When I sit up, Ace has buried his head in his hands. “I’m sorry,” he finally says and drops his hands.
“What happened?” I ask him.
“Nightmare,” he says and lies back in bed.
Protective feelings come over me and I lie down next to him and drape an arm around him. He turns and gathers me in his arms. His breathing slowly goes back to normal. His hold on me goes slack and I realize that Ace has fallen back asleep.
I disengage myself and slowly leave the bed. I dress while making as little noise as I can and when I’m ready, I stare down at him. Half his face is buried in the bedsheets. I hope that another nightmare doesn’t wake him up. I’m thoughtful as I tiptoe my way to the living room.
The house is flooded with light and I admire his spacious condo as I get my handbag and fish out my phone. I call for an Uber and as I wait, I look around. Ace is clearly not a man who is struggling financially but then that doesn’t come as a surprise.
From what I’ve pieced together from my conversations with his brother, Declan, the two brothers ran a successful real estate business together. As Declan explained, they fell out and Ace enlisted in the army and left. Declan sold the business and split the proceeds with his brother.
That’s all I really know about Ace. I never expected him to come back this soon from Afghanistan. I’d even mentally prepared myself to never seeing him again. He was in a war. There was a chance that he would lose his life and Luna would never meet her dad and Ace would never know he was a dad.
That thought makes me tear up. I fight the urge to march in there and tell him about Luna. But Luna is too important. I can’t take any risk with her. I have to know who Ace is first.
I open the door softly and leave. In the Uber, I text my sister that I’m on the way home. Her shift starts at eight and I don’t want her to worry.
The Uber deposits me home and I open the front door slowly. I find Vanessa in the kitchen, the smell of coffee everywhere.
“Walk of shame, huh?” Vanessa says.
I grin and pull out a chair.
Vanessa places two mugs of coffee on the table. I take one gratefully and sip it. My body aches most deliciously.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Vanessa says.
I contemplate her question and give her an honest answer. “Nope.”
“Be careful, will you? I don’t want to see you hurt again,” she says.
“Not going to happen. My heart is locked away somewhere safe,” I tell her. “This was just a body itch relief.”
Vanessa giggles. “I doubt Mr. Handsome would appreciate being referred to as a body itch reliever.”
“He did the same to me. Only the consequences on my end were greater and ultimately more rewarding.”
“Was it a good night?” Vanessa asks.
“The best,” I tell her. As close as Vanessa and I are, something stops me from telling her about Ace’s episode. “He invited me and Luna to go and meet his friends in Santa Monica.”
Vanessa’s eyes widen. “Santa Monica? Did you tell him?”
“Of course not.”
“Will Declan be there?” Vanessa says.
“I doubt it,” I tell her. “They fell out, remember?”
Lines of worry cross Vanessa’s forehead. “I think you should tell him everything. The longer you leave it, the harder it’s going to be.”
I remember the way Ace grabbed and pinned me to the bed. For a few seconds, I felt real fear. I know his nightmare had something to do with his time in Afghanistan.
“What exactly are you frightened of?” Vanessa says.
“I’m afraid that Luna will get attached to him and then he’ll take off and leave her high and dry.”
Vanessa looks at me shrewdly. “Luna or you?”
“Don’t be a bitch,” I snap.
She sighs and gets up. “I better get ready for work.”
“And I’ll take a quick shower and then get Luna,” I say and get up as well. Her wake up time is between seven and a quarter past.
I tread down the hallway to the shower. I strip and scrub myself under the warm water. I have less than ten minutes before Luna wakes up. When I’m done, I go next door to her room.
I open the door gently and cross the room.
Luna is a snorer and I stifle a giggle at the loud noise coming out of her throat. I pull on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts then go to the side of her cot and sink to the rug. I stare at her unable to believe that such a precious gorgeous baby came from my body.
Other than the snore, she sleeps neatly like her dad.
At the words in my head, all air rushes out of my lungs. Her dad is back. I haven’t allowed myself to think about it and what it could mean for us. The enormity of the possibility of Luna having her daddy in her life. I gently brush the locks of hair from her sweet face. She has coal-black hair like Ace.