A Soldier Finds His Way (18 page)

Edward leaned forward and draped an elbow over the front seat. “Hey, George, I don’t suppose you know where I can get a bunch of flowers, do you?”

The driver looked at him through the rearview mirror. “Going to see your girl?”

My girl? The idea sounded nice. “Something like that.”

George smiled and nodded. “Sure. I know a place.”

Minutes later they were perusing flowers at a roadside stand.

* * * *

Audra stood at the living room window with a view of the long, empty driveway. No sign of Edward. The room buzzed with chatter as Hank reacquainted himself with the family. They embraced him with warmth and acceptance as a welcome friend. Kyle introduced Hank to his wife, Sarah, their two sons, and infant daughter.

Dad entered the room and clapped a few times. Everyone turned to look. “Come on, everybody, let’s eat.”

Audra lagged behind as the others left the room and stayed at the window until the last minute. Maybe Edward was running late, or had a flat tire. Or worse, wasn’t coming at all.

She took a deep, cleansing breath and turned away. Ducking into the hall bathroom for a moment, she checked herself in full-length mirror on the back of the door. Her go-to dress, the one she wore when she wanted to look her best, flattered her figure with its simple lines. Vanessa once told her the fabric’s shade of blue made her eyes sparkle. She pushed her shoulders back and went to the dining room. Her father bowed his head and asked the blessing.

Dad sat at the head of the table with Mom to his left. Audra, at the opposite end of the table from her mother, glanced at the empty chair to her left, hoping it wouldn’t be empty for long. Across from her, Hank sat between the twins. Robin seemed to have a crush on Hank. She hung on his every word and giggled when nothing in particular was funny.

Serving dishes made their way around the table. Audra took a polite spoonful of this and that and pushed it around her plate with her fork while everyone else helped themselves to generous portions and ate with hearty appetites. Clusters of conversations started. Dad talked about work, Vanessa talked about homeschooling Zoe, and the twins rambled about high-school nonsense with Hank. Audra tuned them out, put on a social smile, and nodded when she deemed it appropriate.

* * * *

The taxi turned onto the Lorenzo driveway and made its way to a line of cars parked by the side of the house.

Edward spotted Hank’s vehicle and pointed. “Pull over behind the Jeep.” He got out, grabbed his bags and set the bouquet of flowers on top of them. He leaned in the passenger side window with his wallet in his hand. “How much do I owe you, George?”

The silver-haired man shook his head. “How much do I owe you,
soldier?” With a gentle touch, he pushed Edward’s wallet back toward him. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to be of some small service to a man in uniform. Happy Easter, Lieutenant.”

The cabbie locked hands with Edward, bid him good-bye, then made a U-turn and left.

Edward tossed his bags on the hood of the Jeep and went toward the front of the house with flowers in hand. He climbed the porch steps and stood at the front door. His finger hovered over the doorbell for a few seconds before dropping his hand to his side. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. He gave a quick look around. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He rang the bell.

* * * *

Audra drew a sharp breath and rose quickly. “Edward.”

“Edward?” The name bounced around the table as Audra sprang out of her chair and hurried to the foyer.

Audra paused at the door. Could Edward actually be on the other side? Her trembling hand reached for the doorknob. As the door opened, a light breeze danced in, carrying with it the scent of lilies.

The man who came to her in her dreams and filled her thoughts by day stood behind a large bouquet of beautiful flowers. Edward. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, but it couldn’t hold back the choking sob that came from somewhere deep inside her. Her tears could not be held back. They overpowered and rendered her unable to perform the simple act of reaching for the gift he held out to her.

Edward stepped inside and set the bouquet on the side table.

Their eyes remained locked on one another’s. Tears coursed down her cheeks without restraint. She thrust herself into his arms and wrapped hers firmly around his neck.

His hold on her was tight, almost too tight.

She didn’t complain.

His face pressed against her hair and dropped down to nuzzle her neck.

She couldn’t tell if it was a kiss or the warmth of his breath that brushed below her ear. “I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

“I’m here.” He loosened his grip and started to pull back.

She held him in a tight grip. “Not yet.”

Edward squeezed her close once again.

