Chapter 14

Alexa exchanged a glance with Callie, breathing a sigh of relief as her father finally left at noon. He’d been none too pleased about the situation with Austin, but he also didn’t have a say in the matter. He’d shown up as planned at exactly nine a.m., an hour before Callie arrived, and things had felt tense the entire time he’d been there. Alexa understood his concern about the threats he’d received, but she also couldn’t hide away on the off-chance this Duke Murphy guy showed up.

“Well, that was fun,” Callie quipped after she’d closed the door to Austin’s apartment.

“Which part? My dad complaining about my boyfriend knocking me up or learning some crazy former Naval officer is out to get him/us?”

“Both?” Callie grabbed a bottle of water and Alexa’s medicine off the counter, bringing them into the living room.

“I’m kind of amazed he left, actually,” Alexa said. “He had golf plans with a former military buddy later this afternoon, so I suppose that was too important for him to miss.”

“I’m sorry,” Callie murmured, setting the things on the coffee table and sinking down onto the sofa.

“Don’t be. His career has always come first, and it’s for the best. I saw the way he was and turned out nothing like him, thank God.” She twisted the cap off the water bottle, then smiled as she opened the bottle of medicine.

“What?”

“I mentioned I was halving my dose, and Austin already cut all of the pills in half for me.”

Callie jokingly waggled her eyebrows. “Now that’s true love right there.”

“Love? I don’t know if we’re there yet. I’m kind of still in the falling stage,” Alexa admitted, feeling herself flush.

“That’s the best,” Callie told her. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Wyatt and I are crazy happy right now, but those butterfly feelings at the beginning are incredible.”

“Austin’s not happy they’re leaving,” Alexa said.

“What’s there to be happy about?” Callie quipped. “They’re incredible at their jobs, but he’s worried about you. The timing is pretty terrible from his standpoint.”

“The only good news is that Duke Murphy is in San Diego this week. As a retired admiral, my father has connections everywhere. He’s been able to keep tabs on the guy to some extent, given that they’re both former Navy.”

Callie frowned.

“What?” Alexa asked.

“Just, I hope your father doesn’t somehow mess with Austin’s career. You said he was mad that Austin got you pregnant.”

Annoyance roiled through Alexa. “That would be just like my father, thinking he needs to have a hand in everything. He’s always been a control freak. My father respects the SEAL teams, however, so I don’t think he’d attempt to intervene with Austin’s career. The Navy puts a lot of money and time into their training. Even if Austin isn’t my father’s favorite person, he’s a highly trained asset to the Navy.”

“But couldn’t your dad get him transferred to another location?” Callie asked, worrying her lip.

Alexa huffed out a breath. “I’ve got no idea. I mean, he could try, but…damn. I hadn’t even really considered that. As long as this Duke Murphy guy is a problem, I think my father doesn’t mind having Austin here to protect me.”

“That’s a valid point,” Callie said.

“I’m just frustrated my father still wouldn’t share any details with me. Before you arrived, he essentially told me Duke threatened to harm him and his family, and that was all I needed to know.”

“You’re an only child, right?”

“Yep. So if this guy is really a total nutcase and comes after us, it’s just my parents and me. I think his concern is because the threats recently escalated. My father is positive Duke is in San Diego right now, otherwise there’s no way he’d have left me here alone in Oahu with Austin likely being deployed this week.”

Callie nodded, seemingly mulling it over. “If the threats your father received increased, I wonder what caused the sudden change?”

“The guy was dishonorably discharged from the Navy. He not only lost out on promotions years ago, but he had other disciplinary problems from what I understand. He probably just blames my dad for his troubles. Trust me, he wouldn’t be the first person to have a beef with him. You don’t get to be a high-ranking military officer without stepping on some toes along the way.”

She shifted on the sofa, wincing slightly.

“How are you feeling?” Callie asked sympathetically.

