Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge)

by Natasza Waters

  “I’m good, Wade,” she answered, but Nina heard the ice crack even if Wade didn’t.

  “How’s the Admiral? I heard he’s in Hawaii.”

  “He is.”

  “And your wedding isn’t far off. December seventh, isn’t it?”

  Kayla nodded. “So, how are you finding life in San Diego, Wade?”

  Jesus, the air was getting a little stuffy in here with the volley of questions, Nina thought.

  “Great, actually. I like the men I have working under me.”

  “What department do you work in?”

  “I don’t work in it, I’m in charge of it, Kayla.”

  Oh crap. She knew how Kayla would react with Wade putting that tone in his voice.

  “Well.” Kayla’s voice dropped a few thousand degrees. “Good for you.”

  “Okay.” Nina clapped her hands. “We’re heading out soon, so we’ll see ya, Wade.”

  “Out? Where’re you going? You didn’t mention anything about going out.”

  Nina thought before bursting out with a fiery response such as “None of your god damn business.” Wade hadn’t stopped coming on to her, but he’d backed down a bit. Since he’d helped her fix up the house she could give him some slack, but it came in the form of dinner once in a while. “It’s a beach party.”

  He walked up to her, leaving little room. “Am I invited?”

  “No,” Kayla said from behind the counter as she rocked Adam in the carrier. “It’s an annual SEAL get-together.”

  “Last I checked, Nina isn’t a SEAL.”

  “No, but she works with them, and she’s—”

  Nina put her hand on Wade’s arm and gave Kayla a look to shut up. “See ya later, Wade.” She walked him to the door.

  “Guess I have to leave without a kiss again,” he said leaning toward her.

  His chest bumped against her open palm. “Yup. Night, Wade.”

  “Gabbs, sweetie, go get washed up and change your clothes, we’re going to the beach,” she said strolling toward the kitchen. The phone on the table bleeped with a text and Nina looked down. “Wade, you forgot your phone…” her words dwindled as she read the text.

  From Pedro: The money is due, Cayson

  Wade rushed in and took it from her. “You just got a text.”

  “Thanks,” he said sharply. Wade looked at the text and departed without a goodbye.

  She’d talked to Wade about the gambling. He’d laughed it off, saying he played poker once in a while because he could afford to and it blew off steam. Nothing else pointed to any dark addiction like Mace seemed to think existed. Until now, but there was no point chasing him down.

  Nina stepped over to the counter and gave Adam a kiss. “How ya doing, big boy?” She sniffed. “I guess if you didn’t eat so much, mom wouldn’t have to change your diaper every hour.”

  Kayla lifted Adam out of the carrier and reached for a towel hanging over the kitchen chair that Gabbs had tossed there. Laying him on the couch, she got rid of the offending diaper and changed her SEAL pup. “Go get changed,” Kayla ordered.

  “Into what?” Nina took a quick look at what she had on. “What’s wrong with this?”

  “You’ve been dressing baggy for a month and a half now. Tighten it up, babe.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I don’t want Wade getting the wrong idea.”

  “Doesn’t matter what you think. He’s got his own opinion on the situation.”

  She sat down across from Kayla. “Listen, it just about killed me seeing Mace last time. I don’t think I’ve ever pulled off such a good acting job. He was like a stranger. There wasn’t an ounce of our time together left in him. He was all SEAL telling me about Wade. He might as well have been sending in a SITREP. When we went for a beer he was friendly, but didn’t show a single intention of ever wanting to be anything, but a friend.” Kayla picked Adam up and laid him in her arms. The hurt she’d been carrying inside swelled with a baby to cuddle again. She’d created a hundred happy scenarios in her mind, all of them with Mace. None of them were possible now.

  Kayla’s hand curled around hers. “They’re very good at hiding their emotions. Mace will come to his senses eventually. Go get changed.”

  She cradled Adam and his big blue eyes stared up at her. “Why don’t I just babysit this little guy and you go without me?”

  Kayla collected Adam. “Go get changed.”

  Nina yanked on a pair of skinny jeans and a “T”. That was the best she had to offer. She ran her fingers through her hair and added some lipstick, then some shadow and well, shit….twenty minutes later she appeared in the living room.

