Page 24 of Defending What is Mine

Chapter Twelve

Jack:Then—Last August

“Jacques? What are you doing up so early?” Mom wipes her still tired eyes as she looks around the kitchen.

My head falls, and I sigh at the sound of that damned name. It’s the one thing I still dread when coming home. Anywhere else, I can expect to be called Wilde, or Captain, or sir, or even Jack on occasion, but never Jacques. Never. And thank God for that. “Good morning to you too, Mom.”

“What have you been up to in here? And why are you wearing your uniform?” she asks through a heavy yawn.

“I woke up and put clothes on. It’s one of those strange habits I’ve developed over the years.”

Mom tsks her disapproval. “You know what I mean. I thought your flight wasn’t until this afternoon.”

“That is correct. Weather permitting, I depart from Denver at twelve thirty-five p.m.”

“Well?” She pauses as another yawn forces its way out. “Do you really have to wear that now?”

I glance down at my desert ACUs. I don’t think she has anything against them, per se. It’s more about what they symbolize—the day of my departure has arrived. I’m putting away Jack Wilde, her second youngest son, in favor of Captain Wilde, a man who puts his life on the line in the service of others.

“Civilian clothes won’t get a lot of use where I’m headed, so wearing them to travel just means one more thing to pack and keep track of, you know?” I motion toward the counter. “Since I was up, I made breakfast. There’s a fresh pot of coffee and a plate with eggs and bacon beside the stove. If you’re hungry, that is.”

Mom stares at me from the edge of the kitchen, standing in that way she does when she’s displeased. With one hip jutting forward, and her elbow flared out—thanks to her hand being firmly anchored into her waist. “But you’re the one leaving today,” she finally replies in exasperation. “Why, in heaven’s name didn’t you wait and let me cook you breakfast?”

I glance at my phone and see that it’s barely six-thirty. “Because, you’re still wiping sleep from your eyes, and I’ve been up and moving for two hours.” Mom shakes her head as she scans the kitchen a final time, probably looking for a mess to clean up, or some other task to busy herself with. She shows her love by doing—cooking, cleaning, anticipating the needs of her family.

I apologize again as I rise from my seat and cross the room to hug her good morning. “I was trying to be helpful. I can’t stand to sit around twiddling my thumbs and feeling useless.”

She lets out a slow sigh as she wraps her arms around me and I can’t help smiling at the sound. Another of her mannerisms, the difference being that this one means she wants to be upset, but really isn’t. “Which of your brothers is taking you to the airport? Or will I be the lucky one to see you off?”

“About that.” I pull away to look her in the eye. “Sam’s going to drive me.” For anyone not fluent in Marie Wilde-isms, nothing would seem amiss about her reaction. But to these well-trained eyes, I watch her hope rise as she asks her question only to be extinguished by my response. “Sorry, Mom. I didn’t even think about…”

“Hush now. There’s nothing to be sorry about. Not a thing in the world. You’ve found a connection with that girl.” Mom breaks our embrace and hurries over to the sink, dabbing at the corners of her eyes when she’s past me. “And I couldn’t be happier. For both of you,” she says as she hastily rinses bacon grease from the pan and begins filling the sink with warm water. “She’s seen enough heartache for a lifetime. Two lifetimes, maybe. I think you’ll be great for each other.”

Mom’s right. Sam and I are great together. The chemistry is off the charts. She’s funny. She’s beautiful. Our relationship is just so new, barely a few weeks old and now I’m leaving for six months. Who knows what the future holds for us? “Why does everyone in this family keep trying to make this something more than it is? We’ve known each other for all of two weeks. I’m going to have to ask you to put those wedding bells ringing in your head on hold for a while, okay?”

“Wedding bells?” Apparently, my guess lands close enough to the mark for her to finally look at me. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says with a grin. “You seem happy, she seems happy. So, what’s wrong with me being happy for both of you?”

I nod slowly as we eye one another from across the kitchen. “Uh-huh. I’m sure that’s it.” Finally, Mom turns her attention back to her greasy pan and I decide to finish packing, now that there’s no risk of waking anyone.

Shortly after seven, Chet, Christy, and their son Logan arrive to wish me well before I leave. Ten or so minutes later Gabe, Meredith, and their daughter Gabby stroll in with Hank following hot on their heels, nearly filling the living room to capacity.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my family. But sometimes a little goes a long way. Especially with brothers like Hank and Gabe. So as soon as I hear the sound of gravel crunching under Sam’s tires as she comes down the drive, I’m out of my seat and reaching for my duffel bag. “Alright, that’s my ride.” I begin working my way through the room, hugging and saying my goodbyes as I go.

When I reach him, Hank struggles to look me in the eye and wears an apologetic smile. “Mol really wanted to be here to see you off, but she’s got the morning shift all week.”

“It’s no problem. I completely understand. Please be sure and tell her I said goodbye. And that she shouldn’t worry. We’ll all understand,” I wheeze as he wraps me in a hug and lifts me off the ground.

Hank releases me from the bear hug and steps back with a confused look on his face. “We’ll all understand what?”

How sweet is this? My last chance to give him a hard time before I leave, and he took the bait.

“You know? When she wakes up one morning and realizes what a horrible mistake dating you has been.” I look to Gabe. “Come on, you know what I’m talking about, right?”

Gabe smiles wide. “Absolutely. I’ve been saying that to Mer since he tricked her into going out with him in the first place. Haven’t I, Doll?”

“Nope. No way. I know better than to get involved in your shenanigans.” Meredith levels a finger at all of us boys before she walks over and hugs me tight. “For the life of me I don’t understand why you can’t just say you love each other.”

Standing safely behind his wife, Gabe says nothing but rolls his eyes as he pats me on the shoulder and nods his head.

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