Night Maneuvers

chapter 13

ONCE AGAIN, SHE, Alexandria Annalise Hughes, had chickened out.

Last night she’d come so close to telling him that she loved him. She’d never thought of herself as a coward. And she knew eventually she’d have to get off the fence and, like her grandfather advised, go after that runaway calf. There was no way she would settle for half a relationship. But if she told Mitch she loved him, most likely his response would be that he loved having sex with her, and he really liked her a lot.

Besides the humiliation factor, there was the inevitable breakup. Once they split up, it wasn’t that she would lose the man she loved. How could she lose something she’d never really had? No, the most painful thing would be losing her best friend. The one person who knew her, understood her and accepted her for who she was.

By eight the next morning she’d slipped out of Mitch’s arms, made coffee and driven to Jackson and Jordan’s apartment.

Jordan put her to work wrapping items from the kitchen cabinets in newspaper and putting them in a box marked Kitchen. With Jordan in and out of the place supervising Jackson, who was disassembling the bed, Alex had too much time to think.

It hurt at first that Mitch wanted to keep their affair a secret. Was Mitch ashamed of their new relationship? Embarrassed to admit to his other buddies that they were sleeping together? But she could also see the wisdom of hiding their liaison. Fraternization between squadrons wasn’t encouraged.

“Amazing how much stuff one accumulates after one gets married,” Jordan said, wrapping a crystal compote. “We should’ve moved before the wedding.”

“Jackson’s family is nice, though,” Alex responded. “Throwing you the shower and sending you guys on your honeymoon.”

Jordan smiled, her eyes staring into the past. “They’re wonderful. Growing up an only child, I always wanted siblings. And now I’ve instantly gained four of each. And his mom and dad, they’re the best.”

Alex thought about her folks and decided she’d try to get home for Thanksgiving. Considering she’d been trying to avoid spending time with her family most of her life, Jordan’s situation made her realize how important her mom and dad, and even her brothers were to her. In their own way, they loved her. She knew that.

“Hey, babe, do you really want to keep this?” Jackson held up a faded Little Mermaid bedspread.

Jordan’s cheeks pinkened. “That’s my blankie. I really don’t want to get rid of it.” She turned to Alex. “My mom bought me the entire bed set for my fifth birthday. I realized years later she couldn’t really afford it, but she’d worked a second job over Christmas to buy it.”

“No worries, sweetheart. We’ll save it for our kids, okay?” Jackson folded the spread and packed it in a box, all the while holding Jordan’s gaze with that same look he’d given her at their wedding. That “You’re the other half of my soul” look.

Alex got that same ache in her stomach. But she knew what it was now. An emptiness inside her, a longing for what Cole and Jordan had. They were talking about kids. A future. Together.

She remembered the night Jackson drove around looking for Jordan’s mom after the woman—who had Alzheimer’s—had run away. And ever since they’d been together, Jackson had been coming home from his night shift and caring for Jordan’s mom during the day while Jordan worked, just to keep her mom out of a facility for as long as possible. Due to the advancing stages of the disease they’d recently been forced to move her mother to a long-term assisted living home. But they both visited every day.

That kind of devotion, that kind of commitment— Alex wanted that. She knew Mitch would do almost anything for her. But opening his heart up to love again? She swallowed a hard lump in her throat. That was the one thing he’d never do.

“Hey, sorry we’re late.” Lily walked into the tiny apartment, Grady right behind her. “I’m not moving very fast in the mornings lately.” She rubbed her stomach.

Grady slipped an arm around her shoulders. “I don’t know how women go through all this.”

Lily glanced up at him with that expectant glow. “Just six more months, honey. Then we’ll have a beautiful baby to show for it.”

Alex spun on her heels and reached blindly into a cabinet for something to pack. The love in this apartment was suffocating.

“Okay, I’m here. Put me to work.” At the sound of Mitch’s voice Alex jerked and almost dropped the Viva Las Vegas vase she’d grabbed from the cabinet.

Apparently everyone else was just as shocked as she was. A stunned moment of silence permeated the room as Alex turned to take in her lover.

