Page 9 of Ford
“Are you married, ma’am?”
Scarlett drew in a breath. “I don’t need to be married to take care of a child.”
“And when you’re deployed? Then where does he go?”
I’m going to leave the Navy.The words nearly tipped her lips.
Nearly.
But somehow she couldn’t spit them out.
Because if she freed them into the open, they might become real.
Ten years of service, halfway to retirement. She’d had so much more ahead of her. Had worked her tail off to qualify for elite Rescue Swimmer training.
It didn’t matter. She wasn’t abandoning Gunnar. “Listen, he needs family right now. And I can give him a home—”
“This isn’t forever, Miss Hathaway.”
“Petty Officer Second Class.” Scarlett didn’t know why suddenly that felt important.
Benning gave her a look. “Yes. Agreed. And when you’ve figured out exactly how you’ll give Gunnar a stable home environment, then we’ll review your case. Until then, the state will care for him.”
The state.
She glanced at the Ferrils, still watching from the van.
Oh.
Gunnar had come out onto the steps, the door closing behind him.
Scarlett turned, wanting with everything inside her to scoop him up, kick Benning in the teeth, and make a run for her Escape.
But she’d been on the wide-eyed end of family drama too often. And with the cop standing behind Benning, this could get ugly.
She crouched in front of Gunnar and drew in a shaky breath. “I think you need to live with the Ferrils for a little while, buddy, while I figure things out in San Diego. I promise, I won’t leave you. I’mnotleaving you. I’ll be back to get you, and we’ll…visit the zoo and the ocean and go to a Padre’s game, just like I promised, okay?”
Gunnar looked past her, and she glanced over her shoulder. Craig had gotten out of the car.
She pulled her brother to herself, holding on, mostly for her sake because he didn’t move.
But when she let him go, he met her eyes, his wettened.
Oh, now he decided to cry? Her throat thickened.
“Be good, bud. I love you.”
She got up and moved around behind him. Benning reached out for his hand, but he ignored her and walked off the porch toward Craig.
The betrayer tousled Gunnar’s hair and opened the Caravan door.
“Wait—his clothes,” Scarlett said.
“We have clothes for him,” Ellen said from her open window.
Right. Of course. Scarlett bit back something nasty. “This isn’t over,” she said softly to Benning.
The woman ignored her and returned to the cruiser.