“Oh,” she said when she saw him. “Leo, you scared me half to death,” she exclaimed as she turned the music down on her phone.
“I’m sorry. The view caught me off guard. It’s nice to see you smiling,” he said, sitting on the edge of the tub.
“After you dropped me off, I finished my assignments, and Kassie drove me home. I took a three-hour nap, and I actually kept food down. It made me feel a bit better,” she explained.
“Good. Call me before you step out of the tub. I don’t want you falling. Saint’s bringing the kids home in about an hour,” he said softly.
“I thought everyone volunteered to watch them?” she said, confused. “Guess what? Kassie gave us the plane for the next three days, and we’re flying to a nice, secluded beach in California. It’ll give us time to talk and relax.”
“Kit Kat,” he said gently. “I heard from the colonel today. We’re spinning up in the morning.”
Catherine’s eyes grew teary, and she glanced away. “Hand me the towel, and I’ll get out. I’m sure you’ll need to pack and make phone calls,” she said, standing.
Leo wrapped her up, lifted her, and then set her down gently. “I didn’t plan on leaving this soon. When I return?—”
“Yeah. I know. We’ll go some other time,” she finished as she angrily dried herself off and slipped into a robe.
“I ordered pizza for dinner, and I’ll make buttered noodles for Grace,” he offered, trying not to upset her more. “I wanted to spend one last night with all my family under one roof. Do you have any frozen breastmilk? I’ll put Derrick down for the night, and I’ll start Grace’s bath before dinner arrives.”
Catherine nodded, tugged at the barrette holding her hair, and brushed through it before walking out of the bathroom.
Leo hit his head against the bathroom wall in frustration. Letting the water out of the tub, he rinsed it and scanned the bathroom for anything needing his attention. He went to the closet, pulled out the remaining laundry, and then checked the kids’ rooms for more. Throwing a load into the washer, Leo tookout his phone and ordered a pizza, chicken nuggets, a salad, and cheese sticks.
When he entered the living room, he saw his wife wiping her eyes. Leo sat beside her and pulled her into his arms.
“Damn it, Kit Kat. I’d like nothing more than to whisk you away for three days, especially right now. I hate leaving you like this.”
“It’s your job,” she sobbed. “I know what I signed up for when I married you.”
“Yes, but you didn’t agree to me acting like a shitty partner. I should’ve followed up on the doctor’s appointment. I let things fall through the cracks. You didn’t deserve it,” Leo said softly.
The door opened, and Melody ran inside.
“Hi Dad,” she exclaimed, hugging Leo and then Catherine. “Uncle Saint said I can sleep over at Nugget’s house next weekend. Can I?”
Catherine smoothed the riotous, red curls from Melody’s face. “We’ll talk about it later. Give your uncle a kiss goodbye and thank him for bringing you home.”
“I’ll help him with the babies,” Leo said, rising and heading to Saint’s truck. His friend held Grace in one arm while unlatching little Derrick’s car seat. “Thanks for bringing them home.”
“No problem. Did you tell Catherine?” Saint asked.
“Yeah. It went over like a lead balloon. How are Bryanna and Nugget doing?”
“Bryanna expected us to leave sooner. When I told her, she said, the sooner we leave, the faster we’ll get back,” Saint said, chuckling.
“I’m concerned about Knight and Patch. I wish I could leave them here. Especially Knight, he missed Gabby’s pregnancy the first time,” Leo said, genuinely sorry for both men.
“Hey, it’s not like we’ll be there forever,” Saint said as he handed him the diaper bag. “We have these wonderful, encrypted phones. We can check in on them daily.”
“You know it’s not the same,” Leo said as they walked toward the house. “We’ll hit the ground running and get home.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said as they entered the house.
“Bryanna bathed Derrick. She said to call if you need anything,” Saint said to Catherine.
“I’ll call her tomorrow. I’m sure you’re anxious to get home,” she said, standing and hugging Saint. “Stay safe. Keep an eye on my husband. Do you need his bug mask? It might come in handy for something.”
Saint laughed. “We’re trying not to attract any attention. Otherwise, I’d take you up on it.”
