CHAPTER TWELVE
Friday, September 29th
Brooke opened the front door of her house and smelled something amazing, which meant that her brother had been busy in the kitchen. “Chance.”
“Back here. Is that my sister the trollop?”
Snorting, she walked back into the kitchen and saw her brother standing at the stove with a towel over his shoulder. “Pretty sure having sex every couple of years doesn’t qualify for joining the ranks, but, hey, maybe things have changed.”
Chance turned with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Sliding onto a stool at the island, she rested her face in her hands. “You can’t use any of those terms anyway, because slut shaming is no longer accepted. We can follow all our natural urges without someone trying to affix a derogatory label now that we’ve crawled out of the Stone Age.”
Flipping the omelet in one smooth movement, he nodded. “You’re right. I stand corrected.”
“Did you make enough for me?”
“Depends how hungry you are.”
“I could eat.”
“That describes you pretty much twenty-four hours a day.”
“True.” Standing, she walked around the island to grab a couple of plates and set them on the counter and then pulled out the cutlery. “How was your evening?”
Plating the food, he shrugged. “It was okay.” After he set the pan down, he tilted her chin and smirked. “Not as good as yours, though. Nice hickey.”
Moving her hand along her neck, she felt her face flush as she remembered exactly how she’d gotten it. As well as the others that Frisco had insisted on giving her.
Animal.
God, she was lucky. “How was the rear admiral?”
“Same.” He lifted the plates and slid them across the island and then sat down. “He asked about you.”
Brooke ignored the comment and sat down as well. “Do you want to catch a movie tonight?”
“You ever going to forgive him?”
Brooke lifted her fork and dug into her omelet and hoped her brother would drop it. It was a subject they never agreed on, and she didn’t feel like having the argument for the three-hundredth time. When she slid her eyes over, she saw her brother plowing through his food. Which meant that she had a good chance of not having to discuss her father. “Or we could go bowling.”
“I don’t think you two are ever going to have a close relationship, but I think letting go of your boulder of resentment would be a healthy choice.”
Wiping her mouth, she sat back. “I don’t care enough about him to resent him.”
“Liar.”
“Really, Chance, I don’t.”
“Then go and have a meal with him.”
“So he can appease his guilt for choosing his job over his family? No thanks.”
“He said last night that he always preferred battle and knowing who his enemy was. Knowing what was expected from him, and having some control over how the skirmish ended was the only thing he could handle. With you and Mom, he was completely out of control.”
“I know, and trust me, I’ve made my peace with the fact he was never really able to walk into my hospital room or Mom’s. He did the best he could with what he had at the time. Having said that, I’m not real interested in forging a relationship with him at this point in my life.”
Chance covered his sister’s hand and let out a sigh. “I know. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to bring it up every now and again.”
“Understood.”
“Which makes it impossible for me not to point to the elephant in the room and ask, what the hell are you doing dating a SEAL?”
Slipping her hand away from her brother’s, she covered her face. “I have no idea,” she mumbled.
Chance lifted her hands away and grinned. “Please repeat that.”
“I. Have. No. Idea.”
He looked up to the ceiling and nodded. “I never thought I would hear those words come out of your mouth.”
Socking him in the arm as hard as she could, she took her hand away and shook it. “Jeez, that hurt.”
Chance flexed his arm and lifted his eyebrow. “Solid steel, sister.”
Rolling her eyes, she then stood. “Show-off.”
“What’s this Frisco guy got that has you ignoring your rules about dating anyone from the military?”
She set her plate in the sink and then leaned against it. “Something happens when I’m around him, and the crazy chemistry we’ve got wipes my brain clean of all the rules I’ve put in place for myself. I’m powerless.”
“Really?”
“One hundred percent. It’s the strangest thing.”
“I hope to hell nothing like that ever happens to me.”
“I would’ve said the same thing a month ago.” Taking the sponge, she wiped off an invisible spot. “But right now, not so much.”
“Be careful, sis.”
Looking up, she focused on her brother’s serious expression. “For the first time in my life, I don’t think the happy ending is impossible.”
Chance stood and put his plate in the sink and then wrapped his sister in a hug. “You absolutely have a happy ending.”
