Mended Hearts (New Beginnings Series) Read online

  That was the last song of the set, and Gracie skipped over and threw her arms around Sonny’s neck. Charley looked insulted.

  “Oh, sure! Sonny gets first hug,” he complained. “What about me, pretty girl? I just got dumped. No sympathy for me?”

  Gracie laughed, “Sure you did. Your heart looks completely shattered,” she said sarcastically. Then she leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek, keeping her arms around Sonny’s neck. He pulled her closer, between his knees and she turned around and leaned her back against him, as she continued chattering to Charley.

  Sonny interrupted, “Angel, let me slide off this stool and you sit for awhile.”

  She looked startled. “Why?”

  He looked her up and down. “While—as a red-blooded American man—I can appreciate what those heels do for you, your feet have got to be killing you. Or, at least they will be by the end of the night.” During his little speech, he had stepped back, grabbed her around the waist, lifted her up and plopped her on the stool. “Take a load off.”

  She had squealed when he swept her off her feet and had everyone around them laughing. Meg and Trace walked up about that time, followed by Tobi and her date, with Beth and Titus. Savannah walked up and leaned across the bar. “That table over there . . . they’re about to get up and leave. Come on over and I’ll clear it off for you.” So the group—except for Sonny—followed her over. He stayed with Gracie until it was time for her to start the next set, and then joined the others.

  • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

  Rob had watched crutch-boy and some red-haired man walk through the bar like they owned the joint. It kind of reminded him of that old sitcom where everyone yelled, “Norm!” when the guy walked in. They seemed to know most everyone and most everyone seemed to know them. But, more than that, they seemed to be well respected. Rob’s waitress showed up at his elbow to see if he needed another beer.

  “Sure, I’ll take another one.” He jerked his head toward the two men just sitting down at the other end of the bar. “You know those guys?” he asked her.

  “Dark-haired, dangerous-looking guy, and the one with red hair?” she asked.

  Rob nodded.

  “That’s Sonny and Charley. They’re Navy SEALs,” she said in a reverent voice. “Sonny is tight with Sugar Creek’s lead singer.” She turned toward the order station halfway down the bar. “I’ll have that beer for you in a jiff.”

  Navy SEALs. Rob didn’t know much about them, other than the fact that the SEALs were legendary. He settled back to watch them—his stomach clenching as he watched Gracie sing that song to this Sonny guy. It appeared it might not be as simple as a bar pick up. After she left the stage and made a beeline for him, throwing her arms around him, Rob gritted his teeth. They were obviously very close.

  The waitress showed up with his beer and he paid her. He nodded toward the couple. “Hey, how long have they been together?” He couldn’t resist asking her, but when he saw the curious look on her face, he regretted it immediately.

  “Why? Do you know her?” she asked.

  Rob thought fast, trying to find a plausible story. “She used to date my best friend and I’m trying to figure out if she was cheating on him before the break up.” He winced inwardly. What if the waitress took the story back to Gracie? Would his cover be blown?

  “Oh, no . . . not Gracie. She’s like a Girl Scout,” she laughed. “I think they met in August or September, shortly after she started singing here.” She tucked his money into her apron. “They seem pretty serious,” she added.

  “Did you say her name is Gracie?” Rob tried to look perplexed. “Oh, that’s not my friend’s ex. Her name was Sophie.” He gave a little laugh. “They say everyone has a double, huh?” He looked back down the bar at Gracie as she squealed and giggled at Sonny lifting her onto the stool. “No, that’s not her. Sophie’s a little taller, with shorter hair. My mistake.”

  As the waitress chuckled and walked away, he hoped his story had been believable. He didn’t want her rushing over to Gracie asking about an ex-boyfriend she might have recently broken up with. He watched the girl for awhile, but she just continued to work her tables and the bar, never venturing close to Gracie. He noticed more of the new boyfriend’s friends had shown up and he moved over to join them at a table the bar owner herself had saved for them. No doubt about it, Gracie—and Sonny—had connections . . . at least here at Savannah’s.

  CHAPTER 15

  Sonny hung up the phone Saturday evening and breathed a sigh of relief. He’d not spoken to Mr. and Mrs. Laurent—“call us Phil and Kitty”—since he moved away when he was fourteen. It was a nerve-wracking situation, calling them out of the blue to ask permission to marry their daughter . . . the daughter he’d been dating for less than two months. He’d wondered what kind of hoops he might have to jump through. He even considered calling and talking to Mathias first, but that seemed like a coward’s way out. So he manned up and made the call.

  Gracie’s parents were aware that she’d been seeing him. And they liked how it had affected her. She seemed more like her old self . . . content and happy . . . bubbly, even. They knew some of it had to do with her job singing at the bar. Music had always been a haven for her. But, Sonny was a big part of her happiness, and they couldn’t deny it.

