Secret Dream: Delos Series, 1B1 Read online

  As they walked down the green and white tile floor toward an escalator that would take them to the baggage claim where her parents were waiting for them, his mind went back to that afternoon. He had been hired by Dilara and Robert Culver, who owned the global charity Delos. Lia worked for their Home Foundation charity in La Fortuna, in northern Costa Rica, near a volcano known as Arenal. He had been hired to be her bodyguard, and it was the first time he’d met her.

  Nothing had prepared him to see the deep, slicing scar on her left cheek or the semicircular one that ran along the left side of her neck. Cav, because he’d been a SEAL and knew knife work better than most, saw that Lia had, at some time in her past, been savagely attacked. He didn’t know how bad it was at first because she always wore long-sleeved blouses and jeans to hide the scars on her forearms and calves. The worst one was across her belly, which he didn’t see until months after they’d fallen in love with one another.

  That love had changed both of them in the best of ways—dramatic, breathtaking ways. Lia had been a silent shadow, her hair cut shorter than most men’s, when he’d first met her. She hid in her clothes, wary of men in general. Ashamed of her facial scar. He’d met her at probably the second-worst time of her life, a few days after she had narrowly escaped being killed, and she was still terrorized by the experience. Medina’s men had attacked Delos’s school in La Fortuna, and Lia had run and hidden in the jungle, the only survivor. The trauma left her pale, shaken, and more ghost than woman. Yet he’d seen so much more in her that she’d hidden from the world, and he’d fallen in love with her regardless. At first, he didn’t know the real root of her shyness and reserve, but as he got to know her, he had found out about her assault at Bagram, and it had sickened him. She was just twenty-one years old when two Army soldiers in her unit attacked her one night when she was alone and on watch. It had been a major miracle that she hadn’t bled out before escaping and getting help. Cav admired her quiet bravery, her resilience, and her desire to regain her old self. Her stubborn courage had given her the strength to work past the scars, to reach out to him and build a relationship with him.

  Cav had to admit he wasn’t the best-looking fruit on the tree, for sure. And his nightmare childhood haunted him to this day. He knew what it was like to suffer. And maybe that’s what had drawn him and Lia so powerfully to one another, like metal to a magnet.

  As he slanted a loving look over at her, he smiled at her eager, flushed face, her gray eyes alight with joy over seeing her parents once more. She was bringing him home to meet them. And even though he’d asked Lia to marry him last month, they’d told only a few close friends at this point. It was simply his promise to her that he loved her, wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, have kids, have a home, a loving home—that was something he’d never had. Lia’s walking into his life had changed it forever in the best of ways. She represented a dream he had never thought could come true for him: falling in love with a woman who he wanted to carry his baby. Lia had made that dream a reality. In fact, Lia had made so many of his dreams come true that he was still spun out by all of it.

  At twenty-eight, Cav had never thought he’d ever fall in love. He’d had a lot of sex with women, but none had grabbed his heart. Until Lia came like fog, silent and timid, into that Delos board meeting in a five-star hotel in San José one afternoon. He knew now that he’d fallen hard for her from the moment he saw her stand unsurely in the doorway of that meeting room. And instantly, he’d wanted to protect her, because he felt her rawness, her vulnerability, and saw that look in her intelligent gray eyes that told him she was afraid for her life. It wasn’t drama on Lia’s part. She had almost been killed. If not for her having been in the Army and having military thinking and training, she would have been shot in the head just like the two teachers who worked for Delos had been.

  And now? She was his. And she held his wounded heart so tenderly between her small, slender hands, the most kind, giving person that Cav had ever known. Since she’d met him, Lia’s old self had begun to emerge from the trauma of that attack on her life five years earlier. Every day, he enjoyed discovering a new facet to the woman he loved. Cav knew how important this meeting was to Lia, and he wanted badly for it to go right for her sake. She was trying to decide whether she was going to tell her parents that they were engaged to be married. She nattered about her mother, Susan, who had been overly protective of her since she’d been attacked at Bagram and nearly bled to death. That seemed like a natural reaction for any parent who cared about their child, Cav thought.