As her brother hugged her, she laid her head against his chest and felt their hearts beat in sync. Chance was literally her other half, and when he said things like that, she had a tendency to believe it was possible. “You do too, don’t forget that.”
Releasing his hold, he stepped away. “Not ready for it yet. Still have a lot to do, and I’m not going to make the same mistake Dad did. When I find the person that I’m meant to be with, I’m going all in, and I’m not there yet.”
“Unfortunately, we have no say in the timing of when someone shows up.”
“True.” Turning, he threw her a smile. “Since I cooked, you get to do the dishes.”
She turned on the water and smiled. “I know.” As she started to rinse the dishes, she thought about Frisco and their timing and wondered whether it was going to work in their favor or not. Guess time would tell.
***
Frisco walked up to Birdie and Mark’s house and heard his goddaughter, Maddie, singing. Cringing, he realized she had inherited her mother’s talent. Or, more accurately, her lack of talent. Knocking twice, he waited for the singing to stop. When it grew louder, he knew Birdie had just asked her daughter to sing quietly.
Karma.
Had to love it.
Birdie was stubborn and so was Mark, so the chance of them not having a willful child was darn near impossible and Maddie proved that point beautifully. The door opened and Birdie gave him one of her dazzling smiles. “Miss me?” he asked.
“Absolutely.” Opening her arms for a hug, she embraced him as closely as any pregnant woman could. “Come in, because Maddie is dying to see you.”
Crouching down, he braced himself for the Tasmanian Devil who flew into his arms. Brown hair flying, she crashed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Mads, are you giving your mom a hard time?”
Scrunching her eyebrows down, she shook her head. “No, I perfect angel. Daddy says so.”
Frisco stood and looked at his goddaughter and let out a loud laugh. “Your dad doesn’t always describe things accurately.”
“No understand,” she replied as she wrinkled her nose.
Birdie smoothed her daughter’s hair down and shook her head. “I’ll explain when you get older.”
Frisco gave Birdie a once-over and grinned. “You look like you’re about to pop.”
“Thanks,” she replied dryly. “Every pregnant woman dreams of hearing those words. I have another three months before this one will be baked.”
“Jeez, Birdie.”
Walking away, she shook her head. “Say anything more like that and I’m going to sic my big, mean husband on you.”
Frisco followed Birdie into the kitchen and sat down at the island with Maddie on his lap. “Where is the as…I mean great man?”
“He’s getting cleaned up; he got back from the base about thirty minutes ago.”
“What phase of BUD/S is he running now?”
“All of them. He was promoted when you were deployed and now oversees phases one through three.”
“I never thought he’d last as an instructor as long as he has, because I figured he’d go to SAI and start collecting the big bucks.”
Birdie poured some goldfish into a bowl and passed them over to Maddy and then handed her a cup of juice. “He loves his job, and I’m glad, because I want him to be happy.” She walked over to the fridge, pulled out a beer and opened it. “Do you want a glass?”
“No, thanks.” He took the beer and tapped it against Maddy’s juice cup. “Cheers.”
Lifting her cup, she mimicked him and repeated, “Cheer.”
Hearing heavy footsteps, Frisco looked up and saw Mark amble down the stairs. “Hey, man, congratulations.”
Mark gave him a grin as he walked closer. “For what?” Sliding next to his wife, he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her close. “My amazing family?”
“That too. I heard you got a promotion.”
“Yeah, I’m making sure the next set of squids will do us proud if they make it through the program.”
Mark kissed his wife soundly and then walked over to the fridge. “Birdie, what do you want to drink?”
“Margarita.”
“In three months, you can have one. In the meantime, what can I get you?”
“Seven Up.”
“Baby brother,” Maddy said as she arranged her goldfish in a line on the counter.
“Is that what you’re getting?” Frisco asked.
Maddy gave him a solemn head shake and frowned. “I want dog.”
Birdie let out a laugh and then took her glass of soda from Mark. “She’s not real excited about sharing her throne, so I’m going to have to keep a close eye and make sure nothing untoward happens to the baby.”
“Mads, you will always be the queen of my heart,” Frisco declared. Kissing the top of her head, he wondered when Birdie was going to start her inquisition.
“So, I heard you went by the shop the other day and bought a beautiful bouquet for someone…”
“Surprised you held out as long as you did.”
