Pretend You're Mine: A Small Town Love Story (25 page)

Harper felt the blush rise to her cheeks. “I think it’s more vice versa.”

“I wish Aldo would settle down. That boy can’t focus on one woman for longer than a month at a time,” she sighed.

“Maybe they just weren’t the one he wanted?” Harper offered.

“You sound like you know something.” Claire said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Spill it,” Mrs. Moretta ordered. “The gossip, not the wine.”

Harper handed out the glasses, sloshing only a few drops over the rims.

“There seemed to be some sparks between Aldo and Gloria when we had them over for dinner. And Aldo gave her a ride home.”

“Hmm,” Claire and Mrs. Moretta said in unison.

“Little Gloria Parker,” Claire said. “I never would have guessed.”

“Aldo also may have confessed to carrying a torch for her since high school. But that I can’t confirm without permission from the source,” Harper added.

“No wonder he hated that asshole Glenn so much,” Mrs. Moretta said, sweeping a hand over her hair and finding the hat.

“Why the hell didn’t you two tell me I was still wearing this? I was gardening when the base called. I’m such a mess.” She yanked the hat off and tossed it over her shoulder where it hit a brass birdcage full of silk flowers.

Claire and Harper snickered.

In the end, the box of wine was empty, the pizza they ordered was mostly gone, and Charlie had to come pick them up.

“I’m so thankful to you two for being here for me,” Mrs. Moretta said as she wrapped them both in a bear hug. “It means the world to me.”

“You just keep us up to date on Aldo’s progress and when you’ll be leaving. We’ll help out in any way we can. Harper will come by tomorrow to get her car, unless you have another box of Chardonnay in there, and then we’ll just do this again,” Claire giggled.

Charlie clapped his hand on Mrs. Moretta’s shoulder. “He’s a good boy. He’ll be home safe and sound before you know it.”

“Thanks, Charlie. Harper, maybe you want to let Gloria know?” Mrs. Moretta suggested with a pronounced wink.

“I’ll tell her tomorrow after we know more about how the surgery went,” Harper promised.

That night Harper crawled into bed with both dogs and one of Luke’s sweatshirts. She buried her face in it and let all the pent up tears come.

***

T
he next morning, a slightly hung-over Harper woke to news from Luke.

––––––––

T
o: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Re: Alive!

Harp, Just got word on Aldo. He came through surgery. They had to take his leg below the knee. He’s still unconscious and doctors are worried about infection, but think he’ll pull through. He just needs to wake up. The medical team was in contact with Mrs. Moretta so she’s up to speed. Are you okay?

L

––––––––

H
arper breathed a quick sigh of relief. Aldo was alive. And he would wake the fuck up. She couldn’t imagine a scenario in which he didn’t.

––––––––

T
o: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Re: Alive!

There’s no way he’s not going to wake up. So don’t even think about that as a possibility. Aldo’s going to wake up, wink at the nurse, and demand a cold beer.

Mrs. Moretta is a rock. A rock with an incredible tolerance for alcohol. She and your mother drank me under the table reminiscing about the good old days until your dad had to come pick us up.

When — and I do mean when — Aldo comes home, the Guard is going to take Mrs. Moretta to meet him in Dover and then on to Walter Reed.

Was anyone else hurt? Are you okay? I’m freaking out a little bit, but hearing your voice helped and so did your email. I’m worried about you. So you’d better be taking care of yourself or else I’ll do something drastic. Like paint all of the original wood trim in the house black. Seriously though, I need to see your face.

I don’t suppose you could come home on leave just to wear some clothes so I have something to sleep in that smells like you? No? I’ll settle for a video chat. I love you so much it hurts.

H

P.S. Here’s a picture of Max and Lola enjoying the doggy pool in the yard, and one of the garden. Those green things are PLANTS not WEEDS. Success!

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H
arper clicked send and took a breath. She needed to tell Gloria about Aldo. And, after yesterday, the dogs needed a good long walk. Plus, she wanted to pick up her car and check on Mrs. Moretta.

She whistled for the dogs. Ears perked, Lola barreled down the hallway into the kitchen with Max hot on her heels.

