Page 47 of SEAL's Doorstep Baby
“Oh, they are too horrible to mention. I couldn’t possibly repeat any of them. Imagine if Maddie got to hear any of thatagain, I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.” I solemnly state in mock regret. I shake my head sideways to complete my performance.
“Let’s move on from the pretty liar, boys. I have another girl I want you to meet.” Jacob ushers them to Maddie and they coo at her.
In typical fashion, Maddie embraces all the adoration directed at her, and she stares back at them measuredly.
Finally, when they are done with the introductions and fawning over our vain princess, we start our meal.
Micky can’t seem to stop complimenting my food and it is heartwarming to say the least.
“It is just turkey, Micky.” Jacob is a little bit sour at the attention being paid to me, and after a shared amused glance, Micky and I make an unspoken agreement to torment him a bit further.
“Like you could cook a turkey this good if you had a month of prep time.” Micky scoffs at Jacob in response.
“Spoiler alert! He can’t.” Pete replies, unprompted. “But really, this is absolutely wonderful. I don’t think I’ve had a Thanksgiving dinner this wonderful since I was a child.”
That must be an exaggeration,I think, but something in his demeanor tells me he is dead serious.
“You must be joking.”
“I’m not. I went through more foster homes than I could count before I turned eighteen and enlisted. So trust me when I say this is the best I’ve had.”
“Thank you, Pete. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies. “Now that I’ve eaten the best meal, let me tell you about the worst thing I have ever tasted, and for someone who has tasted expired rations, I know what bad is.”
This is something I want to hear. “Tell me.” I ask eagerly.
“Okay, now you have to be patient with me, because just thinking about it is enough to make me sad.” He pauses and waits until we are all attentive before throwing a wink in Jacob’s direction. “So, I am starving in the middle of nowhere and my rations are finished. Luckily we caught a chicken, and trust me, at that point it might as well have been a gift from God himself.”
“I know this story.” Micky declares.
“Pete, that’s enough, for goodness’ sake.” Jacob protests, and from the clues I’ve already put together, I can tell he has a part to play in this story.
“No, no. Let him finish.” I make a protest of my own.
“Thank you, Allison. So, we hand it over to a certain member of our team to prepare for us because we consider him better equipped to save our lives at that moment. Long story short? We ended up having to drink water after our chicken got burnt to charcoal.”
“What did you do when you saw it?” I ask him.
“Nothing. He was my superior officer.”
“No! Jacob?” I hold back my laughter but just barely. I turn to look at him and his straight face is comical because of how good it is.
We have fun riling him up a bit more, but Jake takes it all in good spirit.
“Do you think you can do it better now though, Chief? Micky asks with a smirk. “I mean, you live in the same house as the person who’s made this. I like to think it has rubbed off on you.”
“I doubt it. He’s a stubborn one.” Pete is giving him no quarter either.
“I think he can.” I defend him because no one else will. "But then I’d still have to hold his hand throughout the process, which means, at the end of the day, he can't do it all himself. But best believe he’ll keep trying until he can’t anymore, in true SEAL fashion, of course."
My backhanded compliment is the final nail in the coffin and we all roar with laughter, Maddie included. This time Jake is in on it and he is just as loud as the rest of us.
* * *
It has been days since Thanksgiving, and we have enjoyed the typical weather following it, but things have become tense between Jacob and me. It was not any particular sort of disagreement or fighting that has brought this on. Rather, we are this way because of all the things we have left undefined and unspoken.
We haven’t spoken about Naomi again, but I know they’ve been talking at least a little. She wants to come and meet Maddie.
