"Don't forget to tell me goodbye before you go, okay?"
"Of course I won't forget."
But Pam had. She'd bolted in the middle of the night packed up, stormed out, leaving him to explain everything to their children in the morning. Four weeks later, Pam had resurfaced from a cooking cruise with hugs, a new boyfriend and a box of saltwater taffy for the girls.
Julia had been the one to take Shelby shopping for prom dress, the one to twist Ivy's hair up into that ball recital hairnet thing. Julia had been all that kept his family from falling apart.
Zach scrubbed his hand over his jaw, scratching the numbed nerves awake. He could do this, pretend to be unaffected by those toes she tucked out of sight. He could pretend he didn't notice the curve of her breast outlined in a stretchy T-shirt just showing in the gaping side of her overalls. "Hi, Julia."
"Zach."
He knelt beside Patrick, cupping a hand over the pale fine hair. "He's grown into quite a bruiser."
"He's a happy baby." She shifted, one foot poking free. Purple polish. Silver sparkles right at eye level.
Zach stood. "Major, thanks for stopping over to help so soon after coming home from a TDY yourself."
"Nothing to it, Colonel. I just hung out and enjoyed the pizza and fudge. A pregnant woman's idea of heaven. Kathleen bumped the pan toward him. "It's really good stuff.
You ought to try some."
Julia dropped the bag of pretzels. "There's pizza in the fridge."
He reached for a spoon. "Great. I'll get to that too later. Flying always makes me hungry."
Among other things he damned well didn't want to think about right now. Fudge offered a poor substitute for what he really wanted after a flight, but it was better than nothing.
Zach scooped through the chocolate and ate. "Good stuff. Who made it?"
"Uh," Julia squeaked, then continued, "that would be me."
"Damn good stuff. Is there more? This doesn't stand a chance of lasting much longer." He turned to the pregnant woman choking on a laugh behind her hand. "Did you want some, Major?"
"No thanks. I'm getting plenty at home."
Julia shot from the table. "Kathleen, isn't that Tanner's car pulling into your driveway?"
Kathleen braced a hand on the edge of the table to rise. "I should go then. After a flight, he's usually pretty, uh, hungry too. G'night, Colonel," she said as she waddled out the door.
Quiet settled over the kitchen.
Julia grabbed the pan. She wound around Ivy's spilled bag of toothpicks and a bag of aquarium rocks as she whipped past to toss it in the sink. "Sorry about the clutter everywhere."
"Leave it." Zach stopped behind Julia, closer than he'd meant to. Too close. "I'll put it all away later."
"Yeah, well..." She kept her back to him, twisting on the faucet and filling the pan with water. "There's leftover pizza in the fridge if you're still, uh, hungry, and some iced tea."
Her voice drifted off as the water trickled to a stop. Still she didn't turn.
Zack stayed behind her, unmoving, but she didn't move either, just stood in front of him while they looked out the window and exchanged body heat. He breathed in the mix of strawberry shampoo, baby lotion and chocolate.
The soft curve of Julia's neck begged to be kissed. Zach forced his eyes somewhere safer, like back to the window. Tanner Bennett jogged across the street, meeting Kathleen at the edge of the driveway. With a whoop, the big lug scooped his pregnant wife off her feet and kissed her as if they'd been separated for a year rather than just two weeks. He dropped another kiss to her rounded stomach.
A sigh whispered from Julia. "They look good together."
She sounded so wistful, Zach couldn't help himself. He had to touch her. His hands fell to rest on her shoulders. His thumbs stroked the curve of her neck, her skin even silkier than he'd imagined.
She swayed under his touch, shoulders dropped, head lolled forward. Her body started a lean back that would bring her flush against him, her hair to his face, her bottom nestled snug against him. Damn it, she did feel that tug between them too.