Page 43 of Valiant
“Not a problem.” Maureen’s eyes went to Raymond. “Who’s your escort?”
“Raymond Jackson. This is Maureen Bauer.” Kelsey made the introductions and watched, almost amused, as the two evaluated each other. Maureen was a beautiful woman, tall with dark hair and green eyes, who drew attention from men wherever she went. Raymond had olive skin and dark eyes with a lean, muscular build. The two shook hands, unmistakable chemistry bubbling up from the contact.
“Make yourself at home,” Maureen invited.
“I’m going to take a look around.” He disappeared down the hall that led to the backyard.
Maureen raised an eyebrow at Kelsey but didn’t comment about Raymond. “He’s probably going to run into Lindsay—I’d better go make the introductions. Have a seat and relax. I’ll bring some wine and we’ll talk.”
Left alone for a few minutes, Kelsey sat on the couch with Eddy on her lap, feeling surprisingly comfortable and safe. Maureen’s home had a vibe, not unlike her friend, that always calmed Kelsey.
When she returned, Maureen handed Kelsey a glass of red wine and took Eddy from her. “I’ve missed this little boy,” she said, giving him kisses before eyeing Kelsey. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Kelsey sighed. She didn’t feel up to giving a detailed account, but she owed Maureen some explanation. Maureen’s eyes grew wide several times as Kelsey talked, going through the events of the past weeks. Before she’d finished, Raymond returned to the living room and took a seat near the front door. “So Cole’s gone to rescue Dad if he can, and hopefully gather evidence against the guy who came after us earlier and who tried to frame him,” Kelsey said to conclude the story.
“He will if he can,” Maureen said. “He seems capable, as do his friends.” She gestured toward Raymond and raised her voice. “Can I get you something, Raymond? Water? Coffee?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “And I amcapable, by the way. I’ll keep you safe. Everything seems quiet.”
“I appreciate that.” Maureen smiled at him before turning her attention back to Kelsey and lowering her voice. “Why didn’t Cole come with you? He could have sent his friends to find your father.”
Kelsey sighed and took a sip of her wine, glad to have a confidant. “This is all the plan that Cole and my dad made—I wasn’t consulted about who would be doing what. But to be honest, I prefer Raymond at the moment. Cole and I had a fight after he came back from the base without my dad. Things have been tense between us ever since.”
“What did you fight about?” Maureen asked, and Kelsey just stared for a second.
“Um…the fact that he handed my dad over to a man who wants him dead? Isn’t that the obvious reason? He let Dad be taken prisoner.”
“Sounds like an impossible situation for everyone to me,” Maureen sympathized. “But are you sure Cole is really to blame? Seems like it was Edwin’s idea as much as it was his. Could he have controlled your father’s actions?”
Kelsey rubbed slow circles on Eddy’s tummy while he slept next to her on the couch. She considered Maureen’s questions for a minute. “No,” she admitted, but her issue with Cole went beyond what was happening with her father. It was also about their relationship and his connection to Eddy. “But I also just don’t feel that I can rely on him. He walked away before—how do I know he won’t do it again? What if I let myself rely on him—letEddyrely on him—and then he lets us down? I don’t want to turn into my mom, counting on a man who’s never around, struggling to handle life on my own. I need to know I can do this without him.”
“I understand how you feel, but…have I ever told you the full story of what happened with my husband?” Maureen asked, and Kelsey shook her head. Kelsey knew Maureen’s husband had been killed in battle, but not much more than that. “Seth was gone more than he was stateside when Lindsay was a baby. I was frustrated with that and exhausted with being what boiled down to a single mom. So before Seth deployed a second time to Afghanistan, I told him that I wanted a divorce. I still loved him, but I didn’t say that to him as he was leaving. Instead, I insisted that we couldn’t go on like we were. As it turned out, that was our last conversation. I never spoke to him again. He was killed when the helicopter he was in was shot down a week after he got to Afghanistan.”
Kelsey didn’t know what to say, so she reached for Maureen’s hand, giving it a squeeze. She noticed that Raymond had left the room at some point during Maureen’s story, and they were alone.
“I don’t have many regrets in my life,” Maureen continued. “I’ve made a good home for my daughter, I like my work, and I have great friends. But I’d give almost anything to have Seth still in my life and Lindsay’s, even in small doses. I know you value your independence, and I know that you and your mom have a lot of problems stemming from how she handled your father being deployed. But her problems don’t have to be yours, too. Youcanhandle things on your own—you’ve already proven that over the past year. So now the question is not whether youneedCole around, but whether youwanthim by your side. And if you do…are you really going to let fear of what might happen keep you and Eddy from being happy?”
Kelsey sat back, becoming aware that she’d been leaning in to listen to Maureen speak. She considered her friend’s words. There had been times in the past days when Kelsey thought being with Cole might be worth the risk. That itcouldbe wonderful, but she didn’t know. It was a huge chance to take, and she just wasn’t sure that she could make that leap for herself or for Eddy.
But after what she’d just heard, she couldn’t so easily dismiss the possibility of having some kind of relationship with Cole or allowing him visitations with Eddy. Because she had to admit, despite her anger with Cole and her fears for what their life would be like, a future without him in it seemed bleak.
“I’m going to make us some dinner. You rest and clear your mind.” Maureen rose. “But please think about what I said.” Maureen left the room.
A minute later Kelsey heard her talking to Raymond in the kitchen. They shared a laugh about something, but Kelsey was too busy in her own head to pay much attention.
She looked at her sleeping son. What would he say to her if he were old enough to talk? Would he want a dad in his life, despite the risks? She had to think that he would. What child would want to be fatherless when he didn’t have to be?
But imagining what Eddy would want was in some ways avoiding the issue. Kelsey needed to sort out what she wanted for herself—and whether she’d be brave enough to reach for it. What was worse, she was regretting their last argument and sent up a silent prayer that it wasn’t the last thing she ever said to him. “Please come back, Cole, and bring my dad with you.”
TWENTY-SIX
Cole drove from San Diego across the bridge to Coronado while David kept tabs on the GPS signal. Periodically, he called out changes in course and re-directed where Cole was going.
“It’s stopped,” David said suddenly. “Pull over for a minute.” David checked his watch, and they waited. A pause could mean anything—Edwin and Dobson changing cars, an obstruction in the road holding them up—or it could mean that they’d reached their destination. The only way to know for sure was to wait to close in on Edwin’s location until they were sure Dobson had gotten where he was going and that all of his focus would be on Edwin. That was when, according to the plan, David and Cole would close in.
Time ticked away. It was so silent in the cab that Cole felt he could hear his heart beating. He was keyed up, more than he should be, because the stakes were so high. He had to get Edwin back to Kelsey alive and well. He’d broken his promise to her earlier in the day by leaving her father behind on the base.
He had little hope of making this right with her, but he wouldn’t disappoint her again. He would not let her down this time. He would get Edwin home to her and to Eddy no matter what. Eddy would have his grandfather in his life even if he didn’t have his father. And in the meantime, Cole would put his personal feelings for Kelsey to the side or try to, so he could focus on the rescue operation. That was far better than thinking about what he’d lost with her. His chance at a family and a future with Kelsey and Eddy was gone, just when he’d realized how important it was to him. It was an irony he could have done without.