CHAPTER EIGHT
“Hold your horses; I’m coming,” Lisa called out as the person on the other side of her door knocked repeatedly. Looking through the peephole, she groaned. “Uuugh, go away.”
“Open the door, Lisa, and give me a chance to explain.”
“I know how babies are made, so no explanation is required.”
“Please, Lisa. I need to talk to you.”
“I need ice cream to be calorie free; we don’t always get what we want.”
“I’ll stand out here until you give me a chance to talk.”
Sighing, she slid the lock and opened the door. “How did you find out where I live?” She watched Ace raise an eyebrow and realized it was a silly question. The man probably had enough resources to find out what kind of cereal she bought every week, should he be so inclined.
“Can I come in?”
“Why?”
“Because I’d like to talk to you.”
“I tried you a couple of weeks ago, and you didn’t see fit to return my calls, so why bother now?”
“Can I explain?”
Rolling her hand, she motioned for him to go ahead. “Make it quick because I have plans.”
“This is not a short conversation; can I come in?”
“It can’t be that complicated, Ace. You have a girlfriend and a baby on the way.” Frowning, she crossed her arms. “I hate that you made me a party to cheating. I never would’ve asked you out, and you know…done the other things, had I known you were taken.”
“I’m not taken and wasn’t when we got together.” Stepping closer, he took her hand. “I’m not a cheater, Lisa. You have to know that.”
“Victoria sees it differently and, in these sorts of situations, the woman is usually right.”
“Not in this one. Can I take you out for breakfast or coffee or…anything so I can explain?”
Looking up at the cloudless sky, she shrugged. “I am curious.”
“Then let me fill you in on all the gory details.”
Sliding her hand away, she stepped back and motioned him in. “One cup of coffee and that’s it.”
“Thank you, honey.”
“Don’t call me that.” Stomping into her kitchen, she cursed her insatiable nosiness and knew she couldn’t completely close the book on Ace until she had all the facts. She slid a pod into the Keurig and glanced over her shoulder. “Have a seat.”
“Appreciate it.” He looked around and then pulled out a chair. “I like your place; it fits you.”
“Thanks, my grandmother owned the building, and she left it to my sister and me when she passed. There are three units and my best friend Courtney rents the third one from us.”
“That’s who was with you at the restaurant, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why was she trying to take my picture?”
“She wanted to post it on The Dirty or one of those sites that exposes cheaters.”
“I didn’t cheat, Lisa.”
Ignoring his statement, she handed him a cup, then made her own. “Congratulations on the baby; that’s exciting.” She saw his face fall and hands fist and figured he wasn’t seeing it as a blessing.
“I’m one of three possible baby daddies. I don’t think it’s me since we always used protection, but nothing is a hundred percent.”
“Well, that’s…”
“A nightmare?”
“Challenging.”
“I dated Victoria…”
“Stop right there, Ace.” She covered his hand and shook her head. “It’s not my business, and you don’t owe me anything. I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t get in the middle of what you two have going on together.”
“I have nothing going on with that woman. We dated on an off last year and fought more than we got along. We were never exclusive, and she never asked me to be.”
“That’s not the picture she alluded to yesterday. Clearly, she thought you two were a couple.”
“She also thinks the world is flat.”
“She does not.”
“Uh, yeah, she does.”
“That’s concerning, considering she’s about to become a mom.”
“Trust me; that’s the least of the kid’s worries.”
“Well…”
Ace moved his chair closer and took Lisa’s hand. “Everything I said in Yemen, I meant.”
“Why didn’t you return my calls then? You could’ve just told me what was going on instead of blowing me off.”
“I wanted to fix it before we talked and was trying to figure out a way to do that.”
“That’s dumb.”
“I see that now.” He lifted her hand to her mouth and kissed it. “Would you be willing to get to know me even though I’ve got this thing hanging over my head?”
“I don’t think so, Ace.”
He nodded and then looked up. “I get that, but I’m not going to give up, so even if you say no today, I’m going to keep asking.”
Laughing, she pulled her hand away. “Has that technique ever worked for you before?”
“Don’t know since I never tried it.”
He took her hand again. “I’ve never felt the way I do with you, and I’m not giving up because a woman who I was briefly involved with thinks I fathered her baby.”
“But what if you did, Ace? That changes everything for you two. Maybe it would be worth trying to see if you could make something work, in case you’re the one.”
“Because something like that always turns out well,” he replied sourly. Lifting his eyes, he gave her a half-smile. “I will take responsibility if I need to.” He sat back and ran his hand over his face. “I always saw myself having a family and a bunch of kids, but this isn’t the way I wanted it to happen.” Looking up, he frowned. “It’s going to be shitty for everyone involved if I have to co-parent with Victoria.”
“When will you find out about paternity?”
“She doesn’t want to do an amnio, so the other candidates and I have to wait another twenty-six weeks.”
“That’ll be fun.”
She looked up at the wall clock and pulled her hand away and stood. “I’ve got to go.”
“Can I come with you, so we can talk more?”
“No, I’m meeting some friends down at Sunset Cliffs; we’re taking advantage of the swell and surfing.”
“I’ve surfed a couple of times; I could tag along.”
Laughing, she put her cup of coffee in the sink. “This is a local break, and they don’t treat outsiders well. It’s also for advanced surfers, and kooks are chased out pretty quick.”
“Okay, Gidget.” Standing, he crossed his arms. “You do realize what a SEAL is capable of in the water, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but none of that is going to help you when no one knows you.”
“You know me.”
“Do I really, though?”
Moving closer, he rested his hand on her shoulder. “I sure as hell want a chance to get to know one another. The little time we had together in Yemen has made me crave your company.” He leaned down and kissed her head. “Think about it.”
