“I try.” He still hadn’t let go of her hand and wasn’t sure why. “It’s gonna be okay, so I don’t want you to worry.”
“Eric, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Just like you think you have no choice, I really don’t either. You can’t live with me if we’re not married, and with only a few days of leave left, I don’t have time to go apartment-hunting. Trust me, it’s going to work out for both of us.”
“What if one of us is unhappy?”
“Fifty percent of marriages end anyway,” he said. “Being in love or being strangers doesn’t seem to make much difference statistically.”
“I guess when you put it that way…”
“So, Vegas?”
She smiled wanly. “Vegas.”
They left for Las Vegas the next day, just the two of them, despite protests from his family. Delilah had felt bad for them, seeing how excited everyone seemed to be even though this was nothing but a marriage of convenience. Eric had been firm, reminding them that they were only getting married because they had no choice if Delilah was going to live on base with him, but Antonia had been pleased as punch, which made Delilah a little uneasy. Marrying him was one thing, but pretending like it was a love match was something else. However, this was what they were doing and she’d agreed to it, so she tried to quiet the screaming in her brain. She’d done some crazy things to survive since leaving Boston, but this was probably the craziest. Especially since she was actually starting to like Eric.
He was refreshingly sincere, with a touch of shyness that endeared him to her. He’d practically turned red when he’d told her they wouldn’t have to have sex, and under different circumstances, she would have giggled. It had been reassuring, despite the fact that he was incredibly handsome and sex wouldn’t be much of a burden. Emotionally maybe, but from a physical perspective, she could get on board. Maybe.
She didn’t have a lot of time to think once they got into the Las Vegas city limits because it only took an hour to get a license and do the deed. Getting married again was a little scary but she’d been telling herself it would be okay because it had to be. She could and would do this. She had to. For herself, for Elias, and in some ways, even for Eric, though he probably didn’t realize it yet.
As they walked out of the chapel towards Eric’s truck, Delilah stared at the ring on her finger in a little bit of awe.
“You okay?” Eric asked, reaching for her hand.
“I think so?” She looked up and gave him a tiny smile. “It’s a little jarring that I didn’t even know you the day before yesterday and today we’re married.”
“I know. For me too.” He squeezed her hand. “But it’s going to be good. You’ll see. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other. It’s summer and there’s lots to do in San Diego. We can take Elias to the beach, to the park, Coronado…”
“Won’t you be working?”
“Sure, but until there’s a mission, I’ll probably be home by three or four and it doesn’t get dark until late.”
“I love to surf,” she admitted.
“Yeah? I haven’t been surfing since I was a kid, but I’d be game to get back into it.”
They exchanged a friendly smile and for the first time all day, Delilah started to relax.
“I’m really excited you’re going to meet my friends,” Eric was saying as he pulled onto the street.
On the drive up, he’d told her that two of his closest friends from his old unit in Washington, D.C., both lived in Las Vegas now and they were going to spend the night with one of them tonight. He’d told her all about Erin and her professional hockey player husband, as well as Mark and his wife. Eric, Erin and Mark had been in Afghanistan together when an IED blew up the Hummer Erin and their commanding officer had been in. Their commander had died and Erin had been badly burned, but Eric talked about her like she was a rock star. If Erin hadn’t been married, Delilah might have even been a little jealous.
Chapter 5
She got out of the car when they parked in the driveway of a beautiful two-story home, and she smoothed down the pretty yellow sundress she’d chosen. It was suddenly important that they liked her, because from everything he’d told her, they were important to him and, like it or not, he was now important to Delilah.
“Hi, guys!” A tall, pretty brunette came to the door in shorts and a T-shirt, a wide smile on her face. “Eric, it’s so good to see you! Welcome.” She hugged him tightly before turning to Delilah with a friendly but obviously assessing smile. “Hi, I’m Erin. I’m so happy to meet you.”
“Thank you for having me in your home.” Delilah hoped her voice wasn’t shaking the way her insides were. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous now, but something about meeting these people made her relationship with Eric real somehow, even more than getting married had.
Delilah followed Erin into the house just as an extremely tall, broad-shouldered man with flyaway sandy-colored hair came around the corner. He wore swimming trunks and nothing else, and she was slightly awed by his sheer bulk, not an ounce of which was fat.
“I’m Drake Riser,” the monster of a man said. “Welcome to our home. I have to go back outside because the kids are in the pool, but welcome.”
“Thank you.” Delilah nodded and smiled.
“Hey!” A guy with dark hair and a broad smile, also shirtless, came inside to greet Eric.
“Hey, man.” Eric hugged him before turning to his bride. “Delilah, this is Mark Garrison.”
“I’ve heard all about you and Erin and the others,” Delilah said, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to put faces to the names.”
“Well, no offense, but we don’t know anything about you,” Mark laughed, “so I’m glad you’re here to give us the opportunity to. My wife, Lana, is outside—come meet her.”