They danced around Harper’s barstool, anticipating a bacon snack, attention, or — dare to dream — the “w” word.

Harper slid off the stool and patted their heads. “Okay, guys, let’s go for a w-a-l-k.” She had learned to spell the word after realizing that Max had the tendency to get so excited he peed when he heard “walk.”

At the front door she grabbed her sunglasses and bag. The second she reached for the leashes, puppy pandemonium erupted.

“For the love of God, hold still!” Harper said, chasing Max’s wiggly neck with the leash. Lola pranced in place until Harper secured the harness around her.

“Let’s go see Auntie Gloria,” Harper said. She’d use the six-block walk to Gloria’s mother’s house to figure out how to break the news to her friend.

Gloria answered the door of the tidy brick ranch with a cheerful smile. “Harper! This is a nice surprise.” She leaned down to pet Lola’s massive head while Max shoved his tiny body between them.

“Yes, I see you too, Max!” Gloria giggled and picked him up. “Can you come in, or are you just passing by?”

Harper pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head. “I actually have some news about Aldo.” She took a deep breath and ripped off the bandage. “He’s hurt, Gloria. He came through surgery, and the doctors are hopeful. They had to take part of his leg.”

She watched the blood drain from Gloria’s face. “Aldo?” she repeated.

Harper nodded and grabbed Gloria’s arm. “He’s going to be okay. Luke emailed me this morning and said the surgery team’s only concern right now is infection.” She paused, debating. “He hasn’t woken up yet.”

Gloria cuddled Max closer. “But he will.”

“Yeah, he will.”

Gloria exhaled a shaky breath. “I emailed him Friday night after you gave me his address.”

“Then he’ll have something to read when he wakes up,” Harper smiled. “So, speaking of Aldo, would you mind giving me and my two stinky mutts a ride to Mrs. Moretta’s house? I left my car there last night and I wanted to check in on her.”

Gloria glanced down at her denim shorts and pink t-shirt.

Harper grinned. “Are you nervous about meeting his mother?”

“It’s Mrs. Moretta! She’s terrifying. Who wouldn’t be nervous about meeting her?” Gloria said, eyes wide. “Oh, screw it! Just let me brush my hair and bag up some of the cookies I baked this morning.”

***

I
t went better than expected. Mrs. Moretta opened the door with the announcement that Aldo was awake, and after learning that everyone else in the unit was okay, he demanded a cheeseburger.

Gloria held her own under Mrs. Moretta’s inquisition that covered all facets of life, including religious faith, how many children she planned to have, and all the ingredients in her jam thumbprint cookies.

At the end of the question and answer, Ina Moretta had merely harrumphed and nodded.

“I feel like I just got steamrolled,” Gloria said, shell-shocked.

“I think it went well,” Harper said, loading the dogs into her car.

“I can’t tell. I’m not sure.” Gloria sagged against the side of her car.

“She kept the cookies. That’s definitely a good sign.” Harper offered.

“What was that ‘huh’ noise there at the end?”

“I think that’s her seal of approval. She’s recognizing that you’re more than good enough for her son.”

Gloria shook her head. “I think I’m going to go home and take a nap.”

H
arper snatched her phone off the coffee table at the first ring of the video chat alert. She fumbled with the icons once, but in seconds was treated to the face she had been missing.

“Hi, baby.” Luke looked exhausted.

It had been two long weeks since Aldo got hurt, and Luke’s reluctance to video chat told Harper that he wasn’t dealing well. Seeing his face confirmed her suspicion and her heart hurt for him.

“Hey there, handsome. How are you?” Harper sat back on the couch, hugging a pillow to her chest.

“I’m okay. How’s my girl?”

“I miss you.” She fought back the tears that welled up. Seeing him intensified everything. “I’m worried about you.”

He sighed under the weight of the world. “Baby, I’m fine. Everything’s okay.”

“Look, I know you’re not much of a talker. But I can’t have you stumbling around half a world away fucking things up because you’re distracted by a misplaced sense of responsibility and guilt.”

He blinked. Luke’s mouth opened and then closed.

“I see I have your attention,” Harper said primly.

“I would say so.”

“Luke, do you think there is any way that Aldo blames you for what happened?”

