Two Weeks With a SEAL (The Wakefield Romance Series) (7 page)

Smiling, I pull my lips
from his, bending over and picking up my bag, "Now I am," I say, a
little grin reaching Chad's lips when he swats me on the butt as I retreat into
the front room of my double wide.

Making sure all the
windows are locked, grabbing a few blankets from the back of my couch and a
light jacket, I lock up as Chad throws my things into the backseat of his
Silverado. Getting on the highway, I push the center console up and slide over
to snuggle into Chad's side, his arm wrapping around me pulling me in tight. As
we made our three and a half hour drive we talked about his SEAL friends, about
how Martinez's wife liked her wine and how Black and French were bringing their
dogs. Up through Petersburg and Richmond, the sky grew darker, our arrival time
at the cabin estimated at nine-thirty. We stopped in Charlottesville at a
grocery to pick up enough food for everyone, filling two carts in the matter of
twenty minutes. It astonished me that we had to get five gallons of milk, but
Chad told me to wait and see, we might even need more.

Once we got out of
Charlottesville the drive was mostly scenic, the mountains in the distance, the
moon hanging high above them. Chad turned on the flood light rack that he had
on the top of the truck, lighting up the single lane road as we bounced our way
towards the cabin. Breaking a thick tree line, the cabin sat nestled between
two large pines, a silver Jeep Wrangler sitting in the driveway as we pulled
up. "Martinez is always early," Chad smiled, throwing the truck into
park and kissing me on the cheek before jumping out.

The flood lights were
still on along with the porch light from the cabin so I got a good look at
Martinez as he came around the Jeep and gave Chad one of the typical guy hugs,
one handed with a hard pat on the back. He was shorter than Chad, maybe five
foot eight or nine, his bronze skin giving away his Mexican heritage. Chad had
told me that Reno's mom and dad had come to America via tunnels in the
California desert, becoming legal citizens after they testified against some
drug dealers who had murdered over a hundred people. He had buzzed short hair
hidden under a knit cap as tonight was colder than the last couple of days.

I got out of the truck
hesitantly, always nervous when meeting new people. Chad was talking away,
waving me to come over with a smile on his face, lifting some of my hesitation
as he took my hand, throwing his arm around my shoulders pulling me to his
side. "Reno this is Rhea," he smiled down at me, squeezing me tighter
to him.

"Nice to meet
you," Reno issued, shaking my hand, "this is my wife, Rosa," he
waved to the dark side of the Jeep as a curvy woman stepped into the light. She
had jet black hair, straight as a pin and pulled up into a tight ponytail. She
had on bright pink ear muffs and a bright pink jacket, bringing out the tan in
her skin. Her large, round, dark brown eyes were lined with thick makeup and
her lips were painted red. She made me feel plain and boring as I only had on
simple mascara with nothing else and my hair was up in a messy bun. I shook her
extended hand, noticing her perfect nails with bright designs drawn on each and
the huge diamond on her ring finger. She smiled and nodded and I returned the
gesture. "It's nice to finally put a face to a name," Reno said,
throwing his arm around Rosa's shoulders the way Chad had his around mine.

"Same here, Chad has
been talkin' bout you guys nonstop," I said making them all laugh, Chad
kissing me on the side of the head as he told Reno to help him bring the stuff
inside, denying us girls to help them.

Rosa took my arm,
pulling me towards the cabin, "They need to do it by themselves," she
all but whispers, "it makes them feel useful when they're home." We
both giggle as I unlock the door, flicking on the light switch and going to
start up the wood stove.

"You want me to do
anything," she asked, pulling off her ear muffs and jacket. The guys burst
in the door with grocery bags bulging from their arms making both of us laugh
as they make their way into the kitchen.

"Yeah, if you wanna
go up and turn down the beds, there should be Febreeze up there if you think
they need it, but I washed them the last time I was here." She nods her
head, making her way up the stairs with her heeled boots clicking on the wood.
The men passed through again heading outside, Chad giving me a wink as I
noticed more headlights coming up the road.