“All right, but don’t push, and give me some time.”
“Thanks, should I stop by tonight and take you to dinner?”
Groaning, she pushed him away and pointed to the door. “Go.”
“All right,” he said as he stepped backward. “I’ll check in tomorrow.”
“Don’t call me; I’ll call you,” she called out as she watched him walk toward the door. He blew her a kiss and then slipped outside. Falling into the kitchen chair, she covered her face and wondered what her next best move was going to be.
When no answer was shouted down from the heavens, she got up and decided to go surfing. A lot of answers had come to her out on the water, and she hoped today was no exception.
***
Ace walked into the gym at NAB and saw Caid and Jax lifting weights. Ambling over, he sat on a bench and waited until they were done with the set. “Anyone want to take a run on the beach?”
“I’ll go,” Caid answered as he finished a rep.
Jax racked his weight and glanced over. “You look like shit; does that mean the convo didn’t go well?”
“It wasn’t great, but she didn’t completely shut me down.”
“You’re lucky, man,” Caid said as he put his weights away. “Your sitch is complicated and asking a woman to walk through it with you is a hell of an ask.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I have a theory,” Jax said as he wiped his face with a towel. “Want to hear it?”
“Do we have a choice?” Ace asked.
Smirking, Jax leaned against the wall. “People are attracted to jerks or, in the case of men, bitchy women because of the brain’s reward system.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Caid said before draining a bottle of water.
“Our neural network is sensitive to rewards like affection and sex, but when those rewards come to us unexpectedly, they become much more alluring. That’s why some people can’t stay away from an unpredictable partner.”
“Have you been watching the Science Channel again?” Ace asked.
“Yeah, but that’s not where I picked up that piece of gold. I had dinner with Frisco and Brooke the other night, and she’d read it somewhere.”
“So, you’re saying that I kept circling back to Victoria because her erratic behavior made the sex and shit more exciting?”
“Yeah.” Grabbing his T-shirt, Jax slid it over his head. “Be honest, man, we’re all a bunch of adrenaline junkies; otherwise, we wouldn’t do what we do. It makes sense that we’d have women in our lives that would give us a similar thrill.”
“I’ll take the thrill Lisa gives me over Victoria’s crazy any day.”
“Maybe that means you’ve found the one.”
“If shit like that even exists,” Caid said.
“I know it does,” Jax replied. “Look at all the guys who’ve gotten married over the last couple of years. They’re all walking around with satisfied grins like they found the secret to life. Even Frisco is settled and about to be married in another two months.”
“Never thought I’d see that day come,” Ace said as he stood. “I’m heading over to the cage room; come get me when you’re done.”
“Roger that,” Caid called out as he added weights to a bar.
Ace walked down the hall and played the conversation he’d had with Lisa over in his brain and wondered if there was anything he could’ve done differently. Not coming up with anything immediately, he let out a long breath and walked into the cage room.
It was a shit situation, no matter which way you looked at it, and he was so pissed that he and Lisa had to start their relationship with it hanging over their head. Opening his cage, he walked in and looked at the shelves that held his gear and collapsed into a chair.
He checked his phone and saw that Victoria had texted him the deets on the other possible baby daddies. Surprised that she actually followed through, he group-texted the men and suggested they get together as soon as possible. God willing, the guys were chill, and they could get through the next couple of months without any drama. Victoria could stir up a ton without much effort, and now that she was about to have a baby, he bet it was going to be ten times worse.
The exterior door swung open, and he glanced up seeing Logan stroll in. “What’s up, man?”
“Came down to get my gear in order. I may be wheels up tonight because Lt. Cmdr. Warner is down a man.”
“Who’s injured?”
“Trevor Price.”
“You sure you’re ready to go back out?” Folding his arms, he studied the new SEAL. “You don’t have to save the world your first couple of years on the Teams.”
“I’m hungry for it, man. I’ve been on four deployments, and I’m just starting to feel like I know what I’m doing. The more experience I have under my belt, the more I’ll have to contribute.”
“I get that, man, but this is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself, because we’re never going to be short on missions. The old days of having only a half-dozen direct action missions a year are never coming back, so rest easy; you’ll see more than your fair share of combat.”
Logan leaned against the cage and nodded. “I know, but I want to get better, and the only way to do that is to be out there.”
“Understood.” He let out a short laugh. “I’m a decade into this, but I still remember what I felt like in the beginning.”
Logan grinned and then leaned forward, bumping fists. “Appreciate the perspective.”
“Any time.” The door swung open again, and he saw Caid and Jax walk in. Heaving himself out of the chair, he walked out of his cage and closed it. “Ready to hit it?”
“Absolutely,” Jax replied. “Ran into Blake and Mark and they’re going to join us. Told us to meet in the grinder in fifteen.”
“Hope they can keep up,” Caid called out.
“They may be instructors now, but those two can still kick serious ass,” Ace said as he walked toward the door.
“Let’s challenge them, and winner buys beer,” Jax said as he dumped his bag in his cage.
“Sounds good to me,” Ace replied as he headed out of the building, wondering how long he should wait before stopping by Lisa’s again.
Deep in his gut, he felt like she was everything he ever wanted and, while he knew he didn’t deserve her, he sure as hell wasn’t going to give up.
They’d had a couple of incredible moments together in Yemen, and he wanted to have a thousand more. If he could convince her he was worth the chaos surrounding him, they may have a chance at making something incredible.
Something that would be better than any adrenaline-fueled mission or reporting assignment either of them could find.
Something that could make home the most exciting place on the planet.