Trusting a Warrior (Loving a Warrior #3) - Melanie Hansen Page 0,13
Time to move on.
As he rode toward the base, he couldn’t help but wonder how Lani was feeling, if she’d managed to keep her snack down. Geo winced at the memory of the violent heaves shaking her body, her breathless mortification as he’d held her hair out of the way.
Yet, despite her obvious physical misery and emotional turmoil, her determination and sense of humor shone through it all. She’d made him laugh, and listened to his story about Cade, and she’d lost someone, too...
The sudden, fervent hope that she’d call took him by surprise.
Why would she? She had way too much on her plate to think about calling some dude who’d never be around. They’d shared a moment in time, that’s all, two strangers whose lives briefly intersected and then diverged once again.
It won’t happen.
Even so, the kernel of hope stubbornly remained. Geo racked his brain, trying to remember how long it’d been since he’d looked forward to anyone’s call like this.
Sadly, it’d been a really long time.
Chapter Three
The knock on the door startled Lani into a yelp.
Pushing her laptop away and dragging herself up from the table, she trudged over and peered through the peephole. The large green eye staring back at her first made her jump back in alarm, then huff in annoyance. She unlocked the door and yanked it open. “God, I hate when you do that.”
Rhys Halloran grinned back at her. “I know. Why do you think I keep doing it?”
“Because you’re a mean, gross boy, that’s why.”
Stepping aside, she let Rhys inside her apartment before leaning back against the door with her arms crossed over her chest, heart pounding. Why on earth was he here?
When his gaze dropped to her midsection, she knew.
“Sarah told you?”
“Aaron did. Honey...” Rhys took a step toward her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged, unable to meet his eyes. After another beat of silence, he drew in a deep, shaky breath. “Jesus, Lee-Lee.” The paleness of his cheeks made his freckles stand out in sharp relief. “What’re you going to do?”
The sight of his distress brought a lump rising into her own throat. “I honestly don’t know yet. Still trying to figure some things out.” She spun around to walk into her tiny kitchen, where she grabbed up her teakettle and started to fill it.
After a moment came the sound of his footsteps behind her. “Tell me about the airfield yesterday. The truth this time, not that bullshit you spouted about wanting to fuck with me.”
“The airfield?” Shame and embarrassment made her tone sharp. God, what had she been thinking? Well, she hadn’t been thinking, not about anyone except herself. Even knowing that Rhys had fallen in love with someone else, Lani had still met his plane after his deployment, a homemade sign in hand, one that begged him to try again.
Behind her, Rhys said something, but the loud ping of the water into the kettle drowned him out, even as the memory flushed her hot with remembered humiliation. Along with the other team wives, girlfriends and families, Lani’d waited for him, the chill spring wind tugging at her skirt, her palms clammy with desperation, heart in her throat...
“Lani?” The gentle touch of Rhys’s hand on her shoulder made her jump, the now-overflowing teakettle giving a mighty slosh.
She pulled away and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, saying thickly, “It’s pretty simple, really. I’d just found out I was pregnant, and I was scared shitless, okay? Instead of trying to figure things out on my own, I ran to you.” Letting out a mirthless laugh, she went on, “Pathetic, right? I knew about Devon, knew you were in love with her, but I’d already convinced myself she didn’t matter. I thought, ‘I need him. He’s mine.’”
Slamming the kettle onto the burner, she viciously twisted the on switch. “God, Sarah was horrified when I told her what I was going to do. You should’ve heard her try to talk me out of it.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Rhys leaned his hip against the counter near her. “I about had a heart attack when I got off the plane and saw you holding that sign,” he admitted.
“Yeah, I could see it in your face when you walked toward me, like a man to his execution.”
“Shit, really?” His voice was full of genuine remorse. “I’m sorry.”
Unbelievably a chuckle welled into her throat. “Probably the way I looked during your flash-mob proposal, huh?”
Which she’d accepted, not wanting to hurt him, but then immediately regretted.