Remember the Night: a Heroes of the Night military romance novel (10 page)

She lay there with him a few more minutes simply letting him hold her. With a final kiss to his cheek, she smiled. "Thanks for the date. I look forward to tonight, even the talking part."

As she exited his room, he caught sight of the clock on the wall. Three in the afternoon. That should give him plenty of time to search for the courage to tell her about the gunshot that changed him into a man he wasn't entirely sure he understood anymore. He silently lifted a prayer she would understand, even if he couldn't.

Evelyn had finished her date, if you really wanted to call it that, and been in her recliner reading for a little over an hour when everyone returned home. The distraction proved useful, since Cody had decided to shower. Thinking of Cody in a shower—taking a shower with Cody when they were together before—wasn't helpful in her quest to keep her panties in place where he was concerned. Crude yet true.

"Mommy!" Jason ran over to her to give her a hug.

She bit her tongue to not fuss at her son soaking wet from the rain. She'd take hugs whenever and however she could get them.

"You have fun?"

"Yes. We played and walked around. Some of the stuff wasn't boring. Right, Princess?"

Annie flopped on the couch, her blonde curls not quite as bouncy, since they too were wet. "I know."

Jason leaned closer to Evelyn and whispered. "She knows everything. It's so cool."

Evelyn couldn't help but laugh. "That is very cool. Are you hungry? It's getting close to dinnertime."

"I'm starving!"

"He's always hungry," Annie chimed in from the couch, her eyelids drooping.

The adults must've worn out the kids.

"I know!" Evelyn smiled and pushed the recliner switch so she could get up. "Why don't you each grab a shower or change of clothes, and I'll put some burgers on the grill."

About that time, Cody appeared. "I'll take care of the burgers if you want to make a salad. I think there are plenty of veggies, and we could probably whip up a fruit salad." He turned to Evelyn and winked. "We didn't eat them all for lunch, did we?"

The heat climbing up her chest and higher must've turned her face at least a couple shades of red, but she quickly recovered. "No, but I think you inhaled the last of the Havarti cheese, so we'll have to put cheddar on the burgers."

He had the decency to blush at least. "Everyone okay with cheddar?"

Sam plopped on one of the barstools. "No burger for me. I've eaten more this trip than I have in a month. I'm going to be too heavy to keep up my times on the training courses when I get back to camp."

Evelyn did a quick once-over of Sam's lean body. Even with his shirt on, he looked more physically fit than ninety percent of other men. "How about I have Cody throw a turkey burger on the grill for you, no bun. I'll have one too so you won't be eating healthy all alone."

Sam nodded. "That will work. I'll just add an extra mile or two on my run."

Cody moved into the kitchen and grabbed the burgers out of the fridge. "I'll make an assortment of beef and turkey. I'm hoping the rain holds off so I can go for a walk on the beach tonight, too."

At his admission, Sam's ears perked up. "You want to come on a run with me?"

"No way in hell. You're too intense for me, man." Cody bumped into Sam, jostling him a bit on the chair.

"Fine. Have it your way. When you have a heart attack at a young age, don't come crying to me."

Evelyn caught Cody shooting a quick barrage of daggers in Sam's direction. If looks could kill… What was that about? Hopefully, she'd find out on their walk tonight. Something was bothering him. Time to break the tension. "Boys, play nice. The rest of you get cleaned up. You look and smell like drowned rats."

Everyone except Sam had gone to bed early. Apparently, trudging around in the rain all day made a body tired. Evelyn aimlessly thumbed through television channels, ninety-five percent of which were solely in Spanish, waiting for Sam to leave on his run. Whatever direction he headed, she and Cody would head in the opposite. She liked Sam and all but didn't want to take any chances they'd be interrupted during the heart-to-heart conversation they'd promised during their time together earlier.

"
Hablas español
?"

She turned toward the sound of Cody's voice. His cargo shorts and camo tank top fit his personality—and body type—perfectly. Accentuating all the positives. Her ex-husband, though lean, fit, and tanned nicely with dark, wavy hair, had never exuded the kind of raw male power Cody exhibited on a daily basis.