  “Better,” Kayla said and smiled at Gabbs. Gabbs nodded her head in agreement.

  * * * *

  Kayla drove them to the beach, and lucked out finding a parking spot. The place was teeming with SEALs and their families. Two big fires burned on the beach. Nina and Kayla made their way through the maze of lawn chairs until they caught sight of Alpha Squad. Nina’s stomach did an enormous belly flop. She didn’t want to be here.

  Gabbs carried the tray of appetizers Kayla had made for the potluck party. The smell of hibachis filtered through the air.

  “Gabbs, put those on that table over there, please,” Kayla instructed.

  It barely made it, because Gabbs caught sight of Mace. She screamed his name and hurtled herself at him. He picked her up in his arms, and they hung onto each other in a tight squeeze. Well, guess he knew she was here now. No avoiding this. She trudged through the sand, waving and saying hello to everyone.

  She stopped eight feet away. “Gabbs, Kelsey’s over there and she’s asking for you.”

  She turned away, but when Mace’s low voice called her it crept under her skin and stopped her motion. “Hi, Nina.”

  Her bare toes wiggled in the sand, and her damn heart pounded in her chest. “Hi, Mace. How are things?” Her pathetic attempt at sounding nonchalant rang in her ears.

  Mace gave her a weak smile. “All right, I guess.”

  “I saw the op reports. You’re heading out in a few days for a recon mission.”

  He nodded.

  “Mace, you’re not going to get hurt this time, right?” Gabbs asked.

  “I’ll try my best,” he said and knelt down. “Go say hi to Kelsey. I’ll make ya a hamburger, okay?”

  Gabbs slowly let go of him, then scampered across the sand to find Kelsey.

  “Talk to you later,” Nina said, and tried for a quick escape.

  “Why not now?”

  She rallied up a boatload of courage and shrugged. “Sure.”

  “Take a walk?” he suggested.

  “Hey, Mace, don’t run off, dinner’s ready. If you call charbroiled to black hamburgers dinner.” Sheila snuggled up to Mace’s side and smiled. “Hiya, Nina, how are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

  Who pulled the plug on her courage and added vinegar to the bath water? Anger or more likely jealousy began to bubble in her veins. So this was the reason he hadn’t given a shit the last time they’d seen each other. Great, he’d hooked up with his old roll in the hay, while she pined away painting! “Busy,” she said. “I’m renovating the house I bought for my daughter and me. With work and being chief cook, bottle washer, and limousine service for Gabbs’ softball, there’s not time for much else.” She flicked her foot behind her, ready to do an about face. “Nice seeing you two. Take care.” Stomping in the sand didn’t really have the same effect because everyone did it just to move around. She headed straight for the wives of Alpha Squad and made herself useful, meanwhile keeping Gabbs in sight.

  Two hands grasped her arms. “Hi, Nina.” Tony leaned over and kissed her cheek.

  “Hey, Tinman, ready to fill your belly?” There was no way she could eat anything or she’d hurl it back up. She might as well feed everyone else. “I’ll make a plate if you want.”

  “Come here,” he said, jerking his head, and pulling her away from the crowd of female ears. The sun was setting on
the horizon, and with the chilly winter breeze, at least chilly for San Diego, she tightened her jacket around her. Tony stopped at the water’s edge.

  “Are you going to look at me or avoid eye contact the whole time?”

  She plastered on a fake smile. “What’s up?”

  Tony shook his head at her and grinned. “He hasn’t been seeing Sheila, she latched onto him when she got here, but they’re not together. He’s been a fucking mess for a month and a half. He loves you, and although I and everyone else have tried to convince him he’s being an idiot, he’s toughing it out.”

  “For what?” She felt the first ping of tears in her eyes and looked into the wind so it could take the blame in case they leached out.

  “You know he talks to Gabbs every day.”

  “I just found out tonight. I can’t believe she managed to hide that from me.”

  “She wasn’t hiding. They miss each other. Mace thinks you and Wade are together. Gabbs says he’s over every day, and Mace is jumping to conclusions. He’s wrong, isn’t he?”

  She rubbed the tears from her cheeks. “M—Mace walked away from us, not the other way around.” Instead of letting her shaky legs cave, she sat down on the sand and picked up a handful, chucking it at the sea. “Is this a dangerous mission you’re going on?”