  When Sonny explained the reason for his call they were a little—maybe a lot—stunned. Kitty, especially, worried about Gracie jumping into something too soon. She didn’t want to see her little girl hurt again. Phil pretty much interrogated Sonny, and if they’d been in the same room Sonny wouldn’t have been surprised to see him whip out a bare light bulb to hang over his head while he did it. All he could do was answer the questions as honestly as he could . . . he did have a dangerous job and yes, he was trying his hardest to recover enough to get back into the thick of things . . . if he did, yes she might have to spend a lot of time alone, but he’d make sure she had a good support system during those times . . . he’d take care of her to his dying breath . . . he needed her in his life . . . yes, he loved her and he really thought she loved him . . . he’d give her as big a family as she wanted, it would be up to her . . . he wouldn’t rush her into the marriage, but give her all the time she needed . . .

  The questions had gone on and on, but finally Phil had given his blessing and welcomed Sonny to the family. Not ten minutes after he hung up from talking to the Laurents—and halfway through the beer he’d needed after that grueling experience—his phone rang. He picked it up hoping it was a call he could ignore—no such luck. It was Mathias. It hadn’t taken long for the news to get to the other side of the country.

  Sonny sighed as he connected. “Hey, Mathias. I wonder what you could be calling about.”

  “Just talked to Dad, Luca. He had big news. Can you guess what it was?”

  Sonny pinched the bridge of his nose. “Cut it out. I know you have something to say, so don’t torture me. Just say it, okay? Your dad already raked me over the coals.”

  Mathias chuckled. “Good for him. Look . . . you know I love you, dude . . . but, what are you doin’?”

  “Well gee, Mathias . . . It looks like I’m head over heels for your sister and I’m going to beg and grovel ‘til she agrees to marry me. Preferably soon.”

  That shut him up—for a few moments. “Wow. It’s really serious, huh? Not just your need to ride in and save the damsel in distress?”

  That ticked Sonny off. “I’m beginning to think you don’t know your sister all that well.” He started pacing, stalking back and forth across the floor of his living room. “She has more strength than anyone I know. To have gone through what she has and still be standing . . . no, more than that . . . she’s building a new life that she loves . . . she’s making other people happy—me included. If I’d been through what she has, I might still be curled up in a ball in a corner somewhere.” He sighed in disgust. “Give her some credit, man.”

  “Whoa. I guess it is true lov
e. I’m sorry, Luca, but you haven’t been together all that long. We still worry about her. You know?”

  “I do know. I’m glad her family cares so much about her, but I do too. I promise I won’t hurt her. Sometimes it doesn’t take a couple of years to decide you love someone enough to spend your life with them. Sometimes it happens really fast.” Sonny dropped heavily onto his sofa and said quietly, “She was with that scumbag for how many years? Look how that turned out. I don’t think you should be throwing a timeline in my face, Mathias. I love her. It’s real. I know I can’t live my life without her. I hope you can give us your blessing after you’ve thought it over.” He smiled a little. “Maybe after we’ve celebrated our tenth anniversary, you’ll believe it.”

  “Dude . . . you already have my blessing. I trust you, but we’re all a little skittish when it comes to Gracie. You weren’t there. It would kill us all to see her hurt like that again.”

  “Now you’re pissing me off. To even suggest . . .”

  “No, no . . . I’m sorry, Luca. That’s not what I mean. It’s just . . . I need you to be patient with her. If she’s too scared to say yes right away . . . If she happens to say no, or that she needs time, just . . .”

  Sonny ran his hand through his hair. “I can be patient. I’d never pressure her into doing something she doesn’t want to do or isn’t ready for. I promise you that. Okay?”

  Mathias sighed in relief. “That’s good enough for me. Thanks, Luca.” He added nonchalantly, “By the way . . . you owe me big time. When my dad called he asked me all kinds of questions about you and made me swear you were a good enough man for our Gracie. I vouched for you, so . . .”

  Sonny laughed. “Okay . . . okay . . . I’ll buy your drinks . . . forever. Any time we’re partying, it’s on me.”

  “I’m holding you to it. But really, all you need to do is take care of Gracie. Okay?”

  “You don’t even have to ask.”

  “I know.”

  • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

  Rob sat in his rental car a half block up from Gracie’s house. He hadn’t gone into Savannah’s the night before, because he didn’t want to risk being seen there two nights in a row. He’d parked his car near her building a little before eleven o’clock that morning, thinking she would be sleeping in after being at the bar so late the night before. Her car was still parked there on the street, so he must have been right in thinking that she was taking advantage of a lazy Sunday morning.

  He straightened in his seat when he noticed that guy’s pickup truck pulling up and parking behind her car. And she was in the truck with him. They both swung out of the cab, and headed up the walk toward the front door. They were dressed up—Gracie in a knit wrap dress and Sonny in dark wash jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt. He had some other clothes bundled up and was carrying them inside. That’s when he noticed she was carrying her Bible—the same Bible she’d used when they were married. Church? They’d spent their lazy Sunday morning in church?

  Rob sat in his truck feeling stunned. This guy she was with looked like he’d be more at home on a Harley than in a church pew. Not fifteen minutes later, they both came back out through the front door. Sonny had changed into well-worn jeans and a long-sleeved shirt under an Ed Hardy t-shirt, and she was wearing a fitted velour sweat suit in a deep raspberry color. Gracie laughed as she attempted to stuff what looked like a quilt into a large tote bag. They hopped into Sonny’s truck and then drove right past him, never looking in his direction. He could hear Led Zeppelin drifting through Sonny’s open window.