Edward breathed Audra’s feminine scent. Perfume, shampoo? Inherently female, whatever it was. Her body relaxed against his with palpable contentment. Her warm hand rested on the nape of his neck. Soft, gentle, comforting. Heat spread down his shoulders and arms, releasing tension from his rigid muscles. The knot of apprehension that had twisted his insides moments ago vanished.

The intensity of her greeting was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Sooner or later he’d have to let go of her. He chose later. This was more than a fleeting sensual feeling. This was uncharted emotional territory. A switch had been thrown that wouldn’t easily be turned off. As tightly as Audra held him, she had to be feeling the same thing.

Zoe sniffled in the hall a few feet from Audra’s back. The woman standing next to Zoe could only be her mother, Vanessa. Same color hair, same springy curls.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Vanessa said, her eyes moist. “But, I have a little girl here who may very well explode if she doesn’t get to say hello to a certain soldier right away.”

Edward eased his hold on Audra.

Zoe wedged herself between them and started climbing up Edward before he lifted her into his arms.

He let her cry a minute or so and stroked her hair. “Shh. Calm down so you can introduce me to your mom. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded and Edward set her down.

Zoe performed tearful introductions.

Edward offered his hand, but Vanessa hugged him and wept into his ear, wetting his shirt. “Thank you for saving my baby. Thank you.” The rest of what she said was a garbled bunch of words interspersed with bawling.

What was he supposed to say in response to such profuse thanking? You’re welcome? My pleasure? Understanding women wasn’t easy. All this crying was unnerving.

A short hallway lay beyond Vanessa’s shoulder. How many more women were inside, and were they all going to fawn over him like this? He hoped not.

Vanessa backed away and blotted her cheeks with the edge of her sleeve. She took Zoe’s hand and looked at Audra. “The family is waiting for a glimpse of Edward.” She turned to him. “And, I’m sure you’re famished by now.” Her gaze fell upon the flowers that lay on the side table. “I thought I smelled Stargazers.”

Vanessa and Zoe headed back down the hall.

“Stargazers?” Edward touched a stem that poked through the bottom of the tissue wrapping. “Is that what they’re called?”

Audra picked up the bouquet and drew a deep breath. “Yes, Stargazer lilies. My favorite. How could you have possibly known that?”

“I didn’t. I just looked for the prettiest thing I could find in pink, your favorite color. That, I did know.”

She cradled the lilies in the crook of her arm. “Come, let’s get something to eat. After all, it was an invitation for lunch, wasn’t it?”

He followed her toward the dining room.

Audra’s heels clicked a rhythm on the tile floor, and her hips swayed with graceful, fluid movements. He couldn’t help but smile. This was way nicer than walking behind a guy.

She cast an over-the-shoulder look at him. “There’s my parents now.”

Joe and Josie met them in the hallway outside the dining room.

Joe stepped forward, right hand extended. “Joe Lorenzo. Welcome.” Joe pumped Edward’s hand and stepped in for a backslapping hug. “
Non riesco a trovare abbastanza parole per dire grazie.
”

“Dad, English,” Audra said. She smiled at Edward. “He goes back to Italian when he gets a little emotional.”

Josie spoke up. “Joe is trying to say that he can’t find enough words to say thank you.” She kissed Edward on both cheeks. “I’m glad you’re here, Edward, very glad indeed. I’m Audra’s mother, Josie.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzo.”

“No, no,” Joe said. “Call us Joe and Josie, please.” He led the way into the dining room.

Edward followed with Audra beside him.

“Everybody,” Joe said, “I’d like to introduce you to Edward Giordano. Please, let’s give him some space and let him join us at the table for a bite to eat. Later, you can all get acquainted with him.”

Edward flipped a hand of greeting to those at the table.

One twin whispered rather loudly to the other, “Oh my gosh, is he cute. He can rescue me any day of the week and twice on Sunday.”

Joe issued a sharp rebuke with his eyes.

Audra looked at Edward with a shake of her head. “Whispering is not one of their strong points.”

He hung his head and stifled a laugh.

Audra handed her mother the bouquet, then took Edward’s arm and led him to the chair she’d reserved for him.

Before he sat, he reached across the table and shook Hank’s hand.

