Author's Note: In which Emma meets Ash Spenser...
I know a lot of people like to portray Ash as pure evil, and I'm not saying I don't enjoy a good evil villain Ash story because I totally do (please those who write those, keep them coming), but I kind of look at Ash as being more of your general asshole who never should have had kids - self-absorbed, selfish, competitive. And, his relationship with Clay, when Ash bothers to think about his son, as one where he wonders how Clay can be useful to or reflect well on him. So I kind of look at it as difficult (more for Clay than Ash) because Clay will always want more than Ash can give.
Clay and Emma walked down the street towards the bakery holding hands. People doing their Saturday morning errands crowded the sidewalk, and parking was at a premium. Clay and Emma had left his truck a couple blocks down and were headed to pick up cupcakes for the family celebration of Jameelah's birthday.
Emma had received an emergency call from Aunt Naima that morning asking them to take care of the chore on their way over to the Perry house. Uncle Ray had meant to get the cupcakes last night before the bakery closed, but he had forgotten.
"You think Ray's in big trouble with Naima for this?" Clay asked.
Emma smiled and lifted an eyebrow at him. "Oh, yeah. She sounded pretty stressed on the phone."
Clay laughed and started to say something else when they heard someone calling Clay's name. They both turned to see who it was. A gray-haired man Emma thought looked familiar was trying to catch up with them on the sidewalk.
"Clay." The man stepped around a family walking behind them, as Clay and Emma moved aside.
"Ash." Clay's voice as he spoke was neutral, and Emma studied the man who, it turned out, was Clay's father. Clay's detached air left her unsure as to how he felt about this impromptu meeting.
"Clay, son, it's good to see you. It's been a while."
"Yeah, things have been busy." Clay didn't offer any other details.
"Sure, sure." Ash nodded and glanced at Emma standing by Clay's side, then gave his son an inquiring look.
Clay frowned and then turned to Emma. "This is my father, Ash Spenser. Ash, this is Emma."
Ash reached out to shake Emma's hand. "Just one name, huh?"
Emma released Clay's hand and shook Ash's. "Yeah, like Madonna."
Her response surprised a laugh out of Clay, which he unsuccessfully tried to turn into a cough. Ash looked unsure whether her reply had been a joke or not.
Clay sighed. "It's Hayes. Her last name is Hayes."
A faint expression of shock crossed Ash's face and then was gone. "Ah, any relation to Master Chief Jason Hayes?
Emma's gaze flickered over to Clay. She decided he wouldn't have said her last name if he wanted to keep whose daughter she was a secret. "Yes, he's my father."
Ash nodded, and there was an awkward pause.
Emma concluded the best thing to do was give them some privacy. "Why don't I go for the cupcakes while you talk to your father? I'll meet you back here in a few, okay?"
Clay looked relieved at her suggestion. "Uh, yeah, will you be okay to carry them all?"
"If I'm not, I'll text you." She turned to Ash, who was watching them closely. "Nice meeting you."
"You too, Emma." Ash gave her an insincere smile as she stepped away.
"What the hell are you thinking?" Ash tore into Clay as soon as Emma was out of earshot. "You're fooling around with your team leader's daughter? This is just the kind of stupid move I'd expect from you. What do you think is going to happen when Hayes finds out you're having some fun with his little girl?"
Clay tried to cut Ash off. "That's not what—"
Ash, however, was on a roll and wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise. "Sure, she's a looker, but think, Clay! You're a Tier One operator. Are you going to throw that away for a piece of tail?"
At that comment, any hesitation Clay had over making a scene on the street disappeared. He grabbed Ash by the collar and pushed him up against the side of the nearest building. "Shut your mouth. Do not speak about her like that ever again. Do you hear me?"
Eyes wide, Ash nodded, and Clay released his grip on his father's shirt. "Just because sneaking around behind people's backs is the kind of thing you would do; it doesn't mean I would. Jason knows Emma and I are together. And it's not some fling."
Tugging his shirt back into place, Ash stepped from between the wall at his back and Clay's furious presence in front of him. "Son, I was only—"
"You know what? I don't want to hear it. Nothing you have to say interests me right now." Clay stalked off, leaving Ash to stare after his son.
As she paid for the cupcakes, Emma saw Clay enter the bakery. His stormy expression convinced her the conversation with his father hadn't gone well. He joined her at the counter as the cashier gave her the receipt.
He gestured to the large bakery box another staff member placed on the counter. "Are these ours?"
"Yeah, could you grab them, please?" She stuffed the receipt and change into her wallet.
Together they walked to the door, and Emma opened it for him to exit with the box.
"Everything okay?" She was curious about his conversation with Ash.
