Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

MEMPHIS

Noah shook his head, unable to wipe the smile from his face. Waking up curled against a warm, soft woman was not what he expected – and one thing he would never forget. Madeline was so breathtakingly beautiful; how could he not be tempted to nuzzle and cuddle against her soft skin.

"Especially when I know I'm not going to see her again for months," he muttered aloud and looked at his cell phone sitting on the small coffee table. She had been so frantic that she never noticed their cell phones were on a table in the pyramid. He'd scooped them up on their mad dash to freedom. Opening it, he grimaced. He had twenty percent battery remaining and needed to give his mother a heads-up about her soon-to-be visitor.

Dialing quickly, Noah held his breath.

"Mom? Hey, I'm sorry about the time difference… "

"Noah, sweetie, you are welcome to call anytime. Where are you, baby?"

"Egypt," he replied and hesitated. "Mom, I need to talk for a second, and I don't have a lot of battery left on my phone."

"Are you in trouble, sweetie?"

"No, but I need you to hear me out on something important that I'm handling, and I need your help."

"What's going on?"

"Mom, I'm sending my wife…"

"Your wife?!" He held the phone away from his ear as she began screeching in an excited voice at him. "When did you get married? What is her name? Have I met the girl? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? Are you ashamed of her? Oh my gosh, Noah, she's not pregnant – is she?"

"Mom, no… I wouldn't do that ," he stammered nervously because if Madeline had given any inclination that she was interested, he probably would have melted right into her arms without a second thought. Oh yeah, if she crooked a finger at him – he would have definitely done all of ‘that' with his pseudo-wife, who was soon to be his real one.

"Mama, it was something quick, and I was going to tell you, but it all happened rather suddenly… and I need you to pick her up at the airport."

"She's coming here?"

"Yes. She needs a safe place to stay for a little while before her job in New York City is ready."

"Why would she want to go there? It snows up there, and traffic is supposedly horrible – at least, here, people will let you merge into traffic and wave you on."

"Mama, it's her job, and you can talk about it when she gets there – but please? I need to know Madeline is safe…"

"She's in danger?"

"I think so. I need to hide her for a while."

"Don't you worry about a thing. Send me her flight information and tell her I'll be wearing a Navy Mom shirt at the gate when I pick her up."

"I will, Mama, and thank you."

"You're safe, sweetie?"

"I am, I promise. I'll write more when the ship pulls out of port tomorrow, but I really need to get going. I'll send you Madeline's ticket info as soon as we hang up."

"I love you, boogie," his mother said affectionately, and Noah blushed at the term of endearment that was so embarrassing. She always called him that and normally hugged him, ruffling his hair, before followed with a ‘ How'd you get so big, young man? ' question before other family members.

"I love you too, Mama… and I mean it – thank you. This means a lot to me."

"I can't wait to meet Madeline."

"You'll adore her – I promise."

Noah hung up the phone a moment later and turned to see Madeline standing there, watching him curiously. Her head was angled slightly, her eyes bewildered and wary, as her hair hung around her head in glossy waves that he wished he could sink his fingers into… there simply wasn't time.

"I need to book your flight, and my phone is almost dead," he said instead, moving to open a window on his cell phone and typing quickly. "Finish getting your things together, and we'll take them to the lawyer's office with us before heading to the airport."

"I will…" she muttered distantly, and something in her voice caused him to look up. Was she upset to be leaving?

He hated that for her, but getting her safe and away from here was his top priority. Once he was back on board the carrier, his focus would be on his work, with little time to daydream of lying in bed, breathing in her scent, or kissing that soft stomach. He swallowed thickly. I'm never going to get the chance to do that again; he thought silently as he glanced up at Madeline nearby.

"Do you care what seat you have on the flight?"

"No."

"All right," he mumbled, purchasing the ticket without hesitation. "Let's get going because your flight leaves in three hours."

"So soon?"

Madeline's face was a mixture of shock and fear – and he instantly moved to her side before she could protest. He hugged her slightly, hoping she didn't push him away. It felt right to reach for her, comforting her, because they were trying to become friends after surviving a terrible situation. I could think of worse things than to be friends with a fake wife before she divorces me in a few months, he mused silently.

"I need to get back to the ship, get my leg looked at, and need to make sure you are safe. The faster we get you in the air, the better off you'll be." Feeling her nod, he leaned her back from him, meeting her eyes. "I'll send you my information before my cell phone dies. Just email me to let me know when you land, and I'll try to call from the next port. Signal isn't so good on the ship, and with the time differences…"

"You'll be busy," she interrupted quietly, nodding again. "I know, and honestly, I'll be busy too. I need to figure out my next steps."

"We should get going," he began hesitantly. "What's your email addresss? I'll send you the digital ticket. I'm copying it to my mother and she will be waiting at the gate for you. Mom said she'd be wearing a ‘Navy Mom' T-shirt and couldn't wait to meet you."

