Page 31 of Healing Home
Chapter 8
Lincoln was joltedfrom a dead sleep less than two hours after he’d carried BB to bed. The alarm on his phone tightened his gut. That was a team notification.
Trying not to wake BB, he stepped out of bed and picked up his phone. The message was short and to the point. Get your ass to base. Emergency Response.
Fuck…
Lincoln looked at the woman in his bed.
She’d sat up and in the light from the bathroom he could see her eyes were wide with fright.
“I’m sorry, baby, but I have to go. That was our emergency call in, and it must be something big if they’re tapping us. We’re supposed to be on leave this week.”
She left the bed and crossed the room to him, snatching up a t-shirt and a pair of panties from her bag. “What do you need me to do?”
More than anything, that one sentence tightened his throat with appreciation. She could have bitched or moaned— he’d expected both— but instead she was asking him what he needed. He cleared his throat. “I think there’s a stack of underthings in the dryer, still. Can you get those for me?”
As he began gather his gear he watched her walk out of the room. For the first time in years, he regretted having the job he did. If he had his choice he would stay with her.
There was so much they hadn’t said to each other.
But maybe this was good. Rather than a lingering goodbye, it would be quick and precise. Neither one of them had said anything about the future, so even though he felt like they could build something, maybe it was better she see exactly how life was in the Navy. The deployments and the uncertainty. He had no idea where he was going or what he was doing, but he knew he would be in danger.
When she came back she had a stack of folded underwear in her arms and all of his socks had been paired. He stared at the items for a long moment. No one had ever done that for him. Normally, he just shoved everything in the bag and dug out what he needed as he needed it.
“Thank you,” he told her, voice rough.
Then, because he couldn’t help himself, he tugged her to him for a kiss. “I’m sorry I have to go now. I want to thank you for everything you’ve done. It’s been the best homecoming I’ve ever had.”
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” she told him, her own voice sounding tight. In the light of the bedside lamp he thought he could see tears in her eyes.
There was a ticking clock in his head. He needed to get to base, but he was seriously dragging ass. How much worse it must be for the guys with legitimate families, kids and wives. Trying to explain to a child why daddy had to leave had to be one of the hardest things imaginable.
Crossing to the gun safe he keyed in the code and drew out what he needed. He check the clip in his sidearm and made sure he had all his mags. Then he shoved several knives into sheaths positioned across his body.
BB seemed daunted when he stood before her completely kitted out, but she still stepped forward to lean up on tiptoe and press a kiss to his lips. “I want you to be safe, Lincoln Bezel.”
His breath stalled in his lungs as he waited for more, but she just stopped there. “I will, BB. You be safe going home, okay? Thank you so much for being here for me this week.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said, tears filling her eyes again. Then, in spite of everything he wore she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a fierce hug, just like she had when he’d first met her. Lincoln held her as long as he dared before he pulled away. “I have to go.”
Frankie plopped down in front of him, blocking his way, and he took a second to lean down and pet her. “You take care of your mama, now, Frankie.” He scratched her ear like he learned she liked, then stood and headed for the door.
Walking away from BB was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do, but he made himself move his legs. By sheer strength of will he forced himself away from her and walked to the truck. But when he looked into his rearview mirror as he drove away and saw her last wave, tears actually filled his eyes.
* * *
Frankie’s headwas cocked and she let out a little whine, like she couldn’t believe Link had just walked away from them. “I know, sweetie,” BB murmured, kneeling down to hold her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as well, and her heart was legit breaking. The thought of him walking or running into danger terrified her. How had Mary survived twenty years of this?
BB went back into the house and began to wander through the rooms. Then she headed back into his bedroom and crawled back into bed. There was no way she was going to sleep, but maybe if she closed her eyes she could imagine that the warmth in the bed was Lincoln behind her.
When she didn’t hear from him for eight hours, she assumed he was gone. Flying somewhere dangerous. She hadn’t been able to sleep last night worrying about what he was doing.
Then she’d turned on the TV. That had been the exact wrong thing to do.
There was a hostage situation in Afghanistan. Normally, that was an everyday occurrence, but this time the Taliban had carried out a synchronized assault, kidnapping almost seventy-five officials, their families and military leaders all across the country. Ten had already been murdered and left in the streets. BB had thought that they were involved in peace talks with the Afghanistan government and US forces, but obviously something had seriously broken down.
As she looked at the footage on the news, the reality of what Lincoln did hit her hard. It was so far out of her normal, day to day life that it was hard to swallow that there was this kind of danger so close to someone she cared about.