Chapter 10
When they were first separated, several other lieutenant junior grade men had asked her out but she’d refused. She knew these men well and didn’t feel right dating someone else while still legally married to Evan.
As soon as they were officially divorced, Evan’s former commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Jameson, asked her to dinner at one of Coronado’s best Mexican restaurants. She’d always liked Brian and thought he was one of the most handsome officers on the Teams. He thought so, too.
Throughout dinner, he never once asked her about herself or even mentioned Kylie.
Instead, he spent an hour and a half talking about the actress—who was a rising star and rented a house right next to his on the beach—and all the wonderful restaurants they’d visited.
When he started describing the models he’d dated, Genevieve demurely dabbed her lips with the paper napkin, stood, and promptly told the pompous ass that she would see herself home.
I’m obviously not beautiful enough to be seen with you. Thank you for the pity date.
The next day she accepted his phone call and his apology but didn’t hold back telling him why she would never go out with him again. She also explained to him why he was still single.
There were a few more terrible dates with SEALs and two Navy men attached to ships on the mainland before she swore she’d never date a military man again. And she hadn’t.
Genevieve had turned her attention to her daughter who’d encountered problems in junior high.
Her grades had started to slip. She suddenly hated being in the marching band.
Once again, boys were stupid and childish after she’d shown interest in them the previous year.
Several of her friends, daughters of Navy SEALs, had been transferred to the East Coast…
like her father. It was her mother’s fault that she didn’t have any friends. Hormonal teenagers were the worst.
And now she was gone. Forever. Genevieve would do anything to turn the clock back to those days.
As Evan maneuvered over the bridge and through the still-busy San Diego streets, Genevieve wondered—if she had moved with Evan, would their lives have been different?
Would they have argued less? Would Kylie have been happier even though she would’ve been in a new school filled with all new people?
Her friends’ parents may have chosen to live in a different area and the girlfriends she’d known in Coronado could have ended up in different schools in Virginia Beach.
Genevieve worried, not for the first time—had she been selfish refusing to move with Evan? Wanting an entire country to separate them? Demanding a divorce?
As he held the door to the hospital open for her, she felt the heat of his hand on the small of her back.
Not only had he always been a gentleman, but he’d also been thoughtful.
Most of the time. But when she forced herself to think of times when he had been attentive, she could only think of those occasions when he hadn’t thought of her at all.
He never remembered her birthday, yet she threw huge parties celebrating his.
When she’d reminded him of her birthday, always after the fact, he’d act like he was so sorry.
The next day he’d come home with something he’d picked up at the exchange.
The first year, it was slutty lingerie, obviously a gift for him rather than her.
The next year, when she was extremely pregnant and feeling fat, his gift was the same as the year before…
in a small. He thought her tears were of happiness and joy until she took a knife from the butcher block and cut the red teddy to shreds in front of him while explaining that she’d never been a small, and after having a baby, she’d certainly never fit into his thoughtless gift.
The third year, he was away training and she’d almost forgotten the day as well.
He never remembered their anniversary the entire time they’d been married, nor had he ever once brought her flowers.
Asshole.
As they walked down the hallway to the nursery, she wondered if he’d actually changed. “Do you remember my birthday?”
“Which one?” He asked with raised eyebrows.
“The date,” she snipped.
“Of course I do.” There was a long hesitation before he gave the correct date.
“How about our anniversary?” This time his eyebrows drew together. When he gave the correct date in June, she was shocked.
“And I know never to buy size small lingerie.” He looked her up and down as they stepped off the elevator. “You’ve filled out a little.” He grinned. “Those curves look good on you. I guess you’re now a size eight? Maybe a ten?”
She couldn’t hide the shock on her face. “Yes. Some styles an eight, others a ten. How do you know that?”
They stood outside the nursery door.
“You don’t really want to know the answer to that question.” His eyes were intense as he glared down at her.
She couldn’t seem to inhale a full breath under his intense gaze. “I do.” No, she didn’t. Until that very minute, she hadn’t considered Evan dating.
He looked away before returning his gaze to her. “We were legally separated and living two thousand miles apart, then divorced. I enjoyed being single…for a while. Then I realized that lifestyle wasn’t for me. I liked being married. I wanted that life again. I dated…a lot.”
“But you never remarried.” Damn. She couldn’t seem to keep her mouth shut.
“Neither did you,” he threw back at her and walked into the nursery.
None of the SEALs she’d dated had interested her, probably because she compared everyone to Evan. Even though he had his flaws, he was still a hard act to follow.
After several failed dates with military men, Genevieve was asked out by the assistant principal at the high school.
She and Ken seemed quite compatible, had interesting conversations over several meals, and she had considered him a strong possibility for more serious dating.
Then she brought him home to meet Kylie who was in junior high at the time.