"Why are you all being so nice, helping me so much?" she whispered, looking so confused that something painful turned over in his chest. He gingerly touched her cheek, gazing into those eyes that made his knees weak as he smiled softly.

"Because you would do the same for me – and this is what we do when a friend or pseudo-spouse needs help," he breathed. "You doctored my leg and helped me when I was struggling. Let me do the same for you."

"You already did…"

"Madeline," he interrupted, smiling softly at her, realizing that she got a stubborn crease between her eyebrows when she was about to argue with him. "We don't have time to discuss this. We need to go get married and get you checked in for your flight."

"Don't think there won't be a strongly worded email following up on this," she retorted, but her words lacked conviction, making his smile widen. She was a prickly little thing, and he liked it.

"I would never assume otherwise."

Twenty minutes later, they were standing in the office of a local lawyer who looked at them skeptically – and Noah didn't blame the guy in the slightest. They looked like a pair of homeless people who'd strolled right in with a suitcase large enough to be carrying a body, suddenly asking to get married in a hurry. If that wasn't enough to give pause, there was the matter of money. The man was asking an excessive amount for the quick marriage proposal, and they all knew it.

"This is ridiculous," Madeline whispered, turning her back on the lawyer and speaking in English to Noah. "The man is asking four times what his sign in the window says."

"I don't care," Noah replied, smiling and nodding at the man. "We passed an ATM not a block away. You stay here with your things, and I'll be right back."

"Noah, we can just…"

"Madeline, wait here."

Noah darted out the front door, rapped on the glass, and pointed to the lock. Thankfully, Madeline didn't hesitate. She walked over to the glass, turned the deadbolt on the door, and then said something to the lawyer in explanation.

Limping down the sidewalk, he moved to the ATM and hoped he wasn't about to get mugged. Quickly pressing in his pin code, he yanked out a fistful of money, shoved it into his pocket, and started back to the office where he'd left her only to see a man standing across the street watching him. Yeah, they were both getting out of here as soon as possible.

Noah saw Madeline unlocking the door as he walked up – and Noah quickly dropped the blinds, turning the rods to hide them, before looking at the lawyer.

"How much?"

The man said something, and Madeline flinched.

"What did he say?"

"He wants eight hundred Egyptian pounds…"

"Fine," Noah blurted out, pulling out the cash and counting it. Madeline gaped at him in shock as he gave her a hard look. "We need to go quickly, so he needs to fill out the paperwork and hurry this process along."

To her credit, Madeline's eyes widened in alarm as she pressed her lips together before turning to the lawyer and telling him something in very curt tones. She was pointing at the money, tapping the counter with her finger, and then pointed at the clock. The man nodded, waved his hand at the clock as he spoke, and smiled at Noah.

It wasn't a good smile either.

"This greedy slimeball said if you want this done in five minutes, it will cost you another two hundred pounds."

Noah unfolded the bills and held them up between two fingers, speaking to Madeline. "Tell him that if he doesn't hurry up and do this – I'm taking all the money down the street to another lawyer. If he does this quickly, then I will give him another two hundred pounds to let us leave through the back door – plus – another three hundred to keep his mouth shut if anyone asks about us. That's fifteen hundred Egyptian pounds for one brief marriage ceremony."

"Noah, are you sure?"

"Madeline, there is someone across the street watching us," he said bluntly without looking away from the lawyer, waving the money at him as Madeline quickly translated… only for them both to be taken aback in surprise as the lawyer answered in broken English.

"No one wants trouble – eh? We are friends, yes?" the lawyer said immediately giving Noah distinct ‘ Ahmed' vibes from the last time when he'd made a ‘ friend' at the pyramid.

"Sure. Now, let's hurry," Noah said bluntly. "It's funny how you speak English now, buddy…"

"I didn't need to when your woman speaks Arabic very well," the lawyer began, smiling and nodding. "I will call a driver for you… for free."

"Oh heck," Noah muttered aloud, and Madeline rolled her eyes – only for them to both hesitate at the other person's reaction before sharing a wan knowing smile. Nothing was free and everything was a sales tactic, it seemed. Vendors were everywhere, peddling everything, and he was helpless to get away from them.

"This woman is your wife?" the lawyer began, filling out paperwork as they spoke over the desk to each other. "What's your name, lady?"

"Madeline Ada Smith."

"This woman, Madeline, is your wife, mister…?" the lawyer said pointedly, looking at Noah, pointing at him with an ink pen as he pressed a massive golden seal at the bottom of the paper.

"Noah James Bennington," he volunteered, looking over as the man spelled out his name carefully right before he signed the bottom of the marriage license with a flourish.

"This is your wife?"

"Yes."

"This is your husband?" the lawyer asked Madeline – who answered simply.

