Page 35 of Maliea's Hero
After being with Reid for the better part of the day, she could understand why Tish trusted him and would send her friend and that friend’s child to him for protection.
Reid appeared to be a man of grit, strength and integrity. A man she could trust.
Trust was something Maliea had a hard time giving, especially after the man who’d promised to love, honor and cherish her had cheated and had an affair with his Teacher’s Assistant while lying to his wife about his whereabouts and activities.
She didn’t even know why Reid had divorced his wife and left his daughter. Suddenly, knowing more about this man protecting her and her daughter seemed more important. How did she approach the subject?
Should she just ask him why he’d divorced his wife, or had it been the other way around?
Excuse me, Reid, did you get a divorce because you cheated on your wife?
Maliea shook her head. Too personal. The man was a bodyguard. What did it matter if he’d cheated on his wife? He wasn’t Maliea’s husband or even her boyfriend. All she should care about is that he kept her and Nani safe.
Still, she couldn’t help being curious about the ruggedly handsome man who had their lives in his hands.
Maliea sighed.
“Why the big sigh?” Reid asked.
She started, her cheeks heating. “A lot going through my mind.”
“Like what?” he asked.
“Crashes, break-ins, treasure hunters and lying cheaters,” she said and wished she hadn’t added the last.
Reid’s lips twitched. “Did you know he was cheating?”
“I had a suspicion, but I was too busy working and taking care of our home and our daughter to dig deeper or dwell on it.” Her lips twisted. “Turning a blind eye doesn’t make it go away.”
“True,” he said, staring at the road ahead. “I understand the part about being too busy to see the signs. I was too busy being deployed one mission after another to slow down long enough to see the signs. One day, I returned home, and she immediately asked me to sign divorce papers.”
Maliea’s heart dipped into her belly. “Wow. That’s harsh.”
“I was naïve enough to think all was okay while I was out fighting for our country.” He snorted softly. “I feel incredibly stupid that I didn’t see it coming. She remarried within a month after our divorce was final. Abby thinks of her new husband as her real daddy. I’m just her bonus daddy who takes her on vacation every so often.”
Maliea had started the conversation to get the answers she’d wanted. Now that she had them, she didn’t feel any better. She hurt for the man who’d been selflessly defending his country while his wife had been screwing around on him. The worst part was losing his daughter to another man.
“I’m sorry.”
Reid shrugged. “Don’t be. I should’ve been more attentive, provided more emotional support and been there for my daughter.”
“You were serving your country,” Maliea argued. “Surely, your ex-wife knew what she was signing on for.”
“I don’t think she really understood what it meant to be a military wife to someone in Special Operations and DEVGRU. We belonged to the Navy first, family second. She wanted to be first and found someone who could give her that.”
As they left Honolulu behind, Reid kept glancing into the rearview mirror.
Maliea looked over her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “That car behind us has been following us since we left your father’s apartment complex. Could be a coincidence.”
Maliea looked back again, making note of the dark sedan trailing them by several car lengths. “What can we do to make sure?”
After another brief glance in the rearview mirror, he said, “Look ahead at the map and find me a neighborhood with a few streets. I want to see if the car follows us through.”
Maliea opened her cell phone and brought up the map application. “There’s a neighborhood ahead on the left. Slow down to make the turn.”
Reid did as she suggested and turned onto a street leading into a neighborhood with around a dozen different streets crisscrossing each other.