The Military Wife (A Heart of a Hero, #1)(51)

“I’m starving,” Ben said, and scampered after her. Jack followed close on his heels.

Harper waited until she was sure Ben wasn’t coming back. “Ben seems taken with you.”

“I’ve never been comfortable around kids. Guess because I never really felt like one. But Ben makes it easy.” He leaned forward and braced his arms on his legs, his hands dangling.

She grabbed at words to try to put her fears into coherence. “I don’t have a brother, my dad’s not around, and I’ve never brought a boyfriend over. Not that you’re my boyfriend or anything.” She cleared her throat to put the brakes on her tongue. “He’s never been around anyone like you.”

He swiveled his head toward her. “Like me?”

“You know, honorable. Strong. It’s good—healthy even—for him to have someone like you to look up to. But I want to protect him from every little hurt in the world, even though I know it’s impossible.”

“You’re worried I’ll hurt him?”

“Not on purpose. I’m worried he might get too attached to you, is all.”

“It’s one night. He won’t have a chance to get attached.”

His words sent a shot of cold reality through her body. “Of course not, what was I thinking? This is…” She waved a hand between them not even sure what to say. They weren’t dating. They weren’t involved. Were they even friends? “It’s business, right?”

She popped up, but before she could take a step toward escape he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down to the couch. He’d scooched closer and she landed next to him, their legs pressed together.

“Is that all it is?” His breath tickled her ear.

“I don’t know. You tell me.” Part of her wanted to stalk off in a huff, but an even bigger part wanted to lean into him and close her eyes. She compromised by twisting her hand out of his but staying flush against him.

“By the way, I’m an idiot sometimes. Especially when it comes to women like you.”

“Like me?” She parroted his question.

“Complex.”

She gave in and relaxed into his chest.

“Beautiful too.” His voice dropped to a whisper and he covered her hand with his own, their fingers sliding over and through one another like a dance.

“Dinner’s ready.” Ben popped back into the room.

Harper snatched her hand away and straightened, but Ben didn’t seem fazed. “Come on.” He grabbed Bennett’s arm and pulled.

They filed into the kitchen and found her usual place usurped by Ben so he could sit next to Bennett. Her mom kept the conversation easy and superficial, and Bennett earned her favor by asking for seconds.

“I was never a good cook. The boys used to say I could burn an MRE, even though it was impossible.” Another forkful disappeared.

“Will you tell me a story about my daddy?” Ben asked.

Tension ballooned over the table like a mushroom cloud. Harper’s fork clanged against her plate, loud and discordant. Only Ben was unaffected. Wide-eyed and smiling, he stared at Bennett expectantly.

Bennett cast a look toward Harper, and she wasn’t sure whether to give him a red or green light.

“Uh, sure. I guess,” he finally said. “Let’s see … you know your dad grew up on a farm in Georgia.”

Ben nodded. “I go two weeks every summer to stay with my grandpa and grandma. I’ve driven a tractor.”

“One of our instructors gave your daddy the nickname Peaches.”

“Why?”

Bennett pursed his lips before smiling and saying, “Because he was so sweet. Problem was he hated being called Peaches and one day he got fed up with one of the guys named Hollis in our room who wouldn’t lay off.”

“What’d he do?” Ben was rapt.

“Growing up on a farm, you get used to lots of animals, right? Even snakes.”

Ben gasped.

Bennett’s voice took on the cadence of a master storyteller, his drawl more pronounced than usual. “Your daddy went out and caught a black rat snake. It was a baby. Not more than two feet long and no bigger round than my thumb. But this guy Hollis was a city boy. Well now, your daddy slipped that snake under Hollis’s pillow where it coiled up, cozy as you please. That night when we bedded down for the night, everything was quiet for about five minutes.”

Drama built in the pause. Ben shifted on his chair. “Then what happened?”

“Hollis jumped up and screamed like he was born to sing soprano in the church choir. Half the men came running, including the instructor in charge. Everyone knew your daddy had done it and I thought for sure he was going to get busted, but he put on such an innocent face that the instructor overlooked the obvious.”

“He didn’t get into trouble?” Ben asked.

“Nope. And not only that, but Hollis never teased him again.”

“Wow.”

Harper sat back with a smile on her face. Noah had never told her that. How much had they kept from each other over the years they’d been together?

“Time for your bath, munchkin.” She ruffled Ben’s hair.

“Can I come down when I’m done? Please? I don’t have school tomorrow.”

“For a few minutes. I’ll bet Yaya has ice cream,” Harper said.