Chloe gone. It was a grim reminder of what Dev’s life was going to be like when she was gone for good. In retrospect, getting through his divorce at twenty-two and being dumped by his fiancé at thirty-two seemed like teenage crushes. Learning to live without Chloe was going to be worse than his baddest, sickest nightmares, only he’d get to feel the panicked ache in his chest all day long in the light of day. Every day, until god knew when.
Of course, if he stayed, he knew that it would end one of two ways. She would either throw him out because she didn’t want to live with a man who was always gone, or that same basic message would be delivered in the form of an affair during his absence. Chloe might think she loved him, but it would never last. Besides, if she loved him, why the hell was she so eager to push him out the door?
Dev figured he’d rather find out sooner rather than later, so he picked up the phone and made a few arrangements. And then he planned what might be his last night of loving the mother of his child. He ordered her favorite food –pizza -- then made a salad and lit the candles on her table.
He’d just stepped out of the shower and into his jeans when he heard the front door open. He padded into the living room on bare feet and nearly ran into Chloe’s brother, who was carrying a canvas bundled up in plastic wrap. “I finally finished your wedding present.”
“You have a key?” Not that anyone would need one if he really wanted to get inside. The house was a sieve. It didn’t even have an alarm system, a fact that would be remedied later this week. Still, it pissed him off that she had never offered him a key.
Jay nodded. “We look after each other’s homes.” He set down his package and noticed the table set table with candles. “Special occasion?”
“Nah. Just waiting for your sister to get home so we can eat.” Dev slipped his t-shirt over his head. “You want a beer?”
“What a novel idea. I believe I will.” He followed Dev into the kitchen. “This is her Lamaze night, isn’t it?”
“So I hear.” Dev opened the fridge door. “Beer?”
“You’re joking, right?” When Dev handed the beer to him, Jay shook his head and pulled out a frosted mug from Chloe’s freezer. “So why aren’t you there with her?”
He shrugged. “Chloe started these classes with her neighbor. I don’t think she wants to switch her coach mid-stream.”
Jay stared at him. “She didn’t ask you, did she?”
Bingo. “There’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to be in town when she goes into labor,” he explained, trying to sound like a rational man who wasn’t getting his heart ripped out of his chest.
Jay sat down at the kitchen table and poured his beer into the mug with a perfect cap of foam. “You’re leaving? Back to North Carolina?”
Dev propped a hip up on her kitchen counter and nodded. “I’ll drive out tomorrow so that I can check in from leave before the end of the day. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment and a P.T. session on Thursday morning.” All of which he’d arranged an hour ago.
“And then what?”
Then he got back to his life. “I’ll probably get put on desk duty for a while. My knee isn’t a hundred percent, but it’ll get stronger.”
“You staying with the Delta unit?”
It would be easier to leave Chloe if he was busy and out of the country. “I doubt I’ll leave my current unit.”
“So are you leaving her for good?”
“That’s up to her.” He took a swig of beer out of the bottle and eyed Jay Simon with exasperation. “Do you meddle in all of her relationships, or am I just lucky?”
“First of all, there haven’t been that many relationships. Second of all, who do you think is going to pick up the pieces after you go? C’est moi. ”
“I don’t think she’ll be all that unhappy to see my tail lights.”
“And I thought you special ops guys never quit.”
“If the mission’s gone belly-up, you get the hell
Of course, if he stayed, he knew that it would end one of two ways. She would either throw him out because she didn’t want to live with a man who was always gone, or that same basic message would be delivered in the form of an affair during his absence. Chloe might think she loved him, but it would never last. Besides, if she loved him, why the hell was she so eager to push him out the door?
Dev figured he’d rather find out sooner rather than later, so he picked up the phone and made a few arrangements. And then he planned what might be his last night of loving the mother of his child. He ordered her favorite food –pizza -- then made a salad and lit the candles on her table.
He’d just stepped out of the shower and into his jeans when he heard the front door open. He padded into the living room on bare feet and nearly ran into Chloe’s brother, who was carrying a canvas bundled up in plastic wrap. “I finally finished your wedding present.”
“You have a key?” Not that anyone would need one if he really wanted to get inside. The house was a sieve. It didn’t even have an alarm system, a fact that would be remedied later this week. Still, it pissed him off that she had never offered him a key.
Jay nodded. “We look after each other’s homes.” He set down his package and noticed the table set table with candles. “Special occasion?”
“Nah. Just waiting for your sister to get home so we can eat.” Dev slipped his t-shirt over his head. “You want a beer?”
“What a novel idea. I believe I will.” He followed Dev into the kitchen. “This is her Lamaze night, isn’t it?”
“So I hear.” Dev opened the fridge door. “Beer?”
“You’re joking, right?” When Dev handed the beer to him, Jay shook his head and pulled out a frosted mug from Chloe’s freezer. “So why aren’t you there with her?”
He shrugged. “Chloe started these classes with her neighbor. I don’t think she wants to switch her coach mid-stream.”
Jay stared at him. “She didn’t ask you, did she?”
Bingo. “There’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to be in town when she goes into labor,” he explained, trying to sound like a rational man who wasn’t getting his heart ripped out of his chest.
Jay sat down at the kitchen table and poured his beer into the mug with a perfect cap of foam. “You’re leaving? Back to North Carolina?”
Dev propped a hip up on her kitchen counter and nodded. “I’ll drive out tomorrow so that I can check in from leave before the end of the day. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment and a P.T. session on Thursday morning.” All of which he’d arranged an hour ago.
“And then what?”
Then he got back to his life. “I’ll probably get put on desk duty for a while. My knee isn’t a hundred percent, but it’ll get stronger.”
“You staying with the Delta unit?”
It would be easier to leave Chloe if he was busy and out of the country. “I doubt I’ll leave my current unit.”
“So are you leaving her for good?”
“That’s up to her.” He took a swig of beer out of the bottle and eyed Jay Simon with exasperation. “Do you meddle in all of her relationships, or am I just lucky?”
“First of all, there haven’t been that many relationships. Second of all, who do you think is going to pick up the pieces after you go? C’est moi. ”
“I don’t think she’ll be all that unhappy to see my tail lights.”
“And I thought you special ops guys never quit.”
“If the mission’s gone belly-up, you get the hell
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