Nerd and the SEAL

by Grady, D. R.

  “In that case, I’m not going home,” she stated firmly and her slender arms tightened around his waist.

  He laughed and rested his chin on her head. “Okay. We can just stand here and stare at the stars all night. I’m fine with that.”

  She giggled and snuggled closer.

  “Hmm?” Her clean feminine scent washed over him.

  “Nothing. I don’t care what we stare at, so long as we’re together,” she said.

  He bent his head so his lips brushed over her hair. Wow, what had he done to win this woman?

  “You’re so agreeable, what happened?” he teased.

  And as he suspected, she tried to tickle him. He avoided her scrabbling fingers easily, and holding her off, ducked and claimed her lips.

  Treeny melted against him. He loved her warmth and softness against him.

  “Your sister is going to send the posse out after me if you don’t go home.”

  “Who’s the posse?” She didn’t sound in the least bit concerned.

  “Will, Ed, Tom...”

  “Max,” another voice interrupted.

  Ben groaned again before he turned to face his cousin. He didn’t let go of Treeny. “Let me guess, Rachel got worried and sent you?”

  “Yep,” Max said cheerfully. “Put her in the car and wave goodbye, big boy.” He broke them apart, stuffed Treeny into her car and slammed the door shut. He offered a cheeky wave. Ben resisted the urge to swat him – into the next county. “See how easy that was?”

  Ben shook his head at his cousin. “You’re a pain in the neck.”

  “I know.” Max nodded and waved again as Treeny fired up her car. She waved back, and Ben was gratified to see she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off him.

  She blew him a kiss before she pulled out onto the street and her tail lights vanished down the street.

  “I can’t imagine sending her off to war the way you did with KC.” Ben’s heart ached at the very thought.

  “Feel fortunate you don’t have to. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But you know, Treeny’s going to go through it.”

  Ben turned to stare at Max as his heart turned over. “Go through what?”

  “You’re a Navy SEAL, so you’re probably going off to war. Treeny will be the one left behind, wondering if you’ll return alive.”

  Max’s eyes were shadowed, but Ben understood. Treeny would be the one to wait for his safe return, while he went off to do his job. She’d be the one fretting, the one left behind to worry over his homecoming.

  He hadn’t thought about how their relationship would work, but she would be the one left tending the home fires as it were. Fortunately, she had a job she loved, so she’d have something to occupy her time. Was that enough? Would the time she spent at work be enough to keep her from going insane while she waited for him? Was she even willing to wait for him? She’d done so for eleven years already. How could he ask her to keep doing so?

  Ben hated the path his thinking took, but should he ask her? Would what they shared be enough for her? Because he knew she’d spend some time alone in this relationship. And he couldn’t do anything about her alone time. He really loved his job. Could he give up the military? Did he want to?

  “How did you stand the waiting?” Ben heard the intensity in his voice.

  “There were two reasons why I waited,” Max said slowly, and Ben watched him intently. He couldn’t imagine what Max had endured as he saw KC off to war. KC had been swamped with too many wounded men and not enough personnel, and less than stellar living conditions. Max and KC had communicated via email, mostly. Apparently the cell phones Lainy had built for them couldn’t be used much because of some delicate equipment there.

  “Why?”

  “KC was worth waiting for,” Max said, and Ben saw the conviction in his face. Would Treeny feel he was worth waiting for? How he hoped and prayed.

  “And the other reason?”

  Max turned and looked him in the eye. “I knew KC would only be gone for eight months. Anything is bearable if you know there’s an end.”

  Ben swallowed. KC had been deployed for eight months. He was deployed for as long as the job took. Then he came home. Then he’d leave again when the next job came up. His heart sank. He had no way of knowing how long he might be gone or when he could come home. No way of knowing how long he might have at home.

  He could hardly even schedule a vacation. Well, he could, but if he was needed, the U.S. Navy had no qualms about trumping his plans.

