Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge) (21 page)

“That was the plan.”
She brushed the sand from her hands. “Well, it was nice talking to you. Maybe
I’ll see ya around.”

“I kind of worked up a
hunger in the last few hours. Why don’t we grab something to eat?”

She stalled, looking
as if she didn’t believe
him.

“You like Italian?”

She nodded. He rose to
his feet, and her gaze followed him up, her eyes rounding. He stood at least
twelve inches taller than her little frame.
“Really?
Because I’m
starving.
I might be small, but I eat like a horse.”

“Tony Bale,”
he said, holding his hand out to her.

Her smile was so
bright it could shatter street lights. “Coady Ashburn.”

He laughed and she
grinned back at him. She was really cute and honest, and he knew as he guided
her toward his car there was no way he would ta
ke her
to bed, but maybe this was the new him. Maybe he should try to make friends and
get to know a girl instead of wanting to see her without her clothes first. If
he needed to get laid, he always knew where to go, but right now, he just
needed a friend,
and maybe she did too.

As he opened the door,
she asked, “So, are you going to tell me why you looked so glum?”

He paused and thought
about how you explain something as confusing as being in love with your best
friend’s girl, and still be able to help the
m find
their happiness. He shrugged. “I helped a couple friends cross a milestone. I’m
happy for them, actually.”

She seemed to read his
face and knew he wasn’t confessing all. “Then you’re a good friend.”

He breathed in deeply.
“I guess.” They stood only
inches from each other and
of course his body went into stud mode, but he curbed it. “How old are you,
Coady?”

“Twenty-three.”

He was twenty-nine,
but those were big years, when life changed a lot. The twenties were like dog
years. You shed your skin from
your teens, and found
a new skin that fit. Coady was a young girl, with peach-colored skin and new
eyes looking at a world of possibilities. He wasn’t that much of a dick that
he’d take advantage of her. Thinking about the guy that ditched her, she was pro
bably lucky. “I hear ‘The Hobbit’ is pretty good.
You seen
it?”

“No,” she shook her
thick locks, “but I want to.”

A sweet young thing
like her deserved a sweet date to remember, and he’d leave her on her doorstep
with a chaste kiss. “Then let’s do it.”

She
nodded enthusiastically.

He rounded the car,
and took a last look at the surf. Its song called to every SEAL. The sea was an
orchestra of movement and sound, able to change from thunder to a gentle swell.
His life was surrounded by the thunder of war.
Maybe
it was time for calmer waters. Mace had found a siren who kept him from the
rocks. Maybe he deserved one too.

Chapter Thirteen

Gabbs and Kelsey
tumbled around like a pen full of puppies. “Gabriella, calm down,” Nina called
out.

Gabbs tossed her
head back and a big smile lit her face. She ran up and
gripped the stroller, looking in at Adam. “Adam’s sleeping,” she said, putting
her finger to her lips.

“He sleeps like Uncle
Thane, don’t worry about waking him up, sweetie,” Kayla said with a grin, a
nd leaned against Nina’s shoulder. “He eats like him too.”

Marg jogged up and
waved a book at them.
“Finally.
It took three weeks for this book to
come in. I was afraid we’d move before it decided to show up.”

“How’s the packing?”
Nina asked, strolling bes
ide the girls.

Marg curled her lip in
disgust.
“Getting there.
I hate moving. It’s good motivation for
a garage sale, which by the way you guys are helping me with this Saturday.”

Kayla took a quick
peek at Adam. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to br
ing some stuff over. I’ve got to lighten the load too.
Thane and I have to figure out what we’re going to take to Hawaii and store the
rest.”

“Are you selling your
place, Kayla?” Nina asked
,
keeping one eye on Gabbs.

“Nope.
Think I’ll keep it and sub-let.”

“You realize I hate
you both for moving away from me,” Nina teased.

Gabbs and Kelsey
chased each other around a bank of seats along the Seaport Village walkway. The
late September sun felt good on her shoulders, and although her friends were
moving away,
she had all sorts of wonderful things to
look forward to. Gabbs loved her new school, Kayla and Ghost’s wedding was set
for December, and the Shark was fish bait. Although Mace didn’t live with them,
he was always around. Life was good. “Are the girls movi
ng with you to Hawaii?” she asked Marg.

