thanked God for Cody every day. And especially when his random outburst drew all of Zach’s attention and a big grin.
“How’re you feeling?”
Cody shrugged, wilting into Zach’s shoulder. “Tired mostly. Momma makes me take a break every day. Even when Mrs. Drummond is staying with me while mom’s at work.”
Zach laughed, a rich baritone that reverberated off the fake-wood walls, at Cody’s euphemism for naps. “I might be able to match you break for break, man. I haven’t gotten a full night of sleep in a while...”
“What were you doing?”
“Cody, no,” she interrupted. “Don’t ask—”
“I was protecting people who can’t protect themselves.”
Cody’s eyes filled with sadness, and the pout of his lower lip quivered. “Did their daddies die, too?”
With a flash of the same sadness in his own eyes, Zach nodded. “Some of them.”
“Then I’m glad you went to help them.” Just like that, Cody assessed that Zach’s work was worthy, and he moved on to the next topic of interest, pointing at the embracing couple. “Who are they?”
Zach turned to look behind him. “That’s Willie G.—I mean, Will Gumble and his wife, Jess. And that’s the senior chief.” A tall, lean man stepped out of an office and walked up to them, holding out his hand to shake Kristi’s.
“Matt Waterstone. You must be Kristi. Zig talks about you all the time.”
A truck full of gravel emptied into her stomach, and she barely managed to shake his hand before her knees began trembling. What had Zach been saying about her? Did they all know she’d been forced to marry a man she didn’t love for the sake of her son? Her hands shook, and she wrung them in front of her, trying not to be intimidated by the steel in his posture.
Zach grunted his disagreement but didn’t get out a word before the door flung open and three towheaded kids raced inside. They shouted and cheered as Matt squatted before them, scooping even the oldest—probably seven or eight—into his arms.
Each child was given a hard kiss on the forehead before Ashley, their mom, arrived. The kids seemed to know the drill, and they parted ways as she reached her husband and held him tightly.
Kristi took several shuffling steps backward. She didn’t belong here. Not with these real family reunions. Grabbing for Cody’s hand, she snagged Zach’s bare forearm instead, and they both jumped at the contact.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice barely carried, but the firm shake of his head told her he’d heard her just fine.
“Are you ready to go home?” he asked.
She looked away. “Anytime.”
“Let me get my bag.”
When she reached for Cody, the boy whimpered and tucked his head into Zach’s neck. Kristi flinched. “I’m sorry. He’s really tired. This is usually one of his rest times.”
Zach didn’t quite smile, but there was a tenderness in his eyes as he readjusted the weight in his arm. “No problem. I’ll be right back.”
True to his word, Zach ducked into an office and returned in less than a minute. The large camouflage bag slung over his shoulder was bigger than her son, but he carried both without any indication of the burden. With a wave to his fully occupied teammates, he ushered her into the bright sunlight and to the car.
Usually she had to wrestle Cody into his seat when he was on the verge of sleep, but Zach made it look easy. And with his bag stowed in the trunk, he looked from the driver’s door to her hands to her face. “Want me to drive?”
“Oh.” Her gaze dropped to the faintly jingling keys in her trembling fingers. That’s right. She didn’t have to drive all the time now. She wasn’t alone anymore. Even if she didn’t know quite what that meant. “Sure. That would be nice.”
When she climbed into the passenger side, she had another reason to be grateful she’d passed over the keys. His letters were still strewn across the floorboard, and she scrambled to collect them and shove them into her oversize purse before he noticed.
* * *
Zach couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her, even as he pulled off the base and toward the bridge.
He’d never had a welcoming party before. His mom and dad had tried to meet him following his first deployment, but after his team had been delayed and then called back to duty, they’d headed back to Texas. This was new. And not unpleasant.
“You didn’t have to be here today.” His tone came out thicker, gruffer than he’d intended, and her eyes flashed wide.
“Should we not have come? I didn’t know what you’d want, and we didn’t realize—”
He held up his hand quickly to cut her off while he cleared his throat. “No. I’m glad you did. I just wasn’t expecting it. You didn’t have to.”
Kristi’s head dipped, her hair falling over her shoulder and blocking his view of her face. “Ashley called and told me to be here. I thought maybe you’d asked her to get in touch with us.”
His stomach gave an involuntary jerk, and he pressed a fist to his knee. He should have thought to do that. He’d just never had a family in San Diego before. Not even an unconventional one.
“I guess we both have some adjusting to do.”
She heaved a little sigh that sounded as tightly wound as he was. And in some strange way, it helped to know that he wasn’t the only one unsure how to navigate this new terrain.
As he pulled her little green four-door onto the bridge, a large black van came up behind them. He watched it through the rearview, its bulk taking up most of his mirror and making the hairs on his arms stand up. It was following them awfully closely.
He frowned but kept his speed up, shifting into the middle lane of the eastbound traffic. The van stayed put, and he let out a slow breath.
“Cody’s been so excited to see you. He told the checker at the grocery store that his SEAL was coming home. I think she thought you were a pet.”
Zach chuckled. “I’ve been called a lot worse. He’s a good kid. It was nice to get his emails every week.” With a glance into the backseat, he checked on the sleeping boy. “How’s he doing?”
Kristi hugged her giant bag to her chest and plastered on something that he assumed was supposed to resemble a smile. It came much closer to a grimace.
“He’s...tired. All the time. He’s not getting enough oxygen, and the doctor said that pretty soon he’ll either have to carry around a canister or move into the hospital full-time.”
That made sense. The kid’s lips were borderline blue, and his breathing was too fast.
He shot another glance in Cody’s direction.
But his gaze snagged
