Page 23 of Under the Radar
She stood erect and paced while she read. “How the heck did you repeatedly flunk art in elementary school?” Giving him a sideways glance, she turned the page, and stopped short. “Oh my—you have a daughter?”
He nodded. “Yes. She’s five. Her name is Lily. That little girl is everything that is right and good in my world. She’s amazing. There’s a picture of her in there.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. “Yes, I see. She’s a prettier version of you. Does that mean you have a wife or an ex-wife?”
“No. It means I wanted to be honorable, not stupid. Lily is the product of a short-term relationship. Her mother didn’t get the shotgun wedding she wanted. I gave her lots of money and insisted on joint custody.”
“You don’t want a family?” Mo leaned against the bar.
Mac crossed his arms. “Of course, I want a family, at the right time, with the right person. Lily’s mom and I have made peace in the past five years. It’s an amicable quasi- friendship and the very least we can do for our daughter.”
Mo cocked her head. “Do you get to see Lily often?”
“All the time. She lives outside of Orlando. We spent two days together in the Magic Kingdom last week. Lily wore her Cinderella dress, and I dressed like a pirate.” He savored the sweet memory every time he felt edgy and irritated with his uncomfortable mental state. Lily was his reason to get better, to deal with things. He poured a bourbon on the rocks and sat down.
Mo continued reading and gave a soft whistle. “Ex-military. A medic and a sniper. Three tours in Iraq.” She sat down on a dining chair. “A medic and a sniper is an unusual combination of talents.”
No kidding. “I’d thought about being a surgeon and had pre-med in my background, but was an ace behind a rifle scope. The military isn’t a design-your-own-career establishment. But we all have more than one gift to offer the world. I discovered mine early. It just worked out that way.”
Mo crossed her legs and leaned forward. “Were you ever injured?”
“Not physically.” He sipped his drink.
“What’s that mean?” She set the folder down and rolled her shoulders.
“I’ve been having post-traumatic stress issues the past couple months. Nightmares. Edginess. It’s not sexy.”
“I’m so sorry.” She picked up her coffee and joined him on the couch. “For the record, I’m fiercely protective about my family’s privacy and money.”
Mac stretched his arm along the back of the couch. “Really? I hadn’t noticed,” he smirked.
Their eyes locked and a tentative smile played across her lips. “Actually, I’m uber-paranoid about living a normal life, having a job I love and friends I care about. I hate it when the tabloids publish pictures of me I hadn’t realized they’d taken. And as far as my love life?” Her shoulders slumped. “I feel like I need a dating pre-nup or something.”
“That’s why I get a full dossier. In the spirit of complete disclosure, Lily’s mom has been making overtures that she’d like me to assume full-custody of Lily, and soon. She said something about wanting to earn her doctorate, but I think there’s someone special in her future.”
Mo’s eyes widened. “How do you feel about that?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I’m happy for her. As far as me being a full-time dad, it would be a major addition to my life. Lily’s a beautiful child, and I’d love to focus on her while she’s still young. She deserves that. Plus, I spend a lot of time alone, and it would be a healthy change for me. But I need to make sure I’m solid in my head before I commit to it.”
Mo faced him. “Is that why you look so tired? Is it the stress?”
Mac slid an arm around her shoulder and tugged her closer. “Yeah.”
She caressed his hand. “You’ve talked to someone about it?”
“Some. I’ll get past it.” He kissed her head. Her hair smelled like an exotic blend of cinnamon, apples, and something flat-out intoxicating.
“I’d like to help.”
Mac’s gut twisted. “You already are. Just by being here.” Eh. That sounded patronizing. But he wouldn’t be one of her social work cases, and she was looking at him. Assessing him. He nudged her. “Are we done with this dossier discussion? I didn’t mean to pry, but I had to look.”
Mo rolled her eyes. “Reading a dossier isn’t my preferred way of getting to know you, but if the information helped you relax about me? Fine. You blindsided me. I’m glad you reciprocated with your own rather colorful folder of facts. I understand you're taking such extreme precautions in light of Lily and the situation with her mom.”
“Got it. By the way, there was nothing in your dossier about the two ex-husbands who are in therapy because of your kink.”
Mo burst into laughter while placing their dirty dessert dishes on the cart. “I was trying to get rid of the guy. I can’t believe Chaz told you that.”
Mac found the remote and turned the music on. Chaz, the weasel, had tossed several tidbits into the conversation while trying to make his obsession with Mo her fault. A romantic tune drifted through the air. “I’ve been spurned a time or two and the line you gave him is the best one I’ve ever heard.”