He sighed. “No.”

“In fact he’s probably already told you that you’re not to blame.”

Luke stared off. “Fine. Yes.”

It was like trying to get answers out of a brick wall ... or a basement. “Great. So did you place the IED there?”

He rolled his eyes at her. “No.”

“Did you tell Aldo to drive over it?”

“No.”

“Did you know it was there and not tell him?”

“No. Harper —”

“Not done, yet. So logically you can agree with the
entire rest of the world
that you are not to blame.”

He sat stoically without moving for a few seconds. “Was that not rhetorical?”

“Luke, it hurts me to see you hurt like this. I don’t know how to help you.”

“Harper, baby, you can’t make it better. I get what you’re saying. I know that I’m not to blame. But I feel responsible for my friend. His life and the lives of everyone in this unit are in my hands. If I don’t lead responsibly, people can and do get hurt. People die.”

“Aldo didn’t die.”

“No, but others have.”

The men he lost before, Harper remembered.

“I lost good men because we had bad intel. Ultimately that responsibility lies on my shoulders.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Am I to blame? No. But I’m the leader of this unit, and that makes me responsible for everything that happens within it.”

It was Harper’s turn for silence.

His sigh was heavy. “All I know is I can’t get the blood out of my head. I saw it happen and we started running towards the truck. He was just laying there in a fucking river of blood.” Luke stared down at his hands as if seeing it again. Harper shuddered.

“I thought he was dead. I thought I lost my best friend right in front of me. And it made me think of everyone else I’d lost. All that I have to lose and how it can just be taken in a heartbeat.” He looked up at her.

Harper wiped away the silent tears coursing down her cheeks and wished she could touch him.

“I felt helpless.”

“He’s going to be okay.”

“He got really fucking lucky, Harper. So many times it doesn’t go that way.”

“I need to know that you carrying this on your shoulders isn’t going to make you do something stupid.”

“Like what?”

“I’m new to this military thing, but I assume you have plenty of poor choice options, like going on a rampage, developing a drinking problem, getting careless.”

He sighed and smiled a little. “I’m not going to do any of those things.”

“I know you won’t. I just need some reassurance that you’ll take care of yourself. I need you to come home safe and sane.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that happens,” Luke told her.

“That’s all I ask.” She swiped a hand under her eyes. “Isn’t it the middle of the night there?”

Luke smiled. “It’s the only way I can get this place to myself.” He turned his laptop around, giving her a view his tiny room.

It was Harper’s turn to smile. Intensely private at home and at war.

“Good, that means you can take your shirt off so I can lick my screen.”

That got a real smile out of him and even a hint of dimple. “Baby, if one of us is taking our shirts off, it’s going to be you.”

“Well, if you insist.” Harper tugged her tank top up and flashed him.

She watched those hazel eyes go dark as he set his jaw. She wondered if he had any idea how sexy he was.

“Do you know what torture it is to be able to see you and not touch you?” His voice was raspy, low.

She felt her color rise. “I miss your hands on me. I feel so empty without you touching me. We only had a little time before. But when you were inside me I felt like all the pieces of me were stuck back together.”

He growled. “Baby, you can’t talk like that when I’m seven thousand miles away. His hands cruised the back of his head. God you get me hard even through a shitty video connection. I miss you so fucking much.”

Harper closed her eyes and nodded. “Back at you, Captain.”

“Every time I think about fucking you, I go to the gym. I’m going to need to size up in shirts soon. My bench PR is up 15 pounds already.”

“That’s hot,” Harper teased. “You’re gonna give Aldo a run for his money when you both get home.”

“Have you heard when he’s coming home?”

Harper shook her head. “We’ve exchanged a handful of emails. He thinks it’ll be sooner rather than later. Has he mentioned Gloria to you?”

“I’ve only heard from him twice. Once to assure me he was alive and that I better not be moping around about it, and the other to show me a picture of his surgeon in Germany who looked like Wolverine from
X-Men
.”

“Gloria’s emailed him twice now and hasn’t heard back. I asked him point blank if he got them and he ignored me.”

Luke shrugged. “I’m sure he’s got a lot on his mind.”

Harper was sure he did, too. And that’s what worried her.