To Honor and To Protect (13 page)

He felt awkward admitting it, even knowing she wasn’t romantically attached to anyone, but he loved her still. Desperately. It made him vulnerable personally and in his role as her protector. Temporary protector, if she had her way. He was afraid to ask if she might have any emotions left for him. The answer was obvious enough—she’d been engaged to another man. She might not be able to deny the old physical spark, but he wanted more than her body. He wanted her heart once more. He just couldn’t be with her and not be
with
her. The physical chemistry was a good start, but it went so much deeper. For him anyway.

But this wasn’t the time to navigate that particular minefield. They had more immediate problems, and any mistake could be their last. If he didn’t get her into Casey’s protection soon, if he messed up and something happened to her or Andy, this op would accomplish the one thing the POW experience hadn’t: it would break him.

The time between their introduction and their wedding had been the best of his life. Before Addi, he’d had family, good friends and the best support a career soldier could want. But she’d brightened up all of that. Loving her, being loved by her, had brought all those pieces together. Loving her made him stronger, gave him something even more significant, more personal to fight for. It sounded clichéd even in his head, but it was true. Loving her, believing she still loved him, had saved his life in that hellhole.

He looked at Andy, then at her. Loving her, he’d been willing to let her keep her new family and all the happiness he’d witnessed that day in the park. Now, knowing her son and their family of two was really his, he wanted it all, but he didn’t know if he could give her what she needed in return.

Edgy and tense, she had reason to distrust the world, and if he admitted he’d tracked her down only to walk away, he’d give her a valid reason to distrust him.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

He looked up as her shadow fell over him. “Famished.” He didn’t mean the food. Between their son and the imminent danger, he couldn’t indulge his basic need to take and taste, to remind them both, on the most basic level, of what they’d once shared. She might not believe it was there, but he did. Instead, he decided right then and there to focus on what he could do. He could be the man he’d intended to be—her husband and a father—and he could keep them both safe until she trusted him enough to take her in to talk with Director Casey.

“Come on over and make a plate.”

“I can’t believe how well your friend stocked this place.”

She smiled. “Based on that stash, I think he was planning an extended getaway. I feel a little guilty for taking advantage. I’ll have to find a way to make it up to him.”

“I like Nico’s tree house,” Andy said.

“Me, too,” Drew agreed. Especially the wide porch that saved him from having to share the tight quarters with Addi through the night. “Has your mom taken you fishing yet?”

“Not ever,” Andy said around a bite of ham sandwich.

“Chew first,” Addi reminded him.

“I saw some fishing poles in that cubby under the cabin this morning. It would be a good way to spend some time this afternoon.” Anything to create more breathing room. He couldn’t decide if the temptation of being close to her was worse than the surge of grief whenever he thought of the time they’d lost. “If we can find some bait, we’ll be set.”

“What kind of stuff makes bait?”

He smiled at the boy. Drew wondered when it would stop feeling like a punch to the gut to look at his son. “The best bait is something that makes the fish curious enough to bite and get hooked. It could be a worm or a smaller fish. Some fishermen use fake bugs.”

“Cool!”

“It all depends on what kind of fish you’re trying to catch.”

“Will you come, too?” Andy asked his mom.

Drew knew it was more than a good idea. Sticking together was necessary under the circumstances. At least if they were outside fishing, they couldn’t keep arguing, and with Andy nearby, Drew would have a distraction from his perpetual need for Addi.

The three of them discussed the various fish living in the swamp and the different baits each fish preferred. Addi had looked perfectly content in the city with her fiancé and son, but out here she seemed equally at ease with her surroundings.

“You know, the best time to fish is early in the morning,” she said. “Before the sun is up.”

Andy’s face sank with disappointment and his shoulders slumped. “Can’t we practice today?”

“Definitely,” she said. “But if you hope to catch anything, you should choose a cool and shady place.”

The boy beamed once more. “Can it be just me and Drew?”

