CHAPTER TWO

 

 

Alex surveyed the pantry—empty except for the pancake mix, crackers, and some juice boxes they’d picked up the night before—and tried to summon enthusiasm for breakfast.

“Who wants pancakes?” he asked, pitching his voice so that the boys would hear the promise of a treat and not the exhaustion of the last week.

“I miss Virginia.” Evan twirled around the empty living/dining room combo. Always in motion, even his sadness had movement to it—a lurching sort of dance that broke Alex’s heart.

Me too, kid. Me too. Alex had been born in Virginia, went to college in Virginia, met Marco in Virginia, and this was his first trip to the west coast. Furthest he’d been before this was Florida for Disney with the kids and trips to see Marco’s extended family. But of course he couldn’t say that to Evan who even now was looking at him with a worried expression on his face. Both boys had insisted on getting short hair cuts to match Marco when he’d gone in for a trim before they left, leaving behind their riot of dark curls, and the close-cut style made Evan look both older and more vulnerable.

“It’s okay to miss things,” he said to Evan as he pulled out the plastic bowl they’d had to buy at the same grocery big box place, a new-to-Alex chain with an unintuitive layout and sky-high prices. “But we’re going to have a great day, okay? Pops says he’s going to go out and get us all swim trunks so you guys can swim, even if our stuff doesn’t show up today.”

“It was supposed to come yesterday.” Evan’s voice was just this side of a whine and Alex was tempted to join him. But instead he added milk and eggs to the mix and put the new skillet onto heat, hoping he remembered how to cook with electric after so many years of gas.

“There’s been a delay. Pops told you, remember? Sometimes the Navy movers get busy and things like that. It’s coming all the way across the country.We need to be patient.”

“But Halloween’s in two days. And you packed our costumes.”

“I did.” He tried to keep from getting defensive as he poured out the first pancakes, which immediately started to smoke, the pan far too hot. “F—fudge. Sorry. I promise we’re going to have Halloween one way or another, okay?”

“Did we smell pancakes?” Marco came into the room with Ethan on his back.

“First ones burnt. Trying again.” He gave Marco what he was sure was a tight smile.

“Eh. Burnt is still food.” Marco stopped him before he could pitch the batch in the trash. “I’m sure I’ve had worse.”

“Not sure I want to take that bet.” Alex’s laugh sounded forced, even to his own ears. And he was about to grab the pancake plate back when the doorbell—a shrill, unfamiliar ring—sounded.

“Movers!” Evan raced to the door, Alex fast behind him. But instead of movers, two giant men stood on the small doorstep, one of them holding a white bakery box. Marco had muscles for days, but both these guys could give him a run for his money. And Alex instantly identified them as likely special forces—he’d been around enough SEALs and other special forces guys the last few years to recognize the way they carried themselves, hyper-alert yet full of swagger, and the close cut hair of the one of the left said he at least was likely active duty.

“You’re not the movers.” Evan’s tone was a near wail, and Alex kind of wanted to join him. He wanted their belongings, not a reason to be social and neighborly.

“Uh no.” The one holding the box had a surprisingly gentle voice to go along with a scruffy jaw. “We’re not.”

“I’m Ben Tovey.” Short haired guy stuck out his hand and made a blatant effort to see around Alex and Evan. “Correa around? I’m one of his new teammates.”

Alex had to laugh at how the guy had quickly deduced that there was no way that Alex was the SEAL. Shaking his hand which had a killer grip, he said, “I’m Alex. Alex Odell-Correa. Marco—Correa’s husband.”

Might as well get the awkward out of the way. Marco’s last team had been very supportive and welcoming, but Alex knew that that wasn’t always the case, and they were both more than a little worried how they and the boys might be received. But Marco had done his years in the closet and neither of them were going back there, so this Tovey guy could deal if he had an issue.

“Fabulous. Was hoping you were home too.” Tovey’s broad smile didn’t falter, and he didn’t seem in the least shocked by this bit of news. “The LT suggested we might want to drop by, see if you need a hand unpacking. This is Maddox, my husband. He was on the team until he retired, so he can give Correa the inside scoop.”

“Ah.” Alex had to smile. Apparently Marco’s new commanding officer had sent the same-sex marriage welcome wagon their way. Which, all things considered, was probably a good thing, even if the timing sucked. “No boxes, I’m afraid.”

“Movers are delayed.” Still carrying Ethan, Marco appeared at Alex’s side. “But still, we’re happy to see you guys. Come in.”

“We brought muffins.” Maddox held up the box.

“Awesome.” Marco, who could always eat, sounded as enthusiastic as the kids both looked.

“Daddy burnt the pancakes,” Ethan shared as Marco set him down so he could shake hands.