"No, not really." Clay didn't elaborate on that statement.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Emma winced as soon as those words came out of her mouth. She thought it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it.
Clay took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, while continuing to stare straight ahead. "No. I want to go and enjoy Jameelah's party without my asshole of a father ruining it."
"Okay." She reached over and gently squeezed his arm.
They finished their walk back to the truck in silence.
Ray opened his front door before Clay and Emma even reached it. "Thank God you're here with those cupcakes. Naima's ready to kill me."
"Hi Uncle Ray. Good to see you too." Emma kidded as they all entered the house.
"Tease me later. Right now, get the cupcakes to Naima in the kitchen."
Emma chuckled at how anxious he was over the situation. She and Clay continued through the house to the kitchen while Ray headed off to take care of other tasks. "Aunt Naima, we're here with the cupcakes."
"Oh sweetie, thank you both so much for stopping to pick them up. You really saved the day." Naima began rearranging to make space on the counter. "Let me move these dishes and things out of the way, and you can put the box here."
As Naima relocated items, Jameelah came into the kitchen. "Ooh, are those the Moana cupcakes?" She was vibrating with excitement.
Naima looked up at her daughter. "Maybe you could say hello to our guests? And thank you for picking up the cupcakes."
Jameelah threw her arms around Clay's waist to hug him and almost hit the box with her head. Clay lifted it quickly, saving the baked goods. "Thank you, Uncle Clay, for getting the cupcakes for my party."
Clay smiled briefly down at Jameelah. "You're welcome, kiddo. Emma helped too."
Emma gave Naima a sardonic look. "I helped."
Naima laughed, and Jameelah turned and threw her arms around Emma's waist. "Thank you too, Aunt Emma."
Emma gave Jameelah a squeeze in return. "When did I become Aunt Emma?"
"Well, you're Uncle Clay's girlfriend, and he's in love with you, and you're in love with him, so that makes you Aunt Emma." Jameelah was very serious as she explained her reasoning.
Naima's lips twitched as she held back a laugh. Then she smiled as she saw Clay's cheeks turn pink while he was placing the cupcake box onto the counter.
Emma nodded thoughtfully as she looked down into the little girl's face. "Hmm, I can't disagree with your logic, Jameelah."
Ray carried a cooler into the kitchen just in time to catch Jameelah's explanation and Emma's response. He grinned at Naima. "Clay, brother, can you give me hand on the deck with the ice and drinks?"
"Sure." Looking relieved to leave the kitchen, Clay followed Ray out the sliders.
Once the men left, Naima chuckled and tousled Jameelah's hair. "Jameelah, why don't you go get your hairbrush, and we'll go in the living room and do your hair before everyone arrives."
Jameelah headed out of the kitchen but stopped at the door. "Aunt Emma, could you French braid my hair, please?"
"Sure, if it's okay with your Mom." Emma looked to Naima
"If you don't mind, that would let me get some other things done." Naima responded as she went back to putting chips, dip, salsa, and other snacks into bowls.
Emma turned back to Jameelah. "Grab your brush and some elastics, and I'll meet you in the yard. We can sit out there while I braid your hair, and you can tell me all about your party yesterday with your friends at the pool."
Jameelah grinned and dashed off to her room.
The party was in full swing, and Naima was putting out desserts on the table for everyone to enjoy. As she moved items around to make room for everything, Jason joined her at the table. She smiled and held out the tray of cupcakes to him. "Moana cupcake?"
"Thanks, but I'm going to stick with these brownies." Reaching over, he plucked two from the plate. "You know what's going on with the kid?" He jerked his head in the direction of Clay who was sitting quietly by himself on the outdoor love seat.
"No," Naima responded, shaking her head. She had been wondering herself what was bothering him. "But I did notice he was quiet earlier when he and Emma arrived."
As they watched, Emma bounced over and joined Clay, breaking him out of his reverie. She said something that made him smile, then held out her half-eaten cupcake, as if she was offering him a bite. He shook his head, and she laughed and took a big bite out of it herself. Grinning, he reached out and wiped a bit of frosting off her nose with his finger. This made Emma laugh some more, and she caught his hand with the frosting in hers.
Naima smiled at their antics. "Whatever is bothering him, Emma cheers him up."
"I know. They're good for each other. You and Ray have been telling me." Jason crammed the second half of one of the brownies into his mouth. Naima suspected it was to avoid having to say anything else.
"We're right. Ray tells me Clay has been much steadier on the job since he's been with Emma. And look how happy she is. You can't tell me you don't like that. I think he's very good to her." Naima gave Jason a look challenging him to disagree with her.
"He is, but I don't want him to get too comfortable. She's still my little girl." Smiling with a devilish grin, Jason went to take a bite out of the second brownie.
