“She must have sent my son away so she could talk to me alone. Her voice was so weak, I had to lean in close to hear her.”
More tears slipped free from Marley’s eyes. Mack’s cold and distant tone couldn’t hide the pain lining each word.
“She told me that she’d held on as long as she could, but it was time for her to go. She told me to fight for our son.” He paused and cleared his throat. “Then she said she loved me. She died with me holding her hand. There was nothing I could do to keep her. I don’t know how long I stood there staring at her, reeling from the shock. Then Cooper came home. I was ready to catch him, to tell him the news about his mother, but he wouldn’t even come into the room. He just glared at me from the doorway with a murderous look in his eyes.
“While I was out on deployment, he’d been taking care of his mother alone. He and I both knew that I should’ve been there, that I should’ve known. He became a man and filled my shoes. I filed a family emergency leave of absence and canceled all my future deployments. Took a job behind the desk on base and stayed home with him every day that I could, but he never forgave me. He moved out the minute he graduated from high school and hasn’t spoken to me since.”
“Oh, Mack, you can’t blame yourself for that.” Marley leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, trying to anchor him to her and offer all the comfort and reassurance she could.
“Yes, I can. I should’ve known what was going on in my own house, but I was so focused on the mission and my job that I lost sight of my family. And because of that I lost them both.”
His voice was void of emotion. Dead. She could feel him withdrawing from her. She scrambled for anything to say, anything to bring him back. She hadn’t known Mack that long, but she had known him long enough to realize he would never have intentionally abandoned his wife or son. Marley drew back and clasped his face in her hands, digging her fingers into his jaw to anchor him. “Did she tell anyone she was sick? Your family or her family?”
“Both of our parents were dead. It was just Cooper and her and me.”
“Did anyone else call and tell you?”
“It doesn’t matter. I was her husband. I was her friend. We’d been married for over fifteen years. I should’ve known there was something wrong.”
“And how could you have known if you were away defending your country, if no one told you the truth?”
Mack tensed, like he wanted to argue with her, but Marley wouldn’t let him. “It sounds to me like your wife was a strong woman who wanted you safe and focused on your mission no matter what. Based on everything you’ve said, she was smart and resourceful, she raised your son, remodeled the house, and she held on until you got home to say goodbye. She knew exactly what she was doing. You cannot blame yourself for that.”
A small tremor worked its way down Mack’s large frame—a crack in his shield. Needing to heal and comfort him more, she continued. “She made her choice; that’s not on you. That’s on her.”
Mack shuddered and Marley wrapped her arms around his shoulders and drew him down to her. His voice was harsh when he said, “I should’ve been there for my son.”
“Your son is still alive. You’re talking like he’s dead.”
“He might as well be. He won’t let me near him.”
Marley pulled back so she could stare into his eyes, the gray darkened to nearly midnight. “I don’t think you’re a man who gives up on his family, Mack. You’ll find a way to heal your relationship with your son. Didn’t Barbara tell you to fight for him?”
Mack’s chest stopped trembling, and he wrapped his arms around her waist once more. “When did you get so smart?”
“I have a degree in engineering and graduated at the top of my high school class. I’ve always been smart.” Marley gave a self-deprecating smile. “But it’s not hard to see how much you love your son or how hard you fight for your men. You’ll find a way back to Cooper. I know it.”
Mack swooped down and grabbed her, clutching her to his chest.
Marley buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent. They stood like that for a long moment, wrapped around each other in the mouth of the cave, moonlight washing down over them. His strong heartbeat thudded against hers; she could feel him grappling with his emotions and marveled at his strength. She wanted to heal him to take some of the pain away. She kissed his neck gently, moving her lips in a steady line up to the hollow behind his ear. She could taste the salt on his skin, feel the trembling of his powerful frame. Marley took his earlobe between her teeth.
Mack shuddered; she could feel him hardening. “Marley, I need you.”
He said it against her hair and she knew this was a man who did not admit his weaknesses often. Right now, he needed her and she needed him just as much.
