She slammed the door behind her. Fuck. What the fuck had just happened? Why would she get so pissed off about my opinion on women in combat?

We’d had such a great first date. And last night had been incredible also. I actually liked this girl. I didn’t want this to be a one night stand.

My phone rang. I glanced at the screen. My mom. Great.

“Hey, Ma.”

“Hi, Erik. I was just calling to find out how your date went.”

Most of my Teammates would think I was pathetic for confiding in my mom. But after my father passed away, we’d become very close.

“Not good.”

She let out a sigh. “What happened?”

“It was so stupid. We saw Wonder Woman, and we were having a good time . . .” I paused because I was definitely not going to fill her in on the sordid details, “but then she asked what I thought about women in combat.”

“Oh Erik, you didn’t tell her, did you?”

“Of course I did.”

“You realize she’s an Olympic Gold medalist. An overachiever. I’m sure she believes a woman can do anything a man can do.”

“That’s not the point, Ma. I’m not going to lie about my beliefs just to impress a girl. I don’t think women should be SEALs. If she doesn’t want to see me again because of who I am then that’s that.”

“Oh well, that’s a shame, I think she would’ve been good for you. You know your father and I never agreed about everything. I believe the best partnerships are between two people who complement and challenge each other, not who are clones of each other.”

“Yeah, well she stormed off, so that’s that.”

“I’m sure she’s just disappointed, that’s all. You should reach out to her if you are still interested in her.”

“I’ll think about it.”

We talked a bit more and then said goodbye.

Dammit. My mom was probably right, but it didn’t matter. Aria walked out. Even though we had only had two dates and I barely knew her, I had felt that we’d had the potential to start a relationship. Aria had probably been the wise one when she had turned me down initially for a date. She didn’t live here, was only in town for two more weeks and I was about to deploy for at least six.

Still, there was a knot in my chest that had not been there before.

Get over it, Anderson. Stop being a pussy. It’s done.

I needed to get out of there, clear my head. After taking a quick shower, I got dressed and decided to head up the coast. Instead of staying on Orange Ave., I drove down Ocean Ave., appreciating the view of the multi-million dollar homes. When I turned my head toward the shoreline, I saw Aria, running along the beach with a beagle, just as she had said she was going to.

Damn, what drove her? I wondered if she wanted to defend her title in three years. Despite our difference of opinions and my residual anger toward her for bailing without so much as a backward glance, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we would be perfect for each other. Waking up next to her had felt so right, and I hadn’t once felt the desire to kick her out of my bed like I normally did after sex. Aria shared my passion and drive. Women I’d dated in the past could never understand my dedication to the Teams. I doubted Aria would ever question why I had to train so much.

I would be proud to show her off to my friends. Team guys always had a sort of competition amongst each other on who had the best girlfriend. Aria would win hands down.

And with her by my side, I just know I could make TritonFix a success.

I crossed the Coronado Bridge. Maybe my mom had been right; I had been insensitive. Aria wasn’t a SEAL. She couldn’t possibly understand the pressures of my job and how those stresses would be exacerbated by the additional of women to the Teams. It had been a stupid argument, and I had fallen right into it. There had been no correct way to answer her questions.

I would give her some space, but I refused to let a woman that fantastic walk out of my life without a fight.