Corpsman and the Nerd (15 page)

“
No one asked for your
opinion,” Max growled. His heart beat an extra tattoo, or maybe it
was just beating too fast and his mind blanked.

Lainy laughed. “Sure you did. That
picture is classic. There’s something about a sexy, sleeping man
that does something for a woman. Especially if he’s taking care of
her child and dog.”

“
Lainy,” he growled but she
continued to laugh.

“
Gotta go!” And he heard the
beep as she pressed the disconnect button.

An unknown feeling unfurled in his
stomach. He thought it might have something to do with excitement.
Because the very thought of KC wanting him as more than a friend,
as a lover, was unexpected, but what he wanted more than anything
else.

What would he do if KC didn’t want
him? More importantly, what would he do if she did?

Chapter 19

To:
[email protected]

From:
[email protected]

Subject: The phones are
ready!

Attachments

Hello KC,

Lainy just called. She’s
finally finished the phones, so we can talk. She said yours should
be sand and heat proof and mine should be kid proof! I’m sure Ryan
will be happy to test that theory. (She did mention there were
likely to be bugs to work out, so we’ll have to consider those
factors.)

Lainy was on her way to
the post office with your phone. I don’t have mine yet. But I
suspect she’ll drop it off. Let me know what the time difference is
there, okay?

I’d rather not call when
you’re asleep. Of course, I know you’ll want to talk to me any time
of the day. I do understand you aren’t on a set
schedule, either. You have to go when the wounded come in. I
imagine we can work out a plan. I haven’t told Ryan about this yet.
I figure we can surprise him.

He’s adjusted well. We
have a routine now. I’ve found that if I lift him out of bed, he
wakes up against my shoulder. This method works well for us. By the
time we get downstairs, we’re both awake enough to eat.

Plus, Spuds is a big help.
He’s awake and ready to go by the time I’ve figured out breakfast.
Trust me this is rocket science so early in the morning. I used to
wait until I got to the office to eat, but having a kid changes all
that doesn’t it?

KC smiled as she read that part. Yes,
a child definitely changed everything about one’s life. That first
month, she’d been worried about going to the bathroom without Ryan
right there. She figured Max wasn’t quite as crazy about parenthood
as she was in those early days. He appeared to have adjusted far
better than she had but then he hadn’t had an infant dropped on his
doorstep either. She moved on to the rest of the email.

I finally found the
digital camera. Who put it in the hutch? I don’t remember putting
it there, but that’s where I finally located the blasted thing.
Ryan and I had fun not only taking the pictures, but also deciding
which ones to send to you. Please bear in mind that your son helped
with the selection process. So, I can’t be held
accountable for some of them.

We’re having supper
tonight at Laurie and Greg’s house. Ryan’s pretty excited. He’s
down for a nap right now. I thought we’d better recharge those
batteries before we go. There are lots of kids there. He’s already
informed me that he doesn’t like baby girls. I think this stems
from the last time we were there. (Laurie’s youngest is Savannah
and she’s not a year old yet.) He claims they make a lot of noise,
are smelly, and aren’t very fun. Now, unfortunately, I couldn’t
refute this, since I felt exactly the same way when I was his
age.

I let Laurie take over.
Destiny, my niece, helped too. She’s a teenager but very tolerable.
(I’m not a proud uncle or anything.)

She didn’t get mad when
Ryan followed her around the house and asked her about all her
boyfriends. He also thinks boys who like girls are weird. So, he’s
not too sure he’s impressed with these boyfriends.

I didn’t touch that one,
either. Destiny’s used to nosy little guys, since she’s got six of
them who live with her. She just explained that someday he might
change his mind, but she likes him just the way he is. (Smart
girl!) He accepted that and then got into a game with the other
boys.

He did tell me though,
while we drove home, that he didn’t think he’d ever like girls. I
guess that’s good news. Save us a lot of trouble.
The problem is I remember feeling that way too. It didn’t last as
long as my folks hoped.

KC’s heart twisted as she read that
last sentence again. Now if she could convince Max to like her,
life would be good. While she was extremely grateful he did like
females now, Max being interested in other women was a problem. Or
could be.

Leaning back in her chair, she
realized Max had always been closed-mouthed about his love
interests. As a matter of fact, he never spoke of a significant
other in her presence. The closest he ever came to mentioning such
was when his family came to move her and they teased him about
Will’s closet. Even then he hadn’t revealed anything.

Her heart jumped when she
thought back to that moment, though. He had looked at her. Right
at
her
as though
he had been trying to tell her something.
But what
? Did Max want her for more
than a best friend? As a lover? At the very thought of him as her
lover, her heart twisted, and dropped, and her breathing turned
erratic. Swallowing, she returned to his email. Fanning herself as
she read.

Since I’m not certain how
long this will take to transmit, I’d better end now. I did zip the
pictures, since Lainy said she installed an unzipping program on
that laptop. Again, please remember, Ryan chose some of these
pictures.

Love,

Max and Ryan

P.S. General Emma is
working tirelessly on the Bent Rock Foundation. She’s shoving
everything into place. Rocky still hasn’t had the puppies yet, but
by the time she does, I’m sure our general will have the ground
work finished and we’ll jump right into things! (She’s a very scary
woman sometimes.)

He signed off with
love
again, and KC
sighed. What did that mean? She knew he loved her. But she wanted
to know whether he was
in love
with her. Knowing she wouldn’t get the answers she
wanted, she turned to the attachments.

