Chapter Twenty
“She's gonna be alright,” Claire assures me, linking her arm with mine as we leave the daycare.
It's a good facility. Run by military personnel and apparently available twenty-four hours a day. They don't normally allow civilian kids, but today had been slow enough that they made an exception.
The amount of paperwork they'd wanted for a single afternoon had been insane though.
Vaccination records.
Emergency contacts.
A copy of Sophie's birth certificate.
Honestly, I was half expecting them to ask for a blood sample and my liver.
Now Sophie’s tucked away in the nursery and probably sleeping through my abandonment.
I’ve never left her with anyone but Brad before and it’s making me itchy.
I explain all this to Claire.
“It's alright,” she says. “When Angel was born, it took me forever to let anyone hold him. Let alone leave him with strangers.” She nudges my shoulder. “Besides, these are our finest.”
I laugh. “Somehow their weapons training is not reassuring.”
“It should be.” She says, like she’s speaking from experience.
“So where's Gemma?”
That earns a sigh. “That girl works like I used to paint.”
Grinning, I ask. “Naked?”
Claire smacks my arm. “I told you that in confidence.”
I burst out laughing. Then I spot the food truck parked across the path. My eyes widen.
“Tacos.”
Claire groans.
“I've had so many tacos this week I'm officially out of antacids.”
“Come on.” I grab her arm. “You can get a taco salad.”
“That's not a thing.”
Ignoring her resistance, I drag her toward the truck.
A few minutes later I'm ordering two smoked brisket tacos while Claire studies the menu like she's living a past life.
“What do you want?”
She squints up at the board. “I'll take a breakfast smoothie.”
The teenager behind the window blinks. “Ma'am, it's two in the afternoon.”
Claire doesn't miss a beat. “Please.”
The kid makes a face but gives me our total. I pay before he can change his mind, collect our food, and the two of us start wandering down one of the paved paths that cuts through the base.
Claire sips her smoothie while I attempt to eat a taco and walk at the same time.
Apparently I'm terrible at it.
“You dropped some.” Claire helpfully points out.
I glance down at the brisket currently decorating my napkin.
“Well, tacos aren't walking food.”
Claire shrugs. “Should've gotten a smoothie.”
“Or,” I counter, “they could've installed a bench.”
“Benches ruin the scenery.”
“I'd settle for steps at this point.”
By some miracle I manage to finish eating without wearing the rest of it. After throwing away the wrapper, I accept the bottle of water Claire's been carrying for me and chug half of it.
We resume walking, enjoying the sunshine.
The weather has finally started changing.
The suffocating summer heat is slowly giving way to something more tolerable, the breeze carrying just enough coolness to remind me that fall exists.
“When are you gonna make the move?” I ask, hoping she'll say a year.
“To Georgetown?”
I guess it would be too snarky to ask if she’s planning any other moves, so I settle on bobbing my head once.
“Next month.”
“Next month?” I practically yell before lowering my voice when several people glance our way. “Why so soon?”
Claire sighs out a breath. “To be honest, Minnie seemed a little... overwhelmed when I saw them. This whole thing is really affecting her and my son is...” She trails off before shaking her head.
I immediately change course. “You could also see Gemma more.”
The distraction works.
Claire smiles. “I could. If her new boss ever gives her leave.”
I tilt my head. “Wait. Gemma's a First Lieutenant, right?”
“Right.”
“So who's her boss? The General?”
Claire snorts. “No. Her immediate boss is the XO. He's a Major, I think.”
I blink. Major.
That's what Dominic's uncle had been.
Then again, most of my memories of him involve barbeques and family gatherings, not military ranks.
I don't remember him ever talking about commanding soldiers either.
No, the stories he told were always the funny ones. The stupid things recruits did. The time someone ate a bug or shat themself.
Things like that.
Dominic's uncle had been way too nice to stick one of his soldiers in a glorified closet and work them to death though.
“Do you...” I glance around suspiciously. “Want to check him out?”
“Bronwyn.” Claire's voice drops to a whisper. “We can't do that.”
“Why not?” I whisper back.
“Because Gemma would never forgive me.”
“She'd never know.”
Claire gives me a look. “She knew when I hid in the bushes on her first day of kindergarten.”
I raise an eyebrow.
Claire rolls her eyes.
“Have your daughter's first day of school and then get back to me.”
I begrudgingly concede that point.
“Fine. We won't go inside the building.” I gesture vaguely ahead of us. “But if we happen to walk by it...”
Claire thinks about it. “Yeah, that would be fine.” Then, in a much louder voice, she announces, “I'd love to see the building my daughter works in.”
“Me too,” I agree immediately.
The two of us casually change directions, like we’re being watched as conspirators or something.
Halfway there I realize barging into Gemma's office would've probably been a terrible idea.
It must already be hard enough for her, the last thing she needs is her mother and me showing up unannounced.
So instead we walk by.
Then we walk by again.
And somehow end up walking by a third time.
“It's nice stonework,” Claire comments.
“Very stone-like.”
“Extremely.”
We're walking again, when a loud yell cuts through the air.
I freeze.
It's instant. Every hair on my arms stands up and my heart stutters painfully in my chest.
That voice.
For a second the world seems to tilt beneath my feet. Recognition crashes into me so fast it steals the air from my lungs.
It can't be.
There is absolutely no reason for him to be here. No reason for me to be hearing that voice after all this time.
