Tyree woke to the sound of rain clattering on the metal roof of his Wilshire Wood house. He laid there, soaking up the sound and the memories. These were Teiko’s favorite mornings, when the world seemed to close in around them, and they could stay warm and cozy in bed. She’d curl against him, her warm body convincing him that she was absolutely right about the magic of a rain-soaked dawn. They’d make love slowly, almost lazily, until a rising passion brought them both awake and to climax.

Yeah, definitely the best mornings. Hell, Eli had been conceived on just such a morning. And though Tyree felt the pang of loss—especially today of all days—he couldn’t deny that the memory was sweet.

They hadn’t had these kind of mornings in San Diego, but they’d moved to Texas in the summer and had both been charmed by the thunderstorms that so frequently filled the summer sky, cooling the wicked hot air to something bearable.

He stayed in bed a few moments longer, the thoughts of San Diego bringing up memories he hadn’t expected today. Memories of Eva and the way they’d walked in the sun and splashed in the surf. He’d loved her, too, though their time together had been different. Shorter.

And though nothing could compare to the torment of losing Teiko to a slow, painful death from complications after a car accident, there was no denying that the break with Eva had been confusing and painful and so goddamn harsh. He hadn’t understood it then, and he didn’t understand it now.

All he knew was that Teiko had been the balm that healed those wounds. And he wished that he’d never seen that lithe young woman in The Fix. Because she’d put Eva in his head. And today of all days, Tyree didn’t want to think of the first woman he’d loved.

Deliberately, he cast his thoughts back to when Eli was a toddler, and the way Tyree and Teiko would hold their son close between them during stormy weather, assuring him that everything would be fine. And then how they’d open the windows in the aftermath and let the cool air into the house, filling it with the scent of wet leaves and damp earth.

That was the best time to take a walk, and with Eli in his favorite blue rain boots, they’d explore the neighborhood, letting Eli stomp in the puddles and pick up the acorns, pinecones, and bits of bark and leaves that inevitably shook free after a storm.

“This is for you, babe,” he whispered, some part of him wondering if she knew what he was thinking. If she understood how much he cherished those memories. Or if in some way that he couldn’t comprehend, she still remembered, too.

With a sigh, he slid out of bed, then stumbled into the kitchen to get the coffee brewing. Once the machine was gurgling and the aroma of coffee began to fill the room, he turned back toward the hall, intending to go wake Eli. To his surprise, he met the boy coming in, already awake and fully dressed in pressed khaki slacks, a button down, and a sports coat.

“Looking spiffy, son,” Tyree said, pride rising in his chest. They’d had their problems, especially right after they lost Teiko, but the boy was turning into one hell of a young man. And damned if Tyree couldn’t see Teiko in the boy’s looks, his mannerism, his smarts.

A petite Japanese woman, Teiko had made up for her small stature with a sharp mind and a big personality that Eli had inherited, along with his mother’s eyes and a lighter skin tone than Tyree’s deep burnished dark. And whereas Tyree was a large man, with the kind of broad shoulders that meant he had to have his suits tailored, Eli had a leaner build, inheriting only his father’s height.

Looking at his son now, Tyree couldn’t help but think that he and Teiko had made one damn good-looking kid. “You’re gonna get that jacket soaked, you know. Your mom won’t care if you’re casual. I’m gonna put on jeans, a T-shirt, and a windbreaker myself.”

Eli lifted a shoulder, then looked down at the floor. “I’m okay like this,” he muttered, then lifted his head, his eyes looking guilty. “It’s just that I need to go to the hospital today. Dr. Hanson’s showing us all some stuff in the lab.”

Another wave of pride swelled. Eli had recently been selected to participate in an exclusive internship at the nearby hospital, a position that both father and son considered a solid stepping stone toward Elijah’s dream of going to medical school.

That pride, however, was laced with something cold and hollow. “You’re not coming with me?” He glanced at the clock. Already six-fifteen. He needed to throw some clothes on if he wanted to get there on time.

“No,” Eli said quickly. “I’m coming. It’s just that after … I mean, I can’t come back here with you like we usually do. Because of the work, I mean.” He scratched his eyebrow with his forefinger, a nervous habit that Tyree recognized as one of his own. “I mean, that’s what Mom would want, right?”

The tension drained from Tyree. “One hundred percent. Why don’t you pour us a couple of travel mugs of coffee while I go get dressed.”

By the time he got back, Eli had the coffee ready to go and Tyree’s car keys in his hand. The cemetery was on the other side of town, and traffic was a bear because of the weather and rush hour, but they made it with five minutes to spare.

They put down a tarp and knelt beside the marker—Teiko Johnson, beloved wife and mother. Beneath that, her birthday and the date she died. Seven years ago today. The rain had stopped, but the air was still damp, and the whole world seemed shrouded in gray.

“You okay?” Elijah asked. “I mean, you seem distracted somehow. More, I mean. More than usual for today.”