“About time you got here.” Hank grinned. “I thought I was going to have to make good on a few promises.”

“Like hunting me down and breaking my neck if I didn’t show up?”

Audra and the twins laughed.

Josie set a plate of food in front of Edward. “Here, I fixed a plate to get you started. Enjoy.” She stood behind him and patted his shoulders.

He looked up and thanked her before she left.

The twins stared across the table at him.

“Friends of yours, Hank?”

“Rachael and Robin. Don’t ask me which is which, ’cuz I can’t tell the difference.” Hank laughed.

“I’m Robin,” the twin on Hank’s right said, jutting her chin out a bit. Her voice carried an air of confidence.

The other twin’s body language told a different story. She averted her eyes from him for a moment and blushed.

“Got it. Robin, Rachael.” He pointed at each as he said their names.

He picked up his fork and took the first taste of his meal. The food was excellent. Nothing like army chow or fast food. Each bite tasted better than the last. Once he started, he found he was ravenous. He turned to Audra. “This has got to be the best meal I’ve ever had. I’m not exaggerating.”

She smiled. “I’m glad you like it. My father is a chef, and my mother is an excellent cook. It’s what they do for a living. I’ll show you around later and tell you about the family business.” Her manicured hand rested on his forearm. “I made your favorite dessert for later. Chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting.”

“How did you—”

“I called Hank, of course.” She tilted her head to one side and smiled sweetly. “I wanted to do everything I could to make sure you enjoyed your visit.”

Man, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Those eyes. He leaned closer to her. “I’d say it’s off to a good start.”

* * * *

After lunch, Audra introduced Edward to the rest of the family. The children scampered off to the basement to play games and the adults retreated to the living room for coffee. Edward sat on the love seat with Audra. She sat close, nearly touching. Not that there wasn’t enough room on her other side. There was.

The barrage of questions began with Robin. “How long have you been in the army?”

“Eight years.” He expected the next question to come from Rachael.

“So, ah, how old are you?” She dropped her gaze to her lap as if embarrassed to have said anything at all.

He was right. She followed Robin’s lead.

“I’m twenty-five.”

“What’s it like to be in Special Forces?” Robin held her head high and sat straight with her shoulders pulled back.

“It’s special.” Edward bit his lip and tried not to laugh. If they were expecting a lengthy explanation, they were out of luck.

Rachael raised sheepish eyes. “H-Have you ever been shot?”

“Rachael!” Josie shook her head. “Edward, I’m sorry. These girls—”

“It’s all right, Mrs. Lor—Josie. I don’t mind. No, I’ve never been shot.”

“Are you married?” Robin’s straightforwardness made Edward laugh.

“Robin.” Joe threw a stern look her way.

Edward answered anyway. “No, I’m not married.”

On the couch, to Edward’s left, Vanessa sat on the edge of the cushion. “Edward, I was wondering if you could—” She wet her lips and fidgeted with her hands.

He’d seen it coming. Questions about the day of the accident. The need for a blow-by-blow from the horse’s mouth.

From the basement, children’s playful screams and Zoe’s laughter broke the momentary silence. A sob shook Vanessa. “Tell me about it.”

Vanessa had come close to losing her only child and Edward deemed it only right for her to hear the details. He scooted forward on the couch cushion and spoke to her as if she were the only one in the room. “The cabin is situated in a canyon with two large hills on each side and a narrow river between. Winds out of the north funneled through that day, making mournful, howling sounds like an animal in distress. The snow was as thick as I’d ever seen.” He sipped his coffee and placed the cup on the end table.

“Cricket had gotten used to the noise of the storm and had settled down. All of a sudden, though, she jumped up and started pacing and looking around, whining. I stopped what I was doing and listened hard. Certain sounds seemed out of place. Cricket wanted out, so I bundled up and followed her outside and down to the river.”

All eyes were riveted on him.

Josie reached for Joe’s hand without looking.

Edward turned back to Vanessa and tuned everyone else out.

“I saw the car right away, on its side, halfway through the ice, driver’s side up. As I ran toward the car, I looked up to the road from where it had fallen and saw the rockslide. Huge boulders were piled up and a stretch of guardrail was broken and bent out over the edge.”