KC clicked on the first picture and
started to laugh. Someone had caught Max and Ryan on the monkey
bars, and they were having a great time from the look of things.
Ryan hung upside down and Max appeared to be tickling him. Both of
them were laughing and their faces glowed bright and alive. KC
wanted to be there to kiss and hug both of them. To be the recorder
of these little snippets of family life.

The next picture showed them playing
video games together. Max looked as intense as Ryan did when he
played. She could tell they were playing one of Ryan’s games, but
couldn’t determine which one. Both males, their tongues sticking
out in unison, wholly concentrated on the task at hand. A surge of
love blasted through her as she stared at their familiar, beloved
faces. She stroked the screen before realizing what she was doing
and clicked on the next photo.

This one was a close up of Ryan, Max,
and Spuds. They obviously had their faces too close to the camera,
so their expressions were contorted, their faces huge. It was a
silly, funny, adorable picture. She could tell just by looking at
them they were having a lot of fun. KC wondered whether part of the
fun was because they knew she would end up seeing these
photos?

Hoping
, might be a better word. She didn’t know, but she could still
hope they were enjoying their photography efforts because they
would ultimately be sending the photos to her.

KC withstood the homesickness that
undulated through her. She had known it would come. Known she would
have to deal with being thousands of miles away from her loved
ones. This was a part of war. One undeniably heart-wrenching aspect
of her job in an already heart-rending business.

She had to leave them behind so she
could aid her countrymen. To keep her precious family free and
safe. With a new resolve, KC realized she was prepared to do
whatever she was asked in order to keep these males safe. Whatever
that entailed, she’d do, because they were hers. She tapped out a
return message as that resolve grew.

To:
[email protected]

From:
[email protected]

Subject: Thanks for the
pictures!

Hi Max and
Ryan,

I can’t believe I’ve
already been here a month and a half. It’s hard to
imagine.

Thanks for the pictures
and email. I really enjoyed them and you guys did a great job
picking each one! I love all three. Makes me homesick for you both.
It’s my place to be here. I just wish here wasn’t so far from
home!

I just remembered, I have a
video Mitch and Lainy sent me. I think I’ll watch it. We’ve already
had a bunch of wounded come through for minor stuff. So, hopefully
there won’t be more in for a while. If that’s the case, I’ll have a
chance to enjoy Mitch’s
DVD
.

I think it’s of you folks
at the lake. It involves Lainy cooking, and I’ll be interested in
that. She told me she wasn’t a great cook, but I’ve eaten some of
the things she’s prepared and I disagree.

I suppose you won’t get
back to the lake now? I imagine it’s too late in the season. You’re
probably raking leaves. By the way, Ryan’s not very helpful, in
case you forgot. Send him off with the herd. Spuds likes to chase
leaves, but he’s not nearly the hindrance Ryan is.

I suppose you’ll be
getting together to rake the town? I can almost taste Aunt Tilly’s
Italian Wedding soup. (Groan!) Mitch wasn’t joking when he said the
food here wouldn’t make us fat. There’s plenty of it, but it’s not
anything you savor.

I promise that making
breakfast will get easier. Well, even if it doesn’t, it won’t seem
so much like rocket science once you’re used to feeding a small
boy. He’s pretty easy to please for breakfast, which helps. You’re
not hard to please, either, so I don’t foresee problems. At least
you two can enjoy what you’re eating. (Sigh.)

The bakers have already
sent us some cookies. To which we’re most grateful! And Lainy sent
brownies. I’ve already put in a request for another batch.

Again, for a woman who
claims she can’t cook... Lies!

I really want to watch that
video so I’ll say goodbye for now. (Oh, by the way, I’m glad you
changed your mind about girls!) Since I’m one, and you claim to
like me. And you’ve got four sisters and three sisters-in-law. Plus
your mother and aunts and cousins. Well, you understand. Ryan might
not figure out you’re lying, but I’d know!


Love,

KC

P.S. Everyone on base is
eager to hear when Rocky has those puppies. I suppose Bentley is
all proud papa-to-be?

I had no idea, but Admiral O’Riley stopped me
today and mentioned all the surrounding bases are as eager for news
as we are. I’m telling you, this foundation is
important!

Chapter 20

KC located the video and popped it
into her laptop. Then, as per Mitch’s instructions, she found her
sorely depleted brownie supply and settled back on her cot to watch
a kitchen scene unfold.

Lainy stood at a cook top stirring
something in a huge pot, surrounded by chaos. Kids ran through the
door at what seemed like a constant pace. The other adults in the
room maneuvered around them with ease. Melly shredded lettuce at
the sink, while Laurie did something at the counter. Greg, Laurie’s
husband, just got in the way. Max’s grandmother grated cheese near
the stove.

Steve, one of Laurie and Greg’s sons,
scrambled up the other side of the cook top where Lainy stood and
peered into her pot.

“
What is it?” Freckles stood
out in stark relief to his pale skin and red hair. A definite
cutie, despite the scrawny frame that didn’t quite match the rest
of him, KC figured he’d grow into himself.

“
Eye of the newt, dragon
hearts, lizard limbs, and various and sundry insects I collected
from the window sills,” Lainy answered without
hesitation.

“
Cool! Wait till I tell the
guys!” he chirped and dashed out the door, a baseball mitt flapping
against his side.

“
Looks like plain old
spaghetti sauce to me,” her grandmother commented dryly from where
she grated. KC laughed. Melody Morrison had welcomed KC into her
home and family when Max had first introduced them. Seeing the
ladies together deepened her homesickness.

Lainy grinned and added more basil as
she read from a book that lay open on the countertop.