Page 85 of Gwen's Delta
Gwen blushed but tried to hide behind her mug as she took a drink of the coffee. Not that anyone in the world would blame her for watching him. He was one hundred percent, pure American beefcake. Any calendar would be lucky to have him.
“Do you want anything with your eggs,” Luke asked.
Oh, did she. Hell, he could keep the eggs. All the adrenaline from the last few days searched for an outlet—hopping into bed seemed like an excellent idea.
“Gwen?”
“What? Oh, no, just the eggs are fine.” She rolled her eyes as she caught his smug grin.
“When do you have to go back to work?” Gwen asked as he put a plate in front of her with the eggs and a sliced tomato.
“Probably not until next week. But there’s always the chance we’ll be called back early. But since we’ve had back-to-back missions, they might pull one of the other teams first.” Luke sat next to her at the island and ate a forkful of eggs.
Not nearly long enough for her, but Gwen would take what she could get. “These are delicious. Thanks for making breakfast.”
“Well, it was cook or starve, right?” Luke grinned.
It was true, but he didn’t have to rub it in. “Maybe one of these days I’ll surprise you.”
“Oh, yeah?” Luke cocked an eyebrow as he watched her fork some of the eggs. “As for your earlier question, we definitely need to go to the grocery store. I enjoy eggs, but I prefer more options.”
“Yeah, we do need to pick up a few things. We can head out after we shower. After that, do you have to check in or anything?” Gwen finished her coffee and reached for the pot. Luke beat her to it and refilled her mug for her.
“The rest of the day is yours, princess. Whatever you’d like to do. When I left last night, the guys knew I’d be staying here. They’ll call if anything comes up.” Luke leaned over to kiss her.
Oh, yeah, it would be wonderful to have Luke around. He hadn’t said anything about the future or even next week. But she hadn’t shared her feelings, either.
Pushing those thoughts away, she said, “Maybe we can stop by the bookstore, and you can pick out a book to read while you’re here.”
He chuckled. “I love that idea. And we probably need to check on your grandparents. If your parents already stopped by there, they might be in bad shape.”
“Good point. But if they haven’t been there yet, we’re not hanging out. I can’t deal with seeing them twice in one day.” Gwen groaned at the thought.
“Don’t they live there?” Luke asked as he gathered up their dishes and brought them to the sink.
“Technically, but it’s always been more like just visiting. They have always traveled so much, they mostly lived out of their suitcases.”
“I didn’t realize they traveled that much. Are you really okay, princess? I know it wasn’t easy with them.” Luke’s concerned expression brought tears to her eyes. He couldn’t care that much and not want a relationship. At least, she hoped not.
“Yeah. If they were home two whole months a year, it was a lot.”
“Damn, I’m so sorry,” Luke said.
“It’s okay. My childhood wasn’t awful, I had Grams and Gramps and they were wonderful. But there are times you just want your parents around. There are so many children out there who have so much less, or no one to love them at all.”
When she looked at it that way, Gwen wondered if she’d been unfair to her parents. They had known her grandparents would take care of her.
“You’re entitled to your feelings, Gwen. It was still hard on you, and that’s what matters. You were just a little child, and your parents basically deserted you.” Luke had a strange expression on his face. What was bothering him?
“Yes, but I had Grams and Gramps and a good life.”
“I’m glad. But I guess I’m worried that I’m now asking you to accept me deserting you whenever I have to go on a mission. I know you understand it could happen, but experiencing it is different. When I’m sent, I won’t be able to share where I’m going or how long I’ll be gone. And I won’t be able to tell you anything when I return—not where I was or what happened.”
“It’s not the same thing…” Gwen’s heart lurched in her chest. How could she make him understand that it wasn’t even close to what her parents had done?
“Maybe not, but it’s close enough. I don’t want to be responsible for hurting you, Gwen. I love you.”
Her breath caught in her chest. Had he really said the words she’d been longing to hear?