Her daughter hated the man on sight. More than once when Genevieve had cooked for him at her house, Kylie excused herself as soon as she was done eating, claiming she needed to talk to her father.
Genevieve was never sure whether Kylie had ever called Evan or not.
When Ken started telling Genevieve everything she was doing wrong in raising her daughter, she dumped him, glad they’d never slept together. She hadn’t slept with anyone since Evan left, but she had purchased the collection of toys.
Evan was about to sit down in the rocker to feed the baby when Captain Thomas entered. “I heard you were here and came up right away.” He glanced around the room. The only nurse scooped up a baby and went to the far corner to feed her.
In a low voice, he continued, “I wanted to let you know as soon as the autopsy was completed. Since your daughter passed away in our hospital, and to assure that the autopsy was complete and thorough, our pathologist was accompanied by a corner from San Diego.”
Genevieve exchanged a glance with Evan. Without a word, she understood what he was saying and agreed. The hospital was covering its ass.
“Both pathologists have agreed that your daughter’s death was caused when a blood clot moved to the brain.”
Suddenly, Genevieve felt lightheaded.
With Ian still in his arms, Evan stood. “Vivi, sit down before you pass out. Head between your knees.”
Captain Thomas shepherded her to the rocker and gently guided her head down. “Ms. Hubbard, would you like some water?”
She took a few cleansing breaths before she lifted her head slowly. “I’m fine. Please continue.” Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Evan purposefully sway while feeding Ian. She remembered him feeding Kylie that same way in the middle of the night. Tears leaked from her eyes.
The hospital administrator went on to explain, “There is considerable blood loss during birth and afterward. The body automatically clots the blood. Sometimes, they move. On very rare occasions, they move to the heart or brain. The pathologists said that one in ten pregnancy-related deaths in the United States are due to a pulmonary embolism. There was no wrongdoing by anyone at the hospital, or your daughter. If it’s any consolation, she passed away peacefully in her sleep. ”
“At least she didn’t suffer,” Evan said, never lifting his eyes from his grandson. She wondered how many of his men he’d seen suffering terrible pain before they passed away.
“We can now release the body to you.” Captain Thomas bounced his gaze between them. “Have you selected a funeral home?”
Genevieve and Evan exchanged a glance before her ex-husband said, “We’ll get back to you in the morning.”
Captain Thomas then gave them a brief smile. “I received the paperwork from the JAG office. Congratulations on gaining custody of the baby. Will you be taking him home tonight?”
Panic ran through Genevieve. “We didn’t put the car seat into the SUV.”
“We’re still preparing his room. We’ll pick him up in the morning.” Evan’s commanding tone bore no argument.
“Your little guy will be fine right here.” The head of the hospital smiled at the nurse who walked over to check on them.
“Why don’t the two of you go home and get a good night’s sleep? It’ll be the last night of complete sleep you’ll get for several months,” she said jokingly, but Genevieve knew the truth in what she said.
When they got home, Marta was still there, vacuuming the living room. “Are you ready to look at the baby’s bedroom?”
“I can’t thank you enough, Marta.” Genevieve started crying but gathered herself quickly. “You’re the best friend ever.”
“I do what I can,” Marta said as she gave Genevieve a hug.
As they walked Marta to the door, Evan asked, “Was Rear Admiral F.X. Finger here? I don’t remember meeting the executive officer.”
“Ian isn’t his kind of baby. He claimed he had a prior appointment, but I’m pretty sure he was just going to the gentleman’s club he visits almost every night.
Given how much he’s there, you’d think he owned stock in the place.
” She pointed to the kitchen. “There are several casseroles in the freezer and a few that should be eaten right away in the refrigerator. Several of the wives came through at the last-minute call.”
All three stopped at the front door.
“Any word on when they’ll release Kylie?” Marta’s voice broke on the question.
“Tomorrow,” Evan announced.
“I have no idea…” Genevieve broke into tears.
Although she’d attended several funerals while married to Evan, she never had to arrange for one.
When her parents passed away, her brother and sister, who lived only miles from her parents, had handled everything.
That reminded her, she needed to call them and tell them what happened.
“Let me help. I’ll get back to you in the morning with a list. I often work with the mothers and wives who are local when we have to bury a SEAL.
” She looked up at Evan. “No offense, but they use members of the same Team as Casualty Assistance Officers, and SEALs aren’t very empathetic.
Even though they send a chaplain, command might want to consider sending a wife.
” She blinked. “Maybe there should be a female civilian hired just for that purpose. I think I’ll mention that to Trevor.
” She seemed to say that more to herself than to Genevieve and Evan.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Evan agreed. “Will we see you in the morning?”
Marta looked at Genevieve. “Yoga at sunrise?”
Genevieve thought about it for only a moment. “Definitely.” It might be the last time she could go.