“Kelsey of course, and
Rayanne is coming, but Cindy’s already been accepted into Cal State.”

Nina nodded in
understanding. “No worries, she can always come to me if she needs anything.”

“Thanks, Nina. I
really apprec
iate that. I know I have to let her go,
but it’s hard.
Worse for Pat
actually.
He’s been in a bad mood ever since she announced she
wasn’t coming. But Hawaii isn’t far by plane.” She paused. “And easy to get
back here for a wedding,” Marg teased.

“You mean
Kayla’s?” Nina said, blinking.

Marg’s head bobbed
toward Kayla, and they grinned at her.
“Yours, Nina.”

“Uh, well.” Being a
redhead sucked, and there was no way to hide the blush. “Hard to have a wedding
if a man doesn’t ask you to marry him. I think he’s
still miffed at me for moving out of the apartment. Gabbs needs a backyard and
time to get accustomed to everything.”

Gabbs ran up and
grabbed her hand. “Mommy, that man is staring at you.”

They all looked up to
where Gabbs pointed.

Nina’s heart stuttered
to a standstill. A flood of tourists flowed around him,
parting like the red sea. Their eyes locked.
Oh
my God!
Lieutenant
Wade Cayson gazed at her. She hadn’t seen him in eight, correction, almost nine
years.

Standing straight,
tall and broad-shouldered
in his white officer’s
uniform, he was the image of perfection, and hadn’t changed one bit. She’d only
been twenty-one years old when the handsome officer made her heart flutter.
She’d touched all that perfection under the clothes for an entire hot, sensua
l week. Wade began to walk toward them, and no matter how
much she hoped
,
vaporizing wasn’t going to happen.

“That’s a tall,
handsome drink of water,” Marg commented.

Kayla remained silent.

Wade stopped in front
of them. “Nina, it’s good to see you.” Green
eyes
flecked with brown and gold swayed from her face to Kayla and then Marg.
“Ladies.” He tipped his head.

Gabbs’ little hand
grabbed Nina’s belt.
Get your brain out of park
. “Wade, this is a surprise.”

“What are you doing
here in the States?” he asked,
his gaze dropping to
Gabriella.
Normally
Gabbs drove her crazy being far too friendly with everyone, but she stepped
behind her and tucked close, looking up at the man leaning over. He crouched,
seeing her shy away. “Hi, what’s your name?”

She pulled a swa
th of red curls away from her cheek. “Mom calls me Gabbs,
but my real name is Gabriella,” she said, then tugged on her belt.
“Mom?”

“I like that name.” He
remained kneeling and looked up at her. “My mother’s name,” Wade said, and held
out his hand. “My nam
e’s Wade.” Gabbs began to reach
her hand out when she saw Kelsey had the attention of a wandering performer
with a fist full of balloons.

“Kelsey,” she yelled
at the top of her lungs, forgetting all about Wade, and ran full-tilt down the
walkway.

Kayla
made a split-second evaluation. “Excuse us,” she said,
nodding at Wade, and gave the stroller a push. Marg followed, but lobbed a
quick look over her shoulder, and a questioning pop of her brow.

Wade rose to stand at
a lofty six-two. A lean, clean-cut offi
cer with a
jawline now angled in question at her. “What are you doing here, Nina?” His
gaze wandered to her lips as if he remembered their quick but extremely hot
affair.

“I live here and work
at NAB Command.”

“Really?”
A slow smile crept across his lips.
“That’s good to know. I just started a new position here on
the base.”

Nina bit the inside of
her cheek. “I—I guess we should talk sometime. Right now, I have to go.”

Wade swiveled and gave
a short nod in Gabbs’ direction. “Husband?” he asked.

She regulate
d her breathing and internally choked the shit out of her
heart. “No.” Keep it short, she thought. She needed to think this out first.

Wade dipped his chin.
“Your daughter is beautiful. How old is she?”

Nina chanced a look at
the girls.
Get your god damn a
ss over here and rescue me, Kayla.
She sent the mind meld message, hoping
to God her friend’s spidey sense was still on alert. She almost sighed aloud
when Kayla took a step toward her.

“I really have to go.
We have reservations for lunch.”

“Mom, let’s go,
” Gabbs bounced up and grabbed her hand, pulling on it.
Wade’s eyes were pinned on her daughter.