"If you're asking if I speak Spanish, the answer is no. I know enough to say hello, ask where the bathroom is, and if someone reminds me earlier in the evening, I could probably order a beer. Other than that, I know how to say I don't understand."

His chuckle eased the nervousness building about their talk. Whatever they had to say, they'd deal with it together, right? "So if I ask,
Listo para ir
? you'll have no idea what I'm saying?"

She turned the television off and moved closer to him. "
Yo no entiende
."

He took her hand and led her outside. "Well, you might not understand, but it appears you're ready to go."

Ready might be an exaggeration. Willing to go…yes.
She squeezed his hand tighter. "I'm ready."

They walked until they could no longer see the villa. Cody pulled a blanket from the backpack he'd brought along and spread it out over the sand. Close enough to the water's edge, but not enough to put them in danger of getting wet. "You want to go first?" He asked quietly as he resumed his hold on her hand.

No, not at all.
"I suppose I owe you that much. I'm not even sure where to begin."

"Wherever you want or feel is most important."

Evelyn took a moment to compose her thoughts, letting the rhythmic sound of the waves surging and retreating calm her spirit. "Nathan and I met and began dating our senior year of high school. We were the perfect couple. He was the star quarterback. Me, as you know, I was captain of the varsity cheerleading squad. Immensely popular, we were the envy of everyone in high school. The trend continued through college. Though I started to suspect, even then, we weren't really compatible for the long term."

"Why did you marry him?" Cody's sincere, nonjudgmental question started the accumulation of moisture in her eyes. The damn waterworks needed to dry up for good.

Her laugh sounded bitter, a tinny, nonmelodic echo in the quiet night. "One must always keep up appearances. Everyone
thought
we were the perfect couple. Who was I to disagree? The only serious relationship I'd ever had. We really were perfect for each other until…"

"Until what?"

"Until our directions in life headed in two very different paths. Once Michael was born, Nathan's goals changed. Don't get me wrong. I love being a mother. Maternal instincts didn't alter my career goals, however. Nathan became resentful of the time I spent at work and the focus I gave to my job. I always made time for him and Michael, but they weren't my only priorities. After a while, we started fighting about it. Always in private, of course."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "That wasn't the worst part."

"Fighting sounds pretty bad to me. My parents barely raised their voices, not at each other nor at my sister or me."

She turned to look at him for a moment. "We never argued in front of the kids either, but I suspect at least Michael overheard from time to time. Jason is too young to understand."

"What was the worst part?"

Seeking solace from the ocean, she turned back to the water. "Not fighting."

"I don't follow."

Sadness and regret for all the years wasted filled her heart. "At least when you're fighting, that means the other person cares enough about the situation to share their point of view—emotion is still there. Once that stops…apathy is far worse than hate or anger. Not long after the fighting stopped, the affair started. He slept on the couch most nights, and I drowned myself in work and the boys to keep from thinking about it."

"But you got lonely…"

"Yes, I got lonely." She directed a sad look in his direction. "And then I met you."

He put his arm around her, pulling her close. She allowed herself the small comfort since she had no idea how long it would last. "I know the rest of the story, I think."

Not even close…
"When I got home, I decided the status quo needed to change. We were living a lie. It took me several months to work up the courage, but one day I came home early to surprise Nathan. My intention was to tell him I was sorry for the distance and that I wanted to try and fix things."

Cody's body stiffened in response to the truth she shared.

She put her hand on his leg to offer comfort. "I'm sorry, but you wanted the truth."

"Go on. It's not the first time a woman has used me." Resentment edged his voice and cut into her resolve.

"It wasn't like that. The bottom line is that when I arrived home with a bottle of his favorite wine, I found him in bed—our bed—with Monique, the woman we'd hired to clean the pool."

"Shit…"

"Yeah, shit. Now, you know. I filed for divorce the very next day."

"Does your family know?"

"What do you think?"

His body softened and he pulled her close again. "No, they don't. You're taking the heat for the failed marriage to protect your sons from the truth about their father."