  He decided to follow them. They drove a short distance to a deli and went inside, exiting with a brown bag and a couple of beverage bottles. Hopping back into Sonny’s truck, they continued on until they reached a park . . . no, it was a sports complex—the kind that was made up of a bunch of soccer fields butted up against each other, separated by short stacks of bleachers. Sunday must be a youth soccer league day, because there were lots of families with young children.

  Rob hurriedly found a parking spot so they wouldn’t notice him following them. He wished he knew which field they were looking for. He wondered if Sonny had a kid or something and they were there to watch him play. He heard Gracie’s voice, mingled with a low pitched one and realized they were walking right toward him. He leaned over and pretended to search for something in the glove box. They walked right past his open window—close enough that he could have reached out and touched her.

  He heard Sonny say, “I feel bad that I haven’t been to see Drake play in a few weeks. But since Mitch got back, I didn’t want to step on his toes.”

  Gracie answered, “I don’t think he would have felt like you were stepping on his toes, babe. I’m sure he appreciates the way . . .” Her voice faded away as they moved out of earshot.

  Babe. She called him babe. Rob couldn’t remember her ever having a pet name for him. Did he ever call her by one? He didn’t think so. He watched them walk around the end of the field in front of him toward a set of bleachers. As they walked along the side of the field, one of the little bodies swarming over the field—in no discernable pattern or plan—broke away from the pack and veered toward the couple. A little gap-toothed smile dawned across a freckle-filled face.

  “Sonny!” the little boy cried.

  “Dude!” Sonny cried back as he held out his hand. The boy slapped it as he ran by.

  Gracie, who’d stepped behind Sonny, leaned out and held out her fist. The boy bumped it with his and giggled, then merged back into the crowded pack of little bodies chasing the ball.

  Gracie and Sonny continued on toward the bleachers, stopping to hug a tall woman who was standing on the sidelines with the coach. She was wearing team colors with “Team Mom” stenciled across the back of her gold t-shirt. She pointed toward the bleachers and the couple went over to join a man already seated there. He was another rough-looking dude. Gracie spread the quilt over their seats and he remembered her doing that when she came to watch him play football in high school, complaining about how hard the bleachers were. She dug out their deli sandwiches and they ate and watched the field, cheering and calling out encouragement. There was lots of laughter too, when the kids got confused and lost the whole point of the game—which apparently happens a lot with five-year-old soccer players.

  Rob watched the sun bounce off Gracie’s hair as her ponytail blew in the breeze. At one point, Sonny reached over absentmindedly, his eyes still glued to the game, and twined his fingers with hers. A little later a small boy—younger than the kids on the field—climbed from the other man’s lap, across Gracie’s, to Sonny’s. Sonny settled him on his lap and shared the last of his potato chips with the boy as Gracie chatted with his dad.

  Rob just didn’t get it. This Sonny guy didn’t look like the kind of guy who would be interested in spending his day watching kids—not even his own—playing soccer, while cuddling another on his lap. He looked like he should be hanging out shooting pool at some dive, or riding his Harley up the coast with some Hooters waitress clinging to his back.

  It had to be some kind of game he was playing. Maybe he’d gotten one look at Gracie at Savannah’s and was doing whatever it took to get with her. Some guys would do anything to snag a woman. Church and pretending he liked kids . . . maybe he’d do anything to get Gracie to let her guard down. What a dirtball. Rob decided he’d better make his move soon, before this guy really got his hooks into his Gracie. He sat and watched the cozy scene, his blood boiling hotter every second.

  After the game was over, he followed them back to her place and parked directly across from her building. It was a risk, but he needed to up his game. Get as much information as quickly as possible.

  Eventually, he noticed a side door opening toward the back of the building and Sonny bringing out one of those tiny barbecue grills. He filled it with charcoal and set it aflame, returning after a while to place some meat—maybe steaks—on it. He sat down on the steps an
d Gracie joined him, handing him a bottle of beer. She sat down on the lower step, between his knees and they watched the meat grill, talked, and shared Sonny’s beer. He wished he could hear what they were saying. Didn’t they make those microphones you could direct at a distance and eavesdrop on people? He wondered where you could get something like that.

  They went back into her apartment after the steaks were ready, and it started to get dark. Rob pulled away and headed back toward his motel with plans to return the rental car the next day. He’d rent from a different agency, so there would be no danger of the same car being spotted following her around. As hard as it was for him to watch the two of them together all day, he did get some good information. She had a back door to her apartment. Maybe that could be his way in.

  CHAPTER 16

  Sonny was a nervous wreck. He could admit it. Though usually a tower of calm in chaos—the rock of his SEAL team—he was scared to death. He’d planned it all out in great detail. But what if something went wrong?

  As he tried to tie his necktie with shaking hands, he gave himself a pep talk. He’d flown Gracie’s parents into San Diego as a surprise for her. They and Mathias had arrived that morning and he met them for lunch. It was important for him to have some face time with them before he popped the question that evening. The meeting had gone well, and they were warm and welcoming. That was the first item he could check off his list.