Love Unexpected (Navy Love Series Book 2) (15 page)

Before, I wanted nothing to do with them, I avoided them as if they were plagues. Which in my eyes growing up, they were, to an extent. Relationships are partnerships. In a partnership you rely on another person. And that is a weakness. Growing up as a kid with unreliable birth parents, who didn't show me love and nurturing like other kids got, I naturally became a loner. I grew to despise anything that required me to care for anyone other than myself.

My adoptive parents worked their asses off to show me love and pull me out of the mind frame I’d created for myself at a young age. And while they did help a lot, I still don’t want to rely on anyone other than family like that.

Marshall made a good point, though. In the Navy, I'm forced to rely on my fellow sailors daily, and I love being in the Navy. I've been in a relationship with the U.S. government for four years now. And if any relationship can be stressful, you know the one involving the government will be. All other relationships should be a walk in the park compared to it.

I just pray that the girl hiding out in my bathroom is willing to take a chance on a man with no relationship experience.

Those couple months Tegan and I were fooling around together were easy. I'm sure in the public aspect, we looked like a couple on the few occasions we went out.

The longer she sits in the bathroom, the less sure of myself I become. I’ve all but given up hope when I hear the door creak open. A timid-looking Tegan slowly steps into the kitchen. I stand there, waiting.

I refuse to start this conversation. I want to know how Tegan feels first. I’ve already laid my cards out on the table for her, now it’s her move.

After the longest, most agonizing thirty seconds of my life, she finally speaks up.

“How do you think this is going to work, Reed?”

She doesn’t look up when she speaks. She won’t get her hopes up about us, not yet. I have my work cut out for me here, I have to convince her that I want this as well as come up with a solution that won’t result in her sister never speaking to either of us again.

“We’ll make it work, Tegan. I want to be with you.”

She shakes her head.

“I spent the last few months struggling with that realization, myself. It took Marsh knocking some sense into me for me to finally acknowledge it. I know it won’t be easy, I’ve never done a relationship, I’m sure I’ll fuck up, a lot, but if you’re willing to give me a chance, I really wanna try.”

“Reed, I don’t know.”

“Do you want to be with me, Tegan?” She nods. “Then be with me, everything else will fall into place, baby.”

“You know the answer to that. You knew almost four months ago when you ended whatever we had going on.” She runs her hands through her hair, frustrated. “I-I think I need time to think. I can’t make a decision like this right now.”

“You’re going to leave? Right now? Tegan, we need to talk.” My voice becomes harsher than intended.

“And we will, but I need to go home. I have to meet Tess for lunch in a little bit. I’m not making a decision to be with you until I know she’ll be understanding.”

I drag both hands up and down my face, releasing a sigh.

“Babe, you have to do what makes you happy. You have to live with the decisions you make. You think Tess wants your unhappiness on her conscience?”

She ponders my words before responding so quietly I almost miss it.

“Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“I want to be with you.”

I move to wrap my arms around her, the distance between us becoming too much. I’ve fought the urge to touch her this entire conversation. Her holding her hands up stops me, though.

“Wait, I have a negotiation with all this.” She gestures between the two of us. “No sex until Tessa knows. I’m having lunch with her today, so I’ll talk to her. Tell her we’re going to do this; I don’t want to start off as some big secret again.”

Even though I don’t like the idea of waiting, I can admire the fact that Tegan isn’t completely shutting me down. And she does have a point, if I want her to believe that I’m in it for real this time, I shouldn’t start things off as a secret, with anyone.

“What if she’s not okay with us being together?”

In all honesty, this is a question I’ve dreaded asking Tegan. I know how close her sister and she are. And I wouldn’t want to be the reason there’s a divide between the two of them.

Tegan ponders my question.

“Well, I guess if she doesn’t like it, she’ll have to work through that herself. I like you, a lot, Reed. And if you’re serious about wanting to try this, then I’m in. It has nothing to do with my sister, she needs to accept I’m grown and can make my own choices.”

“Alright, I can agree to that, but I have my own negotiation,” I stand directly in front of her and wait for her nod of approval, “There’s no fucking way I’m not kissin’ my woman whenever I want to.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that one.” She smiles innocently.

“Oh yeah? Good to know.” I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her against me, before I take her lips in a slow, soft kiss.

“One more thing,” I say against her mouth. “Don’t, call me Reed again. To you, I’m Charlie.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah?” I kiss her again.

She bites her bottom lip and smiles. That fucking look is like a weakness to me. So timid. So beautiful, and she doesn’t even know it.

“Yeah, babe.”

We make some plans to meet up later in the day and I drive back to where we left her car.

“So, I’ll see you tonight?”

She thinks for a moment before answering me.

“Oh, no, I can’t.”

My good mood begins to quickly diminish. I want Tegan all to myself tonight.

“What? Why?” I find myself asking harshly.

“I’ve got a date.”

“A date? What the fuck, Tegan?”

She smiles smugly. “Yeah, a date with this guy Charlie, I’ve had a thing for a while now.”

Her smile fades when she notices my gloomy-looking expression.

“Hey, calm down, it was a joke.”

Without a word, I grab her by the back of her neck and smash my lips to hers. Hearing her call me by my first name feels amazing.

It was always something that I resented. My mother named me Charles after my father, and that’s all I know of him. She only ever called him by his first name and never had anything useful to say about him. He was long gone before I was born.

Anyway, I guess it was used with such animosity in my mother’s house and then having so many foster parents refer to me as
Charles
, I developed my own source of resentment to my namesake.