  “You knew KC would be gone for only eight months.”

  Max squeezed his shoulder. “Yeah, I knew I counted down the hours, days, and months. But you know, I nearly went crazy in those months.”

  Ben stared at him. He saw the toll that forced separation had taken on his cousin, even now, over a year later.

  “But you got through,” Ben pointed out.

  “Sure. So will Treeny, if she loves you.”

  He nodded. That made sense. The problem was, did she love him? She liked him, he knew that, but did she love him? It was too soon in their relationship to even ask that question.

  “True. But we’re so new into the relationship,” Ben said, a protest welling at having to say that out loud.

  “You and Treeny have what KC and I didn’t.”

  “What’s that?” Intrigued, he wondered what Max was talking about.

  “While you don’t know when you’re going and how long you’ll be gone, you do get home. Without multiple months in between.”

  Ben paused as he thought about his leave time. He would get home before several months went by. Yes. He’d be able to hold Treeny and spend time with her between assignments.

  “Still, you knew after eight months, KC would be home.”

  “Different circumstances. You pop in all the time. Which means you and Treeny can see each other on a semi-regular basis. I think you have to weigh your options. If you want each other enough, you’ll make the relationship work under whatever circumstances you have.”

  “That’s pretty deep, Max,” he teased.

  “Yeah, it is. But unfortunately for you, it’s true. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a wife to bug.”

  Ben heard the satisfaction in Max’s voice. The wait had been worth it for Max. He’d even heard Max say that if KC hadn’t been called up, she might have never realized they were meant to be together. Ben had heard KC say the same thing. It had taken the separation from Max before she realized how much he meant to her.

  But he and Treeny had been separated for years. And you’re together now, because neither of you could stop thinking of the other, a little voice sounding remarkably like his mother said in the back of his head. What if something came between them though?

  He watched Max look both ways before crossing the street. Max paused on the other side and turned back to him. “One other thing,” he said.

  “What?”

  “I didn’t have KC, but I had Ryan for those eight months. Without him, I’m sure I would have gone crazy. But at least I had the little guy.”

  Ben nodded. “I can see where that would help. But Treeny doesn’t have a kid.”

  “No, she doesn’t. I pointed that out to show you how different our situations are. We might end up in the same boat, yes, but reaching that boat is a far different experience for everyone.”

  Ben shook his head. “How in the world did you get so smart, Max?”

  “I think KC might have something to say about the smart bit.” Ben could hear the grin in Max’s voice. He couldn’t help but respond.

  “Right, but what does she know?”

  “I’m sure she’d be happy to tell you. But for now, I’ll be told off if I don’t get a move on. Trying to put both kids down for the night can be hard.”

  “Shouldn’t they have already been in bed?”

  “Sure, but Macy will be hungry, and sometimes, after a busy day like today, Ryan wakes up after an hour or so.”

  “Ah, the joys of kids.�
��

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Max advised.

  “Right.” He thought about kids. He couldn’t imagine having children with any woman other than Treeny, if they decided to have them.

  So what did that mean?

  Chapter 7

  Ben’s cell phone rang as he crawled into bed that night.

  “Morrison,” he answered before he comprehended that the caller was Treeny. “Miss me already?”

  “Yes,” she answered and he heard the truth in her voice. “What’s wrong?”

  He blinked. “Why do you think something’s wrong?”

  “I can’t sleep and I keep thinking about you, so I decided to call. Now that I hear your voice, I can tell something’s wrong, so tell me what’s up.”

  He grinned at the order. She obviously wasn’t planning to sleep until he told her. Well, maybe now would be the time to ask her about her childhood.

  “I’m wondering something.”

  “Yes?”

  “Treeny, why would your parents send you to live with your sister when you were only a teenager?”

  Silence. The air had grown heavy and Ben wondered if he treaded on ground he shouldn’t have. Would the earth open to reveal quicksand that would grab his foot and refuse to release him? Or would he learn something important? Something he was certain caused the doubts circulating through his thoughts.

