“Agreed, but…”
“But what?” He stepped out into the sunshine.
“Are we ever going to talk about what happened?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he glared at Zane. Now the guy wanted to talk?
“No.” Zane swallowed, holding his hands out away from his sides.
“Master Sergeant, got a minute?” Lieutenant River Seeger said quietly from the doorway.
“Yes,” Zane said, not taking his eyes from him.
Isaac spun away and stalked off. Every step he took he could feel Zane’s eyes boring into his back.
Zane
“Hey ya, fuckwad,” Dillon said, slapping a breakfast tray down next to him.
“What?” he grumbled over his eggs and toast.
“Maddox chew you a new asshole the other day?”
“Him and River both.” He grimaced.
“It was like listening to a soap opera,” Dillon said smugly.
“Fuck you,” he groaned.
“So… you kissed my brother.”
“That’s private between me and him.”
“Ah.” There was a wealth of meaning in the one word, but he ignored it.
“How’s your mom?” he changed the subject.
“She’s hurting.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. She wants to see Isaac. I just want him to make his peace with her before she passes away.”
“Wait, she’s that ill?”
“She’s not at death’s door, but she’s growing weaker. I can see it.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“You?” Dillon arched one eyebrow.
Zane grimaced. “Okay, I may not be the best person right now, but I’ll try.”
“Well, if you do, I’d appreciate it.”
“No worries, man.”
It was a short drive to Isaac’s house and he really had to work up the nerve, but he’d promised Dillon.
Who am I kidding? He wanted to be there, but he sat in his jeep letting it idle while he stared at the front door. The blue trimmed gray house appeared deserted in the early morning light. He’d spent plenty of nights there crashing on the couch or floor when he’d been too tired to drive back to the base. Not now, though, now he crashed at the base. It was another reminder of just how much had changed between them.
His phone rang with an incoming call from Diesel.
“Hey bro.”
“You never return my calls,” his big brother groused.
“I’m sorry. We just got back from an op.”
Diesel grunted. “Triton and I got the final approval for the adoption.”
“No shit?” He smiled.
“No shit. The twins are arriving in a few days.”
The twins had been abandoned at a local church about nine months ago. A little boy and girl around five years old.”
“I’m so happy for you, bro.” He gripped the phone tightly.
“I’ll keep you posted.”
“You better,” he warned and they talked a while longer.
“All right, bro. I have Triton waving me down from the paint aisle. Apparently, the kids can’t have the same colored rooms.”
He laughed. “Talk to you later.”
Ending the call, he finally shut off his jeep. When he reached the front porch, Lacy came out of Isaac’s front door.
“Is Isaac home?”
“He’s running some errands. He should be back in an hour.” She held up her jacket. “I left this here.”
“Um, okay.” He didn’t care about her jacket. “Can you tell him I came by?”
“Sure.” She closed the door and gave him a tentative smile.
He made a quick decision. “Tell him to meet me at Stars Italian place when he gets back.” It was Isaac’s favorite place to eat.
“Will do. See you!” She waved and moved down the walkway that led to her house.
“See ya.”
Once back at the base, he yanked one of his dress shirts out of his closet and changed. Stopping in front of the mirror, he rubbed at the stubble along his jaw, no need to shave yet.
A half an hour later, he stepped into the restaurant.
“Table for one?” the hostess asked when he stepped into the small waiting area.
“Two. I’m waiting for someone.”
“Your name?”
“Zane.”
She wrote in her book and he took a seat on the bench just inside the door, gripping the small package. He stared down at Isaac’s birthday present, wishing he’d wrapped it with something a bit more festive than a brown paper bag and string.
Couples and families came and crowded inside and outside and he was glad he’d gotten there before the rush.
“Zane, party of two?”
He stood, glanced out the door, but no Isaac. He must be running late. Following the hostess, she seated him at a booth along the window. Which was perfect. He could see the parking lot.
The minutes ticked by, but there was no sign of Isaac’s SUV.
He ordered a coffee from the waitress and sent her away.
Should he text him? He glanced at his silent phone.
What if Lacy didn’t have a chance to give Isaac the message? What if she gave Isaac the message and he didn’t want to come? It would only make Isaac uncomfortable to then get a text from him. Fuck. He’d been stood up.
Another fifteen minutes went by and the waiter returned.
“Going to order?”
He’d been waiting almost an hour.
“Let’s start with the garlic bread? I’m going to give him more time,” he finished, feeling lame.
“Sure.”
The garlic bread was tasteless and he usually loved it. Paying his bill, he snatched up the present and left the restaurant and drove back to base.
Making his way down the hall to his bunk, he placed the present on the dresser and tore off the nice shirt before he tugged back on the t-shirt.
“Screw you, Thorne!” Holden’s laugh came from out in the hallway.
“I swear it was!” Isaac chuckled as their voices moved past.
“Sure it was.” Ethan’s voice drifted down the hallway before the three voices faded in the direction of the locker room.
His heart pounded, heat filled his chest and neck, and his face grew suddenly hot. Sucking in a deep breath, he rubbed at his dry lips and walked to the small dresser near his cot. He snatched up Isaac’s birthday present and stalked out of the bunk room and down the hall.
Entering the locker room, mist clung in the air from a hot shower going on in the back. A few soldiers were standing at lockers in the middle row.
Making a left, he walked down until he reached the row
