Chapter Nineteen

The phone chimed, pulling Cale from his devious thoughts of Lily finishing her shower. They’d spent the entire day before learning one another’s body. Today, he planned to take her out to eat on what could be called their official first date.

He grinned to himself at the irony as he answered the call. “Yeah?”

“Shit, Cale. Can’t you say ‘hello’ like the rest of the world?”

Cale rolled his eyes. Dillon found any excuse to yank his chain. He’d play along—after all, this morning was proving bright and pretty damn cheerful. “Hello, Dillon. How’s it hanging in your neck of the woods?”

“Damn good.”

“Della taking care of you?” Cale already knew the answer, but asked anyway.

“Oh, yeah. Excellent care.”

“Uh-huh.” He could easily read between the lines. “As long as you’re getting proper exercise.”

“Count on it.” Dillon’s tone carried happiness. Della did that for him. A better woman couldn’t be found for Dillon in Cale’s opinion. Cale had his own gem in the form of Lily.

“How’s Lily?” Dillon asked.

Cale pondered how much to admit to his younger brother. “She’s fine.”

“Just fine? Because I saw the looks you gave one another. The sweet kisses. She’s got your number, bro.”

Cale blew out a breath and answered truthfully. “Yeah, she does.”

“Ah-ha. I knew it.” Dillon chuckled. “Sounds like both of you are smitten and something tells me you’ve spent more than your fair share of time in bed.”

“Not going there.” Cale drew a hard line in the sand. He really didn’t want to discuss his love life with Dillon. Not now, probably not ever.

“That bad, huh?” Dillon needled him.

“More like that good.” He corrected Dillon’s way of thinking. “I just never thought I would find a woman to be with like her.”

Dillon paused for a moment before asking. “Think Lily is the one?”

“If she isn’t, then I don’t know who is.” Cale verbalized the words he’d only spoken inside his mind so far.

“A little scary? Troubling?”

“I believe in Lily, but—”

“You can’t help but wonder if there’s another knife about to be plunged in your back?”

“Yeah.” Cale ran a hand through his hair. He promised himself to take one day at a time, let a relationship evolve. No rushing, no putting the cart before the horse.

He snorted to himself. Like you’re already done in taking her out on the town for the first time after taking her to bed. Taking her in the bed. On the couch.

“Cale?”

Dillon’s voice pulled him back to the conversation at hand. “Still here.”

“I don’t know much…”

“Now that’s the damn truth.”

“But, the way I see it, Lily’s special. Hell, if you don’t believe me, wait until you ship off on another mission. If you miss her, think of her, and can’t wait to rush home, there might be your answer.”

Cale considered his brother’s advice and the statement rang true. “You might have something there.”

“How do you think I knew for sure about Della?”

“She had you walking around with a hard-on all the time?” Cale grinned, enjoying aggravating Dillon.

“Never knew you were busy checking out my crotch. Must go hand in hand with that ladies underwear fetish you have.” Teasing entered Dillon’s voice.

“Is there a reason you called besides to harass me this morning?”

“Just making sure you didn’t traumatize the poor girl.”

“Cale? I’ll be ready in a couple of minutes. Just have to get the cats fed,” Lily called from the back room.

“Take your time.”

Dillon laughed. “Doesn’t sound traumatized at all. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”

“You better focus on getting healed up fast. Before I rush over there and kick your ass.”

“Promises, promises.”

“Exactly.”

“Go play nice with Lily.” Dillon clicked off.

Cale smiled and shook his head. If he didn’t know better, he could place the label of matchmaker on his younger brother.

* * * *

“Is Dillon your only sibling?”

“Yeah. Trust me, he’s more than enough.”

They’d finished eating at the local cafe and had opted for a walk through the town’s sole park as the sunshine and warm fall day called people outside to enjoy the pretty weather before winter arrived soon. He laced his fingers with hers, enjoying the fresh air, her presence by his side, and the lazy Saturday afternoon with only a handful of people milling around—probably owing to the long holiday weekend.

“What was it like growing up? Did you live in the city? Play sports? Make homecoming king in high school?”

Her curiosity seemed endless today. Understandable since they’d crossed the line from guest or friend to lovers in record time. In truth, he never spoke much about himself, cautious by nature and training, more than aware that loose lips sink ships. After years as a SEAL and now as a Wind Warrior, he had quietness and secret holding down to a science.

Yet, he couldn’t deny Lily her answers. Most of them. She needed to know more about the man whom she claimed to love.

Love.

