Well, in those dark days, it had been Teiko who saved him.
He drew a breath and let the memory wash over him. The heart-wrenching loss that had led him to Teiko.
He'd been twenty-two and on a short leave before shipping out when he'd met Eva in San Diego. Their romance had been hard and fast and intense, and the two of them had been absolutely inseparable.
He'd loved everything about her, from her strong personality to her quirky sense of humor to the soft little noises she made in bed. They'd walked along the beach holding hands, and even though they'd only known each a short time, they spent hours planning a future together. Plans that had sustained him when he traded the comfort and safety of Southern California for the heat and danger
of the Persian Gulf.
But it had all been a lie. Not one of his letters was answered, and though he'd called her house, he'd never reached her.
When he returned to the states, he'd been stationed at Norfolk, and though he tried to forget her, he never quite managed. And finally, after years apart, he went back to San Diego and tried to track her down.
He'd found her. And not just her. He'd seen Eva with her husband, holding their little girl and laughing. And though he didn't have a clue how old the girl was, he knew enough to know that she wasn't a newborn. Which meant that Eva had barely even taken another breath before pushing Tyree's memory aside and landing in the arms of another man.
That knowledge--and the sight of how happy she looked holding her daughter--had ripped his heart in two.
He'd met Teiko hours later in the small cafe her parents owned. She'd been working as a waitress there on weekends. They'd talked, one thing led to another, and she'd completely stolen his heart. And healed it, too.
She'd been his rebound girl, no doubt about it. But she'd also saved him. And dear God, he'd been crazy in love with her.
The rattle of a key in the front door startled him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Eli coming into the living room of the small house, every ounce of his attention focused on Tyree. "You okay? I know I should have stayed."
Tyree shook his head. "Hell, no. You had a job to do. And I'm fine."
Eli sniffed the air. "Jambalaya?"
"Nothing wrong with your nose, son."
"What are you going to make tomorrow?"
Tyree almost laughed, pleased the kid knew him so well. "I won't know until I make it, will I?" Every year after the anniversary of Teiko's death, Tyree lost himself in the kitchen, usually at The Fix. And usually he ended the day with a new menu item.
Eli laughed and settled onto the couch next to him. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you, too, boy." He put his arm and drew him close, sighing. He'd loved two women. He'd lost two. But he had his bar. He had his friends. He had his son.
It wasn't everything, but it was enough.
Chapter Three
Eva Anderson adjusted the focus on her Nikon and took one final candid shot of the bride and groom sitting on a boulder and laughing, as friends and family circled around them, sharing the moment.
It was almost eight, the sky now full of light. But the couple had spoken their vows over two hours ago. They'd wanted a sunrise wedding at Desert Garden in Balboa Park, San Diego. And since they'd wanted it on the anniversary of their first date, Eva had found herself arriving with the small wedding party well before six a.m. on a Wednesday.
She'd come the day before to check out the specific location, and on the day of the wedding, she'd been able to integrate the charming cacti and other interesting plant life into the images. Now, as she started to pack her equipment away, she knew that she'd gotten some beautiful images. The couple, she was certain, would be thrilled.
"I can finish packing up if you want to go chat with the bride," Marianne said. Eva's part time assistant, Marianne also happened to be Eva's best friend. "And then, please God, can we go find a Starbucks?" She ran her fingers through her short, white-blonde hair as she yawned. "I need caffeine administered intravenously."
Eva laughed. "Sure." Frankly, she could use some caffeine herself.
She left Marianne to the task, then headed to where the bride, Jill, now stood with her mother. "The wedding was lovely," she said. "Thank you so much for trusting me with such important memories."
"Are you kidding?" Jill said. "I saw your pictures from Bill Landry's wedding and from my cousin Sarah's. I wouldn't have anyone else."
"That's so kind," Eva said, pleased to the bone, but hoping she sounded professional and not giddy. She'd quit her graphic design job five years ago to take a chance at her own photography business. Some days she still couldn't quite believe that she'd not only made a go of it, but that her little business was thriving and growing.
"We looked at your entire wedding portfolio online," Jill's mother added. "Such lovely work. You must really love weddings."