Mark shook his head and picked up the plate of chicken. “Come on, Maddy, come help Daddy start the grill so Mommy can interrogate Frisco.”
Wiggling so she could get down, Maddy slid off Frisco’s lap and walked over to Mark. “I help Mommy terrogate.”
Mark took his daughter’s hand and led her toward the French doors. “Mommy is an expert, so I think she can handle this one without you.”
“I pert too, Daddy.”
“I know, Mads, believe me, I know.” He winked at Birdie and then led his daughter out to the patio.
Birdie walked around the island and sat down next to Frisco. “She walked into the bedroom last Sunday and wondered why Daddy had his hand on Mommy and she was moaning. Took chocolate chip pancakes and the hundredth viewing of Finding Dory to get her off track.”
“What time did she make her appearance?”
“Five a.m.”
“Damn!”
“Exactly.”
“Need any help with dinner?”
“No, tell me about the girl.”
“Subtlety, ever heard of it?”
“I’ve got about ten minutes before Maddy gets bored and comes back in. Spill.”
“I met a woman in Chad and…”
Birdie sat back and covered her heart with her hand. “It happened. It finally happened.”
“I haven’t told you anything.”
“I see the look on your face. You’re smitten.”
Taking a long drag of his beer, he looked at Maddy’s toys that were in a basket in the corner. “I finally found someone I want a hell of a lot more with than naked fun.”
“Tell me everything,” Birdie said as she leaned forward.
“Brooke Foster is a nurse and was with MSF working with the UN refugee program, and we met in N’Djamena.”
“You met a woman in Chad and fell in…”
“Yeah.”
“Where is Chad? Next to Nigeria, right?”
“Exactly.” Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, he grinned at his close friend. “The woman is gunpowder, and she freaking lights me up.”
Birdie covered her mouth and sniffed. “I’m so happy for you. You met the one.”
“I did, Birdie. I goddamn did.”
“And she lives here in San Diego?”
“Yeah, she grew up here, and her dad is the former base commander.”
“So, she gets the whole SEAL thing?”
“Yeah, unfortunately. I don’t know the whole story, but I do know that her dad screwed up pretty badly when she was growing up, and dating a man in SPEC OPS was not something she wanted to do.”
“Darn.”
Sitting up straight, he gave her a firm smile. “Not going to stop me, though. One way or another, we are going to end up on the right side of happy.”
“If anyone can make that happen, you can.”
Mark walked in with Maddy and looked back and forth between them. “Make what happen?”
“Love,” Birdie responded.
Mark lifted his daughter in his arms and walked over to his wife. Rubbing his hand over her stomach, he grinned. “Highly recommend it.”
“Yeah, you two make it look damn easy.”
Birdie snorted and then covered Mark’s hand. “Not easy, but definitely worth it.”
“Definitely,” Mark repeated.
“Finitely,” Maddy parroted.
Frisco looked at the three of them and knew he’d do anything to make sure he and Brooke ended up the same way. “Maddy, you want to play?”
“Yes!” She scrambled out of her father’s arms and took his hand, leading him over to the pile of dolls in the living room. “I charge.”
“Never doubted it for a minute.” He looked over at Birdie and grinned. “Genetics. It’s a funny thing.”
“Don’t I know it,” Birdie responded as she moved toward the stove.
Frisco watched Mark follow her and snug himself behind her as he whispered in her ear. Yeah, he’d like something real similar with Brooke someday. God willing, she wouldn’t hate the idea.
***
Driving past Brooke and Chance’s house, Frisco noticed the lights were still on and decided to stop in. He and Brooke hadn’t discussed getting together, but he sure as hell would like to grab a good-night kiss if he could.
The woman was deep in his bloodstream, and every pump of his heart told him he wanted her near. Not only because he craved her physically, but he also just liked her company. She had what his uncle used to call a whiskey-sipping, skinny-dipping smile. And the thing drove him nuts.
From the one he’d seen on Carrick’s tablet to the one she gave when he’d dropped her off this morning.
Heartbreakingly beautiful.
