CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Six hours later, Reggie and Jack had yet to return. Reclining against his pillows with a plate of cookies perched on his stomach, Ash gently traced circles on Phoebe's back. Her head was buried beneath her pillow, and tendrils of her long hair blanketed her shoulders. She hadn't fallen asleep like that. Ash had placed the pillow on her head when she began to snore.
He was nibbling on his fourth cookie when he heard a car pull into the driveway. He removed the plate from his belly and placed it on the nightstand. Brushing the crumbs from his chest, he rolled from the bed and grabbed his jeans. As he pulled them up his legs, he looked back at Phoebe and noticed she hadn't stirred.
Her snoring had stopped. Torn between storming downstairs to confront Jack and his concern that he may have smothered his wife, he climbed onto the bed to listen for her breathing. After a few seconds, he grew impatient, so he reared back his hand and smacked her bare bottom.
Phoebe bolted upward, sending the pillow flying over the side of the bed. She twisted from one direction to another before flipping onto her back with her white teeth bared.
"I promise you, I'm going to make you the best meatloaf ever." With a grumpy look on her face, Phoebe climbed from the bed and stalked him. She stopped right in front of him with her hands perched on her hips and her dark eyes narrowed into slits. "In fact, it may just be your last meatloaf."
Ash couldn't help himself. He bent forward to peck the end of her nose. "You are so adorable."
"I'm pissed off." She curled her hand into a tiny fist.
He opened his mouth to utter another condescending comment when he heard the front door open. Tapping his finger against her lips, he cocked his head towards the bedroom door. "They're home."
She twitched, likely from anger. Her lips disappeared into a thin line, and he could sense she was listening keenly. Then she finally released a sigh, her anger apparently dissipated.
"Later," she said, leaning onto her toes and pointing her finger at his face.
As much as he would have liked to stay and make that later into now, he grabbed her leggings from the floor and thrust them into her arms. "Get dressed. I'm gonna need backup."
He was turning to leave the room when he felt her grab his arm. He stared down at her grip, then brought his gaze to her face.
Phoebe positioned herself before him, removing her hand from his arm. Then she took his face between her palms and brushed her lips across his. He reeled as if he'd been kicked in the stomach.
They'd kissed many times, and she frequently gave him casual pecks just like this. But as the warmth of her hands seeped into his skin and he felt the tenderness in her kiss, he acknowledged there was no going back from this. Sometime over the last few weeks, their fake marriage had evolved into a real one. He'd made an agreement for a long-term yet temporary arrangement, but he realized now that he was never letting her go.
She was his Phoebe. His wife. His friend. His lover. His helpmate. And most important of all, his cookie-maker.
As sure as he was of their future, he didn't know if she'd had the same epiphany. Biting his tongue, he rubbed her arms before stepping away. "It's quiet downstairs. I wonder who made it back."
He heard her strangled laughter as he stepped from their bedroom and closed the door behind him. He walked down the hallway and trotted down the stairs. As he reached the bottom step, he found Jack standing quietly in the dark living room.
His pace slowed as he walked to the light switch and illuminated the room. "Where's Reggie?"
"We ran into some friends of yours," Jack said.
He was about to repeat his question when he felt a presence behind him. Expecting to see Reggie, he leapt in surprise when he found the Chaplain's wife standing there.
"Olivia," he said in genuine surprise. At just that moment, Phoebe came running down the stairs, shock in her eyes. He stifled a grin when she began to adjust her clothing, as if fearing the Chaplain's wife would suspect what they had been doing. "You have to excuse us. My wife and I were rearranging furniture upstairs."
There was no discernible change in Olivia's features. Instead she stepped to the side and motioned to the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind this impromptu visit, but I've been meaning to contact you. Imagine my surprise when I ran into your aunt"--Olivia pointed at Jack--"and your sister while leaving the theater. I mentioned to Reggie that I was planning a luncheon for the officers' wives and asked that she relay an invite to your wife, but your sister invited me to come ask you myself." She stood still for a moment, then as if she realized how odd she must have appeared, she forced a tight smile.
Under any other circumstances, Ash would have politely excused himself, leaving Phoebe to make her own excuses. But when he looked at his sister and noticed a slight curve to her lips, his heart dropped. He looked back at Olivia and studied her body language. He couldn't detect anything unusual; she was simply an unusual woman.
Ash shifted so he could lift a hand in Phoebe's direction. He quirked a brow, hoping she read the message there. She must have, because she placed her hand into his and leaned against him. She even managed to stare adoringly into his face.
He brushed a kiss across her brow, ignored Jack's audible hiss, then wrapped his arm about Phoebe's waist. "You know we really need to get Reggie into physical therapy. We found someone in the past, but she just didn't work out. I would hate to make any commitment while we're trying to sort this out."
Olivia looked at him, then shifted her gaze to Phoebe. "I think one little luncheon won't disrupt your schedule, particularly when it's this Thursday." She smiled again, this time with a bit more warmth. "The other wives have been asking about Phoebe. They were just as surprised as I was that you were in such a committed relationship."
Jack decided to remind everyone she was in the room. She approached Olivia with an ornery smile on her face. "Oh, believe me when I say, it was a surprise to us all."
Ash fought the urge to tighten his jaw. Instead, he only tightened his hold around Phoebe. "What can I say? It was a whirlwind romance."
"Are you staying for dinner?"
Phoebe stiffened under his arm when they heard Reggie's voice. He pulled his arm away, and Phoebe turned to greet Reggie.
"Did you have a nice afternoon?" she asked.
Reggie shrugged her shoulders. "It certainly wasn't the Houston Review, I promise you that." With her eyes pinned on Olivia, Reggie moved to stand between Ash and Phoebe. "It's getting late, and I need my medication. The doctor says I need to eat when I take my meds, so I'll ask again, are you staying for dinner?"
Ash watched as Olivia blinked a few times, then she shook her head. He felt like doing a somersault because her unexpected visit was coming to an end.
"I need to get back home. My husband's making us eggplant parmesan." She smiled at Ash. "It's his best dish. We'll have to invite you all over for dinner sometime. You, your wife, your aunt"--she glanced at Jack--"and your sister. Won't that be lovely."
"Awesome," said Jack. She walked to Phoebe's side and rested a hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "I can't wait to tell you all about these lovebirds."