“I’m still pretty sore today,” Alexa said as she shifted again to get into a more comfortable position. “I was hoping I’d just magically feel better.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Callie mused. “My arm hurt for months after I broke it. I still favor my other side.”

“And I should hardly complain about my situation. You were on a freaking hijacked plane, then nearly killed by the terrorist madman behind it all.”

Callie shuddered. “I always wonder now when Wyatt gets sent out if they’re saving other people like me.”

“Probably some of the time, but unless it makes the national news, we’ll never know about it. Honestly, I wonder if that’s another reason my father seems to not like Austin. My dad has sort of lost his place after retiring from the military. He was going to continue on as a DOD contractor here in Pearl Harbor, but they moved to Kauai. My mother followed him around all those years thanks to his military service, and now, she said it was her turn. So they went. My father is out of the loop though, and Austin knows all the latest intelligence he’s no longer privy to.”

“Your dad is threatened by Austin. He’s used to bossing people around, but Austin is a self-assured kind of guy at the height of his career.”

“And thank goodness for that,” Alexa said. “I love that he’s usually laid back, but yeah. Austin held his own yesterday. He’s definitely not going to take any shit from my father. If my dad had shown up at my door, which to be fair, he did,” she said, cocking her head. “If I’d been home when he showed up, I’d never have gotten rid of him.”

“He’s worried about you.”

“Yes, but Austin’s even more protective. He’d never have let my dad in last night if I didn’t want him there.”

“I think all the guys on their SEAL team are like that,” Callie admitted. “God only knows how they manage to work together with all that testosterone coursing through their veins, but somehow, they do. When they want something, they get the job done, even though they all have the same take-charge attitude.”

“Wyatt’s their team leader, so they know to follow his orders. The military is big on the whole chain of command thing,” she said wryly. “I’m kind of worried about wherever they’re deploying,” Alexa admitted. “I’d never tell Austin that, because I don’t want him to feel bad, but they do some dangerous shit.”

Callie burst into laughter, then leaned over and grabbed both Alexa’s hands. “Just remember that I wouldn’t even be here if they don’t do that ‘dangerous shit.’”

“Yeah, yeah. Be all practical and stuff,” she said, wincing as she leaned back.

“I wish you weren’t in pain,” Callie said.

“Yeah, the surgery was one thing, but the cramping started this morning. I guess my body really thought I was pregnant. Now that the pregnancy is gone, it’s like the period from hell arrived.”

“I’m sorry,” Callie said with a frown.

“That part I’m used to,” Alexa admitted. “My periods always suck. And I’ve got to make an appointment with my doctor. Good times,” she joked.

“If the guys are sent out, you can come stay with me.”

“No, no. I’ll head back to my own apartment. Austin and I already talked about that last night in bed.”

“Sexy,” Callie joked.

“Right? Nothing better than some pre-deployment banter about surgery. I guess the entire incident did force us to have some serious conversations. Austin was even offering to help pay my hospital bills. I have health insurance and don’t need his help, but I was floored when he even suggested it.”

“Girl. He’s smitten with you,” Callie said, looking thrilled.

“Maybe.”

“Absolutely. And I don’t blame him! Gosh, I still remember you two at Coconuts that night. Austin’s eyes were on you the entire time.”

Alexa beamed. “And to think I was there for the bartender.”

Callie giggled. “Once Austin appeared on scene, that was it. Game over.”

“Hand me my laptop, will you?” Alexa asked, changing the subject. “I need to make sure my client got my email. I rescheduled the first photoshoot I had this week and am trying to switch around another. I should be good enough to move forward with the one I have on Friday morning.”

“And I’ll help,” Callie promised. “You’re supposed to focus on recovery.”

“Let’s get to work then. I’ll give you the location and other details so you’re up to speed.”

“Girl, I’m driving you there.”

“Good point. The whole not being able to drive for two weeks is a bummer. Well, I’ll fill you in on Friday’s details anyway. And I need to make sure I’m responding to any new client emails I get. My photography business is booming these days.”