Sworn to Protect (Vows of the Heart) (29 page)

“I should have grabbed a salad for you instead, Ethan, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, but next time, if you can find one that’s not half wilted, that would be great.”

“Wait, does that mean you can cook?”

“Absolutely.”

“Oh my God, I think I really have found the man of my dreams.”

He laughed. “Just because I can cook?”

She ducked her head, her humor vanishing. “Yea
h, because of what happened to Mom, then Dad forcing me to learn his trade, I never had anyone teach me how to cook. If I can’t microwave it, I’m screwed.”

He stroked his fingers through her hair. “Well then, when we get through this, I’m going to cook a meal for you that you’ll never forget.”

She gazed at him steadily a long moment. “When we get through this? Not if?”

“When,” he said firmly and started the car. The convoy moved back onto the freeway.

A couple of hours later, Ethan pulled into a gate at Camp Pendleton just north of San Diego. He wondered if he should break away from the convoy and make a mad dash for freedom, but seeing the Suburban lurking behind them kept him where he was.

Tommy’s phone rang. “Yeah?” He listened for a moment. “Cool. Okay, I’ll tell him.” He hung up. “Ethan, that was Connery. He said to stay with them, he’s getting us through the gate. Just follow him and he’ll show you where to park.”

“Okay,” he said, relieved they didn’t have to make a run for it just yet.

The lieutenant got out of the lead vehicle and talked to the gate guard. He signed some paperwork and walked back to Ethan. Ethan rolled down his window.

“Here,” Connery said giving him a hang-tag. “Put this on your rearview mirror and follow me.”

“Thanks,” Ethan said
, but Connery wasn’t paying attention to him, his gaze focused on the Suburban parked across the street.

“I am fucking sick and tired of this bullshit.” He strode rapidly to the gate guard and spoke with him again.

The gate guard picked up a phone. Moments later two Jeeps with the Marine version of MP’s roared out the gates, straight for the Suburban.

Ethan laughed. “It’s about damn time!”

“What?” Bethany asked.

“The military doesn’t take kindly to unknown vehicles lurking around their gates, especially after 9
/11. If the goons in that Suburban aren’t careful, they will find themselves in a world of hurt thanks to the Patriot Act. Since they’re not running, I don’t think they realize that.”

Bethany watched and gasped. “They’re pulling them out of the vehicle.”

Nathan looked through the back window. “Connery watched them every step of the way. I saw him making notes every time we stopped and they were with us. That means they have documentation of them stalking a military convoy. Those idiots have no clue how badly they just fucked up. If they have a record, if anything comes up associating them with Cordova and his ties to terrorism, it’s game over for them.”

“Do not pass go, do not collect two-hundred dollars,” Ethan said.

“Huh?” Bethany asked.

Ethan frowned at her. “You know, the Go to Jail card in Monopoly.”

She simply gazed at him, her expression confused.

“You never played the board game, Monopoly?”

“Uh…like when? I came home from school, did my homework, and went straight to the shop.” She hesitated and ducked her head. “After Cordova showed up at my house, I had to drop out of school. I never did graduate.”

Ethan couldn’t believe it. Bethany a high school dropout? She was too damn
ed intelligent. He sighed heavily. His fingers caught an errant curl and he tucked it behind her ear. “Well that just means we’re going to have a weekly game night at the Lancaster household.”

She looked up and smiled. “That sounds fun. But I’m also going back to school. I’m going to graduate and maybe even get a degree…like you did.”

“That’s my girl,” Ethan replied, grinning.

They watched a few minutes longer and the MP’s put four men in cuffs. A military tow vehicle also
drove out the gate.

“Bingo!” Tommy said, grinning broadly.

The MP’s returned, entering through the exit gate and disappearing into the heart of the base. Connery spoke again to the gate guard then returned to his vehicle. The guard opened the gate and the convoy rumbled through. Ethan left his window open. As they passed the gate guard, Ethan nodded a greeting.

Bethany leaned over. “Thank you!”
she called through the open window.

The guard grinned brightly and touched his fingers to his cover, as if to tip his hat to her. “Ma’am.”

Ethan continued to follow the convoy and snagged Bethany’s hand. He shook his head in amazement. She had made the guard’s day. It was a thankless job, Ethan knew, having had his share of turns at gate duty. But when one rare person went out of their way to say the words…to actually say thank you. It was priceless.

He marveled at her. It was as if her energy infected everyone. She had such an élan, no one could resist her. The abuse of her childhood had not broken her. Instead, it seemed she had a childlike zest for life – as if a part of her had waited for the time when she could experience it. No wonder her energy drew him so powerfully to her. In his jaded cynicism
, Ethan had forgotten what it meant to truly savor life. But now here was Bethany and he discovered he could find that joy again, even in circumstances as dire as theirs.

They parked and Bethany moved to bound out the door
, but Ethan didn’t release her hand, instead tugging her toward him. She looked at him in confusion.

“Come here,” he murmured as Nathan and Tommy got out of the vehicle.

She leaned toward him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said and smiled. “I just love you, that’s all.”

Her smile was as bright as the sun. She leaned forward and her lips brushed his with her maddening feather light kiss. “I love you too,” she whispered and returned to kiss him fully.

Nathan’s knock on the sid
e of the vehicle nearly made Ethan jump out of his skin. He groaned. “I guess that’s our cue.”

She giggled and darted out of the car.

Ethan stood next to his brother as they waited for Connery to finish organizing the convoy and send individual vehicles to their proper destinations.

Bethany joined him and slid her arm around his waist, tucking herself firmly against his side. He nearly groaned. How was it such a simple action could cause such a powerful desire to leap within him? He glanced down at her. How was it he could no longer imagine his life without her in it?