She exhaled slowly. He wanted the whole truth, and she needed to give it to him. "That's part of it, yes. But, I shoulder some of the blame too. I stopped fighting. I didn't give anyone else a reason either, just irreconcilable differences. Mother would never let me live it down if she knew I'd allowed, permitted, or in any way condoned my husband cheating on me. It's epic failure no matter how you analyze the situation. Either I couldn't hold my man or I let my ambition drive him away. When given the choice, especially with my mother, I'll take the latter. She still blames me, but it's nothing compared to what it would be if she knew the truth."

"Your mom sounds like a real hard-ass."

Evelyn laughed, the sound now empty and sad. "You have no idea."

*   *   *

Several minutes had elapsed, and he enjoyed simply holding Evelyn. She'd done it. She'd told him the truth. Now he owed her the same in return. "I guess it's my turn?"

She moved away from his hold and turned to look at him. "I'd like for you to tell me, but I also understand that it needs to be when you're ready to share." She smiled faintly in the moonlight. "I try to not coerce my witnesses unless absolutely necessary."

"No cross examination either?"

He closed his eyes as she brushed her fingers along his cheek.

"I'll simply listen but reserve the right to ask clarifying questions…if I may?"

Cody clasped her hand against his cheek before turning his head to kiss her palm.
So soft.
A small pang of regret pulled at his heart. The rough callouses on his hands were yet another reminder of the hardships of war. He longed to go back to the time when art was his only concern. He wouldn't change anything, though. Jerry had given his life fighting in the war. Regret surfaced only over what he'd lost, not what he'd done. Each decision led him further away from his sketchpad and imagination into a world filled with harsh reality. "You may, but I reserve the right to plead the fifth."

Evelyn grinned. "Deal."

Cody returned her smile before fading into the memory he needed to share. "Several months after my thigh had healed, my new commanding officer put me on what he termed light duty until confident I could perform at one hundred percent, both physically and mentally. In other words, no active combat. At the time, the restriction pissed me off, but in retrospect, I appreciate both his position and effort to look out for me. No sense having a lame duck by your side in battle. Makes an already difficult situation even more dangerous.

Evelyn nodded and took his hand. "Makes sense. I for one am glad he was looking out for you."

His laugh sounded bitter, even to his own ears. "Have you ever been in a meeting where you believed you knew who supported your position only to be blindsided by someone you thought you could trust?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration or maybe worry. "A time or two, yes. Why?"

"Part of my light duty included patrolling the base. Every night, another guy and I walked the perimeter. The camp was set up with rows of buildings, some for sleeping quarters, some for meetings, some for eating and socializing, and of course, some for storage. There was also a large area designated as the parking lot where jeeps and other motorized vehicles were kept. Additionally, we had a lot of barrels in different locations, mainly used for storage. All of these locations could potentially be great hiding places for the enemy, so different soldiers patrolled the base twenty-four seven."

Evelyn opened her mouth, but Cody pressed his index finger over those very kissable lips.

He silently prayed she'd still want to kiss him when this night ended. "Let me finish, then you can ask clarifying questions if needed."
Please God, don't let there be a need.

She nodded and squeezed his fingers tighter.

He lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers this time. "One night, I was paired with a new kid. He couldn't have been much past eighteen. He'd been scared shitless since he arrived. I have no idea why he signed up. Truthfully, he didn't look cut out for war. I'm surprised he passed all the required psych evals. Anyway, he and I were walking the perimeter. I was trying to talk to him to calm his nerves a bit. All of a sudden, his eyes got as big as baseballs, and he started freaking out. He swore he heard something…someone behind the cluster of buildings in the back corner of the base property, maybe twenty or thirty yards from us. I sent him to cover the right flank, and I went to check the left. We agreed to meet in the middle after checking all the buildings and hiding spots along the way. I kept my back to the wall of the buildings I had to pass in order to maintain my cover. A big gap between buildings meant hustling to complete my final check of the area. The fence represented the last place anyone could be hidden, on my side anyway."