“That’s too bad.” Maddox set the box on the breakfast bar. “Is it okay if they have one? Any allergies? I brought the regular blueberry ones from my bakery, but I grabbed a grain-free one out of the case at the last minute just in case.”

“Regular muffins are fine, but let’s cut one in half,” Alex said as he surveyed the giant muffins which looked like something out of a cooking magazine. “You’re a baker?”

“Yup. Got a little place near one of the college campuses. You should bring the boys in—we’ve got a whole lunch menu now, with some kids’ options too.”

“We’ll do that. Sorry about the lack of places to sit.” Alex divided one of the muffins in half and handed the pieces to the boys on paper plates.

“No worries. Former SEAL here, remember? I can make do.” Maddox joined the boys in sitting crossed-legged on the floor, seeming perfectly happy to hang out. Despite the crappy mood that had plagued him all week, Alex could feel himself warming to the guy.

“That’s what we’re doing,” Evan reported solemnly. “Making do. Pops said we gotta make do with the sleeping bags till the beds come. But the carpet makes me sneeze.”

“We went out and got sleeping bags and pillows when the truck was late,” Alex explained. And man, did he miss the hardwoods of their old house, but he was trying hard not to dwell on every little thing that was different.

“Like camping!” Ethan had been far more excited about the prospect than Evan.

“No air mattresses?” Maddox frowned and pulled out his phone.

“Nah.We’re okay.” Alex wasn’t going to explain that they’d balked at the expense on top of all the other expenses of the last few weeks.

“Except for the itchy.” Evan sighed.

“I’m on it.” Maddox tapped away on his phone. “We’ve got plenty of friends who camp. Rounding up three mattresses and some sheets should be a piece of—” he stopped as the chimed, looking down. “Cake. See? Another guy from the team has you covered. Says he’ll be by in while.”

“That would be great.” Alex was never getting used to how fast SEALs could take over a situation.

“What else do you need while you wait for the movers?” Ben asked, breaking away from whatever he’d been chatting with Marco about.

“Our costumes. My TV. My games—” Evan started in on what sounded like a long list, so Alex cut him off with a raised hand.

“We’re good. Mattresses will help. We’re going to get swim trunks today so maybe they’re not so bored.”

“You like video games?” Ben nodded at Evan before turning his attention to Maddox. “Message Zack and Pike. God knows they’ve got machines to spare. Tell them any games better be PG though.” To Alex, he said. “Friends of ours. Big gamers. They’ll be happy to help with the boredom problem.”

“We don’t mean to create trouble for anyone. We can manage.” Alex slumped next to Evan on the floor, a little dizzy from the sweet muffins and rush of plans.

“Trouble?” Ben had a broad grin. “This is fun. Now, when does school start for these guys? Tomorrow?”

“Yup. Backpacks are on the shopping trip too.” Another expense, one that should have been avoided in the box neatly labeled school supplies that was God knew where now.

“Nah.” Ben pulled out his own phone. “No need for you guys to brave the stores. My sister loves to shop and has kids. Let’s put her on the back-to-school mission.”

“That’s not necessary,” Alex protested. “We can’t impose—”

“Dude. From what I hear, the navy imposed on you, hitting you guys with this transfer. Middle of the school year too.” Ben shook his head. “We’re super stoked to get Correa on the team—we’ve been hoping to get a dog for awhile now, and getting one of the best SEAL dog handlers in the business is a total game changer for us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t all get how hard this is on a family. Let us help.”

“Yeah, babe.” Marco rubbed Alex’s shoulder. “Let them help. Tomorrow’s going to be busy enough what with my first day and the kids’ first day. Let’s take them up on the help. And Ev, my man, I’ve promised we’ll figure out Halloween, okay?”

“Halloween?” Ben exchanged a knowing look with Maddox, the sort of complete conversation with their eyes that Alex and Marco were equally good at.

Maddox nodded like the conversation was concluded. “Apollo. I’m on it. He’s got girls though, but he’ll know where to get stuff and where to trick-or-treat, all that.”

“I love princesses,” Ethan volunteered. “They’re not just for girls.”

Ben blinked, but didn’t otherwise falter. “Of course not. You’ll like Apollo’s girls. I think they’re around your age. All the princess stuff you can handle.”

“I was gonna be a SEAL for Halloween. Like pops.” Evan still hadn’t perked up. “We worked weeks on my costume. It’s not something you can get at a store.”

“How old are you?” Ben sized him up, which made Evan stand up straighter and move closer to Marco.

“Ten.”

“Hmm.” Ben scratched his chin. “Who’s the smallest operator we know, Mad? Zack? Gotta be someone smaller, right?”

