Attached (Coronado Series Book 3)

by Hart, Lea

Caroline smiled at them both. “Sure I do.”

  “Travis has dedicated over fifteen years of his life to protecting this country. He put his life on the line every day so people in this country could go to sleep at night free from worry. He now works for a company that continues to work in that same spirit.”

  Caroline smiled at Travis. “I knew what she was going to say, but I wanted you to hear it. Your future wife thinks very highly of you, and it’s sometimes good to hear it.”

  Travis looked over at Cary. “I’m the lucky one.”

  “Stop, you two, because this much sweetness is going to make me go into sugar shock.” They all laughed, and Sofia started to move around. Claire got up and walked over to the Pack’N Play and looked inside. Once the baby settled, Claire returned to her bed and lay down. “Tell me about your dog. I have a feeling that she’s not an ordinary pet.”

  “I got her from a woman who trains dogs for the military,” Travis said. Some friends of ours have one, and I thought it would be a great addition to our family. I like the idea of having her here to look out for the girls.”

  Cary looked at her friend. “He’s paranoid and overprotective, but in the best possible way.”

  “In light of the father’s behavior, that might not be a bad thing. He has no claim and hasn’t showed any real interest in the baby. But if he’s using, then determining the motivation for his behavior is going to be difficult.”

  Travis sat up. “I’m going to call our contact at the SDPD and give him a heads-up. The man I work for has a great relationship with the department and works with a detective who he thinks highly of. His name is Robert, and I think it might be a good idea to get him involved in case the kid loses it.”

  Caroline dug through her bag and pulled out a card. “Make sure to give him my contact information. We are required to document anything that happens with the police department for the file.”

  Travis took the card and looked at Caroline. “What would we need to do if we wanted to adopt Sofia?”

  “Let’s get you approved as a foster parent first. Then after you two get married, we can start the adoption process. I want to warn you both that it takes quite a while, and it’s an arduous process that involves a lot of paperwork.”

  “It sounds like the navy. No problem.”

  “Start with the paperwork and then we can go from there. It’s not usual for us to have a baby in foster care who’s up for adoption. There was not someone in either of the kid’s families who was interested in caring for Sofia.”

  “We’ll take care of her.”

  “I know. She would be lucky to have you both.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “Is your classroom ready?”

  “Yes, Ari and I got it done last week. This is the first time that I’m not teaching full time. I can’t believe that it’s all worked out so well. This is going to give me the opportunity to spend a lot more time with Sofia.”

  “How do you want to work out babysitting for her while you’re working? I can give my mom a call and see if she can come out for a week or two when you go back to school.”

  “The church has a day care program, and it’s right next to the school. I was planning on having her there on the days that I’m teaching. I can check on her and we can have lunch together. It will make me feel a lot more comfortable if I know she’s close.”

  “Can you bring Claire to work with you? She could keep an eye on Sofia while you’re in class.”

  “I’m sure that once you think about what you just said, you’ll realize that it was a little crazy…even for you.”

  “No, I think it sounds reasonable.”

  “Moving on…did you finish filling your paperwork out yet?”

  “I did, and I’ll drop it off at Caroline’s office this morning on my way to work. Do you have another card for her? I gave Robert the one she gave me.”

  Opening her purse, Cary started to go through it and found the card. Looking up, she handed it to Travis and noticed that he was smiling at her. “Why are you smiling at me?”

  “Watching you go through your purse reminded me of the first time I saw you in the bar. I watched you unpack your purse and wipe off the table and set your things out so carefully, and I made all kinds of assumptions about you that have turned out to be incorrect. I thought you were a person who would never take a chance or do anything unexpected, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

  “Was it because I wiped the table off before I set my things out?”

  “Yes, and your love of hand sanitizer.”

  “I do love hand sanitizer. It’s because I work with small children and I try not to catch every cold that comes into my room during the year. It’s a habit, that’s probably gotten out of control.”

  “Why did you take a chance on me? Now that I know you, I realize how crazy it was for you to sleep with me.”

  “I wanted my life to change, and I felt the best way to do that was to do the opposite of what I normally do. I thought if I started at one extreme, then by the end, I would be somewhere near the center. I had to do something drastic, so I chose to do things that I’ve never done before.”

  “I’m glad I was the one who benefitted from your experiment. Has your life changed enough?”

  “I wanted to be totally different, and I think I am.” She heard Sofia on the monitor and got up to check on her. She went into her room and picked her up from the crib and placed kissed on her head. “Did you have a good nap? Let’s get a clean diaper, and then we can have breakfast in a little bit.”

  Travis watched from the doorway and admired his beautiful fiancée taking care of the baby and knew that somehow he’d won the lottery. Cary was the woman of his dreams, and she was also an amazing mother. He walked over to the two of them. “Give me some kisses, ladies, because I need to get to work.” He was the lucky recipient of lots of wet, sloppy kisses. “Just what I needed to make sure that I have a great day. Remember to set the alarm when I leave, and take Claire with you if you girls decide to go somewhere. I have put tracking balls in your purse, baby bag and stroller and on the dog’s collar. Remember you have the panic pin. Pull it if you need me.”