Delilah was suddenly engulfed in sunshine, laughter, and friendship. She couldn’t explain the emotion welling up in her chest but it had been a long time since she’d felt so welcome—and so safe. These people weren’t cops, weren’t from Boston, and didn’t know anything about her ex. They just wanted Eric to be happy and would undoubtedly give her every chance as long as he was. Ironically, now that he was officially her husband, she wanted to make him happy. Maybe not in a traditional sense—they were nowhere near ready for that kind of intimacy—but on a day-to-day basis. It made no sense at all and she finally excused herself to the ladies’ room.
When she came out, Erin and Lana were in the kitchen so Delilah joined them, asking if she could help.
“Oh, just sit and relax,” Erin said. “You’re the bride. You shouldn’t have to work today.”
“You guys know this isn’t a traditional marriage…right?”
Erin turned, cocking her head slightly. “Of course. But it has the potential to be anything you want it to be, you know?”
“And Eric is such a great guy,” Lana nodded, her green eyes gleaming. “Don’t you like him even a little?”
“A little?” Delilah’s eyes rounded. “I like him a lot—I just don’t know him very well. You know how when you meet a guy at a bar and you immediately feel a connection and a pull? You don’t just marry the guy; you take time to get to know him. We skipped over all that and jumped right into marriage, which is kind of freaky, considering my history.”
“How did you get divorced?” Erin asked curiously. “I mean, since he said he wouldn’t let you go.”
“One of my girlfriends in Boston is a divorce lawyer. She handled it. He was trying to make it difficult, but I told her I didn’t want anything, just my freedom. She fought me on it, but in the end, that’s how it wound up going through. There was nothing for him to fight for and when he kept refusing to sign the papers, she filed something and the judge somehow put it through. To be honest, I didn’t pay a lot of attention because I just wanted it to be over.”
Lana shuddered. “I can’t even imagine. I love Mark so much… The idea of him being a murderer is completely foreign to
me.”
“It was to me too,” Delilah sighed. “I mean, Derek had never laid a hand on me. It wasn’t until I caught him strangling his girlfriend that he freaked out. At first, he said it was an accident, but I told him I wanted nothing to do with him and he needed to turn himself in. Things went downhill quickly after that.”
“You don’t have to worry about Eric,” Erin said softly. “He’s honest to a fault.”
“I just hope I don’t turn his life into a shitshow,” Delilah admitted. “If Derek finds me…”
“He won’t,” Erin said firmly, “but if he does, Eric will protect you. Trust me, he’d die before he let anyone hurt someone he cares about.”
Delilah wanted to protest, since Eric couldn’t actually care about her after two days, but she didn’t. Erin’s son Shay came bouncing in asking for juice and then they were caught up in dinner and more conversation.
It wasn’t until bedtime that Delilah had her first true moment of discomfiture. Sure, sex would be easy. It had been over a year for her, and Eric looked like the kind of guy who’d make it good, but her gut told her they shouldn’t jump into a physical relationship. Not yet. If it was going to happen, it needed to progress naturally, as did the rest of their relationship, but for tonight, she wasn’t sure what to do. They’d talked about sex, but now that they were married maybe he’d changed his mind about waiting. Should she turn him down if he tried something? Should she bring it up ahead of time to make sure things didn’t get too awkward?
“Hey.” Eric sank down on the queen-size bed and stretched out. “Come sit with me.”
“Okay.” She kicked off her sandals and sat on the bed with her legs crossed. She’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt, so she was covered, but being alone with him was suddenly ridiculously intimate.
“Why do you look so nervous? We talked about sex, remember? Nothing’s changed, has it? We’re going to take things one day at a time. I’m not in any hurry.”
“You’re not?” She bit her lip thoughtfully. “How long has it been for you?”
He actually turned red and she couldn’t resist a soft laugh as he said, “Not that long. You?”
“About a year. There was a guy I used to surf with and we hooked up the one time but I didn’t feel right leading him on and I was in no position to start dating someone so I ghosted him.”
“Are you ready to date now?”
“Well, we’re not dating, we’re married, so I don’t think it counts.” She laughed.
He reached for her hand. “Look, just lie down and let’s get some sleep. We can talk or sleep or cuddle or none of the above. I really don’t want you to feel uncomfortable and we’ll need our sleep because once we get to San Diego, we only have a few days to get settled before I go back to work.”
“Okay.” She stretched out beside him. “We could talk. If you want to.”
“Sure.” He glanced at her mischievously. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Red. Yours?”
“Red.”
They smiled at each other. “What kind of music do you listen to?”
“Hip-hop, pop, stuff like that. You?”
“Mostly country, but I’m good with some pop stuff like Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift… I can listen to almost anything, though. Good music is good music.”
“I was gonna say, I’m down with some Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire.”
“I saw Garth live about three years ago. He was amazing…”
They talked late into the night, and when Eric woke up in the morning, he didn’t even remember falling asleep. They were still on top of the covers, but her head was on his chest and he didn’t dare move as he watched her sleep. Her long hair was fanned out behind her and she looked so young and innocent when she was asleep. For the first time, he realized one of the few things they hadn’t talked about last night was their ages. He had no idea how old she was, though he suspected she was within a few years of his own nearly thirty-three years. Despite the awkward start they’d gotten, it had been an oddly enjoyable evening, considering it was their wedding night. Talking had been enlightening, interesting, and it made him like her even more than he had initially. She was smart, well-educated and interesting.
