Grey Skies - A Military Romance (Complete)

Grey Skies: Chapter 9

Max's pulse thudded in his ears. "I can't do that." Emily had no idea what she was asking of him.

"Oh." Her soft grey eyes fell to the shiny metal of the table between them. "You have plans, then?"

He most certainly did not have plans for his time off. In a few days, he'd be expected to leave the base for eight weeks and until five minutes ago, his only option was to return to Wisconsin and stay with his sister. He'd rather chew his arm off. Not that he didn't love his sister. She was the one good thing about visiting Balder, the one-stop-sign town he'd been born and raised in. But she lived across the street from the one man he couldn't survive two minutes with, never mind two months with. His father. Gale Anders.

"No. I..." Max searched the café for an excuse, something to let Emily down gently with, deny her request. His gaze landed on Sophie, who was chewing on the edge of her thumb as Mary inspected a pink box. How did she manage to make that minute movement look sexy? Damn, it had been way too long, just him, his hand, and memories of their night together if this was turning him on.

"Max." Cool fingers on his skin tore his attention away from the counter and back to Emily. "I need your help. I don't know what else to do. I've tried to get him to talk to me, but with the baby coming and my condition—" she rolled her eyes—"he refuses. Says he doesn't want to stress me out. But something is wrong."

Max's heart bled at the concern marring Emily's pretty face. She did seem paler than he'd last seen her. But maybe that was the cold weather. Aside from the baby bump, she hadn't gained any weight. Max knew people said women glowed when they were pregnant, but he'd always thought Emily was stunning. Now she reminded him of the Madonna. Not that he was a religious man. Faith had done nothing for him. But he spent his fair share of Christmas Eves in church, staring at the Virgin Mary. Emily was the icon come to life.

A flush of heat crawled up his neck at the nerve of him to inspect his commander's wife. "I'm not good at this stuff."

"You don't have to be good. Just be there for him." She squeezed his fingers. "He'll talk to you. I admit, I'm a little jealous of all the hours you spend online together these days." Max maintained a calm exterior despite his confusion. When he last spoke to Finn, they'd only talked for twenty minutes, and that was over a week ago. A trickle of concern slid down his back. Was Finn lying to his wife? The instinct to protect his mentor stirred.

"The thing is—" Emily continued "—you understand what he's going through. You were there."

Of course, he was there. The accident was his fault. The back of his wrist itched, and he stuffed his free hand in his pocket not to scratch. Maybe the official report was a computer malfunction that brought down the helicopter, but he knew better. Bug had paid the price for his selfishness. Now apparently Finn was paying for it as well. Everyone he loved fell down under his curse.

Sunlight reflected off the tabletop and momentarily blinded Max. After the splotches of colour dissipated, Sophie sat beside him again.

"Can you at least come for Thanksgiving?" Emily pleaded. "Spend the weekend with us. See for yourself." He started to shake his head. "Sophie's cooking, and she makes the best pumpkin pies on the eastern seaboard."

Max avoided the urge to look at Sophie, see a repeat of the disappointment he'd seen in her eyes when he walked into the café earlier. Or worse. He didn't need to be told twice. No matter how much he wanted a repeat of their night together, apparently Sophie regretted the decision to sleep with him. He'd hoped the ghosting the morning after had been because of an obligation, not disappointment. The evidence before him proved he wasn't up to this beautiful woman's standards. To him their night together stood out like a comet streaking across the darkness of his life.