Rosa came clicking down
the stairs, her black skinny jeans accentuating her curves along with her
silver tunic sweater. "All the beds are good," she smiled and I
nodded my head, handing her a glass of wine that I had ready for her, her eyes
going out to the driveway, "oh looks like Timmons and the others are
here." Following her line of sight I spied three men joining Reno and
Chad's efforts at bringing the items in. Two big dogs lopped around their legs
as the five of them lugged the last of the items in, all congregating in the
living room around the wood stove that was pumping heat throughout the cabin.

"Everybody,"
Chad throws his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him with a sly grin,
"this is Rhea." The three new men all issues their hellos, shaking my
hand with the youngest one kissing it, making me blush. "Back off
Timmons," Chad jokingly issued, pushing the kid in the shoulder. Bobby
Timmons was tall, maybe six foot six, and lanky, his arms thin but muscular.
His brown hair was buzzed short like Reno's but he had lightning bolts shaved
into the side. His hazel eyes were striking being outlined with dark lashes,
his pale skin dotted with freckles.

Fred Black took Timmons
into a head lock and the men were off, shouting and wrestling as Rosa and I
retreated into the kitchen as the dogs started to bark. Fred was the oldest of
the group at thirty-two, his black hair being a little longer than Reno and
Bobby's, but still pretty short, especially compared to Chad's. He was shorter,
maybe five foot five, and stocky, his neck almost disappearing in all of the
muscle that engulfed his chest. His St. Bernard, Daisy, lumbered around barking
and slobbering on him as Bobby and he tumbled on the large area rug, coming
awful close to the wood stove.

"Be careful,"
I yell and Rosa laughs at me, shaking her head.

"You're better off
talking to a wall," she joked, putting some of the food in the fridge. We
chatted and worked, putting all of the food away as the men left us alone, the
two of us going through the bottle of wine in no time as we started to cook
some hamburgers and hot dogs. Rosa made a chef salad along with a macaroni
salad as I manned the stove, shocked when Chad's hands snake around my waist,
his beard tickling my neck as his lips lingered above my skin.

"The guys are
starting a fire outside," he whispered against my neck, his lips brushing
gingerly against it making me close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Why
don't I take over here and you two girls go up and arrange the rooms," releasing
me he took the spatula from my hand and I noticed that Reno and Rosa were
making out right next to us, Rosa's hands still gripping a knife in one and a
tomato in the other.

Going with the feeling I
had, I took Chad by surprise, latching my mouth onto his with one hand on his
cheek and the other in his hair. I don't know what came over me, but I kissed
him with some sort of ferociousness, moving my lips with his in search of
something, his hand at the small of my back holding me tight to him. I only
released him when a giggly throat clearing broke through my haze, Chad's
forehead leaning on mine as he held me to him, his breathing fast and erratic.
"Later," he whispered, kissing me softly once more before he let me
loose, my face red as I left the room with Rosa.

I helped Rosa take her
and Reno's bags into the second bedroom, placing them on the bed I turned to go
do the same with my bags when Rosa's hand stopped me, "You know it's
hard," she said, her eyes displaying a slight sadness. My face must have
broadcast my confusion for she elaborated, "Being with a guy like Reno, or
Chad," she shook her head slightly, releasing the light grip she had on my
arm, "it's hard letting your heart walk away not knowing if it'll come
back alive or in a box." A tear fell onto her cheek and her words echoed
in my mind. "Don't get me wrong," she smiled wiping the tear away
with her manicured hand, "I love Reno with all my heart, but it's hard
every time he leaves. It never gets easier," she patted my arm then turned
back to unload her clothing into the dresser drawers.

I walked into the master
bedroom, pushing the door shut and leaning my back against it, my head hitting
it slightly as I closed my eyes. Rosa's words ran through my mind over and
over, "
it's hard letting your heart walk away, not knowing if it'll
come back alive
", tears rimming my closed lashes. What had my heart
done to me so many years ago when it had fallen for Chad? The fear of loving
him then losing him crept into my mind and a sob broke through my chest, my
legs going weak and my back slid down the door, my butt hitting the hardwood
floor. I tried to cover my mouth to muffle the sounds of my tears, but I knew
they were audible to anyone who was upstairs, the walls not offering too much
sound insulation. In that moment I could care less if Rosa heard me because my
heart was silently breaking at the notion of never seeing Chad again, never
holding him again or seeing his crooked smile again.