And yet my body already knows.
Before I've even turned around, before I've consciously placed it, every nerve ending in my body is screaming the same thing.
Dominic.
The reaction is so sudden I don't even realize I've stopped walking until Claire bumps into me from behind.
I stumble sideways, nearly taking her down with me.
“What's wrong?”
I don't answer immediately, too busy listening for his voice.
“Nothing.” I shake my head. “I thought I heard something.”
Claire follows my gaze. “Where?”
“Nothing,” I repeat.
Because it couldn't have been. Being on a military base is probably messing with my head.
Making me think about things I'd buried years ago.
Because the last thing I'd heard about him was that he was stationed in Germany, living his best life.
The one he dumped me for.
He wouldn't come back to Texas. Especially not this part of Texas. The man spent half his teenage years talking about getting the hell out of here.
“Let's go back,” I say, my mood suddenly sour.
Claire finally looks away from the building. “Why? What's the rush?”
I shrug. “We shouldn't barge into Gemma's work like this. I don't think she'd appreciate it.”
“Well, we don't have to go back.” Claire checks her phone. “They're screening that horror movie tonight. The one with the stalker lady.”
“Obsessed?” I ask, referring to the movie that had honestly creeped the hell out of me. Which is why I wanna see it again. “Wait. That came out in May, didn't it? Why are they streaming it now?”
Claire grins. “Halloween creepathon.”
I laugh. “Halloween is next week.”
“Exactly.”
“Fine. Let's do it. Maybe it'll be in 3D. I'd love to see the car scene in 3D.”
It is not, in fact, in 3D.
I still enjoy it nonetheless. Goes to show you don't need a billion-dollar budget to mess with people's heads.
When we finally walk out, I'm pleasantly full of popcorn and already regretting it.
“I am not looking forward to the drive home,” I groan, rubbing my stomach.
“Then stay,” Claire says like it's obvious.
I search her face for any sign she's joking. “Where exactly would I sleep?”
I technically have Sophie's travel bassinet in my trunk because that was on the mother’s guide to travelling with a baby, but Claire's sleeping on Gemma's couch and that thing barely looks big enough for one person.
“Gemma's been offering to get me a room in the family lodging on base,” Claire says. “I kept saying no because I wanted to spend time with her, but honestly? I barely see her anyway. She's always working.” She shrugs. “There are probably rooms with two beds.”
I bite my lip.
“And before you start feeling bad,” she continues, correctly reading my expression, “don't. Maybe a little distance would do us both some good.”
I open my mouth.
“Besides,” Claire adds before I can say anything, “there's a family and friends gathering tonight. I wasn't planning on going because it's mostly military people and I don't know anyone.”
I gape at her. “You? Not wanting to talk to strangers?”
Claire rolls her eyes. “I'm great with new people one-on-one. A room full of strangers is different.”
Hollowing my cheek, I think about the drive home.
I'm already tired and it's about the time Sophie usually wakes up. The drive home isn’t actually that long, barely thirty minutes but I’m not ready to be alone yet.
“Fine,” I grunt.
And it isn't a decision I regret.
Because these soldiers can party. And so can their spouses.
I'm suddenly understanding the need for a twenty-four-hour daycare because these people are wild. I guess they can afford to be.
While some are absolutely blitzed, others look stone-cold sober. Gemma explained earlier that some people are still technically on duty. She isn't, but she's not drinking anyway.
I am.
I've had two beers. Not enough to dance on a table. Enough that my tongue feels a little looser than usual.
“Why are you punishing yourself?”
Gemma looks up from her water.
Claire disappeared an hour ago after Gemma scored us connected rooms in the family lodging and declaring herself old. Since then it's just been the two of us sitting in a corner of Stem's Tavern.
“I'm not.” The answer comes quickly. Then she looks away. “Will you promise not to tell my mom?”
I immediately nod. “Sure.”
Gemma swallows. “I fucked up. I can't tell you why, army rules, but I messed up pretty bad. Bad enough that I almost got kicked out.”
“Fuck,” I breathe.
She nods. “My XO kind of took responsibility for me.” Her fingers tighten around her glass. “And I don’t wanna let him down.”
“Look,” I say carefully, “whatever happened, it couldn't have been as bad as you think if he decided you were worth keeping around.”
Gemma laughs softly. “Thanks for that.”
I wave her off and lift my empty bottle. “You want anything?”
She shakes her head with a smile. “I'll stick to water.”
“Suit yourself.”
I slide off the stool and make my way toward the bar.
The place is technically on base, but Gemma explained earlier that Stem's exists in its own little universe. As long as nobody starts throwing punches or passes out in a corner, people are generally left alone.
“Can I get a water?”
The bartender nods.
Instead of handing me a bottle, he fills a glass right in front of me and slides it across the counter.
I nod approvingly. Sustainability.
I'll do my part.
Grabbing the glass, I turn around and suddenly slam into someone.
Water splashes between us, onto my hands and his pants.
“Shit, fuck… I-”
The apology dies in my throat because the man standing in front of me is someone I've crashed into plenty of times before.
Usually naked. And with significantly fewer people around.
Like he can hear exactly where my thoughts went, his green eyes twinkle as he stares at me.
Like I'm a ghost.
“Dominic?” I whisper.
I don't feel it.
I don't even realize I've raised my hand until it connects with his face.
Thwack!