Since joining the Navy, I’m always referred to by my last name, I’m not sure half my friends know my first name. And I can honestly say the same for them, I know Tessa and Jo’s but I couldn’t tell you what the J in J.C. stands for.

When Tegan says Charlie, though, I don’t feel angry or irritated by where I came from. I feel hope that things will get better. I feel like this Charlie can be Prince Charming.

Tegan

I didn’t want to go to lunch with my sister, hell, I didn’t want to leave Charlie’s apartment.

Charlie.

His first name has always been a touchy subject. I never called him by it, I could just tell when we first discussed it that he wasn’t okay with it. I knew it got under his skin for people to use it, that was why I called him by it at the bar; I wanted to get under his skin like he had mine.

It means a lot that now he asked me to call him that. I’m hoping that he’ll explain the animosity to me about it sometime. All I know is that he was named after his father, nothing else.

We never discussed his childhood or his life before the Navy. Again, I sensed there was some bitterness to it all.

I drive to my house and quickly change. I volunteered to pick up Tess for lunch. Something she suggested after complaining that Hunter didn’t want her driving anymore.

It seems Hunter has taken the overprotective husband/father-to-be role very seriously. From what Tess said at the baby shower, he overanalyzes everything the doctor says.

For example, she needs more rest. Hunter’s interpretation: She shouldn’t get out of bed at all. Or be sure to drink plenty of water. Hunter’s interpretation: Remove all soda, juice, and tea from the house so Tess’s only option is water.

Trust me, as a southern woman, I know the importance of having some sweet tea in the fridge at all times. He was in the doghouse for a while with that stunt.

I sent her a quick text letting her know I was on my way, so I’m not surprised she’s waiting for me outside on their porch. I am slightly taken aback when I see my five-year-old niece sitting with her, ready to go.

They skip and waddle to the car as I climb out to figure out what’s going on.

Sawyer rushes to me and throws her arms around my legs.

“Hi, auntie Teevan! I’m cited for our girl lunch!”

I look at my sister’s guilty appearance.

“I may have told her she can tag along,” she says over the car hood.

So much for talking about me and Charlie now. I know Tessa and I won’t get much personal space to have serious discussions with little Miss Nosey there.

I love my niece, but at five years old, she already holds the gossip title for our group. Poor girl just loves to talk, to anyone, about anything, regardless if it’s a secret or not.

Which is exactly how Marshall knew about my sister and his brother’s engagement before I did. Sawyer spilled the beans before they made the announcement that afternoon.

Luckily, I have a carseat already installed in the back seat of my car. And there’s no way I can say no to Sawyer.

I suppose the discussion about Reed and I will just have to wait.

Tessa and I originally planned to sit down at a nicer restaurant, however with a messy and somewhat loud five-year-old child, we decide on Johnny Rockets instead. The fifties style theme is amusing to Sawyer, and she loves playing with the tabletop jukebox.

She rolls her eyes when we have to be seated at a table due to her belly being too large to fit in a booth while Sawyer and I both giggle.

Tess is right at seven months pregnant now, and it’s obvious she’s over the pregnancy. She complains about the exhaustion, her weight, and all of the unpleasant side effects of pregnancy. Even if she hates it now, she’s more than entitled to complain a bit. Carrying twins cannot be an easy task and I’m sure this is the easiest part of it. Once they come it will be a non-stop job for my dear sister.

As soon as we sit, Tessa pulls out some weird kiddie tablet my niece is obsessed with and headphones, leaving my sister and I to ourselves.

We small talk until the waitress arrives to take our order. After she jots all of our preferred choices down, she heads to the kitchen.

“So.” Tessa releases a long sigh. “What’s going on with you?”

“I want to talk to yo—”

The sound of “Whatta Man” by Salt n’ Pepa interrupts me.

Glaring around the restaurant, I try to pinpoint who would have such an awful ringtone, when Tessa startles me with a question.

“Are you gonna answer that, Bug?”

Flabbergasted, I pull my phone from my purse that’s sitting on the floor. The whole time confused as to why my sister thinks I would have this ringtone.

My confusion deepens when I see that my phone is in fact ringing.

When I read the name of the incoming call, my confusion disappears and a smile breaks out on my face.

“Hello?”

“Hey, babe, just wanted to see if you’re okay with going out for dinner tonight?” Charlie’s smooth voice echoes through the line.

“Uhh, I have some studying to do, but other than that, yeah.”

“Cool, don’t make any plans then, I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“Hey, care to explain the ringtone?”

“No idea what you’re talking about, babe.” I can hear the smile in his voice.

“Uh huh, sure. Okay, well I should go, I’m at lunch with my sister and Sawyer.”

“Oh okay, good luck, and I’ll see you tonight.”

With that, we hang up, and I’m met with a curious set of eyes staring me down.

“Who was that?”

“Nobody.” For some reason, I’m freezing up. Now is the perfect opportunity to tell her that I’m seeing Reed, that I like him and he’s finally showing the same interest in me. But I can’t.

I’m unable to add anymore burden onto her right now. Her plate is full with worrying over Sawyer and preparing for the twins arrival. She’s finally reaching the end of her enlistment so she can discharge from the Navy.

I know she’ll worry if I say I’m dating Reed—she doesn’t have the highest expectations of him. Whether or not people understand my sister’s and my relationship doesn’t matter to me. She looks after me as if she’s my mom, and I appreciate that. Granted, yes, there are times when it is infuriating, but I still see the value in having someone care that strongly about me.