“That new chief we met—Savon—he’s probably a men’s small. I don’t have his number, but I’m messaging his wife now.” Maddox typed away at the phone that might as well be a magic wand for how the boys were staring at him. “Probably won’t be as good as your other costume, but I’m going to see what I can do.”

“No weapons,” Alex said quickly. “Not even play ones. We’ve got a rule.”

“Good rule.” Maddox nodded at him. “How about you? You need a costume? Help getting them to the school in the morning?”

“I think we’ve got school covered. It’s walking distance. And my costume was packed as well, but I’ll manage.”

“Alex is all kinds of into fall.” Marco’s voice was full of pride that made Alex’s bare toes curl into the carpet. “Last year we all went as dinosaurs because the boys were into them at school.”

“I’m going to need pictures.” Ben lounged against the breakfast bar, eating a muffin, seeming for all the world like he’d known them years, not minutes, already falling into the brotherly joking that Marco’s teammates always seemed to excel at. “Maddox tried to talk me into costumes for the dogs—”

“Maddox did what now?” From his position on the floor, Maddox burst into a deep chuckle. “You were the one at the store holding up the hot dog costume, not me. And pretty sure that was you putting them in matching bandannas for the holiday cards, big guy. Correa, man, you’re going to want to keep him far away from you and your dog on missions. He’ll have you talked into a three-pack for here at home if you don’t watch it.”

“We’re getting a puppy for Christmas,” Ethan said before either Alex or Marco could answer.

“Maybe,” Alex said quickly. “Maybe. We have to talk to the complex manager, find out the pet rules, okay? I know, we all miss Roxie.” To Ben and Maddox, he explained, “Our old family dog passed away last year. Took us a while to be ready for another, and then the transfer came in. Marco generally adopts older dogs who are ready to retire from the service, but we’re thinking of finding a younger dog this time for the boys.”

“Prepare yourself for the onslaught of dog rescue pics and texts from Ben.” Maddox shook his head. “And I get why the working dogs for the SEALs stay at a kennel on base when they’re not deployed, but I kinda wish they got to go home with the handlers at night.”

“Me too. I’ll be working mainly with Quantum, a three-year old German Shepherd whom I’m pretty sure got a better ride out of Little Creek than we did. Can’t wait to see him again.” Marco sounded predictably enthusiastic about getting back to work, even as Alex had to try hard to not dread the coming deployments. This was what Marco did, what he was fabulous at, his passion, and his dogs and teammates needed him.

“Looking forward to meeting him. And in the meantime, we’ll have you guys over, let the kids meet our mutts, if they’re okay with bigger dogs—they’re friendly, but still pretty bouncy.”

“We like to bounce.” Ethan did a wild dance in the middle of the room to prove his point. “And we are getting a puppy.”

Lowering his voice, Maddox leaned in toward Alex. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to set him off. Let me know if you need someone to rattle heads with the complex management to get pet approval.”

“We’ll—”

“Make do. Yeah, I know. I can already tell, you like to handle stuff yourself. But I’m about to have way too much time on my hands when they deploy next, so how about you let me help some?”

“You got a lead on a job for an out-of-work librarian in that phone of yours?” Alex was mainly joking, trying to cover how much Maddox’s offer of friendship meant to him. But to his surprise, Maddox nodded as he looked down at the phone.

“Well, not me exactly. But Pike—he’s the one bringing the game stuff for you guys—he teaches at the college. He’ll have some leads and ideas. And before you tell me you’ll cope without his games or job help, his guy, Zack just deployed again. Trust me. He’s thrilled for an excuse to get out of the house. You know how it goes.”

“Do I ever.” Alex couldn’t help groaning. “Last deployment I re-tiled the bathroom at like two in the morning.”

“Been there. I bake. Expect lots of breads when they ship out.” Maddox gave him a fist bump, someone who got it, just like Alex’s old friends had. Military families stuck together.

“That’ll be nice. I can cook okay. I’ll trade you some soup and chili for the bread.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Maddox spoke exactly like a former SEAL accustomed to getting his way and went back to tapping at the phone. But wasn’t long before the house was caught up in a flurry of activity—another SEAL from the team and his wife arriving with air mattresses and big bags of bedding, and Maddox’s red haired professor friend, Pike, showing up with an older laptop, a small TV, and a gaming console that he claimed were all “spares” which had everyone laughing. Pike got busy setting everything up with Evan, while Ethan was in heaven playing with the kids of yet another family that arrived, bringing more food. The day was getting away from Alex, but in a good way. What had seemed like an utter disaster now seemed like a chance to make some new friends, which was probably exactly what they all needed. He could only hope that Marco’s first day with the team tomorrow went as smooth.