CHAPTER TWENTY
Ace sat inside the diner and drained his glass of water as he kept an eye on the door. Knowing Victoria would likely be her usual twenty minutes late, he did his best to keep his shit together and ignore the knot in his stomach.
Seeing her sweep in with her hair flying, he wondered what in the hell he’d ever seen in her. She was a beautiful woman to be sure but had a volatile dark heart that he wished he’d never encountered.
Keeping his ass glued to the seat, he decided she didn’t deserve his good manners, no matter what his father’s opinion. “Victoria.”
“Ace,” she replied as she sat down. “Nice to see you again.”
He kept his mouth sealed and nodded, deciding he didn’t want to waste time bullshitting. “So, why did you want to see me?”
Huffing out a breath, she swept her hair over her shoulder. “Nice manners, Ace. You mind if I get settled before you grill me?”
“Cut the shit, Victoria, and just tell me why you called this meeting.”
“I thought you might be interested to know that neither Kevin nor Dean is the father to my sweet baby.”
Feeling the blood drain out of his head, he stared silently and wondered if he heard her correctly. “Is that so?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. I agreed to the test Kevin asked for, and he did not come back as a match, and Dean’s blood type indicates he couldn’t be the father.”
“And so, it’s me?”
“Seems so,” she replied with a wide smile. “Congratulations, you’re going to be a father.”
“Fuck me,” he said quietly as his water glass was refilled by a busboy.
“You’re going to be a great father, and I think the baby will be lucky to have you.”
Bombs exploded in his brain as he tried to process the words that were coming out of Victoria’s mouth. “Damn!”
“Isn’t this exciting? We get to do this together.”
Looking up, he was horrified by her satisfied, happy expression. “This is the exact opposite of exciting. This is the worst fucking news in the world. I don’t want to co-parent with you because every day is going to be like going into battle.”
“That is very hurtful, Ace.”
“Maybe so, but it’s the truth.” He ran his hand over his face and groaned. “I never really considered this a real possibility, so I’m not prepared.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, I used a condom, so I figured it was a pretty small chance.”
“You told me you wanted kids someday, so I thought you would be a little happy.”
“I do want kids, but I don’t want them with you. I want to be married and have a family with the love of my life. Who happens to be Lisa Martin.”
Slapping her hand on the table loudly, Victoria frowned. “I just told you that you were the father of my baby and you respond by telling me that you that you want to have a family with another person.”
“Yes, and your over the top response tells me you haven’t been listening. Did you really think I would be happy with this news?”
“Yeah, I honestly thought you would like the idea of becoming a dad.”
“Not with you.”
Leaning forward, she growled. “Fuck you, Ace.”
“Yeah, seems I am.” He picked up his glass of water and shook his head. “I guess it’s time to lawyer up and have Kevin protect my rights.”
“We don’t need a lawyer; we can work it out ourselves.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I’ll get a paternity test in the works and see about how custody works after the baby is born. Maybe I should see if Lisa will marry me before my next deployment, so she can start to bond with the baby when I’m downrange.”
“Your blonde-bimbo girlfriend is not going to be bonding with my baby.”
“If you’re being honest, then it’s our baby, and it will sure as hell bond with my wife.” Leaning forward, he folded his hands. “And she’s not a bimbo. She’s educated, smart as hell, courageous, and has the heart of a lion. The baby will be lucky to have someone so amazing in its life.”
“I’m not going to let that happen.”
“You may not have a choice since I’m the ‘daddy’ after all. I will have the kid fifty-percent of the time, and I’m hoping it will be enough to counteract whatever you do for the other fifty.”
“Don’t test me, Ace, because you will lose.”
“I’d say the same to you, but I know it would be a waste of time. If what you say is true, then get ready for a fucking war because I will do everything I can to give this kid a decent shot at a good life.” Leaning back, he shrugged carelessly. “Who knows? A judge may decide that a CPO in the Navy with a ton of shiny medals is a better option than you.”
Moving out of the seat, she stood and let a feral smile fall across her lips. “We’ll see about that.”
“Yes, we sure as hell will.” He watched her spin on her heels and did not let a breath out until she walked out of the diner. Letting his heart slow down, he took long measured breaths and felt like he’d just been through the worst firefight of his life.
Half the things he’d said were complete bullshit, but he knew it was necessary when it came to Victoria. She was an opponent that he wasn’t going to underestimate, and when she walked in with her cat that ate the canary smile, he figured she was looking for more than a monthly support check.
And by her reaction, he knew he’d been right.
Sitting back, he let out a long breath and tried to decide what he wanted to do first. When his phone buzzed, he saw that it was TOC, and knew nothing was going to happen today. Duty called, and the bullshit would have to wait.
He stood and threw some money on the table and tried to decide if he should try and call Lisa before he got on the plane. Walking out of the diner, he decided that waiting was a better option because he wanted to have some answers before he presented what was sure to be her worst nightmare.
One thing he hadn’t been bullshitting about was his feelings for Lisa, and how they were going to work this baby into their future was not immediately evident. But they would because she was the love of his fucking life.
***
Lisa watered the flower beds in the little courtyard of their tri-plex and watched Courtney paint her toenails. “How are things going with the professor?”
“They’re good. He’s intelligent, well read, has a lovely manner, and witty repartee.” Looking up, she narrowed her eyes. “And, unfortunately, the sex drive of a panda.”
“That might be one of the strangest statements you’ve ever made.”
