Page 12 of Crave

We didn’t talkfor the entire ride back to my place. When we arrived, Mia retreated to the office, slamming the door shut behind her. The whole afternoon was a mess. I hadn’t meant to yell at her. She was just so thick-headed sometimes, and I didn’t understand why she just couldn’t see what was so clear to me.

I looked at the door she was hiding behind and heaved a deep breath. If I went in after her, we would just end up fighting more. She needed space. Hell, I needed space, too, so I grabbed my keys off the table and headed to Liberty Public Market.

I walked into the market and inhaled the scent of freshly brewed coffee and slow-roasted carnitas. I loved Liberty Station. It was a former Naval base that had been turned into a gathering for artisan foods, craft beers, entertainment, and shopping.

A tall, white bin of sunflowers caught my eye, so I gathered a bunch and purchased them.

When Mia had left me, I’d become a changed man. I had been romantic and loving but turned hard and cynical that day. Though, I could never go back to who I was before, a part of the old me remained in my soul.

I decided to plan something special for Mia. I bought a New York strip steak for me, a vegan smoked apple and sage sausage for Mia, a salad, and a nice bottle of wine.

It was a small offering of peace, but I hoped it would be enough.

When I returned to my place, she opened the door, and I handed her flowers.

“Thank you. These are beautiful.” She gave me a kiss as if the fight from earlier had been forgiven already, and placed them in a pitcher of water that she used for a vase.

“You are beautiful.” I started cooking our dinner as she leaned against the counter, watching me.

“So tell me, where did you learn to dance like that?”

A blush spread on her cheeks. “Well, I always danced growing up, you knew that. Ballet and jazz. Cumbia with my mom. But I took pole dancing lessons in San Francisco. It was really fun actually—the dancing, not the taking my clothes off part. It’s hard too and like the best workout for my arms.”

I laughed. I completely admired that she had fully thrown herself into this psychotic charade. “Well, from now on, I’m happy to be your audience. Your only audience. I’ll even install a pole in the bedroom. Maybe for your next challenge, you can train to be the first female SEAL.”

She raised the glass to her lips. “I would, but I don’t want to make you look bad. I run very fast and per my small arms instructor, I have a ninety-five percent shooting accuracy. I’d smoke you.”

Smartass. “Oh, you think so?” I grabbed her, carried her to the sofa, and pinned her down as she giggled. I kissed her, and she kissed me back, us both laughing. And for a few brief moments, we just enjoyed being with each other. We were perfectly in the moment, no stress about the past or future.

“I think the food is burning,” she mumbled between kisses. I jumped up and strode to the kitchen. My steak was a bit too dark, but her meal was okay.

“It’s still good.” I smiled over my shoulder at her before plating everything and carrying it to the table. “So, when we get our son back, what is our plan?”

She bit her lip as she poured us both wine. “If we get him back.”

“We’re going to get him back. Are you going to move in here and take care of him while I work? I have a deployment coming up soon.”

Her eyes brightened, and she gave me a hopeful smile. “I know. Yes, of course I’d love that. I probably can finish my last few courses at SDSU and transfer the credits for my degree.” Her smile vanished, and her brow furrowed. “This will be so hard on him. He doesn’t even know us. He will probably need therapy.”

We’ll all need therapy after this.“Yeah, well, we’re his parents. We’ll get through this. We can move to a house on base and give him a normal life.” I paused, not wanting her to clue into my plan. Thankfully, she seemed to miss the implication of my words.

“We can work out the details once we get custody of him. Do you want to watch a movie?”

“Sure. My choice, though.”

After dinner, she sat on the sofa, and I popped in a DVD. Her jaw dropped when it started.

“We’re watching my old play? Seriously? You never wanted to watch it. You never even saw me act.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I was such a selfish asshole. But clearly you’re a great actress. I’m sorry I never supported your dreams like you supported mine.”

“It’s okay. I understood. But thanks, this means a lot.” She relaxed in my arms as I watched her perform Portia in the The Merchant of Venice. By her first soliloquy, I was blown away by her talent. She completely transformed into her character.

Just like she had transformed into Ksenya.

The next morning, I slipped out before Mia woke and drove straight to Kyle’s pad in Mission Beach. Dude had more money than I would ever see in my lifetime, and his dumbass gave up that lifestyle to go hunt terrorists. I loved what I did, and I knew he loved it, too, but it didn’t stop me from thinking he was out of his mind for giving up that lifestyle. He was, however, exceptional at what he did, and if anyone could find this woman, it would be Kyle. He was whip smart, and even former Team guys had mad respect for him.

I rang the doorbell, hoping I wasn’t waking anyone. Kyle answered and stepped aside so I could come in. His girlfriend Sara, one of the cheerleaders who had been kidnapped on a USO tour, was relaxing on his sofa—another SEAL falling in love with the girl he saved. It was like none of us could ever be in a normal relationship.