“What?” Mitch held a tray full of Styrofoam cups of expensive coffee in one hand and a box from a doughnut shop in the other. He hadn’t shaved, and he was wearing the same shorts and shirt he’d left at her house. Only Mitchell McCabe could manage to make scruffy look sexy.

“Kind of early for you, McCabe,” Jackson said as he stood, took the box of doughnuts and shook Mitch’s right hand.

Mitch’s gaze slid to Alex and she quickly resumed wrapping the vase and packing it in a box.

“I owe a forfeit, I pay it in full,” Mitch said. “I brought coffee.” He lifted the tray with a smile.

“Oh, dear.” Lily clamped a hand over her mouth and went running down the hall.

Grady winced. “Coffee’s one of the smells that sends her hurling.” He strode after her.

Poor Mitch. His smile faded as he lowered the tray of drinks. “Sorry about that.”

“No, no.” Jordan grabbed the tray. “Smells heavenly to me.” She took a cup and sipped some coffee. “We rented a trailer, but we had to park it at the end of the lot. How about you guys start loading furniture while us gals finish packing?”

“Sounds good,” Jackson agreed. “McCabe, you want to grab the other end of the sofa?”

“Sure.” Mitch darted another glance at Alex before bending to lift the sofa and followed Jackson out.

“What was that all about?” Jordan asked as soon as the guys were out the door.

“What?” Alex kept her attention on packing.

“Are you and Mitch quarrelling?”

Alex assumed her most innocent expression. “McCabe and me? No.”

“Then what was with all the furtive glances and the silence? You didn’t give him a hard time about being out all night with some new bimbo now that his thirty days is up? Or make some snarky wisecrack about him making Lily puke?”

Alex scoffed. “My world doesn’t revolve around Mi—McCabe. I have a life.” Crap, that came out too defensive.

After Jordan didn’t respond, Alex finally looked up.

Jordan was staring at her, scrutinizing, calculating.

Feeling her face heating, Alex spun to grab something else out of a cabinet.

“Oh. My. God,” Jordan gasped.

Alex gritted her teeth and turned back around.

“You’re sleeping with him!” Jordan looked horrified.

“You say that like I was sleeping with a terrorist or something.”

Just then Grady and Lily returned from the bathroom. Grady was shaking his head. Obviously, they’d overheard. “Damn it, Hughes.”

Lily shrugged one shoulder. “I told you. Their auras were both so red.” At least she was smiling. “And I, for one, am happy for you, Alex.”

“Oh, Alex.” Jordan shook her head, sympathy in her eyes.

“What?” Alex challenged. “What’s the big deal?”

“What goes next, hon?” Jackson appeared in the doorway, Mitch behind him.

Everyone jumped and looked guilty at Jackson’s question. Good grief. What was this? As the Air Combat Instructor’s World Turns?

“Well, Jackson.” Alex stomped past Jordan to stand nose to nose with her old friend. “You might as well know the whole sordid truth. McCabe and I are shagging each other’s brains out. We’re doing the dirty. Burying the bone. Glazing the doughnut. Dipping the corn dog in the batter. We can’t keep our hands off each other!”

Poor Jackson just raised his brows and propped his fists on his hips. “Con…gratulations?”

Mitch pushed past Jackson, put his arm around Alex’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, my fragile flower, I’ll protect you from these Puritans.” Then he spoke low into her ear. “What finally broke you, soldier? Was it the newlywed couples’ love-fest? Or were you subjected to twenty-four hours of Yanni?”

She elbowed him in the gut and folded her arms across her chest.

“Oomph!” Mitch grabbed his stomach. “Come on, Hughes, I’m still sore there.”

A high giggle came from Lily and Alex glanced over at her. She was covering her mouth, laughing, and Alex spluttered into laughter, too. Jordan broke next, and soon they were all chuckling.

Mitch put both arms around Alex and took possession of her mouth in a deep, long kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back, matching him tongue for tongue, moan for moan.

When he slowly released her, he whispered, “Are they all watching?”

She glanced around and then nodded.

“Good.” He grinned and looked around the room. “Any questions?”

“Um…you want to help Cole take out the TV?” Jordan answered.

With the tension broken, everything went back to normal. Alex was still embarrassed thinking about her outburst. But thankfully Mitch’s sense of humor had dispelled the charged silence.

