Love of a Marine (The Wounded Warriors Series Book 2) (36 page)

“So he’s happy about it.” Graciella glanced across the field where the men talked and laughed. Brawny Dwayne stood tallest, his trans-tibial metal and plastic prosthesis gleaming in the hot sun. Cluny reacted to something he said by punching him playfully then dodging back.

“Happy, yes. He told me later we might as well have all our kids, whatever he means by ‘all,’ and have done with it. Says it’ll be easier to do things as a family. Amber took it in stride. She knows she’s looking at several years of being Mom’s little helper, poor kid.”

“Yes, she informed Santos in a matter-of-fact way that men and women who love each other spend a lot of time trying to make babies after the children go to bed.” Graciella rolled her eyes and covered her mouth.

Lillian didn’t bother to mask her smile. “Lord a’mercy.”

Marla slapped her forehead. “Great goats! That child will say anything.” She took Declan. “You’re a jewel, Lillian. My son has been very content in your arms this afternoon. I may ask you to move in with us.”

“Think nothing of it, honey. I love babies, and I’m here every Saturday.” She got up and adjusted her dress. “I think Earl is ready to go.” She kissed Graciella’s cheek and went to meet her husband.

“They are the nicest people, Graciella. And they seem to have accepted Cluny without reservation.”

“Yes. What a relief that was. It makes life so much easier. I wasn’t sure how they’d feel about me being with another man. Or how Cluny behaves like a father to Santos.”

Marla stretched again. “I’m going to take Dec and walk home. Dempsey and Amber can catch up with me.” She lowered the canopy on the stroller and adjusted her wide sunhat. “We still on for dinner at our house on Wednesday?”

“Yes, we’ll be there. I’ll dream up dessert.”

“OK, but ice cream is always a hit in summer.”

“Thanks, I’ll bring ice cream.” Graciella waved good-bye to Marla and gathered her seat cushion and parasol. She covered her light olive skin with sunscreen and hid beneath the small umbrella most Saturday afternoons.

Cluny and Santos made their way across the diamond with two large bags to stow in the back of the Green Monster because the lock on the park equipment shed hadn’t been repaired.

Santos ran to her. “I’m gonna ride home with Macfearsome, Mama. We’ll put the gear in his garage then come to the apartment.”

Cluny reached for her. “I’d give you a hug with this kiss, but I’m too sweaty. Mind if I grab a change of clothes and shower at your place?”

“Of course not, amor, but you’ve got clean clothes in the apartment. I washed a pair of chinos and a couple of T-shirts the last time I did laundry.” She’d never confess she loved doing his laundry and folding his underwear. He already knew how much she enjoyed cooking for him.

“Great!” He kissed her cheek. “We’ll be right behind you. Come on, bud. Queen’s probably mad at me for leaving her home.”

“Why’d you leave her?”

“She’s got a sore foot. She stepped on a piece of glass when we were out running a couple of mornings ago. I left her home because she loves charging around like mad with the kids before the games.”

“Oh, guess what?” Graciella said. “Even though our complex has a no-pet policy, the lease allows for service animals. It’s illegal to exclude them. As long as she wears her vest when you bring her over, they can’t complain.”

“Well, whaddaya know? That saves a lot of sneaking around after dark, doesn’t it?” He closed the trunk. “We’ll be there shortly.” He put his hand on Santos’s shoulder and nudged him toward the passenger side. “Hop in, son.”

By the time her
men
arrived, she’d turned off the slow cooker and was preparing a Brazilian potato salad. Santos had set the table before they’d gone this morning. All that was left for her to do was squeeze fresh lemons for sweet lemonade. She’d just removed the lemons from the refrigerator when Cluny, Santos, and Queen bounded noisily through the front door.

“Honey, we’re ho-ome,” Cluny sang, even though they had a clear view of each other in the small apartment. He dropped his overnight kit on the hall table.

“Yes, I see that. Dinner is almost ready. You two hit the showers and make it quick.”

They stood at attention, saluted, and said in military unison, “Yes, ma’am.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head as they headed down the hallway. Santos loved to mimic Cluny’s gestures. Not that he did it consciously, but he’d even altered the way he walked. He idolized the man.

Tonight after Santos went to bed she’d have that long overdue talk with Cluny about Marvin’s infidelity. She’d mentally rehearsed what she’d say for the past couple of weeks. She couldn’t hold things back from him if the relationship was to move forward without avoidable bumps. He’d been open with her. She owed him the same measure of trust.