“Hardly,” Courtney replied. “I recently did some research for an author and discovered that male pandas have a short window when they’re interested in breeding. It was long believed that it was only the female pandas who experience it, but the boys suffer from it too. It’s a miracle the breed hasn’t become extinct.”
“So, your professor is a boy panda with low sex drive?”
“Yes.” Pushing her legs out, she twisted her feet back and forth. “We’ve only made-out and done some light petting. It’s so frustrating since he’s got an amazing bod that I have yet to get a real glimpse of.”
“Is he playing hard to get?”
“Not sure.”
Turning off the water, she coiled the hose and then took a seat next Courtney and picked up the bottle of polish. “Maybe you need to give him clearer signals.”
“I answered the door in my robe and nothing else the other day and then sat next to him on the couch and do you know what he did?”
“No.”
“Nada. His eyes didn’t darken, his breathing never changed, and his smile was as polite as ever. It was the most depressing thirty minutes of my life.”
“Wow, that is discouraging. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going out with him one more time, and I’ll lay it on the line. If he just wants to be friends, then I need to know, so I can go out and find someone else to satisfy my sexual needs.”
“Is Caid still stopping by the library and calling you?”
“Yes,” she replied as she rolled her eyes. “I’ve told him over and over again that I was dating someone, and he acts like it means nothing and just said he’d wait until I was singled up. Whatever that means.”
Lisa let out a laugh and shook her head. “Typical SEAL. They seem to ignore anything that doesn’t fit the picture in their head.”
“That’s exactly what Caid has done.”
“Is it annoying or intriguing?”
“I’m not sure,” she replied as she took the bottle of nail polish back and started on a second coat.
“At least you know he’d react if you answered the door in your robe.”
“The man is practically a walking sex machine since he gets all hot and bothered when he sees me at the library in my work dresses. He’s tried to talk me into going into the stacks to do naughty things more times than I can count.”
“Have you been tempted?”
“How honest do I have to be?”
“As honest as I am with you.”
Courtney twisted her mouth together and looked over. “More than a little.”
Leaning back on her hands, she watched the wind move through the pepper tree that sat in the middle of the little yard. “Those men are so damn irresistible. If they weren’t so incredible, it would be really annoying.”
“Are you thinking of keeping Ace?”
Covering her face, she let out a groan. “Yes, and I’ll probably not want to let go either.”
Sitting up, she took Lisa’s hand. “You’ve never said that before.”
“I know, and believe me, I’m freaking the freak out but know I don’t have a choice. He’s in my heart, and the only way to be free of him would be to have him surgically removed.”
“What about his ex-girlfriend and baby situation? What if it’s his and you get to co-parent a kid with Victoria?”
Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “I haven’t given it much thought, to be honest, since Ace is confident that it’s not his child.”
“Well, think about it before you totally hand over your heart and confess your feelings. If you can handle being a step-parent from the word go, then, by all means, go right ahead. But if you have a shred of doubt, you need to think long and hard before you fall completely.”
“You’re right, Court. I think I’ve been in denial this whole time, thinking the situation would resolve itself neatly.”
“It might, but if it doesn’t, then you need to be ready.”
“God, I’m such a donkey. I got caught up in the whirlwind without really thinking what I was getting into, and now it’s almost too late.”
“It’s never too late and maybe it won’t even become an issue.”
“And when do things ever not become an issue?”
“In romcoms.”
“Which is why we love them.”
“Want to watch one tonight and make pasta or something?”
Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she saw that it was past four, which meant that Ace had been called out. “I think pasta and a romcom sounds perfect. You can look over the outline for the classes I’m teaching and tell me what you think.”
“Sure, no problem.” Capping the bottle of polish, she stretched out her legs. “Do you think the road to love should be easy?”
“I do, but that doesn’t mean it’s possible.”
“I wish my professor was more into me because he looks like who I thought I’d end up with.”
“Maybe he is and is just being super respectful.”
“If that’s being respectful, then I’ll pass because it just feels frustrating. I think a man can respect me and still be a filthy animal in bed. In fact, that’s what I’d prefer.”
“Then you need to update the picture in your head because the nerdy men you’ve been going out with don’t have a filthy bone in their body.”
“I know. I guess I was just hoping that I’d eventually find my gentleman by day and pervert by night, but maybe it’s not possible.”
“I think it is; he just may not come in a package you immediately recognize.”
“You’re probably right.”
“I’m definitely right.”
“Would you have gone out with Ace if you met him in town and not in the middle of a war zone?”
“Probably. I was smitten from the moment I saw him, despite all his yelling and fussing, so if he’d been charming and sexy, then there’s no doubt.”
Courtney snorted and then cleared her throat. “Sorry, it’s just hard to picture big growling Ace as charming.”
“I get that since he doesn’t have a smooth bone in his body.” Folding her hands together, she pressed them against her chest. “But his direct approach is charming as hell along with the sweet things he says and does.”
“I want him to be the one for you and hope the baby drama thing turns out to be nothing but a small footnote in your story of true love.”
“I hope you’re right because, if it becomes more, it’s going to be challenging as hell.”
“Good thing you like challenging.”
“I guess so, but mentally preparing myself for what may lie ahead is a great idea and I’m not going to ignore the very real possibility that Ace could be a father in the near future.”
Standing, Courtney held out her hand. “You won’t regret it.”
Lisa took her friend’s hand and grinned. “Let’s go grab a bottle of wine from Olive Market and some bread and then we’ll make dinner.”
“Sounds perfect; I’ll get my purse and then we can go.”
Watching her friend walk back into her place, she thought about Ace and hoped that whatever they had ahead of them wouldn’t be impossible to navigate.