Chapter 2 Tony
TONY
Caroline stalks across the street, her arms folded across her substantial chest and her lips pressed together. Her blonde hair is in a top knot that bounces as she walks, causing the escaped tendrils to trail down her neck, tickling the delicate skin of her throat.
I swallow hard and my dick stirs, which is wrong because she’s obviously angry at me.
The years have been kind to my ex-wife. Caroline was always curvy, and now she’s filled out, comfortable in fitted leggings and a t-shirt that clings to her in the heat. She wears her size with confidence in a way she never did when we were kids.
I wind the window down and give her a sheepish smile. No point in driving off when she obviously knows I’m here. And by the look on her face, she’s not happy about it.
“What are you doing here, Tony?”
Her brows push together in a scowl, her fiery amber eyes lasering in on me.
Caroline’s exasperated, and I don’t blame her. Only last week she berated me for keeping watch over her. She told me to stay away, but I can’t. Not when she might be in danger.
We’ve always stayed in touch. Amy, our daughter, was the excuse. But the truth is, I’ve always kept watch over Caroline. Whenever I was back from deployment, I’d watch her, just to check in, to make sure she was all right.
I must be getting sloppy if this is the second time she’s clocked me in two weeks.
Caroline remarried a few years ago while I was on tour. I never got a chance to tell her that I still loved her, that I’ll always love her. And I couldn’t tell her that once she was married.
All I’ve ever wanted was for Caroline to be happy, and when she remarried, I vowed not to get in her way.
But a few months ago, Amy let slip that they were having problems.
I hate to delight in someone else’s misfortune, but that was the best fucking news I’d heard in years.
Then Caroline told me Paul had moved out. She was cagey about it, and it gave me the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
I came straight down here, and in a rare moment of vulnerability, she told me she was afraid of him.
That was that. I tried to convince Caroline to come back with me, but she refused, said she could look after herself.
But I know my ex-wife. She’s not telling me the full story.
So here I am. I make the drive down the coast whenever I’m not working to watch her, to make sure whatever threat she’s worried about never comes to pass.
When I can’t be here, I send one of my guys. Caroline’s been on twenty-four-hour security watch. She just doesn’t know it.
She may not want me in her life anymore, but I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to her.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by.”
She doesn’t buy it, of course. Her eyes squint at me, and she shakes her head in exasperation.
“I told you, Tony. I don’t need your protection.”
She did. When she caught me here last week, Caroline chewed me out for spying on her. It’s not spying. It’s keeping her safe.
I’ve done some digging on her husband, and he’s not the kind of man I would have wanted for her.
My fists clench at the thought. A husband should protect his wife, not be a threat to her.
“Have you reported him yet?”
She looks away and lets out a big breath. “It’s complicated.”
Which means no.
“Not complicated, Caroline. He threatened you. You should call the police.”
“I’ll call the police on you if you don’t stop stalking me.”
I tilt my head, giving her a sideways look. “It’s protection, honey, not stalking.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t need your protection, Tony. You might not have noticed, but I’m a fully grown woman. I can take care of myself.”
She puts her hands on her hips, and I don’t know if she’s trying to convince me or herself.
“I know you can.” Because there’s no one tougher than Caroline. She raised our daughter practically by herself.
“But I made a vow, Caro. To love and protect for as long as I live.”
She rolls her eyes at me because she’s heard it before. “We were kids, Tony.”
That’s true. I was nineteen when I made that promise to Caroline, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t mean it. I had already made a pledge to protect my country, and I meant that one too.
“And we’re divorced,” she continues, and I try not to wince at the matter-of-fact way she uses the word. “I released you from that vow seven years ago.”
I keep my face stoic, but the casual way she dismisses our vows is like a blade to the heart. Caroline begged me for a divorce. She begged me to set her free from the military life. I did it for her. I only ever wanted her to be happy. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to disregard my vows.
Caroline may have remarried, but I’ll only ever make that promise to one woman. I take my vows very seriously.
“A vow is a vow,” I tell her, earning another eye roll. “I’ll leave now if that’s what you want. But I will never stop protecting you, Caroline.”
“Like you protected our daughter?”
It’s a dig at the fact that Amy has recently hooked up with my best friend Leo. It’s a low blow and a real sticking point. I wince at her words, and Caroline’s expression immediately softens.
“I’m sorry, Tony. I know that’s not your fault.” She looks away, and when she looks back, all the anger has left her features. “I’m not thrilled at having a son-in-law that’s older than I am, but I’m getting used to the idea.”
I run my hand over my smooth head. Yeah, it’s been a lot to get used to, and to be honest, I’m not sure I’ve forgiven Leo yet either.
“You and me both.”
We share a rare moment of agreement, brought together, as always, by the love we share for our daughter.
“She is happy, isn’t she?” There’s a note of vulnerability in Caroline’s question. I know how much she misses Amy since she moved out here eighteen months ago.
I think about Amy. She’s always been a cheerful girl, but for the last few months since she’s been with Leo, she’s been glowing.
Whenever they’re together, they’re always laughing and sharing some private joke.
She moved out of my place and into his, and even though I hate the idea of my best friend having his hands on my little girl, I have to admit that they’re good together. They remind me of the early days with me and Caroline.
“Yeah,” I admit. “She’s happy.”
Caroline relaxes. “At least something good is happening in the world.”
It’s not like Caro to be so down, and I’m about to ask about it when her phone rings. She looks at the number and stifles a groan. I wonder if it’s Paul, and I have a sudden urge to throw the phone in the street.
“I got to take this.” She gives me a pointed look. “But this has to stop, or I will call the police.”
I give her a serious nod, like I’m going to obey. She answers the phone and immediately squeezes her eyes shut. I can’t hear what the person is saying, but it sounds like she’s getting chewed out.
She glances at me, her expression pained.
“You okay?” I mouth.
She covers the receiver and puts on a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“I’m fine. Just a customer.”
She walks across the road with the phone pressed firmly to her ear. Since when do customers make Caroline so tense?
I drive slowly away, watching Caroline in my rearview mirror. Once I’m out of her street, I drive to the nearest car rental.
If my ex-wife thinks I’m leaving her unprotected, then she doesn’t know me at all. She may have moved on, but when I make a promise, it’s forever.