“Morning.” She stirred and slowly opened her eyes and they widened slightly when she realized she’d been sleeping on him. She quickly moved away, sitting up and self-consciously patting her hair.
“You’re beautiful,” he said softly, watching her.
“Thank you.” She flashed him a sweet smile. “Sorry if I used your chest for a pillow. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I didn’t mind a bit.” He reluctantly sat up too. “Unfortunately, we have to get going. We have a long day ahead of us. Three and a half hours to pick up Elias in L.A. and then another two, two and a half hours from my parents’ house to San Diego.”
“Okay, it’ll take me about twenty minutes to get ready. Is that okay?”
“That’ll give us time for breakfast.” He winked and swung his legs over the side of the bed, wondering what it would be like waking up naked with her. He was in way over his head suddenly, but he kind of liked it. Now he just had to convince her to like it too. Whatever it was.
Chapter 6
Drake, Erin, and Eric were in the kitchen when Delilah got downstairs and they greeted her as if she’d been hanging out with them for years instead of hours.
“I packed a bag of snacks and bottled water for you,” Erin called to her, “in case you’re hungry on the road. Do you want coffee or tea or something else before you leave?”
“Coffee would be great.” Delilah joined Eric at the island. “Thank you.”
Erin handed her a cup and Delilah put a little cream in it before taking a sip.
“If you need anything when Eric is away,” Erin said, “don’t hesitate to call. Now that Drake’s retired, we have plenty of time.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“And we’ll come for a visit once you’re settled,” she said. “I haven’t seen Ron and Bobbi in a while, and she’s going to pop any day now.”
“Ron and Bobbi? Why do they sound familiar?”
“Ron was in our unit in D.C., and his wife, Bobbi, is having a baby any time now. I think her due date is next week.”
“Are all of you from that unit still close?” Delilah asked curiously.
“Yeah,” Eric nodded. “We are. We’ve been through a lot but we stood together through it all. Louie’s still in D.C., but at the NSA now, and Mark’s doing private security and bodyguard stuff. Erin’s retired, so it’s just Ron and me that are still active duty but we try to get together whenever we can.”
“It’s been nice having Mark here in Vegas part of the year,” Erin nodded. “I’m sure you’re going to love working with Ron again.”
“Yeah.” Eric smiled. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted this assignment.”
“Well, that and you’re not getting any younger,” Erin teased.
He made a face at her. “Whatever. I’m not even thirty-three yet—I think I have a few good years left in me.”
Erin wrinkled her nose. “I feel ancient all of a sudden.”
“How old are you?” Delilah asked curiously.
“I’ll be thirty-five in August.”
“I’ll be thirty in July,” Delilah grinned.
“You finish your coffee and I’ll put our bags in the truck,” Eric said, getting up to go.
Delilah hurriedly finished her coffee and half a bagel. “I guess we’re hitting the road,” she said to Erin and Drake. “Thank you again for having us. I appreciate how kind you’ve been, considering you don’t know me at all.”
“If you’re good enough for Eric, you’re good enough for us,” Erin said, reaching out to hug her.
“It was great to meet you.” Drake hugged her too. “And I’m sure we’ll see you soon. Erin wants to head down to San Diego as soon as Bobbi has the baby so we’ll keep you posted.”
“I�
�m looking forward to it.”
They said a few more goodbyes and then they were on the road back to L.A.
It was late when they got to San Diego and they stayed at a hotel since there was no furniture in the house and Eric had no idea what to expect. He figured he and Delilah would need to clean the place and then get his things from storage. Ron had said he would be available in the afternoon to help and he might bring a few other friends too. Eric hoped so because although he didn’t mind working hard, he wanted to have the house as settled as possible before he started work with the new unit. He could get called away on a mission at any time and it would be much harder on Delilah if they didn’t have some semblance of order.
“Can we go to the beach?” Elias asked as they ate breakfast the following morning.
“Sorry, buddy,” Eric told him. “We’re moving into our new house today. It’s probably going to be kind of boring for you, but we’ll do something fun after we’ve moved in.”
“All right.” Elias focused on his breakfast with such a sad face that Delilah reached over to ruffle his hair.
“Don’t be sad, kiddo. Maybe tonight, after we’ve done most of the hard work, we can get to the beach for an hour. What do you think?”
The boy’s face lit up. “For real?”
“Yes, but you have to promise to be a good boy all day and not complain. Deal?”
“Deal!” Elias had a much bigger smile on his face as he continued eating.
“You’re good with him,” Eric told her. “Did you and your ex want kids?”
She nodded. “Yes, but we were both busy with our careers and I was diving into my Ph.D. Unfortunately, things kind of spiraled and all my plans changed. I’d still like them someday, but I don’t know what the future has in store for me in that regard.”
“Maria and I wanted more, but now I’m a little gun-shy.”
“Did she die in…childbirth?” she asked slowly.
Protecting Delilah - Kat Mizera Page 3