* * *

Graciella’s incredible story blindsided and stunned Cluny. Her facial expressions and body language said almost as much as her agonized words. Helpless in the face of her deep wounding, all he could think of was how much he hated that bastard, Marvin Jefferson. How much he wished the man was there in the room so he could beat the living shit out of him. He’d feel a whole lot better, but it was not what Graciella needed from him. She’d buried her feelings all these years for the sake of her son. The strength of her character left him awestruck.

He pulled her across his lap and stroked her back as she wept. Kissing her hair and forehead, he muttered, “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.” How any man could have disrespected this woman so callously was foreign to his senses, leaving him incapable of offering other words of comfort. Her pain was every bit as bad as his
paralyzed-and-helpless
nightmares.

“Promise me, amor.” She sobbed against his neck. “Promise me you will
never
say a word of this to Santos. He’d feel betrayed and brokenhearted.”

“Baby, I’d never do that to him. You know I wouldn’t.” He couldn’t imagine he could love his own biological children, if they ever had them, any more than he loved the wiry brown innocent asleep down the hall. “I love him. He’s my boy. He’s our boy.”

Graciella clutched him. Her sobs grew more savage. She raised her wretched face and kissed him. There wasn’t a hint of sexual passion in her kiss. It was a kiss of deep gratitude and relief. He rocked her from side to side and hummed softly. Slowly she calmed and expressed a deep sigh. Her steady breathing told him it was bedtime. Using all the strength he could muster in his legs, he managed to get to his feet while holding her.

“Cluny?”

“Yes, baby?” He was nearly to her bedroom door.

“Is it all right if you just hold me tonight?”

“Exactly what I had in mind.”

Wednesday evening, Dempsey’s home.

Graciella and Marla cleared the residue of dinner while Dwayne and Amber teamed up against Cluny and Santos in a game of hoops at the back of the garage. Their raucous shrieks of laughter echoed in the gloaming.

“I’m so glad you finally told him.”

“Yes, I am too. I can’t explain why it took me so long to work up my nerve. I trusted Cluny, but I couldn’t risk Santos learning the truth.”

They worked silently for several moments.

Marla closed the dishwasher door. “Declan is finally sleeping through the night. Can you imagine that little stinker taking so long? Some mornings Dwayne and I look like a couple of zombies at breakfast.”

Graciella relaxed. She was certain Marla had changed the subject to lift her spirits. “Enjoy your reprieve. You’ll only have it for about the next six months.”

“Oh, thanks for reminding me.” Marla’s voiced dripped sarcasm despite her grin.

The back screen door banged open. “Ice cream!” Amber then Santos shouted.

Graciella crossed her arms. “Step outside and re-enter this house when you can behave like a proper guest, Santos Jefferson.”

He hung his head and walked out. Amber giggled.

“You too, Miss Dempsey,” Graciella added.

Amber raised her eyebrows in surprise at Graciella’s order.

Marla pointed to the door. “You heard her. Scat.”

The moms exchanged a wry look. They nodded with approval when two contrite youngsters stepped politely inside. “That’s more like it.” Graciella pointed to the dessert bowls on the table. “Have a seat and I’ll dish it up.”

Dwayne stepped to the door. “May we come in, please, Sergeant Mom?”

Cluny nudged him. “Uh, I’d go easy on the Sergeant Mom stuff, Gunny. You’re about to ace me out of my ice cream.” He sat at the table and hummed with approval when Graciella heaped his dish. “Hey, Gunny, you remember Hot Stick don’t you?”

“Sure. What about him?”

“He’s in San Diego. I’d like to get down to see him. He’s thinking of retiring next year. You don’t mind doing the coaching Saturday without me, do you?”

Dwayne smirked. “No, Chief and I’ll try to handle it. When are you leaving?”

“The early train out of Simi Friday morning. He’ll pick me up at Oceanside. He called Beachy. The three of us will go to the Camp Pendleton Iron Dog Trials on Saturday. I’ll spend Saturday night in San Diego, and she’ll give me a lift home on Sunday on her way to the Bay Area to meet up with her parents for a family wedding.”

A cold knot formed in Graciella’s chest. “I didn’t know you’d be gone for the weekend.”