She’d tossed the word out before only to be greeted with his muteness on the matter. Stung, she had recovered quickly, promising his lack of confession didn’t matter. He didn’t buy the forced nonchalance, but he also couldn’t open up that much. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

“We grew up on a beef farm. Raised horses, too. Hauled hay in the summer to make money and worked beside our father running the farm. We weren’t rich, but worked hard and didn’t have a bad life.” He recalled those days, working dawn to dusk in the hayfield, the smell of alfalfa almost real as it was way back then. “Dillon and I played football. That’s what you did in a small town.”

“Homecoming king?”

He grinned and squeezed her hand. “Nope. Not popular enough I suppose.”

She smiled up at him. “Your student body was blind.”

He shrugged. “Who knows? Not a big deal in the scheme of things. I managed to graduate without regrets.”

“And you joined the Navy.” She filled in the blank. “Did you always want to be a SEAL?”

“Yeah. Saw a documentary on them as a kid and knew that I wanted to be one of the elite.”

“I hear it’s beyond tough.”

“It has to be. They make sure you’re prepared for anything. Your life and the lives of your team members count on it.”

Her lips tightened, probably in relation to the inference of death during duty.

“Were you scared?”

They walked a few more steps, then paused to overlook a lake with a small gaggle of geese swimming along on the gentle current. “I’m pretty sure every man had fears at one time or another. Human nature. You just learn to push past, knowing your team depends upon you.”

She craned her head to meet his gaze. “I think you’ve cornered the market on bravery and courage.”

He shook his head. “Not even close.” The awe and acceptance in her eyes touched him. He carried scars, physical and psychological, which would never disappear. None of them seemed to matter to Lily. In her eyes, he could be a victorious warrior or a beaten down old soldier and she would still see him in a positive light.

“Ever think what you want to do after you retire from whatever it is you do now?”

He eyed her for a long time, then inclined his head. Yesterday and again this morning, he debated telling her the truth about his occupation. She needed to understand the basics if they were to make their relationship work. Besides, it was only a matter of time before another mission came up. “What I’m going to tell you can get us both killed.”

“I’ll keep it to myself.” Sincerity and promise filled her tones.

“I’m a Wind Warrior now. A team of former special ops men who accept government contracts to go after the nasties hiding out in the US and its neighbors. We’re top secret and don’t officially exist.”

“You take out the bad guys. I already figured out that much.”

“Yeah, to put it simply. We stay under radar and have a license to kill. No questions asked.”

“So, pretty much like the contracted security teams in foreign countries?” She tilted her head.

“Similar, but on opposite ends of the spectrum. We attack. They defend and protect.”

“Just as dangerous if not more so, I imagine,” she whispered.

He shrugged.

“What will you do when you retire from the Wind Warriors?”

He blew out a breath. “Haven’t thought that far ahead.” Glancing down at her, he explained, “You have to understand the mentality of a SEAL or a Wind Warrior. We live in the present because none of us expect much of a future.”

She gasped at the statement, spoken so calmly and casually. Her face clouded with worry. “You think you’re going to give your life in the line of duty?”

“I used to.” He folded her hand tighter in his before lifting hers for a brief kiss. “Now I have something to live for.”

“You’re good for my ego.” Her smile outshone the sun.

“Ditto.”

He pivoted and began strolling along the shore once again, automatically raking his gaze over the area, searching for any potential threat, paying attention to even the slightest detail—a habit that saved his ass more times than not.

“Where are your parents now?”

“Still on the farm, last I heard.”

“Last you heard? Don’t you speak to them?” Lily glanced up at him.

“Not after we nearly came to blows over Rachel. I thought they were unbelievably cruel when they voiced their opinion of her right to her face. Pissed off, I dragged Rachel out of there, vowing to never come back. If I had only listened then.”

“Retrospect is always twenty-twenty.”

“Yeah.”

“So, why haven’t you called them up? Obviously, she’s out of your life, has been for a while.” She stopped and tugged him around to face her.

He didn’t care for this particular topic, but Lily proved to be like a dog with a bone. “I’ve been waiting for them to make the first move.”

She snorted. “Let me guess. You’re regretful of your actions, but too stubborn to do anything about it.”

He cringed at her insightful comment. Somewhat surprised his temper didn’t fire, he offered up a vague explanation. “It’s more complicated than that.”

Lily paused and met his gaze hard. “Let me give you a word of advice from someone who is an orphan. Life is short. Too short. You still have parents who love you, miss you, and grieve because they think their oldest son is lost to them forever all because of an evil witch who’s since been crushed by a house.” She drew in a breath. “You’re the bravest man I’ve ever known. Suck up your courage, pick up the phone, and throw out an olive branch to your parents.”

He heard her words and understood her sentiment, but years of rift between him and his parents stood in the way. “I’ll…think about it.”

“Good because you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”