His gaze fell on Nathan. What change had she brought about? He and Nathan worked to repair their relationship – because of her. She had fought to make them both understand, even jumping in front of Ethan and taking a blow meant for him.

But the grief constantly plaguing Nathan was so much more obvious. Ethan shivered. Only now did he truly understand.

“Ethan?” Bethany whispered, looking up at him in concern. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

He had to look away from those gorgeous emerald eyes. He swallowed around the lump in his throat and found the courage to face her again.

“Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “You’ve just opened a whole new world for me. One I never knew existed. I’m trying to adapt.”

She cupped his cheek, her thumb tracing softly across his skin. “You’ve done the same for me. I never knew what it meant to have hope…to actually look forward to my future.”

Her words impacted him like a kick in the gut. “God, Bethany,” he whispered. “It’s all right there, so close…it’s within our grasp…all we have to do is reach for it.”

She looked up at him, her eyes liquid, and that spark appeared…the spark that always ignited his blood.
God help me, I lost my heart to her the moment I first laid eyes on her.

“Hey,” Nathan called. “Did you hear me?”

Ethan looked up startled. “No, sorry.”

Nathan scowled. “Bethany, would you excuse us? I need to speak with my brother a moment.”

“Of course.” She stepped away and moved to talk to Tommy and Connery.

Nathan pulled him out of earshot. “Ethan, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said, but his voice betrayed him.

Nathan folded his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow. “Try again.”

“I just…” Hell, how could he explain it? “I just realized some things…and they hit me pretty hard.” He looked at his brother for a long moment. “God, I have been such an idiot! I should have never been so hard on you.”

“Ethan, it wasn’t just you. We both fucked up. You had every right to call me out on my drinking.”

Ethan’s shoulders slumped. He rubbed his eyes.

Nathan’s hand descended on his shoulder. “Damn it, Ethan, listen to me. You’re exhausted, you’ve had a target painted on your back for over a month now and you survived what would kill a normal man…twice. You not only survived, you have kept Bethany alive despite the odds. What’s even more amazing is that you know when to take a step back and hand the reins over to her. You’re acknowledging your own strengths and weaknesses and how her talents compliment yours. The old Ethan I knew never would have done that. You’ve changed, little bro. I am so fucking proud of you right now and I know Dad would be too.”

Ethan’s head shot up and he blinked, absolutely stunned. “What?”

Nathan grinned and roughly wrapped his arm around his shoulders, hauling him toward the others. “You heard me. Just don’t let it go to your head. We’re not out of this yet.”

Ethan looked from his brother to Bethany. He squared his shoulders and straightened his spine, stepping forward with an energy he didn’t know he possessed. “Thanks, Nathan.”

Nathan laughed, a
spark igniting in his eyes.

Connery escorted them to the mess hall. “Sorry everyone
, but this is the best I can do for dinner tonight.”

“God, now I know I’m hungry if I’m looking forward to this,” Nathan said.

They fell in line and Connery made sure they didn’t have a problem being civilians. Although Bethany drew an inordinate amount of attention. At first she was wide-eyed and energetic, but the sheer magnitude of it all soon overwhelmed her and Ethan discovered her shrinking just a bit, moving closer and closer to him.

“Sweetheart, it’s okay,” he whispered. He reached up and gripped her shoulder and abruptly became aware of terribly knotted muscles under his hand. “Sweet Jesus,” he murmured. “I am so taking care of this tonight.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Promise?”

“Cross my heart,” he said and grinned.

Connery escorted them to a table. He ate with them, laughing and joking – thoroughly enjoying stories of Bethany’s driving ability.

Ethan looked around the mess hall, surprised that a part of him actually missed this. At the time, so many years ago, he bitched and moaned like everyone else about the crappy food. But there was a sense of family, of team and unity. He saw Nathan looking around as well and knew his brother felt the same.

Connery’s cell phone rang and he answered it, excusing himself from the table.

Bethany dropped her fork and shoved her tray away. She rubbed her eyes and looked around.

“Bethany?” Ethan asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I…where is the bathroom?”

“Over in the corner, to the right.”

She spotted it and took off, walking fast. Ethan scowled as she ran the last few steps.

Tommy also watched her like a hawk. “Ethan,” he said soft. “If you don’t mind, I need to talk to your lady.”

“Why?”

“Call it a physician thing. I’m worried this stress might be impacting her worse than I originally thought.”

“Go right ahead.”

He rose and followed Bethany, waiting at the door.

****

Bethany’s guts tried to turn inside out. She retched all of the food she had just eaten. When her stomach finally decided to calm down, she flushed the toilet and walked to the sink. What in the hell was wrong with her? Was it the stress? She rinsed out her mouth and washed her face, noting her hands shook terribly. God she felt like she could sleep for a week.

She left the bathroom, startled to see Tommy waiting for her.

He gazed at her critically. “How late are you?” he asked softly. It wasn’t really a question.

“What are you talking about?”

“Bethany,” he growled in warning. “How many weeks?”

She ducked her head. Surely there was somewhere else they could have this conversation.

“Two…but it’s probably just the stress of all this.”

He sighed softly. “Have you taken a pregnancy test yet?”

“Uh…like when?”

His lips lifted in a gentle smile. “I know
, but stop at a pharmacy.” He paused and gazed at her intently. “I’m not wrong, Bethany.”

She suddenly wanted to cry. Damn it! The mood swings meant her hormones were running amok. Shit! She probably was pregnant. “God, I’m such an idiot.” Yet as she gazed at Ethan sitting with his brother laughing and joking
, an unexpected thrill ran through her. She might have Ethan’s baby growing inside her right now. It was the absolute worst timing, but she could not deny the joy within her.