Chapter 13
It took Oz a few seconds to remember where he was and who was in bed with him. But when he did, he couldn’t help but smile. Yesterday had been tough. He hadn’t been there when Riley and Logan needed him, but his nephew had done a great job in keeping his head together and hiding both him and Riley.
Oz had been exhausted by the time Logan finally fell asleep. After the emotionally tough homecoming, and then the talk he’d had with his nephew about how much he hated his school, Oz had been done in.
Falling asleep with Riley in his arms was exactly what he’d needed.
Nothing about last night was awkward, even though it was the first time they’d shared a bed.
He’d been too tired to do anything more than briefly think about slipping the shirt she was wearing over her head, but then her low, soothing voice had eased him into sleep.
He had another long day ahead of him. He and the rest of his team had to finish the report on everything they’d done and said while in Somalia, and while he usually didn’t mind the intense AARs, this one seemed more irritating than usual.
Oz knew it was because he wanted to be home with Logan and Riley.
He’d asked Brain if the feeling of impatience with the job ever went away, and his teammate had only smiled and shook his head. “You learn to deal with it. But it helps when your woman is cool about how much time the Army takes away from her.”
And Riley was cool with his schedule. She’d gone out of her way to reassure him, and to make sure neither he nor Logan ever felt like a burden. Oz knew he should be doing more to show Riley how much he appreciated her, but he was at a loss as to how to accomplish that.
She was so good at using small gestures to remind both him and Logan how often she thought of them.
She’d even bought them matching cafeteria trays the other day…
so their food wouldn’t touch when it was served.
It was a cute gift, and a practical one.
He’d felt a little silly eating from his tray, but he loved the smile on Riley’s face when she saw they were actually using them.
Things had moved fast between him and Riley, but he knew deep in his bones that she was it for him.
It helped that his team was completely supportive.
No one questioned him. No one warned him to slow things down.
Trigger, Lefty, and Brain had been there.
And Oz was determined not to let any crazy terrorist, hit man, or ex hurt his woman.
Thinking about her ex-boyfriend made Oz tense. Miles was not only an asshole, he was stupid for letting Riley go. The man had no clue how amazing she was. But Miles’s loss was Oz’s gain, and he’d do everything in his power to make sure the man stayed way the hell away from his family.
His family…
He should’ve been freaking out by even thinking those words, but instead he felt content. This was why he did what he did. So his woman and kid could be safe from the evil in the world.
Riley shifted against him, and Oz looked down. Her lips were pursed and he could feel her smooth, silky leg against his thigh. It didn’t seem as if either of them had moved much during the night. He felt well rested, and the longer he lay there next to her, the more turned on he got.
But instead of feeling as if he had to have sex right that second, he simply enjoyed the intimacy of waking up with another person.
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and Oz looked up to see Logan standing in the doorway of the bedroom. “Morning, Slugger,” Oz said. “Join us?”
Even though he’d kept his voice low, Riley stirred against him.
“You both have clothes on, right?” Logan asked.
Riley obviously heard his question, because she shifted against Oz nervously. The slide of her bare leg against his own belied his next words.
“Of course. Come ’ere.”
Logan walked into the room and climbed onto the bed. He lay down perpendicular to them at their feet, propping his head on his hand and staring at them.
Oz moved into a sitting position, keeping his arm wrapped around Riley so she had no choice but to sit up with him. The covers kept their lower halves hidden from Logan, and luckily, the appearance of his nephew had killed Oz’s morning erection.
“You sleep okay?” Oz asked Logan.
The boy nodded, but it was obvious there was something on his mind.
“Things are crazy right now, but I promised you last night that we’d go visit the other schools in the area to see if there’s one you like better. I know you didn’t really want to go to the one on post, but you might like it if you gave it a try,” Oz told him.
Logan nodded again.
“Is there something else on your mind, bud?” Oz asked.
“I just…is it ever okay to keep secrets? I mean, like, really big ones?” Logan asked.