  He heard her sigh and just as he opened his mouth to tell her to forget the question, Treeny spoke. “My dad, Rachel’s and my dad, died the year I turned fourteen. He died in the line of duty. Dad had special police training, but he still wasn’t impervious to a bullet.” Her voice quavered and Ben shut his eyes at the cloaked despair he heard in her voice. She continued after sucking in an audible breath. “His death came as a huge hit to our family. We scraped along, trying to figure out how to live without him.” Her voice grew softer and he heard the pain in her voice. Old pain. His heart clenched.

  “When I finally thought we’d figured it out, Mom brought a new man home. My reaction? Complete and total denial. Rachel wasn’t as concerned because she’s ten years older. She’d just gotten engaged to Will and was excitedly planning her wedding. Looking back now I realize I never gave Mom’s new boyfriend a chance. His name is John. He’s a cousin to my dad. That’s why his name is also Deveau.”

  “You couldn’t handle another man in your mom’s or your life.”

  “I guess not because I wouldn’t give John a chance. On the same token, I loved Will and his family. They embraced me at a time when I needed family. Will used to sneak up behind and hug the stuffing out of me.” The smile in her voice made him smile.

  “I remember Will doing that. He still grabs his kids,” Ben replied.

  “Yeah, he hasn’t stopped the attack hugs on me, either.” He pictured her grin as she rolled her eyes. She went on, her voice intense. “Will accepted me. He didn’t try to tell me what to do, or how to do it. Instead, he accepted me, teenage neurosis and all. So did his parents and siblings, all of them. Lainy and I met and were almost instantly friends.”

  “Acceptance is a big thing.”

  “Yes. Why don’t I remember meeting you that year?” He heard the frown in her voice.

  “I was in France. Doing the exchange student thing.”

  “Oh yes, that’s right. I kept hearing about you, but I’m glad I had a year with your family before you came onto the scene. I think you would have caused sensory overload.”

  “I hope so,” he teased, and she laughed. As he intended.

  “Will and Rachel offered to keep you for the summers?”

  “Yes. And then when I pushed to go to school here in Hershey, my mom knew I wasn’t dealing well with Dad’s death, so she made a really hard decision and let me come. I moved in with Will and Rachel, and haven’t left since.”

  “You went to Penn State,” he reminded her.

  “Yes, but I always spent holidays with them.”

  “I overheard Rachel telling one of the rellys that had it not been for you, she would have never made it up here.”

  “She told me that too. Will said once that one of the reasons he was so eager for me to come and live with them was because Rachel is a southern girl, and he thought she’d have some trouble adjusting. But with me here, she had someone from home.”

  “Rachel also needed someone to mother,” he said with a grin and she laughed.

  “Yes, she did. And I was here to help her with each baby.”

  “Mom said if you hadn’t taken turns getting up with the kids at night, Rachel and Will would have both gone insane.”

  “Well, think about it, they had six kids in eight years. Of course they would have gone insane.”

  “Right. Since I’m just an uncle, I wouldn’t know, but from the sound of things, they needed you as much as you needed them. I’m glad things worked out the way they did.”

  “I am too. If not for Rachel and Will...”

  “You would have still survived. Do you get along with John now?”

  “Yeah. My mom’s husband is actually a wonderful guy, but it took me looking at him from an adult’s perspective to understand that. I couldn’t believe she’d replace Dad so quickly.”

  “I listen to other people’s childhood stories and think, “Wow, I had such an abnormal upbringing.”

  “Define abnormal.”

  “My parents love each other and us. They care and aren’t afraid to show their love. They’re both still alive. They wanted all of us. And none of us ever doubted that from the time we were small.”

  “My parents wanted us, too. It’s not that. But losing Daddy so suddenly like that...” Treeny sighed. “It was hard. Rachel was an adult but she still had to work through his death. Of course, she was ready to walk down the aisle, so that was extra hard.”