“Not this time,” Drew answered before Addi had to be the bad guy. “But there will be other days when we can go out just the two of us.” He met the hard look Addi aimed at him head-on. This wasn’t a matter of overpromising. Come hell or high water, he would be a part of Andy’s life from this point forward.

As they cleaned up the picnic and returned to the cabin for fishing poles and a bucket for bait, he kept an eye out for any sign of trouble. So far today, the only trouble was the prickly mother of his son. It was impossible to miss how they both used Andy as a shield, more than happy to talk to him but not each other.

He couldn’t blame her, couldn’t even imagine how difficult it must’ve been raising Andy alone. While they dug for worms he experienced a jolt of anger, like heat lightning, realizing how close he’d come to never knowing he had a son. Sure, he’d walked away in San Francisco, but she’d nearly pushed him away two nights ago.

It was a relief to head back toward the water, letting Andy’s unending string of questions blur out the various levels of his worry and frustration. He taught his son how to cast a line, how to extricate the line from leaves and debris and then the more important lesson of sitting quietly while the bait did its work.

That last part proved the biggest challenge for the boy. Insects buzzed quietly out over the water and once in a while a fish would strike but not at their lines. Drew lay back on the grass, but Andy fidgeted.

“Who taught you to fish?” Andy twisted and knotted a bit of tall marsh grass.

“When I was growing up, my dad took me fishing on a lake that felt as big as an ocean,” he answered quietly. “You couldn’t see across to the other side.”

“Where was that?”

“Michigan.”

“We can almost see the Pacific Ocean from our house in San Francisco,” Andy said. “But no one fishes there.”

“What about on Fisherman’s Wharf?”

Andy laughed, his small shoulders rounding as he tried to stay quiet. “No one fishes with poles and stuff out there. They get on boats and go way out from shore.”

“Oh,” Drew said. “That makes sense.”

“How do you know about Fisherman’s Wharf?”

“Stories and pictures. I’ve only been to San Francisco once.” On the trip when he’d tracked down Addi and found her looking so perfect and happy with another man and this little boy. “California has a lot going for it. You must like it there.”

“I live there,” Andy said, as if that explained it all. “I learned the whole San Francisco history from school field trips.”

“Impressive.”

“And books.”

“You like to read?”

“Yeah.” Andy leaned out and checked his line. “Did that move?”

“Not the way we want it to.”

“Oh.” He slumped back, then shifted, flopping down to mirror Drew’s position, propping himself on his hands. “Mom and I read every night.”

“History books?” He slid a glance at Addi, but she didn’t seem to be listening. “Those would sure put me to sleep.”

“No.” Andy giggled. “Comic books. They’re better for bedtime.”

“Which is your favorite?”

“Captain America!” Andy bounced to his knees, then remembering they were supposed to be quiet, whispered the answer once more.

“He’s pretty tough,” Drew agreed. At Andy’s age, he’d been into comics, as well, and Captain America had topped the list.

He chanced another sideways look at Addi while the little guy chattered on and on about the story and art in the latest edition. At this rate they wouldn’t catch anything, but Drew didn’t care. The kid’s enthusiasm was contagious. It had been nearly twenty years since he’d given any real thought to the complex universes and alternate realities of comic books.

He let his imagination drift, wondering what it would be like to have been a part of Andy’s life from the beginning. He couldn’t fathom a responsibility more rewarding than raising a family. A wife, a few kids, a dog...

“Do you have any pets?” he asked when Andy stopped long enough to catch a breath.

“Not right now. My hamster died.”

“No dog?”

“Mom said maybe after the wedding.” Andy sighed. “But now we’re not getting married.”

Drew managed not to wince at the reminder that Addi had nearly tied the knot with Craig Everett. The perfectly styled Everett didn’t seem like the dog type, but Drew hadn’t stuck around for a full evaluation. Maybe if he had done more digging, he could’ve saved Addi from her current predicament. Maybe.

He and Addi had talked about adopting a big hound dog, but that had been when their plan was to live on a small acreage. Instead, she lived in a city-locked urban high-rise. He stared out over the still water, wishing he could go back and do things differently. It seemed like a lot more than eight years ago when he and Addi had dreamed of life with lazy summer days tucked between demanding careers and raising three or four children.

