Page 74 of Sweet Refuge
She blinked. “Your team.”
He rolled off the bunk and grabbed his jeans to locate his phone. It started ringing in his hand, and he brought it to his ear.
His teammate, Holland’s, cultured Bostonian accent projected into his ear. “Con told me to call. There’s a chopper coming for you. It will be there within the half hour.”
Lena’s stare was riveted on him as she sat up, her naked body luring him a step closer to the bunk before he registered what Holland was saying.
“Are you listening, Overstreet?”
His brain snapped to attention. “Chopper. Half hour.”
“Be on it.”
“How long will we be gone?” He caught the T-shirt Lena threw at him.
“Do we ever know? Just be on it. Charlie needs you.”
His lungs constricted, making it hard to force air into them. “See you soon.” He ended the call.
Lena stood up and they faced each other. A thousand things were left unsaid. So much more needed to be worked out between them.
“I have to go,” he grated out.
She raked her fingers through her loose hair. “I gathered as much.”
He stepped up to her, dropped the shirt he hadn’t yet put on and wrapped his fingers around her arms. “I hate leaving you.”
Her lips compressed into a wavy line. “Maybe the break will be good.”
“You don’t mean that,” he said with all the force pent up in his soul.
She shook her head. “I don’t. I’ll…miss you, Slade.”
“Oh, MJ.” He yanked her into his arms. Her sleek muscles against his own would be the last thing he thought of before he climbed into the chopper on the roof and flew off to places unknown.
Leaving behind the woman he loved. And his child.
* * * * *
Lena scrubbed at the tears that wouldn’t quit leaking from the corners of her eyes. From the moment Slade walked out that door with the order for her to rest, she hadn’t been able to control the flow of tears.
She hated feeling like this. Hated that she hadn’t been strong enough to shut the vault on her feelings for the man. They’d tried once and look how that went. They were probably fooling themselves thinking that they could put any past hurts behind them and make a relationship work now.
Hitching herself onto a stool at the kitchen counter, she pulled the steaming mug of tea toward her and dunked the bag several times. The fragrant tea calmed her nerves if not her stomach.
After Slade kissed her goodbye, she thought her high emotion would keep her awake, but she lay back down and passed out for a solid hour. Then she took a quick shower and returned to work with her team.
When her morning nausea became too much, she slipped off to pop a pill and make some tea. But now that she was alone, thoughts struck like missiles. Would she see him again? If something happened, how would she ever forgive herself? How would she explain such a thing to their child?
Oh god, she’d left things too late, hadn’t’ she? She dropped her head into her hands and closed her eyes against the sharp sting of tears.
I love you, Slade Overstreet. Come back to me so we can fix this.
A soft voice cleared behind her. She opened her eyes and twisted on the stool to see Gia in the doorway, looking bright and fresh despite carrying the heavy weight on her delicate frame.
“No fair. You look so beautiful and I look like I’ve been in the trenches,” Lena said.
Gia issued a soft laugh and strode forward, a plastic bag in hand. “Are you kidding? I feel huge and clumsy.”