  “Who walked her down the aisle?”

  “Granddaddy,” she said with a smile. He could hear the emotion in her voice.

  “Is he still alive?” Why didn’t he know this information?

  “No, he died about a year ago. But he saw me graduate from medical school and he saw all of Will and Rachel’s kids born.”

  “Didn’t he move up here?”

  “He did. He owned the house next to Will and Rachel, actually.”

  “So what happened to the house?”

  “Rachel and I rent it out for now. Someday I’ll probably move there. I suppose. I’d love to now, but I don’t think that’d go over well with Will or Rachel.”

  “They couldn’t afford for you to move?”

  “Oh, no. They don’t need the money. But they’re both really protective, and I think neither would like to see me live by myself.”

  Ben didn’t follow her logic. “You live by yourself now.”

  “I know that, and so do you. And my living right next door wouldn’t put me much further from them, but neither sees that. I think I’ll have to get married first. Then I’ll be able to move.”

  “Even if you marry a Navy SEAL?” Ben heard the intensity in his voice, so he figured she probably also did.

  “I think the only prerequisite will be my marrying,” she answered, with the smile back in her voice.

  He wanted to ask how she felt about marrying a SEAL, but held back. He didn’t know if it was because he didn’t want the answer, or couldn’t face the answer if it varied from what he wanted.

  She yawned.

  “Are you satisfied with your phone call now?”

  “Yes, I’m satisfied. I should be able to sleep now.”

  “I don’t mind putting you to bed,” he said huskily. He resisted the urge to clear his throat.

  “Me, either. Ben...” her voice trailed off and his heart lurched.

  “What?”

  “You...” she broke off to clear her throat. “You mean a lot to me. More than I ever thought a man could mean. I...I just wanted you to know that.”

  He heard fear in her voice. Did she worry she’d lose him like she had her father?
There was a possibility. He did have a dangerous job. No one could predict when their card got punched. But he couldn’t give up on this relationship with her, even if that was selfish of him.

  “You mean as much to me, Treeny. I can’t imagine you not being a part of my life now.”

  “I’m glad,” she whispered.

  “Me, too,” he whispered back.

  “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.” They disconnected.

  Unease spread through him until he stopped the viral movement. Right now he couldn’t think of problems. What he and Treeny had was right. Nothing was going to interfere. He kept up that litany until he fell asleep.

  ***

  Treeny’s heart flipped as she watched Ben saunter into the room Sunday morning. His eyes scanned the area until he located her and he strode across the expanse of floor. He sank into the chair beside her, with a subtle display of coordination and muscular control.

  She leaned over and whispered, “You’re late.”

  His lips tripped up at the sides. “We had some technical difficulties this morning.”

  “Oh?”

  “Macy’s diapers didn’t fit, she’s grown that much. Emergency measures were required; then Ryan lost Spuds.”

  “He lost his dog?”

  “Yeah, but we found him.”

  “Sounds like you’ve had a busy morning.”

  “We did, but it’s gotten better.”

  She smiled at him in response and his eyes warmed several degrees as they swept over her. Her cheeks heated and she sent him a scolding grin. Ben’s lips turned upward briefly in amusement before he turned his attention to the other occupants of the room.

  Soon the service began and they both turned their attention to that, but she was aware of his solid presence beside her the entire time. Janine had seated herself beside him and Treeny saw she looked regal and serene as usual.

  Women with those qualities had to have been born with them, Treeny figured. Because she certainly didn’t have the capability to resemble visiting royalty. Janine also brought a subtle power with her. A force Treeny doubted she even realized she possessed.

  But everyone from children to the elderly responded to the subtle command. KC had once explained how Janine could coax a laugh from a six year old as easily as she brought a gleam to the eye of an eighty year old. The cadence to her lilting voice brought peace to those who were anxious and infused calm to situations that might have otherwise spun out of control.