Marla tried to hide her jarred reaction to Cluny’s announcement by concentrating on her ice cream, but Graciella had caught her eye before she looked away.

Oblivious to the stiffness in her question, Cluny shrugged. “Did we have something planned that I forgot about? I can cancel. It was just a lucky chance to catch two old friends in the same place on the same weekend.”

Graciella slowed her breathing. She would not overreact. It sounded innocent enough. “Um, who is Hot Stick? And what kind of a name is that?”

“He’s a close-air-ground-support A-10 pilot. We met him in Iraq after he saved our, a…uh, our squad one day when we got surrounded by hostiles outside the FOB wire. Those pilots and their warthogs are amazingly skilled at getting ground troops out of tight spots. He got the nickname Hot Stick during the Afghanistan war. He’s what? About forty or so, Dwayne?”

“Has to be. I’m sure he’s already put in twenty.”

Marla put her spoon down. “Outside the FOB wire?”

Dwayne raised his eyebrows and eyed Santos and Amber who were all ears. “You kids finished with your ice cream? How about leashing up DD and Queen and taking a walk to the corner? If there’re any free Spring Grove papers left in the box, you can bring me one.”

Amber pouted. “Do we have to?”

“Yes.”

“Put on your hoodies,” Marla added. The adults remained silent until the kids had gone out and closed the door. “Sorry, I know better than to ask questions about Iraq in front of Amber.”

“That’s OK, honey. Outside the wire means the danger zones beyond the perimeter of the forward operating base. We got in a firefight one day and we called for air support. Hot Stick to the rescue. The Warthog is one ugly airplane, but it flies close to the ground and their firepower is super accurate. He’s one of the best.”

Graciella was unable to shake herself loose from the fact that Cluny was planning to see Misty Beachy and spend Saturday night in San Diego. “Does, uh, Misty know him?”

“Yeah, they met a couple of times in debrief sessions over there.” Cluny squinted at Dwayne. “Do you remember when she met him?”

“Not exactly, no. As I recall, they didn’t like each other much.”

Graciella reached across the table and took their empty bowls. “I’ll put these in the dishwasher, Marla. We should probably be getting home as soon as Amber and Santos return.”

The men got up from the table and wandered out to the front porch. Marla joined Graciella at the sink. “Are you all right?”

“I’ll be OK. He took me off guard. I’m trying, Marla. I’m trying.”

“You don’t need to worry about him. They’re just warriors with something in common. They like to catch up and reminisce every once in a while, that’s all.”

It was that
something in common
that tore at Graciella.

Around midnight, Graciella’s apartment

“What are you doing?” Graciella sat up and tugged the sheet to cover her chest.

“I’m heading home. I have to be in early in the morning so I can get Chief set for tomorrow and Friday. The bid I gave for the job in Valencia needs some explanation, on the chance he gets a phone call from the developer. He can always call me, but I want to make sure he’s up to speed on the specs, terms, and conditions.”

“You can’t stay the night?” She hated the plaintive note in her voice. “I mean, I won’t see you again until next week.”

He sat on the side of the bed and tied his shoes. “I’d like to stay, but it isn’t practical, baby. I have a shitload of paperwork to go through. I haven’t been in for days.” He leaned across the bed and kissed her. “I’ll call when I get back on Sunday. Let’s plan a date for just the two of us next week.” His fingers trailed down her neck and across her breast. “Oh man, I’ll miss this.”

But not enough to stay.

She put a smile on her face. “And I’ll miss you, amor.”

He gave her a husbandly peck on the cheek and slapped his knee. “Come, Queen. I’ll lock the door. Tell Santos good-bye for me. I’ll see you in a few.” He opened the bedroom door and they slipped out.

Was it her imagination, or couldn’t he get out of there fast enough?

CHAPTER THIRTY

Thursday, Rio Samba

Graciella stretched her back and tightened her ponytail. “We got so much done this morning we won’t need more than an hour after lunch.”

“I’m pooped.” Santos sat on the floor. “I’m hungry too.”

She poked his leg with her toe. “You’re always hungry. I’m still trying to figure out which of your legs is hollow.” She carried the dust mop to the corner. “Tell you what. Go to the deli, order us a sandwich, and see if you can get that nice table by the window. I have a couple of things to do here, and then I’ll join you in about fifteen minutes.” She handed him enough money to pay for lunch.