"Yes, he is."

"Then you are married," the dubious man said with a large smile. "That is it. Here is your license, my friend."

"That's it?" they both said in unison, startled.

"You accepted him, and he is agreeing you are his wife. That is a basic marriage ceremony without all of the glory and beauty of the church. You want simple – it is simple. You are married. Now, I will need my money, and you should follow me."

Grimly, Noah picked up Madeline's suitcase as she turned to follow the attorney down the hallways to the back of the office. As they got to the end, he saw a car waiting for them.

"Give Madeline the marriage license," Noah instructed as the man opened the back door and held out his hand, waiting for the money. As the lawyer handed it to her, Noah gave him the funds and nodded. "Thank you."

"You are being followed… yes?"

"Yes."

"So you are heading south toward Luxor, my friend?" the man smiled and held out his hand knowingly. He was willing to throw whoever was following them off the trail – for a price.

"Yes. We're heading to Luxor to see the sights there," Noah agreed pressing the other three hundred Egyptian pounds into his hand.

"Very good, my friend."

Madeline slipped into the backseat of the vehicle, and Noah took a seat, putting her bag across her lap, careful of his leg. As the car started forward, the driver looked back at them.

"Where to, my friends?"

"The airport – departing flights," Noah began and then felt Madeline touch his hand as the car careened wildly into the roads, driving like a madman. He was getting slightly used to that chaotic driving and looked at her, seeing the worry in her gaze. "What's wrong?"

"I just can't believe this is working… you know? I mean, we have the marriage license, the ticket, you'll be back on the carrier in a few hours, and we'll both go our separate ways."

"Sort of. "

"Right," she murmured, nodding. "I need your contact information."

"My phone is dead," he admitted, hesitating. "You have my email from the airline ticket I sent you. You can send me your information when you get settled at my mother's house."

"This isn't weird?"

"Oh, it's very weird," he chuckled softly, sharing a smile with her behind the suitcase that was giving them the tiniest bit of privacy. "But like I said, there's no rush, and we'll figure things out. I'm going to be on deployment for another several months, and you'll be getting settled in The Big Apple – or you could always say the word and come to Jacksonville where I'm stationed."

"Noah…"

"I know. I know," he sighed heavily, realizing this was indeed a crazy way to meet someone who was definitely going to end in divorce before he knew it… only to feel her touch his cheek. He turned to look at her in surprise and wonder as the car pulled to a stop.

"We're here, my friends!" the driver sang happily.

"Dinner in Jacksonville someday?" Madeline whispered, giving him a small smile. Those breathtaking eyes held his as a horn honked behind them. Noah nodded – and then quickly leaned forward to kiss her gently, unable to resist. He treasured her slight intake of breath as her lips parted under his, savoring this moment for all that it was, and then pulled back.

"We're definitely meeting for dinner someday – wife," he said huskily, brushing a thumb across her lip as his eyes memorized every feature, every look, and every single freckle on her face. "Be safe, watch everyone around you, and get directly on that plane. "

"I will."

"If you have any problems…"

"I'll be fine, Noah," she reassured him, touching his hand where it cupped her cheek. "You get back on board and get that leg looked at."

"Yes, ma'am."

They shared a brief moment of silence as they looked at each other in awareness – and fear. This was it. The last hectic twenty-four hours that had unforgivably merged his world with hers were suddenly being ripped into two halves once more. They'd made it, and she was heading to the United States once more. He would be returning to his post, his friends, and his life that was waiting for him… so why did he feel so empty?

"Madeline…?" he began as she got out of the cab. She turned to him as she finished pulling her suitcase out of the car. "Please be careful – and write as soon as you can."

"I will," she promised, and he saw her eyes were glistening. Would she miss him, or was he imagining this? Maybe it was tears of relief because her ordeal was almost over. "Noah… thank you – for everything."

"A true southern gentleman will always swoop in and rescue our fair damsels," he chuckled, deliberately letting his drawl deepen. The guys on board would get a kick out of it, calling him a ‘ yokel' or a ‘ redneck.' But Madeline just smiled tenderly, but her chin quivered. If she started to cry, he was going to do the same. He hated goodbyes, and this felt like one of the worst ones he'd ever experienced.

"No more ‘ swooping' for you, mister – you're married. Remember?" she teased thickly, her eyes shining as she met his.

"So I am, wife… so I am," he whispered hoarsely, not bo thering to hide it. "Now, get inside so I can quit worrying."

"Yes, sir."

Madeline closed the door and gave him an awkward wave before picking up her suitcase and walking inside. He wished he could have carried it in for her and waited with her at the gate until the plane arrived, but he needed to hold this cab for himself in order to get back to the carrier. He sure didn't want to run into problems flagging down another one. As she disappeared inside the crowded airport, he let out his breath.

"Where to, mister?"

"The port at Alexandria, please."