By the time the sun was setting the apartment was empty and the last run had been made to Jackson and Jordan’s new house. It was a mansion compared to Alex’s cozy two-bedroom, but then, they planned on having lots of kids. Alex got a little knot in her stomach thinking about that. She’d changed so much from that militant eighteen-year-old at the academy.

Now that her career was for the most part established, and the man she loved wanted kids so badly—at least, he used to—she wouldn’t mind considering having a family. But after all these years of watching Mitch nurse the pain of Luanne’s betrayal, Alex would have to be a bubble-headed Pollyanna to believe he could truly love her, much less want to be in a committed relationship. So she shoved the idea way down deep, like she did everything lately.

Jackson declared tomorrow a day of rest, except coming over for barbecued ribs. Jordan hugged everyone and thanked them, and soon Mitch was following Alex back to her house.

As soon as his Jeep came to a stop behind her Mustang, he jumped out and swung her up into his arms. “I don’t know what made you decide to tell everyone, but I’m kind of glad to have it out in the open.”

“I didn’t decide to tell them— You are?” Alex wanted to pinch herself.

He set her down and took the keys from her hand. “Yep. I can’t stand lying.”

“Me, either.”

Unlocking the door, he took her hand and pulled her inside. “I know. And I love that you hate lying, and I love that I know that about you.” Who was this man and what had he done with Mitch?

“Really? Alex entered her house feeling as if she were in an alternate universe.

“Really.” He pulled his T-shirt off, toed out of his shoes and headed for the bathroom. “And since our secret’s out—” he turned and walked backward while he talked “—I think we should make plans to go out somewhere fun with our married friends next weekend after our promotion ceremony.”

“You do?” Alex’s eyes couldn’t get any wider. But a seed of cautious optimism took root inside her.

“I do.” He raised his brows and dropped his shorts. “Coming to shower?” He flashed those adorable dimples, turned and disappeared into the bathroom.

In a daze, Alex followed slowly. Could they be a real couple? Have a real relationship? She shed her clothes, stepped into the shower and wound her arms around his waist. “When you say ‘somewhere fun,’ that doesn’t mean dragsters and dollar beers, does it?”

SITUATION REPORT: HEADED for Uncharted Territory.

Shirt by shirt, razor to toothbrush to cologne, over the next few days, Mitch began leaving his things at Alex’s. Since she was still on night maneuvers, the only way to maximize his time with her was to go ahead and spend the night there during the week, too.

The change seemed barely discernible. Alex made room for his stuff on the bathroom counter, in her closet and drawers, and they even talked about bringing his big-screen TV over for watching games on the weekends.

So, it seemed without either of them discussing it, he’d—for all intents and purposes—moved in with Alex. If anyone had told him a month ago he’d be moving in with a woman, he’d have laughed and denied it with every fiber of his being. He might have even made another stupid bet like he had when Jackson had talked about marrying Jordan. That’s how sure he’d been then.

Now, uncertainty seemed to have moved into his psyche and made itself right at home alongside the bit of terror that still remained. All he knew was that, despite the fear, he was happy, and that a part of him he thought had died, the part that believed in love, that needed love, wasn’t dead.

It was on life support and needed a lot of intensive care.

But for the first time in more than seven long years, his heart was cautiously, one wonderful day at a time, coming back to life. And it felt good.

He decided to come clean with Commander Westland, but he had to let Hughes know his plans first. It wouldn’t prevent him or her from receiving a promotion, but it might mean reassignment for one or both of them.

Following the advice of his administrative assistant, he had a friend of his get front-row tickets for the whole gang to one of the Cirque du Soleil shows on the strip for Saturday night. The plan was to surprise everyone with the tickets after the ceremony on base Saturday.

By lunchtime Friday he was too excited to wait to tell Alex about the show. He decided to take off early, buy himself a new shirt, and then surprise Alex at home with the tickets.

He didn’t know which one he was more excited about: he and Alex getting promoted to the rank of major, or he and Alex making it official that they were a couple.

Somehow the two seemed connected in his mind. Maybe because whenever something good had happened in his life, Alex was always a part of it.