I gathered myself enough
to unload our bags into the dressers, tears streaming down my cheeks the entire
time, trying to wipe them away before they hit my lips. My hands were braced on
the cherry wood dresser, my eyes inspecting my reddened face as the door
creaked open, Rosa poking her head around the corner, her eyes finding me.
"Oh Rhea," she said, quickly shutting the door and wrapping me in a
soft hug, "I didn't mean to upset you." She rubbed my back, but all
the tears were gone and I sighed into her shoulder.

"I'm okay," I
say giving her a smile, "let's go see if the food is done." There was
no way that anyone who saw me wouldn't know I had been crying, so taking a deep
breath and fixing my hair, Rosa and I descended the stairs. I could see all the
men through the front window, gathered around the roaring fire, food in all of their
hands. "Guess they started without us," I say with a slight smile
grabbing my jacket as Rosa leads the way into the kitchen.

"Get used to
it," she says, handing me a plate, "when they get together, sometimes
it's like we don't even exist." She gave me a rye laugh, filling her plate
and heading back out to get her jacket. Standing there, staring at the food I
was all of a sudden not very hungry. Actually if I tried to eat something right
now, I'd probably throw it up. My stomach was in knots over Chad and what we
were headed for. We hadn't even really put a label on our relationship; we
hadn't even talked about it. We were just whatever.

I hadn't noticed that
there were tears running down my cheeks till Kendall's voice broke my train of
thought, "Ray, you okay?" her big brown eyes meeting mine, her brow
creased with concern as she leaned forward onto the kitchen island across from
me. "What's wrong," she reached out and put her hand over mine, her
fingers cold from the night air.

I quickly wiped at my face
with the back of my hand, trying to give her a smile but I knew it was weak,
"Nothing, just......thinking."

She patted my hand,
grabbing a plate and coming around the island to stand next to me. "It's
that damn Chad," she says scooping salad onto the dish, "he always
makes you so emotional. You should just get over him." She gave me a
sidelong look and I shrugged my shoulders, trying to put at least a little food
on my empty dish. Dropping her plate on the butcher block top, Kendall threw her
tanned arms around my shoulders, leaning her blonde haired head against mine,
"You love him, I know, but I don't like seeing you get your heart ripped
out every time he leaves. I'm not saying you should settle, and you know I def
don't want you with Duke, but you need to be happy. Do something that makes you
happy." She kissed the side of my head and resumed filling her plate.

"Chad does make me
happy," I all but whisper, not looking at her. She sighed heavily, giving
me a smile as I turned to her, tears still rimming my lashes. She nodded her
head, shoving a forkful of salad, dripping with ranch dressing, into her mouth.
She waited for me to finish picking through what I wanted to attempt to eat,
following me out into the cold yard to join the men and Rosa by the cozy fire.
Chad had on the knit hat I had bought him, pushing his long hair down around
his ears and his eyes met mine, his mouth going into a wide smile that I
couldn't help but reciprocate.

Sitting in the
Adirondack chair next to him, I accept the blanket he puts over my lap, curling
my legs up underneath themselves to try and keep them warm. "You
okay," he whispered in my ear, his lips lightly kissing my temple and I
nod, stealing a tiny kiss on the lips as he retreated back into his chair.

"Did everyone meet
my best friend Kendall," I ask to the group, breaking their chatter and
they all answer 'yes', Timmons being overly enthusiastic and I see Kendall roll
her eyes but smile at the cute boy. He was younger than us, but Kendall needed
a good man. Her off again-on again boyfriend, local boy Jarrod Rawlings, ran in
Duke's group and he was a typical womanizer. What Kendall never realized was
that Harlan Dow, the one who had saved me countless times from Duke's drunk
rages, was hopelessly in love with her. There were many times that I felt like
telling her, but I just didn't know how she would react, so I left it alone.