  “I feel like I’m in Bond movie. We’re going to be fine.”

  “I want you to be cautious until we have eyes on Sofia’s biological father. Laird is running his name through the computers, and I should have some information by the end of the day. I want to have a conversation with him. Once I do that, I’ll have a better feel for what we’re dealing with.”

  “I promise to keep my eyes open and be careful. We may go shopping later on, because there are a few more things that I need for Sofia. I spoke with Sam’s wife, Karen. Her twins are the same age as Sofia, so I have a new list of must-have items.”

  “Did Birdie connect you two?”

  “Yes, she thought we could have play dates because the kids are close to the same age. She’s going to come over tomorrow with the kids, and we’re going to have lunch together.”

  “Your first play date. That sounds like fun.”

  “I’m very excited and a little nervous, because Karen will be my first mommy friend. Did you know that she teaches kindergarten as well?”

  “I didn’t know that. They could be our first ‘family friends’. Sam and I worked together for almost two years on and off when we were in Mark’s platoon together.”

  “Maybe when he comes home we can have them over for dinner. Karen said, she hopes it’s going to be in the next week.”

  “I think they’re due for a down cycle in the next couple of weeks, so that’s a good idea.”

  ********

  Travis sat next to Laird’s computer and listened to him run down the information that he’d gathered on Sofia’s biological father. “Kevin Parker doesn’t have an impressive background. He came from a family that’s had social services in and out of the home for years. He started to get into minor trouble from the age of twelve. It began with small offenses and then escala
ted as he got older. It looks like the kid was a product of his environment. Who knows who he might’ve been had he been born into a different family.”

  “Thanks, Laird, for running this all down. The intel is going to be useful for the conversation I’m planning on having with him. He may want just to see Sofia and nothing more, but I’m not going to take any chances with my family.”

  “Let me know if you need anything. I live in Ocean Beach, so I can be at your place if you need back-up.”

  “We’ve only been there a couple of weeks, and I like the town so far. I miss being on Coronado, but Ocean Beach is turning out to be a decent alternative.”

  “Who are you kidding? If your woman said ‘Let’s live in a cave,’ you would.”

  “That’s true. What about you, man? Do you have anyone in your life?”

  “No. But I may if I can talk her into it.”

  “You have to give more than that, man.” He watched Laird shake his head.

  “I met a woman the other day and I can’t seem to stop thinking about her.”

  “Why don’t you just ask her out?”

  “She’s a single mom with a child who has special needs. I got a very strong go-away vibe from her.”

  “Is she married?”

  “Of course not. If she was I would never consider it. I don’t know what it is about her, but she’s got me all twisted up. I ran her plates and have done an in-depth background check on her.”

  “I guess you’re interested.” He picked up the big stack of paperwork and raised his eyebrows at his friend. “This is a lot of information that you’ve gathered.”

  “I may have gotten a little carried away.”

  He flipped through the stack and stopped in the middle. “Yeah, I don’t think you need to know her algebra grade in middle school.”

  “I want to call her, but she would probably be creeped out because she never gave me her number or last name.”

  “Yeah, probably a good idea. Is there any way that you would run into her again?”

  “I doubt it.”

  “I think you’re stuck for now unless you can figure out a way to run into her casually.” Looking at the papers, Travis said, “Since you know everything about her that may actually be possible.”

  “Yeah, you may be right.”

  Zoey walked in and handed Travis a stack of folders. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Laird has been helping me out with some back-ground information. What do you have for me?”

  “Since you’re so good at these security analysis projects, I have several more.”

  “OK, back to work,” Travis said.

  “How is your baby?” Zoey asked.

  “She’s terrific. Our first weekend together went fairly smoothly.”

  Laird turned in his chair and stared at Travis. “You never did tell me how you ended up with a fiancée and a baby all in the same weekend.”

  “Cary was approved as a foster parent at the beginning of the summer, and a baby was delivered to our house on Saturday. We may actually have a chance at adopting her, which would make us very happy.”

  “How do you feel about having an instant family?”

  “Great. Cary wants six children, so the sooner we start, the better. I’m pretty much going to be focusing on that for the next ten years. The more kids we have, the harder it’s going to be for her to get rid of me.”

  Zoey laughed, “From what I saw on Saturday, she’s completely in love with you. She looks at you like you’re the answer to every question she’s ever had. I think she’s going to keep you, no matter how many children you have.”

  “I hope you’re right, but I wouldn’t mind the insurance.”

  Travis walked out of the office, back to his desk. He was going to plow through these reports as quickly as he could. Then he was going to run down the kid, have a conversation with him and make sure that he understood the lay of the land.

