Chapter Two #2
“Zee—” Theo began.
Church shook his head. “No.”
Zee folded her arms over her thin middle and studied them. He opened his mouth to shut the idea down before it even formed.
But she spoke first. “I’ve been a wife before.”
The words hit him like a physical blow, rocking his head to the side as if she’d slapped him.
“I know how to play the role,” she continued.
He met her stare, and hers was steady, void of the type of grief he’d seen on her face during the funeral.
Theo slapped a hand on the box with a dull thud. “Looks like it’s decided to me.”
Church closed his eyes briefly. “Don’t you dare.”
A grin sliced across Theo’s face as he pointed between him and Zee. “I now pronounce you man and wife.”
His chest burned, and in the back of his mind, a voice—distinctly Matt’s—echoed as if from a distance, too far away to make out the words.
His friend probably had a few choice comments for him. Because somehow he’d just agreed to play husband to the widow of the one man he’d lost.
* * * * *
Zee paused in front of the bathroom mirror and gave herself a quick once-over.
Old habits from base life had never quite left her. Even in a place as new and quiet as the Black Heart Tactical Training Facility, appearances still mattered. Especially when she was about to walk into the office of the man who had once led her husband in combat.
She smoothed a hand down the front of her blouse, pressing away an imaginary wrinkle. If she’d spent the day unpacking boxes back in Coronado, she’d be coated in grit and dust, but this facility smelled like fresh lumber and paint.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and leaned a little closer to the mirror. She didn’t exactly know what to say to Church, especially after she practically volunteered to play the role of his wife.
Hell, she wasn’t even sure what made her jump in. Maybe it was a need to feel useful again.
Maybe it was the urge to smooth the lines around Church’s mouth. The fact he looked so strained was saying a lot. He was one of the biggest hard-asses she’d ever met.
No wonder she was stalling before going to see him.
The office wing was empty for the evening. Gabe and Theo had already headed home, leaving only a hum.
Church had returned from his second trip to the movie set hours ago, and according to Theo he’d retreated to his office and hadn’t come out since.
She suspected she knew why.
Fake marriage or not, the two of them hadn’t exactly discussed how this was going to work.
She pushed away from the mirror and headed down the hallway, her boots quiet against the polished floor. The door at the end was closed but a strip of light glowed from beneath it.
She took a steady breath, then knocked.
A chair scraped inside the room before his voice came through the door. “Come in.”
She pushed it open and stepped in.
Church sat behind his desk, and when he looked up, a shadow seemed to move behind his frosty blue eyes.
“Can we talk?” she asked.
Amusement tugged at the corner of his hard mouth. “You’re my wife. We can talk about anything.”
She let out a slow breath, relief making her fingers tingle. She drifted toward the chair in front of his desk and slipped into the seat without asking—her old boss in Coronado never would have allowed that. But she liked to believe she and Church had enough of a rapport to take the liberty.
He leaned back in his chair, folding his muscled arms across his impressively wide chest. Age looked good on him. He looked strong, fit.
Kind of…hot.
Earlier, she’d caught a glimpse of him in those mirrored sunglasses he’d always preferred, the late afternoon sun flashing across the lenses while he stood outside the facility. The years had carved sharper lines into his face, but if anything it only made him look more dangerous.
Now that she had his attention, her mouth dried out. Looking down at her hands knotted in her lap, she tried to arrange her thoughts into some order.
When she met his stare, she saw it again—the shadow lurking in the depths of his eyes. She drew a deep breath and just said it.
“I want you to know I never blamed you for Matt’s death.”
His nostrils flared and his tanned skin seemed to pale a shade.
She marched on despite the dull pain in her chest. “I know you were there for Matt’s funeral. I remember seeing you. But I don’t remember if we talked.” She glanced down again. “I was numb. It was a lot to take in.”
“Zee—”
She jerked her gaze back to Church’s. “I used to get upset, knowing Matt was in danger every time he went on a mission. But he had this way of talking me down. He reminded me that anyone is in danger at any time and all day long. That people get in accidents every day.”
Church’s throat worked as if he was swallowing something sharp.
She spread her hands. “He loved being a SEAL. He died doing what he loved. I don’t blame you for anything that went wrong.”
He turned his head and stared out the window. Evening was falling, the color leeching from the world and washing it in gray and smoky blue.
Neither of them spoke for a long minute. It had been a long time since she talked about Matt, and she found a release in saying those things to someone who also cared about him.
After a long beat, Church tapped a finger on his desk.
“I’m glad to see you here, Zee.”
She didn’t expect to hear him say that, and she really didn’t expect the emotions it brought to the surface. It wasn’t exactly happiness. But there was contentment. And she hadn’t felt anything like that in so long.
A smile spread over her face. “I’m glad to see you here too.”
His lips quirked at the corner, but his eyes looked sad. “Thank you for what you said about Matt.”
“I meant it.”
He gave her a slight nod. “We should probably get used to talking…since we’re going to pretend we’re married starting tomorrow.”
She issued a short laugh and felt some of the tension flow out of her. “And here I only thought I’d be handling paperwork. I never expected to unload a crate of ground spray paint and be pronounced someone’s wife so soon.”
He let out a huff of a laugh, looking more relaxed too. “Where should we begin?”
She settled back in her seat and crossed her legs. “Maybe we should start by asking each other some questions.”
“Good idea. You go first.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Where did you grow up?”
His eyes sparked with some of the old life she remembered. “Foothills of East Tennessee. Appalachia.”
She smiled. “You came from tough stock.”
“You know it. Where did you grow up?”
“Southern California.”
His gaze roamed across her face as if he was searching for a trace of the SoCal girl she used to be. That girl had fallen madly in love at eighteen and married Matt at nineteen. She’d been filled with hope and the promise of a wonderful future.
Then it all came crashing down, leaving her feeling much older than her twenty-six years.
She floundered for another question. “Favorite food?”
“Barbecue.”
She laughed. “Of course. Mine’s ice cream.”
He arched a brow. “Flavor?”
“Strawberry.”
“Noted.”
They shared a smile. “Where did we meet?”
“Uh…”
“I think we should stick close to the truth. That way we won’t slip up. We met when I worked on a Naval base.”
He nodded.
“And you proposed to me at sunset.”
“On the beach?”
“Sounds great.”
“Where should I pick you up for our first outing as a married couple?”
“I’m staying in a vacation rental.” For how long was yet to be determined, since she’d booked the place last-minute after learning about the job interview. And she only booked a few days out.
He pushed his phone across the desk to her. “Enter your contact and give me the address.”
She took the phone and entered the information. When she passed it back to him, he reached out and their fingers brushed.
His hand was just as warm and rough as Matt’s…and yet different.
She flashed a look at his face and found him staring at her. To cover the moment, she issued a little laugh. “I guess we’d better get used to touching.”
“Yeah.” He pulled his hand back and placed it in his lap. “I’ll let you know what time to be ready.”
Feeling dismissed, she stood. “Okay. See you tomorrow.” She started to turn to the door, then swung back. “What should I wear?”
He dipped his gaze over her body, leaving her feeling off-balance. “Dress like you’d come to work.”
“Got it.” She took a step to leave.
“And Zee?”
She stopped and turned to him.
“Thanks for agreeing to this. I didn’t want to let the team down.”
She gave him a gentle smile. “Neither did I. Bye, Church.” She stepped into the hallway and pulled the door closed behind her.
Talking about Matt usually left her feeling like the ground had shifted under her feet.
But this evening, walking away from Church’s office, Zee felt steadier than she had in years.
And that surprised her more than the fake marriage ever could.