Eva, Tyree thought, but he only nodded. Then he took his son’s hand and said, “Quiet. It’s time.”

The cemetery spread out over the top of a small hill in Northwest Austin, and as Tyree and Eli looked to the east, the gray of the rain took on shimmers of gold and orange. Muted because of the clouds, but at the same time the colors seemed to dance in the air, reflected on the small drops of water that surrounded them.

They sat there, watching the sun rise above the horizon. As the colors changed. As the world came alive. And when the sunrise gave way to the full light of day, Tyree sat back on his heels and sighed. “Sunrise was your mom’s favorite time of day.”

“I know, Dad. You tell me every year. She liked it better than sunset because the sunset meant the end, and she loved beginnings.”

Tyree blinked, his eyes suddenly damp and his throat thick. “I don’t want you to forget.”

“I know. I’m trying not to. I remember Christmas,” he added. “She always got us up before dawn. And one day we walked on a beach in the dark, and then we made a sandcastle as the sun came up.” He sighed. “But I’ve forgotten a lot.”

“You were five on that beach trip. We’d gone to Port Aransas.” He pressed his hand to his son’s shoulder and squeezed. “And it’s okay to forget,” he said, even though he kicked himself hard with every one of his own lost memories. “Just hold tight to what is clear in your mind. And never forget that your mom loved you. That I love you.”

Eli looked at him, his eyes seeming wiser than his sixteen years. “I know, Dad. I love you, too.”

---

Back home, Tyree spent the day as he did every year, the only difference being that today Eli wasn’t with him. He made a big batch of jambalaya, downed a steady stream of bourbon, then settled onto the couch to watch Blade.

They’d seen the movie on their first date, even though he’d tried to do good by selecting what he considered a girl-friendly date movie, specifically, How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

But as soon as they’d arrived at the cineplex, Teiko had taken one look at the marquee, put her hands on her hips, and asked him why they weren’t seeing Blade instead. Because, action. And, she’d added, Wesley Snipes was a bonus.

God, how he’d loved her.

He wasn’t sure if he was luckier than most or cursed to have had that kind of passion. The kind of love that sunk into the marrow and made you part of the other person. That almost killed you, too, when you lost them.

He rubbed his eyebrow and sighed. The truth was, he would have withered away after Teiko died if it hadn’t been for Elijah. That boy had been the wellspring of his strength.

And after Eva? After he came back from combat to learn that he’d lost her? That she truly, for certain, would never be his?

Well, in those dark days, it had been Teiko who saved him.

He drew a breath and let the memory wash over him. The heart-wrenching loss that had led him to Teiko.

He’d been twenty-two and on a short leave before shipping out when he’d met Eva in San Diego. Their romance had been hard and fast and intense, and the two of them had been absolutely inseparable.

He’d loved everything about her, from her strong personality to her quirky sense of humor to the soft little noises she made in bed. They’d walked along the beach holding hands, and even though they’d only known each a short time, they spent hours planning a future together. Plans that had sustained him when he traded the comfort and safety of Southern California for the heat and danger of the Persian Gulf.

But it had all been a lie. Not one of his letters was answered, and though he’d called her house, he’d never reached her.

When he returned to the states, he’d been stationed at Norfolk, and though he tried to forget her, he never quite managed. And finally, after years apart, he went back to San Diego and tried to track her down.

He’d found her. And not just her. He’d seen Eva with her husband, holding their little girl and laughing. And though he didn’t have a clue how old the girl was, he knew enough to know that she wasn’t a newborn. Which meant that Eva had barely even taken another breath before pushing Tyree’s memory aside and landing in the arms of another man.

That knowledge—and the sight of how happy she looked holding her daughter—had ripped his heart in two.

He’d met Teiko hours later in the small cafe her parents owned. She’d been working as a waitress there on weekends. They’d talked, one thing led to another, and she’d completely stolen his heart. And healed it, too.

She’d been his rebound girl, no doubt about it. But she’d also saved him. And dear God, he’d been crazy in love with her.

The rattle of a key in the front door startled him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Eli coming into the living room of the small house, every ounce of his attention focused on Tyree. “You okay? I know I should have stayed.”

Tyree shook his head. “Hell, no. You had a job to do. And I’m fine.”

Eli sniffed the air. “Jambalaya?”

“Nothing wrong with your nose, son.”

“What are you going to make tomorrow?”

Tyree almost laughed, pleased the kid knew him so well. “I won’t know until I make it, will I?” Every year after the anniversary of Teiko’s death, Tyree lost himself in the kitchen, usually at The Fix. And usually he ended the day with a new menu item.

Eli laughed and settled onto the couch next to him. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too, boy.” He put his arm and drew him close, sighing. He’d loved two women. He’d lost two. But he had his bar. He had his friends. He had his son.

It wasn’t everything, but it was enough.