  Cav had never experienced a healthy family until Chief Jacoby, his SEAL sea daddy, had taken him under his wing. His father had been addicted to cocaine and used every bit of money his mother earned to feed his habit, not his family. There were mornings during Cav’s childhood when he woke up and wondered if he’d live to see the sun set that night. His father was violent and anything could set him off. His poor mother had done her best to protect him and paid a horrific price for it. Cav had seen her shield him from his raging father, only to have her nose, jaw, arm, and cheekbone broken over time. And then, one day, Cav saw his mother give up. From twelve years old onward, he tried to defend and protect her. And his father would use him as a punching bag, trying to teach him not to interfere between him and his wife. Cav touched his broken nose, remembering all too clearly the day that his father had done this to him. So he didn’t know much about what a real family was like at all until Jacoby stepped into his life and showed it to him. And there was a touch of curiosity on his part to see Lia with her healthy family like Jacoby’s family had been toward him. He hoped so.

  As the escalator emptied them into the busy baggage claim, he saw there were just two baggage carousels. Ontario was a very small airport. Suddenly he heard a swift intake of breath from Lia. Her hand gripped his even more firmly.

  “Cav! There’s my mom and dad!” She practically ran toward them, dragging him along with her. Though she was a tiny little thing, Cav had learned early on she wasn’t weak.

  Cav saw a tall, darkly tanned man in a straw cowboy hat, a chambray shirt, jeans, and work boots standing next to a woman. She had blond hair and was wearing a short-sleeved white blouse, jeans, and flat, sensible leather shoes. He saw their faces light up when they spotted Lia.

  “Hey,” he called to Lia, “go to them. I’ll follow.” He released her hand but she turned, giving him a pouty look.

  “I’m not leaving you behind!” Lia grabbed at his hand once more, turning and urging him to hurry along. Cav broke out into a self-conscious grin as he saw her parents watching their exchange. Is this what a family did when a stranger was brought along, dragged hurriedly to them? Cav felt out of place, uncomfortable, as he saw Lia’s mother scowl, her green eyes narrowing judgmentally upon him. He hoped what he was wearing didn’t make her think he wasn’t worthy of Lia. Because the way she was sizing him up, Cav felt the full impact of her all-terrain radar, which was focused solely on him. He’d worn bone-colored chinos, a bright red polo shirt, and a black baseball cap. He’d purposely kept his dark glasses hanging out of his shirt pocket. As a SEAL, he would always wear them, but Lia complained constantly that she loved to look into his hazel eyes, not see her reflection in his shades. Cav had to remind himself that he wasn’t in PSD—personal security detail—mode, that he was with the woman he loved. Lia was practically jumping up and down now, hurrying to reach her parents, who were smiling widely. That was a relief. Susan Cassidy could smile. That laserlike look she’d given him was gone now. Phew.

  “Mom! Dad!” Lia cried out. She dragged Cav over to them. “This is Cav Jordan. Cav? My dad, Steve Cassidy. My mom, Susan.”

  She released Cav’s right hand. He awkwardly extended it toward Susan. “Mrs. Cassidy, it’s nice to meet you.” He felt her stare icily at him, as if he were some alien who had just come from outer space. Reluctantly, she proffered her hand, barely shaking his.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jordan.”

  He f
elt that limp handshake of hers and tried to make the best of it, but the vibe from her wasn’t good. Great.

  “Call him Cav, Mom,” Lia pleaded, launching herself at her mother, throwing her arms around her.

  Cav stood back, watching mother and daughter embrace one another. All of that ice melted instantly as Susan grabbed her shorter daughter and held her strongly in her arms. The love was clearly written in her face. Cav swallowed hard. For a moment, he pictured his mother, who, when he was a young child, had hauled him into her arms and held him just as tightly as Susan was holding her daughter.

  “Son?”

  Cav turned his head toward the man who had spoken.

  “Steve Cassidy. Welcome, Mr. Jordan. We owe you a lot.” He gripped Cav’s hand and choked out, “You saved Lia’s life. Thank you …”

  For a moment, Cav was stunned by the sudden kindness emanating from the farmer’s expression. He was thin, wiry, sunburned, and sinewy from the daily work he did. Gripping the farmer’s callused hand, he said, “Nice to meet you, sir. And I was just doing my job. Call me Cav.”