  “All of our missions have a level of danger. This one is pretty low, but anything can happen. Try not to worry. I’ll be watching his back. It shouldn’t be more than two weeks. We’ll be back for Snow White and Ghost’s wedding. Maybe sooner.”

  She stared as the sun turned a brilliant fiery orange; its last rays swallowed up by the night, feeding the rising full moon. “I miss him,” she finally said. “I paddle through each day, tired as hell when I lay down to sleep. I close my eyes and all I think about is Mace.” She sniffed and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’d like to know the time limit he set on my future. A month? A year? How long will it take before he realizes I’m never going to allow Wade into my bed?” She kept her face turned away so Tony couldn’t see the tears streaming openly down her face. An arm wrapped around her shoulder, and she was glad for the comfort. “I don’t know, Tinman, I think it was just an excuse. He saw my crazy life, and how much work Gabbs is, and he decided to extract himself before he got in too deep.” She grabbed another handful of sand and cupped it, turning it over and mounding it. “This is why I never allowed anyone in my life after Wade got me pregnant. I’m a sap, and I knew my heart would get broken. Now I get to pick up the pieces, and I’m pissed at myself for falling in love with Mace.”

  “That’s not true, Nina. There’s no excuse. I love you more now than I ever did before.”

  She jumped. It wasn’t Tony’s arm around her it was Mace’s. She crab walked a few paces, then rolled to her knees. “Whatever.”

  He kneed up to her and fingered a tear from her cheek. “I didn’t walk away to hurt you. I did it to give you and Gabbs a chance at having a future with Wade if that’s what you wanted. Be a family. Gabbs told me he was coming over every day. I assumed you and he—”

  “I know what you assumed.” She swiped his hand from her face. “I don’t know why you think I can flick a switch in my heart and stop loving you and start loving Wade. That’s idiotic. I want you to stop talking to Gabbs. I’ll tell her not to call you. You’re just leading her on, like you led me on.” She rose to her feet.

  Mace jerked his head and then lowered it.

  Tears started to roll down her cheeks. “You left us. You left me to fend for myself against Wade,” she choked out. “That’s not brave. That’s gutless.”

  She ran along the sand and got lost in the myriad of people cloistering around the fires.

  Gabbs balanced a plate with three hamburgers on it. “Mommy, I made you, me, and Mace a hamburger.”

  Jesus. “I don’t know where Mace is, Gabbs.”

  “He’s down there,” she said, pointing where they had been together.

  “Take him the hamburger. Here.” She tucked a Coke in Gabbs’ hand.

  “Aren’t you coming?”

  “No, I’m not very hungry, sweetheart.”

  Her daughter stopped a couple times to rebalance the plate, then plopped down in the sand next to Mace. They talked for a second before Gabbs crawled into his lap. They stared up at the stars for a long time. She could see them talking. Nina resisted the urge to retrieve Gabbs. This would be their last time together. It might as well be a good memory for her daughter.

  “You okay?” Kayla asked, staring down at the water where Mace sat back with Gabbs laying against him.

  She nodded then shook her head. She buried her face in her hands and rubbed the tears away with the heel of her palm.

  Kayla twined her arm through hers. “What are you waiting for? The man you love and your daughter are down there, and they want you with them.”

  “I’m not going to beg Mace to come back to me. Gabbs and I are okay. We’re going to make it. We don’t need a man around.” She pulled a band from her pocket and fingered her hair into a ponytail to stop it from flying in her face. “I’m a mom, an analyst and apparently Suzie renovator. I don’t need anything else.”

  “No, you don’t, but you love Mace and he loves you.” Kayla stepped in front of her and she held fast preparing for one of Kayla’s speeches. “Listen, it’s simple. Love is simple. It took me a really, really long time to figure that out. And to think a man like Thane would be the one to teach me that is some kind of miracle. Give Mace one more chance. I think him giving you this time was his honest attempt at showing you how much he truly could sacrifice for you.”

  Nina blew her nose.

  “Kayla,” Naomi called out. “The Admiral’s son needs feeding—”

  All the women said in unison, “Again.”

