Free Operation Family by Marissa Dobson Page A

also pushed men away. She learned long ago some men didn’t appreciate a body that had what her grandmother called childbearing hips , extra curves, and a little more to love.
    Friendship was all she could hope for with Mac, and it was what they needed in order to raise the girls together. She rose from the sofa, grabbed the baby monitor, and with determination, set out to find him. Before she finished packing for Virginia, she had to let him know that she was sorry. She wasn’t sure why it mattered so much that she had to do it then, instead of waiting until he had time to cool off, but everything in her told her she needed to do it now. That he had to know that his confession didn’t change things.
    She didn’t even make it around the sofa before her cell phone started to vibrate in her pocket. Tempted to ignore it, she took another step before she forced herself to at least look at the caller ID. Mom.
    Shit. She knew what her mom was calling about and the calls wouldn’t stop until she answered. It was better to get it over with while Mac wasn’t around, so she slid her finger over the screen and brought it to her ear. “Hi, Mom.”
    “I’m sure the guardian who was appointed for those children has arrived. When are you coming home?” With no hello or how are you , her mother cut straight to the point.
    “I’m not.” She leaned against the back of the sofa. “I’m going to be away for a while.”
    “What?” Her mother’s voice rose another octave.
    “I’m going to Virginia with the girls’ guardian to help. It’s a hard time for them right now, and this will make it easier for them.” She didn’t explain that it might be a permanent solution.
    “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, girl, you gave up your successful career to care for some screaming brats. You’re ruining your life.” Her mother let out a deep sign. “It’s time you get your head out of the clouds, get back to work. Then you can find a man and have a family of your own instead of raising children who don’t even belong to you.”
    “Mom, I hated being an accountant.”
    “Then get married, have a bunch of babies, and stay home. Don’t go running off to help another man raise his unless you’re going to marry him.” She let her mother ramble on about how it was a woman’s place to marry and have children, and tried not to hold it against her. It was how she was raised, and there was no changing her mother.
    That was all she cared about, making Nicole an honest woman. Since the day she gave up her practice and moved in with Shawn there had been tension between them. The day Shawn died, her mother didn’t give her sympathies, or ask if there was anything her or the girls needed, instead all she wanted to know was when Nicole was moving back home.
    Well, it wasn’t happening, even if things didn’t work out in Virginia. She would never go back to her hometown and begin her accounting practice again. In just a few short months, this had become her home. If she had to rebuild her life, she’d do it here.
    I can’t think about it falling apart, this is my chance to stay in the girls’ lives. It’s what I want, and I’m not going so I can be near Mac…he’s just an added bonus.

    The Texas air was bone chilling in a way Mac hadn’t expected. When he thought of Texas, the first thing that came to mind was the heat, and even after all his years of traveling, Texas was one state he hadn’t marked off the list. With less than two weeks until Christmas, he didn’t expect to feel the same chill in the air as he did in Virginia. The air felt cold enough to snow, but that was rare, wasn’t it?
    He sunk down on the steps of the porch and pulled out his phone. Christmas. Guilt, regret, and undying sadness poured through him. The first Christmas alone for the families of the two SEALs he’d gotten killed. He flicked through the pictures on his phone until he found the one of the men together, taken just days before the