  “Call me Steve.” He clapped him heartily on the back, still clasping his other hand. “And you’re a hero to us, son. Nothing less.” Steve released him but kept his hand on Cav’s broad shoulder, watching Lia clinging to her mother, both of them in a tight, loving embrace.

  Embarrassed by such a show of emotion, Cav murmured, “Thank you, sir.”

  Steve gave him an assessing look. “Just Steve will do.”

  “Yes, sir—I mean, okay,” Cav said, stumbling over his words. He wasn’t very comfortable meeting new people, but these were Lia’s parents, and he didn’t want to fuck this up for her. Awkwardly, he stood there, watching tears roll down Susan’s face. He wasn’t sure that Lia wasn’t crying, too, such was the tight bond they shared. Obliquely, his mind leaped backward. Cav remembered the times his mother had cried. But they were tears of pain. Tears mingled with blood from her nose, a split lip, or both after his father got done beating her up. How many times had Cav cried alone in his room wishing she would run away with him from his monster father?

  Steve clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s us guys go find your luggage, huh?” He smiled a little and gestured for Cav to follow him toward the carousels.

  Good idea! “Yes, sir—”

  Steve laughed and patted him warmly on the back. “You’re staying a week with us, Cav. I’ll work that military formality out of you by then. Come on, let’s hunt up that luggage for you and our Lia, eh?”

  Steve had a male gruffness mingled with warmth that made Cav want to open up to the man. There was benevolence in his deeply weathered face and kind blue eyes, and Cav automatically found himself wanting to be close to this easygoing farmer who exuded a gentleness he rarely found in any man. “Thanks for coming to pick us up,” Cav said, noting that the baggage from their flight would be spit out by carousel two.

  “We’ve been looking forward to seeing you kids,” Steve said, standing with his hands on his hips, watching the luggage starting to be dropped off the conveyor belt. “Did you have a good flight?”

  “Yes. It was quiet. That’s all I ask.”

  “We don’t travel much,” he said. “With a big farm like this, you can’t walk away from it, so I’m glad you came for a visit.”

  Cav felt Steve’s genuine sincerity. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Lia and her mother talking animatedly with one another as they walked toward them. Susan had given Lia her beauty, no question. He liked that she had hooked her arm around Lia’s waist and that they walked closely, their affection open. He could see how happy she was to be home with her parents once more. They breathed even more life into her, if that was possible. Compared to the ghost of a person she had been months earlier in Costa Rica, Lia’s natural radiance stunned Cav. She was sunshine to his darkened soul, which craved her.

  “Uh-oh,” Steve murmured, grinning, as he turned. “I’m about to get attacked.”

  For a moment, the word put Cav on instant guard. But as he turned, he saw Steve opening his arms as Lia flew into them, her joy shining from her face as she clung to her father. A lump formed in his throat as he watched Lia being swallowed up by the big man, who kissed her hair, kissed the cheek that had that deep scar on it, his eyes only for his beaming daughter in his embrace. His gaze flicked to Susan, who stood a few feet away, teary-eyed, smiling, her lower lip trembling as she watched Lia with her doting father. It hurt to swallow and Cav turned away, remembering too much of the twisted and distorted family he’d somehow managed to survive. He’d never known a moment of affection from his father. Only his fist. His hatred. His anger, always aimed at Cav.

  Lia had been right. She’d told him that she came from a solid, loving family. There were times she had cried for Cav when he’d shared some event that took place in his childhood. Now he could see why it touched her so deeply. Lia knew only love, kindness, and respect from her adoring parents. And to see that love shining in their eyes for her rocked him deeply. No wonder Lia had the internal strength she possessed. Cav really hadn’t known a positive role model until his sea daddy, SEAL Chief Jacoby, had taken him on as a rebellious eighteen-year-old who was angry at the world. Jacoby had broken through Cav’s distrust of males in general as well. That had taken years, but finally, Cav had given the Navy chief his honesty and his trust. Jacoby never took advantage of it like his father had. Steve Cassidy seemed to be a warmer version of Jacoby, without the tough military exterior. The man blotted Lia’s tears away with an old white linen handkerchief he had in his pocket, then smiled often and easily as Lia chatted with him, keeping her solidly in his embrace. All Cav could think of and see at that moment was his own father lunging for him, fist snaking out, slamming him in the side of the face, sending him flying off his feet.