  ********

  Travis drove home and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in frustration. The kid had eluded him all afternoon. He had no home, job or regular schedule, so tracking him wasn’t going to be easy. The half-way house where he was supposed to be staying had not seen him in a couple of days. That told Travis that the kid was living in the streets and was probably on a bender. He had no idea what the kid had running through his mind and where his motivation was coming from. He turned onto his own street and noticed that everything was quiet. Cary’s car was parked in the driveway, and he let out a sigh of relief because he knew that his family was safe. He backed into the driveway so his truck was pointing toward the street. He reminded himself to tell Cary to start doing that. It was such a habit to him that he kept forgetting to tell Cary to start backing into the driveway.

  He got out and heard music coming from the house. He walked through the front door and was greeted with the sight of Cary dancing around the living room with Sofia as she sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Her voice never ceased to amaze him. She sounded like an angel. He stood against the wall and enjoyed listening to her voice. As she hit the chorus, she let her voice go, and he felt chills run down his arms. He could see Sofia’s happy face as she fell under Cary’s spell. As they finished, they twirled around and both saw his face at the same time. He’d never been on the receiving end of such loving looks. They both looked at him like he was everything they were looking for.

  “Hi, Ladies. How was your day?” He walked up to them and gave them each a kiss. Sofia held out her arms so Travis would pick her up. He swung her up and over his head and was rewarded with a smile and drool dripping off her chin on to his shirt. He lowered her and took the bottom of his shirt and wiped her mouth. “I guess that means you had a good day with Mommy. What did you girls do today?”

  Cary grabbed a cloth, wiped the baby’s face and kissed his cheek. “We were very busy. We went shopping, had lunch and then took Claire for a walk down to the beach. We came home after that and had a nap together. Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes.”

  “Did you spot the kid we saw yesterday?”

  “No, I didn’t notice anything unusual. Claire was very relaxed when were out for our walk. She didn’t give me any signals that something was up. She did growl at a guy who came up to us when we were having lunch. The guy stepped back and then she relaxed. I think he just got too close to the stroller.”

  “What did the guy want?”

  “He just wanted to know if I liked the stroller. His sister is having a baby, and he was thinking of giving her one.”

  “Are you sure that was it? Maybe he was trying to flirt with you.” He felt Cary give him a disapproving look. “What? It’s possible.”

  “Travis, I’m a woman with a large ring on my finger, a baby in a stroller and a guard dog at my side. I have no makeup on, and I’m sure that I have baby goop somewhere on my clothes. I’m not a woman whom a man would want to flirt with. I’ve crossed the line into motherhood, and I’m invisible to the male population.”

  “That’s not true. You’re a beautiful woman, and there are plenty of men out there who would want to get at you. I don’t think any of those things are going to stop someone who’s interested. The best I can hope for is that it’s going to slow them down.”

  “You have crossed the line of sanity, so we’re going to go in the backyard and water the new flowers that the gardener put in. When you feel like your sanity has returned, please feel free to join us.” With that she took Sofia out of his arms, turned on her heel and strutted her way into the backyard.

  Travis looked at Claire as she got up to the follow girls. He swore the dog gave him a disapproving glance as he made his way outside. “I didn’t say anything so crazy.”

  He walked into the kitchen, looked out the window and watched as Cary watered the flowers with Sofia on her hip. She must have been singing to her, because Sofia looked enchanted by Cary’s face. He decided to set the table for dinner because he didn’t want Cary to feel like she wa
s doing all of the work. He looked in the fridge and decided to make a salad as well. Once he was done, he poured a glass of wine for Cary and pulled out a bottle for Sofia and went to and join his women. It wasn’t his fault that they didn’t understand how desirable they were. Maybe it was better that way. He didn’t want either of them thinking that there was a better deal out there.

  He walked into the backyard and noticed that they had new patio furniture. “When did we get new patio furniture?”

  “Today. It was delivered this afternoon. I ordered a lot of things at the beginning of the summer and they have started to show up. I need to take some time and go through my files and see what else is coming. I went a little crazy, and I don’t remember all the things that I bought. I have to start checking my email in the morning so I know who’s going to show up. I’ve been a little distracted since we moved in, and I haven’t gotten myself organized.”

  He handed her the glass of wine, took the baby and sat down on their new glider. He pushed off and let it gently go back and forth and gave Sofia her milk. Cary joined him, and they relaxed against the comfortable seat and looked out over the backyard. “I think this is a great way to spend the evening,” he said.

  She leaned her head against his shoulder and they moved back and forth in the glider as their new family enjoying the summer evening. “I agree.”

  ********

  Cary stepped out the tub and dried off and noticed that the light was on in the bedroom. Travis must have come upstairs after doing the dishes. She went to get her robe and noticed that there was a new one hanging on the back of the door. “What a nice surprise.” She slipped it on and walked into their bedroom and admired the man lying in bed. “Thanks for the new robe. What’s the occasion?”

  “Your old robe has been causing trouble since the beginning, so I decided to get you a new one. I don’t want any more men to get a free show the next time you answer the door.”