One Day in Apple Grove(83)

Holding Cait’s hand and walking beneath the big, old shade trees lining Main Street, Jack realized that he had turned an important corner in his recovery. He had balance in his life that hadn’t been there since he’d been wounded in Iraq. He brought Cait’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

The desire simmering in her eyes went to his head like two fingers of whiskey. He slipped his arm around her while she cuddled the little ball of fuzz. Being with Jamie opened their eyes to one another—until they could see below the surface to the very heart of that person and they’d discovered a growing love that whispered of forever.

When he opened the door to his Jeep for her, he knew that he’d have to trust her with the whole story.

Jamie slept the whole ride home but woke up when the Jeep stopped. “We’re home, boy.” Jack ruffled the fur on the top of the pup’s head.

After being set on his feet by Cait, Jamie waited while she got the bags out of the backseat. They both laughed, watching Jamie run around in circles, chasing his tail.

Taking their time going up the walk, they waited for Jamie to pee first and then catch up.

Reaching for one of the bags, Jack opened the door, saying, “Welcome home, Jamie.”





Chapter 16




“I can’t believe your parents will be here tonight,” Cait said, giving Jamie what he wanted—a full body rub—before getting up to stand outside the bathroom door. “It’s going to be weird not staying overnight,” she confessed. “I’ve gotten used to you two.” Life had changed dramatically from that afternoon at the diner when Mitch carried Jamie inside.

“You could stay over,” Jack called out from the shower.

She opened the bathroom door and chuckled. “Oh, did you tell your parents about me?”

“Yes and no.”

“Well, that clears everything up—Jamie, no!” she called out, chasing the dog out of the bathroom.

“What’s going on?” Jack asked, peering around the curtain.

“Too late,” she told him, holding up the mangled pair of boxers Jack had left on the toilet seat.

“Damn. Can you grab another pair out of my top drawer?”

They had been sleeping together for a couple of weeks, but it was the first time she’d been asked to go in his underwear drawer. She hesitated—it seemed so personal, something a wife would do for her husband.

“You sure?”

“Relax, Mulcahy, it’s just boxers and socks.”

“All right.” Rummaging through that drawer, she only found socks and T-shirts. “Nothing here. Should I keep looking?”

“Yeah.”

She found shorts, jeans, and gray T-shirts from his days in the navy, but no boxers. She was laughing and pushing Jamie away when he tried to stick his face in Jack’s bottom drawer. “Cut it out,” she told the dog.

But he wasn’t listening and continued to nose at the contents of the drawer until he unearthed a small black box and started to chew it. “Give me that.” After a brief tug of war, she landed on her butt and the box fell open on the floor.

The glint of the medal didn’t register at first. “Hey, Jack, Jamie just found a medal—”

“Caitlin, wait—” Jack stood with a towel wrapped around his hips, the ends clutched in his fist.

Their gazes met and held for a heartbeat before he bent and scooped the box and medal in one swift movement.

“Jack, I think—”

“Not now.”

“But I—”

***

He took the box with him into the bathroom and got dressed without his boxers. By the time he emerged, he could hear Cait and Jamie downstairs.

“If I don’t tell her, I’m FUBAR,” he mumbled one of his favorite acronyms from his days in the military. He knew what he needed to do, but still he hesitated. When he heard the back door slam, he shot to his feet. “Caitlin!” He ran down the stairs, jerked open the door, and almost knocked her over as she and Jamie came back inside.

She frowned up at him. “I’m really trying to help you here, Jack, but you have to work with me.”

“I know, Cait. I’m sorry—it’s hard for me.”

She kissed his cheek and told him, “I’m late for work. Can we talk later?”

A few hours later, Jack looked up as Joe Mulcahy walked into his office. “How did I miss that Joe had an appointment today?”

Mrs. Sweeney shook her head. “You didn’t.”

Joe nodded. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Jack’s gut tied itself into a knot, but he said, “Come on back.” He sat behind his desk and motioned to the empty chair.