  He felt eyes upon him and glanced up, seeing Susan Cassidy staring hard at him. It would do no good to get defensive about her demeanor. Cav would do anything to make this week for Lia one of utter happiness. He’d swallow the bitter brew of Susan’s wary look at him, her arms crossed defensively against her chest as she stared boldly at him. What did she want? What did she see in him that made her look at him like that? Cav had no idea. He caught sight of their two huge bags and walked over to the carousel to retrieve them, glad to be out from beneath her acid, distrustful inspection.

  Steve showed up just as he hauled the second bag off the carousel. He took it from Cav’s hand and said, “Come on, time to go home, son.”

  Home.

  His heart twisted over the word. Home for him meant pain, fear, and an intense struggle to survive at times. As he set the pink bag, which was Lia’s, on its rollers, he felt her come alongside him, sliding her arm around his waist as he straightened. It was impossible not to smile as she looked longingly up at him, her lips soft and eyes glistening with unfallen tears but radiant. His heart wrenched with such fierce love for her.

  “Hi, stranger,” she teased, turning and walking with him.

  Cav automatically placed his arm around her shoulders, tucking her in beside him as they walked, following Lia’s parents out of the terminal. “Hi yourself. Happy?”

  Lia leaned up on her tiptoes, impulsively placing a kiss on his jaw. “I’m the happiest person in the world right now, Cav.”

  “Good. I always want it to be that way for you,” he told her, a catch in his voice. He guided her outside and noticed Susan give him a dark look when she saw his arm around Lia. Then she turned, marching off to catch up with her long-striding husband.

  “Mom doesn’t know what to think about you yet,” Lia admitted quietly.

  “What did you tell her?” Cav looked both ways before crossing the busy street for the parking lot across the way.

  “That I love you and you love me.” She frowned. “She doesn’t know you yet, Cav. Give her time.”

  “Your father seems to be okay with me being around.”

  “My mom is protective because of Jerry and Manuel,” she said apologe
tically, giving him a worried look.

  “Oh, those two bastards.”

  Laughing a little, Lia said, “Yes, the ones that went screaming away from me when they saw the rest of my scars.”

  “She thinks I’m another Jerry?”

  “I don’t know,” Lia hedged. “She didn’t bring him up, but she’s worried for me. I told her not to be. That I’m so happy with you.”

  “Am I the first guy you’ve ever brought home to meet them?” he asked, giving her a teasing look.

  “Actually, you are. When I was in the Army I didn’t want to get married, and they knew that. I told them I’d start looking for a husband after I got out.”

  “Did your mom want you married sooner, not later?”

  “Yes. She’s been waiting on grandchildren for a long time.”

  “But that attack on you five years ago probably shook up their world a lot?” He saw the darkness come to Lia’s gray eyes. “Forget the questions,” he grunted, not wanting to ruin her present happy state. “Sometimes my SEAL need to know gets the better of me.”

  Pensive, Lia nodded. “It’s okay, Cav. I feel you’re right about Mom. Until she gets to know you better, she’ll probably worry you’re another Jerry in my life.”

  “Okay,” he said soothingly, squeezing her gently, “I’ll deal with it. What I want is for you to be happy while we’re here.”

  “You make me happy, Cav. I love my parents, too, but I’m in love with you.”

  It made him feel less threatened. “And I love you, baby. I always will.”

  “Mom will relax,” Lia said. “She’s not a mean person, Cav. She’s a very loving person.”

  “Just like you. You two look a lot alike.”

  She smiled a little, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment. “We are a lot alike, but I got my dad’s common sense. He’s the one who taught me mechanics.”