  “Yeah, yeah, you’re all a bunch of comedians.” Before she stepped away, she leaned in and gave Nina a hug. “What’s the rule?”

  Nina rolled her eyes. “No analyst makes a move until she’s thought three steps ahead.”

  “That’s right, but love doesn’t have any predetermined steps. It makes its own path. Eventually two hearts travel along the same road. Your other half is down there, and he’s lost his way. At least turn on the porch light so he can find his way back to you.”

  That wasn’t so bad, she thought. Kayla had just ripped her heart out and shoved it up her ass. Flipping the lid on a nearby cooler, Nina grabbed two more Cokes and trudged down to the water. She was not going to buckle. She and Mace would always be friends. It was time to act like it. “Here.” Mace’s eyes shined up at her, the moonlight casting shadow across the sharp ridge of his jaw. Her breath stuck in her throat, reminded of their first night on the beach together.

  “Thanks.”

  “Mom, I just invited Mace for dinner tomorrow night. Can we make his favorite? I’ll help.”

  “It’s okay, Gabbs,” he said. “I—have to get ready for the mission.”

  Gabbs’ bright smile dimmed. Her little mind hummed so loud, Nina could almost hear it. Gabbs’ little brows shot together; tears welled from her eyes and wet her lashes. “Don’t you like us anymore, Mace?”

  Mace vaulted to his feet, his expression crumbled with pain. He picked Gabbs up and hugged her. “Gabbs.” He paused, his gaze shifting to Nina. “I made a terrible mistake and I don’t know if your mom is going to forgive me.”

  Gabbs lifted her shoulders. “I make mistakes all the time, but Mom forgives me.” She wiggled to be let down, and although Mace hesitated, he set her on the sand. “I always tell Mommy I love her, then she isn’t angry anymore.”

  Nina held her breath as they stared at each other.

  Mace gazed at her, the question in his eyes obvious. “Forgive me. Again. I’m always saying that to you, aren’t I?” He shortened the distance between them, and all her stubbornness disintegrated into a pile of ash with his step. Mace was the man of her dreams, any woman’s dreams. “Nina, I’ll be gone a lot, but I promise I’ll love you eve
ry minute we’re together. I want it to be you I come home to, both of you. I’ve always wanted that from the day I met you.”

  Gabbs wrapped her arms around Mace’s hips and squeezed him hard, tipping her head back she gave him her big, toothy smile. His strong hand immediately slipped to her little shoulder.

  His broad chest expanded with a deep breath. “Gabbs, I really need to kiss your mom.”

  Gabbs stepped back and Nina’s body went on high alert with the scorching look in his eyes. Mace brushed against her body. His hand pulled the band from her hair and he buried his fingers. “I’ll never let you fend for yourself again. It didn’t even cross my mind. I want to love you and Gabbs until my last breath, but if you had doubts, I wanted to give you space to figure that out.”

  Relief seeped through her like a cold body slipping into warm bathwater. She wasn’t angry with Mace. She was so full of shit. Mace made her feel safe and secure, and she couldn’t come up with one reason why that was bad. “Will you stop running away now?”

  “Never again, Nina. As much as I can, when I’m home, I’m yours and you’re mine.”

  If Nina could suck Mace into her soul she would. “Will you move in with us?”

  A brilliant smile lit his eyes. “God, yes.”

  “Good,” she piped up. “Because I have a ton of renovations to finish.”

  He laughed. “Whatever you want, babe. I’m your man.”

  She followed his bottom lip with her finger. “You are my man. That’s never changed.”

  Mace’s lips lightly brushed hers. “I want to kiss you.”

  All the air vacated her lungs, and she shuddered. “I think you better, I’ve forgotten how—” He cut her off and reminded her why she loved this man so much. His strength engulfed her and her mind was singing with the angels. Her body melted against his, and he squeezed the last breath from her.

  “Hi, Uncle Tony. Mommy and Mace are kissing again.”

  “Come here, squirt.”

  Nina glimpsed Tony sweeping Gabbs into his arms and carrying her up the beach.

  * * * *

  The alarm went off, and Nina smacked it with her hand. Gabbs came running into her room, her favorite stuffy in one hand, and jumped on the bed between her and Mace. “What’s for breakfast? I’m hungry.”