He battled back the more familiar swell of angry regret over what he’d lost in that damned POW camp. The world didn’t owe him a thing, but there were moments, like this one, when it was tempting to think so. He hadn’t indulged in self-pity under the horrible conditions of his imprisonment, and this wasn’t the time to start.

“Andy, if you had a dog, what would you name it?”

* * *

A
DDISON COULDN’T HELP
smiling as she listened to Drew and Andy. Only pieces of the conversation floated back to where she sat in a patch of sunshine, trying to forget her circumstances. But the few words and phrases were enough to let her know they were getting along well.

She’d been invited to cast a line with them and to enjoy the shade while they waited for something worthwhile to take the bait. But she was trying to show Drew she trusted him and meant to keep her word about making him a part of Andy’s life.

Blame eight years of maternal logistics but she couldn’t help wondering how they would make it work. She lived in San Francisco and Drew apparently had a life he enjoyed in Detroit. Just because they’d managed a long-distance romance ages ago didn’t mean a long-distance family was doable.

Andy needed more than an occasional father figure. Now that it was possible, she wanted to give her son plenty of quality time with his real father. She suspected the relationship would benefit Drew as much as it would Andy. Not certain how it would affect her, she left herself out of the equation.

She rubbed a fist over her heart where it clattered against her ribs. In the early days after their postponed wedding, she’d had vivid dreams of Drew with the child she carried. Over the years, for the sake of her sanity, she’d let that fantasy go. Now, on this sultry summer afternoon, watching father and son, she felt it was a bit like being in the sweet bliss of those dreams again.

She shook it off, telling herself to stay practical. She’d raised Andy to know his dad loved him and had died on a mission, but she didn’t know how to begin to explain this sudden shift of their reality. Andy was smart enough to know grown-ups made mistakes, but this qualified as a more serious error. Alongside her bad judgment in nearly marrying Craig and making that bastard Andy’s stepfather, it would be a miracle if her son ever accepted her word on anything again.

How could one woman make so many wrong turns on such a carefully outlined path? No, she hadn’t expected to be pregnant on her wedding day, but Drew would’ve been as thrilled as she had been. Losing him had changed everything, but she’d reworked the plan. She’d fled the Mississippi Delta and the haunting shadows of the memories they’d made for the West Coast and an urban life.

It had been the best option for her as a new lawyer, following the excellent money and perks that supported her as an unexpectedly single mother. She’d provided the best for Andy from his first nanny right up through his private schooling. She’d made a name for herself, rising swiftly to the top of her profession while staying involved as a parent and volunteer in Andy’s activities. Sure, something had been missing—for both of them—but she’d done everything possible to compensate.

Andy popped up from the grass to check his line again, and this time Drew followed him. As she watched them deal with whatever had snagged the line, she understood there would be no compensating for the bond forming between them.

Andy idolized Drew already. Other than her fear of him promising things he couldn’t deliver, she couldn’t fault a single thing about how Drew interacted with their son. But she felt obligated to proceed with caution. It was up to her to protect Andy from the potential pain of losing his father again.

Drew might be her only ally right now, but there was no guarantee he’d stick around in the backwater of the bayous until the threats against her were completely neutralized. She’d blown the whistle on Craig, and he’d escaped custody once, confirming her worst fear. She didn’t think he’d ever find her if she stayed off the grid out here, but she had to think of Andy’s future.

“Mom, come look!” Her son raced up the bank, skidding to a stop beside her rickety chair. Grabbing her hand, he started to tug her to her feet. “Come on. We got a bite!”

“Way to go,” she said. “You’d better help reel him in.”

Andy stopped midstride, giving her a puzzled expression. “How do you know it’s a boy fish?”

“Just an expression, honey,” she said, waving him back down to the water’s edge. If Drew wanted to step into dad shoes, she’d be happy to let him start with this topic. “Go check with Drew.”

“Is it a boy fish?” Andy asked as Drew showed him the catch.