“You look—good, Nina.
I’ll call you.”

“Bye, Wade.” She
stared at the ground, fussing with her lip instead of watching his departure.

“Gabbs, why don’t you
go
tell Kelsey we’re going to Skippers for lunch?”
Kayla suggested.

“By the look on your
face, I’m not sure I should ask who he is,” Marg said with concern as she
joined them.

Kayla offered a small
nod. “It’s okay. This isn’t the end of the world,” she said r
eassuring her.

“I’m really at a loss
here,” Marg said, draping an arm across Nina’s shoulders. “What’s going on? I
mean if it’s none of my business just tell me.”

Nina’s mind overloaded
with uncertainty. Kayla was right.
Nothing
to worry about.
All was wel
l. Wasn’t it?

Kayla took her hand
and folded it in both of hers. “I never saw him in person, but from Nina’s
description, I think we just met Gabriella’s father.”

She couldn’t look up,
staring at the pavement seemed like a better place to ponder, but she n
odded her head slowly.

“We need a drink,”
Marg said quickly. “Except you, Kayla, you get milk.”

* * * *

Adam woke up and
voiced his hunger like his father: loud and clear. Kayla wasn’t comfortable
with “in public” feeding even with a modesty shawl, so sh
e took Adam to the bathroom.

“
Gabbs,
settle down,” Nina barked at her daughter.

Gabbs blinked and
lowered her head with a pout. Kelsey looked up to Gabriella’s elderly three
year difference and copied her sad expression.

“Here, Gabriella. Why
don’t you and Kelsey figure out what you want for lunch,
then
do a little coloring?” Marg suggested, putting three
crayons and a table mat with an outlined cartoon in front of them.

A numb, uncomfortable
feeling crept down Nina’s spin
e. Was this shock? Marg
pushed a tall pint of beer in front of her,
then
folded her arms on the table. “Rayanne
is home. She’ll babysit. We’re going out to Breakers to have a few more of
these, but for now, down that.”

Nina punched the
entire beer back in
one slug. When Kayla came back,
Adam was mollified and looking sleepy again. She settled him in the stroller
and sat down.

“Change of plans,”
Marg announced. “We’re getting take-out, and your phone went off five times in
the ten minutes you were gone. Call
him back before
he calls out the teams.” Marg pushed the phone toward her.

“Thane has to learn
some trust,” Kayla said, then wrinkled her nose at the glass of milk pushed in
her direction behind the phone.

“Good luck on that,
and look who’s talkin’.” Marg
laughed.

Kayla picked up the
menu and stared over the top. “Nina, stop freaking out,” she said sternly.

Nausea?
She felt like she wanted to hurl. Maybe
she’d drunk the beer too quickly.
Cold
beer.
Hot stomach.
Not good. Did Kayla say something?
“What?”

“I
said,” Kayla leaned over and gave her the boss lady look.
“Stop freaking out.”

“Right.”
She straightened up and shook off some
crazy thoughts pirouetting in her mind. The worst one was how to tell Mace.
Should she tell him?

“No, you’re not going
to tell M
ace,” Kayla warned in a low voice.

“How the hell do you
do that?” Nina griped.

“Observation
and deduction, Watson.”

“Maybe we should keep
this on the down low until we get to Breakers,” Marg suggested.

Gabbs was explaining
the menu choices to Kelsey, and t
hey decided they’d
both have shrimp and potato salad. Her daughter was too smart to try to have a
subversive conversation. “I think you’re right, Marg. Let’s get out of here.”

Within thirty minutes
they’d grabbed the girls, some food and settled them at Ma
rg’s place, appointing Rayanne as babysitter.

Kayla’s phone went off
for the tenth time, and she answered it as they walked out the front door.
“We’re going to Breakers for a few.” Pause. “No, not me, I can’t drink, you
know that.” Pause. “He’s fine, Thane
. Rayanne is
babysitting.” Pause. “No, you don’t. Stay at work. I’ll only be three minutes
away.” She sighed. “Fine, come and get him.” Kayla rolled her eyes. “Let’s go,
ladies.”

Breakers
was
nearly empty with the lunch crowd come and gone. They situated t
hemselves far away from any other customers, who happened
to be another group of women. Marg waved and stopped to say hello.