondered who he was to Logan. An uncle, maybe? She didn’t get the fatherly vibe from him, whatever that was. And he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Not that she’d looked.
“We meet again,” he said, gazing down at her with an unreadable expression.
“So we do. Is he yours?” she asked, gesturing toward Logan.
It wasn’t a strange question; she asked other parents all the time which child was theirs. Her mystery guy only raised his eyebrows.
“That’s my daughter, Abby,” she said, hoping to smooth over whatever misstep she’d made. He’d almost looked offended by the question.
“Yes, that’s my son, Logan.”
“I remember you. You helped me change my tire.”
“I don’t recall helping you so much as changing it myself.”
Rebecca’s mouth dropped open, taken aback, but then she realized he was just teasing her. He had a really subtle way of flirting, if that’s what he was doing.
He looked so stern and serious, it was hard to get a read on him. She saw a flicker in his eyes that let her know he was just giving her a hard time. The corner of his mouth hitched slightly, and she was certain that a blush was creeping over her skin.
“Well,” she said smoothly, recovering. “Thank you for your assistance, nonetheless.”
“I’m Patrick,” he said, extending a large hand toward her.
“Rebecca.”
She took his hand and jolted in surprise at his warm, sure grip. His hands were rough, slightly calloused, and as he held her much smaller hand in his, she could tell he was holding back, not squeezing it nearly as tightly as he usually would when meeting someone.
She could see all the tendons and muscles in his thick forearm and knew this guy could probably annihilate anyone in a few seconds. He was positively lethal, but something about that attracted her to him even more.
She felt safe with him, like nothing bad could happen to her or her daughter. He’d helped her, years ago, when he had absolutely no need. She’d been with her baby for heaven’s sakes; it wasn’t like he’d expected her to fall into his bed after assisting her with the flat. He was just…a good guy.
No, “guy” was too mild of a word for him. He was a rock-solid man, with pounds of muscle and strength tightly leashed beneath all that smooth, tanned skin. Skin she wouldn’t mind running her fingertips over, truth be told.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said in a low voice.
“Likewise. I suppose you’re in the military?”
“What gave you that idea?”
She looked at him quizzically and then realized he was teasing her again. Nothing but his eyes gave it away, and she flushed. She actually flushed beneath this man’s gaze.
He cleared his throat and answered, putting her out of her misery. “I’m a Navy SEAL.”
“That makes sense,” she mused. “What happened to your arm?” she asked, noticing the stitches.
“A little souvenir from a recent mission.”
“It sounds dangerous.”
“We’re well-trained.”
“Mommy, can I go on the slide now?” Abby asked, jumping off the swing.
Rebecca cringed as Abby sailed a couple of feet through the air, but her daughter landed safely. She noticed Patrick watching her closely, too, apparently ready to intervene if necessary.
“Sure, go on, sweetie.”
“I’m not scared of the slide at all!” Logan yelled, running after her.
It never ceased to amaze Rebecca how quickly kids could make friends and bond with one another. Here she was still exchanging pleasantries with Patrick and their kids had already each made a new friend.
“How about you?” Patrick asked in his quiet way. “What do you do?”
“I’m a divorce lawyer.”
Patrick tensed noticeably, his jaw tightening, but quickly recovered. “Are you married?” he inquired.
“I was,” she hedged.
“Divorced?”
Wow, he was nosy, but maybe it was just professional curiosity since she’d just told him she was a divorce lawyer. Wouldn’t that be ironic, the divorce lawyer who was divorced herself? It was certainly not unheard of, but still. There was some humor in that notion.
Of course, he wasn’t wearing a ring but had a kid, so there was always the possibility that he’d been married once. No wonder he didn’t like divorces.
“No, uh, my husband was killed last year. Car accident,” she added, without really knowing why. She didn’t need to explain herself to this man. In fact, she usually offered as little information as possible. Reliving that nightmare wasn’t something she’d wish on her worst enemy.
“I’m sorry.” His eyes softened slightly, but before she could respond, they were interrupted by screams from Abby.
“A bee! A bee!” she shrieked from the top of the slide. Logan quickly slid down, running away, but Abby stood at the top, waving her arms frantically and wailing.
“Hang on!” Rebecca called out, rushing over. “Slide down!” she said, reaching her arms up to attempt to guide her.
“Mommy!” Abby cried. “Take me down!”
“Sweetie, I can’t reach you,” she said, blowing out a breath in exasperation. “Just come down the slide. Or wait there for me to climb up,” she added, glancing over at the ladder.
“I got her,” Patrick said easily, suddenly appearing at her side. He was a good foot taller than Rebecca and could reach Abby from where he stood.
Rebecca watched as his large hands grasped her daughter beneath the arms, and he plucked her off the playground as if she weighed nothing at all. Abby whimpered but didn’t protest, and within seconds, she was wrapping her arms tightly around Rebecca’s legs as Patrick set her down.
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