Special Forces Father - By Mallory Kane Page 0,69
her door with no idea of what he was going to say when she opened it, just like five days ago.
Five days ago. In one sense, he couldn’t believe it had been that long. In another, it had seemed as if everything that had happened couldn’t fit into a month.
He shifted, sending searing pain through his hip, because in truth, the bullet had lodged in his gluteus minimus muscle, not the gluteus maximus. Fat lot of good that difference would mean to his brothers and cousins. He’d already had just about all the kidding he could take.
The doorknob turned and he stiffened and grimaced.
Kate opened the door about four inches and peered out at him. She didn’t say anything. She had on the terry-cloth robe and her hair was damp and her feet were bare. Her eyes were tired looking and red, but he stared at her, thinking she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Kate,” he said. “I wanted—” Suddenly he was tongue-tied. What he really wanted, he couldn’t say—not to her. He could hardly admit it to himself. He wanted to meet his son, certainly. He’d barely had a chance to look at Max, much less talk to him. But he knew that what kind of relationship he had with him was 100 percent Kate’s call. He didn’t deserve anything, so whatever she wanted to grant him, he would take and be grateful for it.
But that wasn’t what had tongue-tied him.
Kate turned her head to glance behind her at her son. Then she said, “You wanted—?”
His mouth felt dry as a desert. “May I see Max?”
She pressed her lips together until they turned white at the corners. Then she lifted her chin and looked at him with a direct, unblinking gaze. Finally, she blinked slowly and nodded. “Okay, but he’s had his bath and he’s very sleepy. I doubt he’ll be able to stay awake for another half hour.”
Travis swallowed and nodded. “I won’t stay long.”
She stepped backward and swung the door wide. He stepped inside, doing his best not to limp. He saw Max in the living room on the floor, playing with his wooden car.
Travis felt Kate’s eyes on him. He angled his head toward her without taking his eyes off his son. “Thank you,” he said, his voice hitching, then, “Hi, Max. How’re you doing?”
His son looked up, his wide eyes the same shape as his mother’s, but with dark brown pupils. Like mine, Travis thought. “What you got there? Is that your favorite car?”
Max stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “I remember you,” he said. “You gave it to me when you handed me out the window. Your face was painted like a soldier.”
Travis glanced at Kate, whose mouth quirked slightly as she gave him a tiny, awed shake of her head. “He’s a pretty smart kid,” she whispered.
“That’s right, Max. It was me.”
“Are you a soldier?”
Travis walked around the couch and gingerly sat on the coffee table. “I am. How do you know about soldiers?”
“I see them on the TV. Some of them use paint on their faces. I was scared, but I figured out you were on our side.”
“I see.” Travis was stunned. Max was not just smart, he was scary smart. “I think you take after your mom.”
Max nodded, as if he heard that every day. “Did you just come home?” he asked.
That rendered Travis speechless. He turned and looked at Kate, silently asking for help. What did Max mean, come home?
“Max?” Kate said. “What do you mean?”
“You know, Mommy. Like heroes on TV. They come home and their family is there and the TV is there, then the soldiers are heroes.”
“Oh.” Kate sounded dumbfounded, too. Travis sat there as Max looked at his mom, then at Travis, then back to his mom.
“Well, yes,” Kate finally said. “He is a hero. He saved you and me, right? When he helped us out the window.” She came over to the coffee table and sat next to Travis. “Max, come here a minute.”
Dutifully, Max got up from the floor and went to his mom. She picked him up and sat him on her knee, then looked at him closely. “Are you sleepy?” she asked.
“Uh-uh,” Max said, shaking his head. “I mean, no, ma’am.”
“Okay.” Kate looked at Travis with an unreadable expression on her face.
Travis looked back, frowning. What was she about to do? Take him away and put him to bed?
She inhaled deeply. “Okay,” she said again on a sigh.