Oz felt Riley tense against him, but he did his best to not overreact.
He wasn’t sure he was qualified to navigate these tricky waters, but he gave it a shot.
“That’s a hard question to answer without knowing the secret, but the way I see it, secrets have a way of growing bigger and bigger with time.
Sharing them with someone you trust can help make them feel not so overwhelming. ”
Logan dropped his hand and flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling as Oz continued.
“The thing is, some secrets are okay, like the one Riley kept from us when she bought us those cool dinner trays. We knew she was keeping something from us, but when we saw our surprise, it was exciting and fun,” Oz said.
“But other secrets can be harmful. Either to the person keeping it, or to the person who it’s about. Those aren’t the good kind.”
Logan nodded and said, “But knowing who to trust is hard.”
Oz hated the uncertainty in his nephew’s tone. He wanted to tell the kid that he could absolutely trust him—then demand to know what secret he was keeping. But he took a moment to think about his answer.
Riley beat him to it.
“When I was your age, no one knew about the situation with my mom and dad. I was the new kid at school, since I had to switch to a different one when I got removed from my house, and didn’t have any good friends I could trust. Then one time, my teacher asked me to stay in for recess.
I was scared to death, thinking I was in trouble.
But she put her arm around me and told me that she’d noticed I’d been struggling with my schoolwork, and she asked if anything was wrong.
If everything at home was okay. I cried, and I told her how I was living with strangers and was waiting on my parents to come and get me when they were allowed to. And you know what happened?”
Logan looked over at her. “What?”
“My teacher gave me more time to get my work done. She had no idea what was going on with me, and because I told her, she was able to cut me some slack. Every day, she asked how I was doing and made sure I was okay. Her attention helped. A lot. It was hard to trust her with my secret, but after I did, I felt a lot better. I didn’t tell my classmates, but even just that one person knowing, and giving me extra time to get my work done, made me feel a lot better. ”
Logan nodded and turned his head to look back up at the ceiling.
Oz wanted to beg him to share whatever he felt was such a big secret, but he also wanted him to come to him on his own.
To trust him enough to tell him whatever was weighing on his mind.
He looked at Riley and could tell she shared his concern, but was willing to give Logan time to think about what they’d said.
He squeezed her shoulder and felt her fingertips press into his chest in return. He loved how they could communicate without words.
“I was thinking…Killeen has a youth baseball program. Would you be interested in checking it out?” Oz asked Logan.
His nephew sat up on the bed. “Really? Like, for me to play, not just watch?”
“Yeah, really. And of course for you to play.”
“But isn’t it expensive?”
“I have no idea how much it costs, but I have a feeling you’re gonna be really good, Slugger. You’ve got a great throwing arm, and you have no problem hitting the ball when I pitch it to you. If you want to play, I’ll figure out a way to make sure that happens.”
Logan’s eyes got big, and he nodded slowly, as if he was afraid if he showed too much enthusiasm, his greatest desire would be snatched away.
“Okay then. I’ll do some research, and we’ll see how to join a league and when they meet. If we can get you in, we’ll start as soon as they’ll let you,” Oz said.
Logan smiled then. A huge, carefree smile that Oz had never seen on his face before. “Awesome!” he shouted, then scrambled off the bed and headed for the door.
“Where ya going?” Oz asked.
“I need to check my baseball stuff. Make sure it’s clean and I’m ready for practice when it starts!” Logan said without looking back. He disappeared out the door before Oz could respond.
“I think he’s excited,” Riley said dryly.
“Ya think?” Oz asked. Then he moved quickly, turning so he was hovering over Riley, who was suddenly flat on her back, blinking up at him in surprise. “You’re beautiful.”
He wasn’t surprised when she blushed. “Yeah, right. I just woke up and my hair’s probably a disaster.”
“It is,” Oz agreed, smiling when she wrinkled her nose at him. “But it got that way because you slept in my arms. In my bed. All night. Therefore, it’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever fucking seen.”
“Porter,” she whispered.