“I know. I love you. I’ll call you as soon as I get there.”
He pulled her in for one more kiss.
She called him as soon as she got to her gate. Then again during a brief layover, and again when she arrived home.
They would have a lifetime together. Eight years was nothing in the course of a lifetime.
Chapter 8
HANNAH WAS SEVEN WHEN Nick was accepted into the FBI academy. Both Dallas and Zach offered to live at home after experiencing two years on campus. He made it through the academy and was assigned to the Richmond field office, an hour’s commute from Charlottesville. It was a juggling act a lot of the time, but he and his brothers made it work. Hannah was thriving, he loved his work, and he was able to keep his eye on his brothers. It didn’t leave a lot of time to see Mia.
She didn’t have a lot of time, either.
For six years, they talked on the phone and saw each other every few months. But he missed her.
They saw each other more than most military families. He reminded himself of that when he was having a bad moment and stayed busy. If he wasn’t working a current case, there were past cases to study, in addition to trying to learn Persian—or Farsi, depending on who you were talking to—in the hopes of securing a spot with the antiterrorism task force. The twins graduated, and Dallas took off. Zach took a job as a fireman, which suited him much better than school ever did.
Nick lived the life of a working single father who barely had time to breathe. Even if he weren’t devoted to Mia, he wouldn’t have had time to pursue a relationship. And the fact that he was devoted meant he had no desire to.
Never once did he think giving up Mia might be worth companionship closer to home. He had no interest in touching another woman, and the thought of another woman touching him was absolutely unappealing. He only wanted Mia’s hands, her smell, her taste.
On an evening like many others, he called her, letting it ring, planning to leave a message because chances were good she was either sleeping or on call. Lately, they talked through messages more often than in real time.
“Nick?” She answered, sounding out of breath. “Hey.”
“Hey. Glad I caught you.” Then he heard another, deeper voice. “Who’s there?”
“Adam. He’s helping me move.”
“Right.” She’d moved to a new apartment with some other female residents. And of course Adam was helping. Same guy she used to study with. He tried hard not to think about the male doctors she must be spending those long nights with. Men would do anything and everything they could to win a girl like Mia.
“Where do you want this?”
The other man’s voice was clear and close.
Nick ground his teeth. Another man in her apartment, knowing where she lived, touching her things.
“Just put it in the bedroom.”
“He’s in your bedroom?”
“Nick. Don’t do this. Please. You know I love you.”
“You’ve cancelled my last two trips.” Because there’s something going on you don’t want me to see?
“Mia? Mia! What about this one? I have to get going, so if you want to use my muscles, you better do it now.”
Silence, then her heavy sigh. “Okay. Just a sec. Nick? Are you there?”
“Yeah. I’m here.” That was the problem, wasn’t it? He was here—and she, and Adam, were there. “Sounds like you need to go.”
“I do, but I’ll call you later. If I can.”
Always qualified with that last bit, because you never knew who might have an emergency. Who might need her. He wondered if Adam ever had emergencies.
“Okay, then. I guess I’ll talk to you later. If you can.”
She said bye and hung up.
Damn it. He was ruining things; he knew he was. If she wanted to be with Adam, which made him sick to think about, then he’d deal with that, fight for her. And if she didn’t want to be with Adam, then his insecurity would push her in that direction. His possessiveness would add to her strain, and she’d have someone else there to lean on. Exactly what the other man was waiting for. Shit.
He didn’t want to be insecure, hated it, and he wanted to blame Mia for it, but it wasn’t her fault.
He called her back and she answered on the first ring with a “Hey.”
“I love you, Mia. That’s all. I know you have to go, but I just wanted to say that.”
“I love you, too,” she said, and her voice softened.
Some of the sick fear left him. “I love you so damn much. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t,” she said, and he could hear her smiling. “Don’t forget how much I love you, either, okay? Promise?”