Cliff sat down and ate, his appetite returning with a vengeance as soon as he took the first amazing bite. “This is really good.”
“It’s pretty simple. There isn’t anything fancy.” Dade took his first bite of eggs and a bite of bacon. “Did you sleep okay?”
“I did. At one point my mind began going over what I needed to do, but I shut that down and just went to sleep.” He rolled his eyes. “Like I’m going to forget something. I have everything written down, and there’s nothing for me to worry about.”
“It’s the mantle of responsibility,” Dade told him. “It makes you extra careful. I’m that way with my kids. I want to give them all the opportunities that I can. And I do that by being the very best teacher that I can.” Dade finished his breakfast and took his dishes to the sink. Cliff hadn’t finished eating when Dade stood behind him, leaning over his shoulders, sliding his hands down his chest. They were warm, and Cliff closed his eyes, letting the sensation wash over him.
A knock on the door made Dade groan, and he pulled his hands away before going out front. “What is it you want now?” Dade asked, and Cliff stood, peering into the other room to where Dade stood in front of his father. “I like the job I have, and I’m not interested in moving.” He sounded so sure of himself.
“Fine. I get you an amazing opportunity, and you just throw it away.” He sounded almost like a petulant child. It was clear that General Saracina didn’t understand that his family was different. That they weren’t something for him to command. Cliff cleared his throat, and the general stopped midrant. “You have someone here at this time of day?”
Dade sighed. “You’ve met Cliff already. He and I were enjoying our morning coffee. I’d offer you some, but I didn’t know you were coming, and I don’t have any more brewed. So, I’ll ask again, what is it you wanted?”
“I don’t understand you. I keep trying to help you, and….”
“Maybe he doesn’t want your help,” Cliff interjected, and came out, pulling his robe tight around him. “Dade is more than capable of making his own decisions. He doesn’t need them made by you, me, or anyone else.”
The general looked him up and down. “Yes, I know who you are, Major Rogers.” He held Cliff’s gaze and then turned to Dade. “Why didn’t you properly introduce us when we met?”
Dade sighed loudly. “Because I didn’t want to have this conversation with you. First thing, you’re retired, and second thing, I will not have my date saluting my father. That seems rather squicky to me. I like Cliff, and he and I are seeing each other.”
“The major here is—”
“No! This is Cliff.” He whirled on his father like a hurricane. “I will not have any of your military crap invading my life and my relationships. I grew up with all of that, and I’ve had enough of it. Do you understand? You dragged us all over the world with no concern for any of it. I grew up with my father the major, then it got worse with my father the colonel, and finally it became nearly unbearable as my father the general. Do you get that? I was so happy to go to college and get away from you.”
“It was my job and what I loved.”
Dade put his hands on his hips. “I know. You loved that more than anything else. Well, I’ll have you know that you should have loved me, and Mom, and Maria, more than you loved being the goddamned general. But you didn’t. Everything was about what you wanted. Maria and I grew up alone because of you. Any friends we had were left behind, again and again.Well, I have friends now and people I care about. And you don’t get to rip me away from them anymore.” He held out his hand. “His job is on post, but when we’re together, he’s Cliff. Period. And that’s what I need.”
The general cleared his throat, and it seemed everything Dade said, all the sadness that he’d poured out, just seemed to fall on deaf ears. “You know it doesn’t work that way. The army is part of who he is, and sooner or later, it will demand that he make decisions, and it will pull him away from here.” In that moment, Cliff wanted to knock the general’s teeth in. “Sooner or later, it will take him away from you.” The general turned and left the apartment.
Dade grabbed the door, and the slam echoed through the apartment like a shot. The worst thing was that Cliff knew the general was right, and from his expression, Dade knew it too.
ChapterSeven
He couldn’tbelieve he had just told off his father. His hands shook, and he lowered himself into the chair nearest the door. “Fucking hell, what just happened?”
Cliff came closer. “I think you just stood up to your father. I don’t think he understood or paid much attention to it, but you stood up to him and basically told him to go to hell. That took real guts.”
“Or complete stupidity,” Dade said, his voice sounding flat, even to himself. “I mean, what was I thinking? I just let him have it with twenty years of pent-up resentment.”
“Exactly. You told him how you felt and have always felt. That’s perfectly okay. He needed to hear it,” Cliff said gently. “I’m proud of you.”
Dade nodded because he knew Cliff was probably right. “You need to call your CO and tell him what happened, because I have no idea what my father will do next. To him, everything is a battle. He has a lot of contacts and knows a ton of people. Just because he’s retired doesn’t mean he doesn’t have friends who can make things happen. It’s how the service works. You know that.”
Cliff’s mouth hung open. “Do you really think he’d do something like that?”
Dade wished he had a better answer. “Hell yes. He would do anything he felt he had to in order to win. Because that’s what it’s all about with him. In war, in a battle… in his personal life. It’s all about winning. It was the same with his family. It was all about him winning. And when he was no longer the fastest, he just didn’t play any longer and would choose a different game, one he could win. So, my suggestion is to call your colonel and lay outwhat happened and what you think. If he takes it seriously, then he can communicate the issue up the line. My father can’t make things happen quickly, but he can pull strings and use his good-old-boy network.”
“Why would he do that?” Cliff asked. “I mean, he’s your father.”
Dade shook his head. “He is always the general first.” Cliff paused, and Dade took him by the hand and led him back to the kitchen. “Finish your breakfast.” He went to the sink and took care of the pans and things. Once Cliff was done, he added his dishes to the sink before returning to the bedroom to dress. He and Cliff should have fallen back into bed, but Dade wasn’t in the mood at the moment. Things with his father were too fresh.
Once he dressed, Dade settled on the sofa and heard Cliff on the phone, explaining what had happened to his CO. “I know it sounds a little off, but you haven’t met this guy. He’s obsessive to the point of ridiculousness, and I don’t know what he’ll try.” It was quiet for a few seconds. “Okay. Thanks. I just wanted to make sure you were aware… and yeah, it’s personal… and I really think he would try to get to Dade through me.” He ended the call and sat down.
“What did he say?”
“Donaldson has a meeting this week with the general in charge of the entire post. He has to report on progress in our sector. He said if he gets the chance, he’ll see if he can speak with him. But that’s all he can do unless something actually happens. Then we’ll have to react to it.”