He found a spot for his truck, pulled in, and sent her a quick text telling her he was stopping by. When she didn’t respond right away, he checked his watch and saw that it was only nine and figured she might be watching TV. According to the schedule she told him about earlier, she planned on spending a lot of time catching up on shows that she’d missed over the last five years.
He jumped out and strode down the sidewalk as excitement filled his body. Something he thought would calm down to a dull roar was only getting more intense, and he wondered how long it was going to last.
Was he always going to feel like an excited teenager?
Seemed possible, because a lot of the couples he knew acted like they never got their hormones under control. Mark and Birdie perhaps being the worst. He loved them both, but they sure were handsy around one another, and that wasn’t something he always needed to see.
Striding up the steps, he knocked on the door and then smoothed out his hair. When he heard heavy footsteps, he figured it was Chance who was coming to the door. When it opened, he saw Chance and gave him a friendly smile. Not receiving one back, he cleared his throat. “Hey, I just stopped by to say good night to Brooke.”
“Booty call?” he asked sarcastically.
“No!” He let out of a huff and then said, “What the hell, man?”
Chance stepped back and opened the door farther. “Brooke is asleep, but why don’t you come in and tell me what your intentions are with my sister.”
“Gladly.” He walked in and decided clearing the air with her brother was as good an idea as any. “Why is she asleep so early?” Chance led him back into the kitchen and smirked.
“Maybe because she didn’t get much last night.”
Feeling like an ass, he decided nothing more needed to be said on the subject. He followed Chance into the family room off the kitchen and took a seat on the couch.
“What would you like to drink?” Chance asked as he leaned against the bar they had set up on the opposite wall.
“Scotch if you’re planning on a full interrogation, and beer if we’re having a friendly chat.”
“Scotch it is.”
“Great,” he mumbled to himself. This was going to be interesting, that was for damn sure. Chance handed him a glass with a healthy pour, sat across from him and grinned. “What would you like to know?”
“How serious are you about my sister?”
“Very,” Frisco replied. Taking a drink, he sat back, rested his leg on his knee and tried to get his thoughts in order. “We spent almost a week together in Chad, and when I left on the transport plane, I knew that I was going to do everything I could to keep seeing her.” Looking over at a group of pictures that was hung on the wall, he noticed one of Brooke and Chance at their college graduation. “Do you two share that twin thing where you know what the other is thinking?”
“Sometimes,” Chance replied as he let out a small laugh. “Why do you ask?”
“Just wondering if you could give me any intel about how Brooke is feeling about this whole thing.”
“Not going to be any help there, because she’s keeping her feelings to herself for once. Which tells me that this thing between you two has knocked her for a loop.” He drank some scotch and stared out the open patio doors. “Something powerful must be going on, because I never thought Brooke would be interested in a military man.”
“Is that because of her relationship with your dad or because of what my job entails?”
“Probably both.” He stared at Frisco for a second. “She knows there are things worth fighting for and appreciates that there are people who willingly go into battle, but she…actually, my whole family knows what that costs.”
“Not every problem can be solved through rational discourse; some have to be solved through the application of force and violence. While the former is preferred, there are those of us who are capable of the latter and trust it is our duty to perform. I believe that fighting what others fear is honorable, noble, and just, and…I’m willing to pay the price for that deeply held belief.”
“But you know if you’re in a relationship or married that you’re not the only one paying that price.” He gave Frisco a genuine smile and then shrugged. “I understand both sides of it and believe being a warrior is not a choice, it’s simply who we are and the way we’re built. But I also believe that I’m more than just that, and our dad never did. He gave everything he had to the Navy, and my mom and sister paid for it dearly.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s my sister’s story to tell.”
Frisco drained his glass and uncrossed his legs. What the hell did that mean? “Well, I hope she tells me soon, because I can’t make her happy unless I know what she wants and needs.”
“Good luck, man. My sister is not great at opening up, so you have your work cut out for you.”
“I know.” He stood and walked over to the sink and set his glass down. “Thanks for the drink.” Chance waved from his spot on the couch. “Anytime.”
“Tell Brooke I stopped by, if you don’t mind.”
“Will do.”
Frisco walked toward the front door and wondered how he was going to get Brooke to open up to him. The sooner he could make her feel comfortable, the better off they would be, because he was operating blind, and shit didn’t turn out well when that happened.
Not at all.