“How lovely to meet you,” his mother said, and his father nodded his greeting.
The three of them sat down and the servers began by placing their soup and pouring the wine.
“So, what do you do, Anna?” his mother asked.
“I’m a photographer for National Geographic,” she said. As far as she was concerned, it was still her cover.
“That must be exciting. Do you travel around a lot?”
“Yes, constantly, but it’s very rewarding.”
“And you know that Oliver is a Navy SEAL?”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“Mum…”
“I’m just making sure she knows that you have a challenging job.” His mother’s affection was quite clear, and they must know about his heartbreak over Hermione. His dad might not as much, but a mother always knew when her child was distressed. She felt a sharp pang thinking about her own mother, her family finding out she was a disgraced CIA operative. That she’d concealed so much from them. It was easily the hardest part of the job.
“She takes pictures of charging lions and braves places only Special Forces would attempt to infiltrate, so Anna can hold her own with the wilderness, the jungle, the desert, mountains, the city, the country—any environment, and she can handle me.”
His mother laughed softly, a genuine gleam in her eye. “Can she?”
He reached out, clasped her hand, and squeezed it, giving her a tender look that just about cut her off at the knees. Could she fall any deeper in love with Dodger?
She dropped her fork and it clattered against the plate. Trapped by the intensity of that gaze, Anna stared at him, all her feelings for him swelling up inside her. She was in deep trouble.
She was in love with Oliver Graham. Oh, her stupid, wayward heart.
“Well, my boy, that’s good. We Grahams need that strong stock. We’re a bunch of bloody difficult blokes.”
His mom’s mouth dropped open. “Henry!”
They all burst out laughing, but the tension inside Anna only sat heavier on her heart. She should have known that she wasn’t going to be able to resist anything about Dodger, especially losing her heart to him. It had been inevitable, and she had misjudged her ability to keep herself from falling all the way.
As they rose at the end of the meal, Dodger said, “I have another mate visiting, Mum.”
“That’s fine.”
He cleared his throat. “It’s someone I met after Hermione and I…he’s a good mate.”
“We look forward to meeting him,” his mother said, then squeezed his arm. “You should show Anna the gardens, they’re beautiful at night.” She briefly touched Anna’s arm. “We hope you enjoy your stay with us, my dear.”
Anna nodded. They left the dining room.
“Walk with me?” Dodger asked, holding out his hand. He was glad when she took it. Being home felt good, but his adopted country was now where he belonged. He’d rejected his family legacy a long time ago and worked out all the sore spots with his family. He was lucky his parents had realized that he needed to find his own path and let him go without a fight. He’d joined the Royal Marines, then become part of the Special Boat Service. He’d never looked back. His father couldn’t have been prouder of him, always saying that military service was a proper career.
He slipped out of his suit coat and draped it over her shoulders.
He led her out the back of the house, through double French doors into his mum’s pride and joy. Her garden. It stretched ahead of them with winding paths, an abundance of flowers that were in season, and enough greenery to feel positively relaxed. He really didn’t know the names, but they smelled good. Small lights were strung up in the bushes that lined the way along the path he chose that would take them to the lily pond, the sound of frogs and crickets growing louder as they approached.
They sat down on the wooden carved bench and breathed in the night, their breaths fogging the air.
“It must have been amazing growing up here.”
“It was. We had a lot of fun.”
“The pond is beautiful. Do you have ducks?”
“I didn’t bring you down here to talk about bloody ducks,” he growled, then sighed.
She angled her body toward him, cupping his face. Her thumbs strumming along his skin were soothing. “I know, but there’s no point in it, Dodger. We are where we are in this relationship. There’s no going forward because of too many pressures, Max, the brotherhood, and I’m a fugitive from justice.”