"Jason Hayes! Are you making that poor boy think you still don't want him dating Emma for no good reason?" Naima was tempted to knock the rest of that brownie right out of his hand.
"It's not for no good reason. He's dating my daughter, and I don't take that lightly. Besides, that poor boy is a SEAL. If she's important to him, he'll deal with it."
Naima shook her head. "No more desserts for you."
"What?"
"You heard me. No more desserts for you." She flapped her hands at him, directing him towards the yard. "Go. Join your teammates. Nothing else from the dessert table for you."
Jason looked towards the plate of chocolate chip cookies. "But, I—"
Naima raised her eyebrows. "Go."
"Yes, ma'am." Jason sighed as he headed back towards Ray in the yard.
Clay sat by himself on one of the love seats on the deck. He had been doing his best to enjoy Jameelah's party and not let his encounter with his father this morning ruin his pleasure in this day, but his annoyance at Ash kept creeping back in.
He was thinking he should go and make an effort to be social again, when Emma plopped down beside him.
"Jameelah sent me over here to sit with you." Emma explained her arrival. "As your girlfriend, she says, I'm supposed to keep you company."
Clay smiled. "For someone who's only turned nine, Jameelah seems to have this whole relationship thing worked out."
"Well, look who her parents are." Emma grinned and held out her partially eaten cupcake to him. "Want a bite? They're tasty."
He shook his head. "No, thanks. I'm sweet enough."
Emma laughed and then took another bite of the cupcake. Some decorative frosting ended up on her nose. Grinning, Clay reached over and removed it with his finger. She caught his hand with the frosted finger in hers and started pulling it closer to her face. He suspected she planned on sucking the frosting off his finger.
"Whatever you're thinking about doing, you might want to not do it because your father is watching us right now." He warned her before she did something that might annoy Jason.
She froze for a moment, and he watched her expression turn speculative, as if she was considering doing whatever she planned anyway. Before she made a decision, Jameelah called from the yard for Emma. RJ had accidentally pulled out one of Jameelah's braids, and the little girl wanted Emma to fix it.
Releasing Clay's hand, Emma stood up from the love seat. "The birthday girl needs me."
Clay snagged Emma's napkin from her and wiped the frosting off his finger. "Go ahead. Duty calls."
She started to go, but then paused. "You're okay, right? I can stay if you prefer."
"No, it's fine. I just needed a break from all the socializing, but I'm good now."
She hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." He stood as well. "Sonny's challenging Trent to a game of cornhole. I need to go heckle him, so he loses."
"Okay." Squeezing his hand, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then went to help Jameelah.
Clay smiled as he watched her go. He liked having someone who worried about him.
The party was still going strong as Naima stood in the kitchen wrapping up leftovers and putting them in the refrigerator. The possibility existed some of this food would come out again if the party ran later and people were hungry again, but she didn't want anyone getting sick because something had gone bad in the heat.
As she worked, she heard someone coming down the hall from the bathroom. She looked up as Emma entered the kitchen. "Hey sweetie, having a good time?"
"Yeah, it's great to see everyone. I feel like the summer's flying by, and I've hardly had time to spend with you all." Emma began collecting the dishes Naima had emptied. "I'll rinse these for you and put them in the dishwasher."
"You don't have to do that. Go out and enjoy the party."
"I don't mind. Besides, you shouldn't be in here doing all the work by yourself." Turning on the water, Emma started rinsing the bowls containing the remains of the salsa and onion dip.
"Don't worry, your Uncle Ray and Uncle Trent's girlfriend have been helping." Naima continued to combine items into fewer dishes and cover other things with tin foil. As she worked, she glanced over at the younger woman at the sink. "Emma, is everything okay with Clay? He's been a bit quiet today."
Sighing, Emma placed a large bowl into the dishwasher. "We ran into his father this morning when we were picking up the cupcakes. I think they had words."
"You think?" Naima turned away from the fridge and leaned back against the counter.
"I'm not sure because I left them to go into the bakery. Clay came in as I was paying, and he did not look happy." Emma frowned as she continued loading up the dirty dishes. "He didn't want to talk about it. He said because he didn't want it to ruin the day and Jameelah's party for him, but I think it is anyway."
"Ash Spenser." Shaking her head, Naima wondered why the man even bothered to have a child.
"Have you ever met him?" Emma asked.
"No, I haven't." Naima had no desire to either.
Emma closed the dishwasher door. "There's still room in here." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure how to help Clay with this though."
"I think you're doing the right thing for now. You're giving him some space to deal with it. Clay is a lot like someone else I know." Naima gave Emma a pointed look. "He keeps things to himself until he's ready to share. You don't want to push him too much."
Giving Naima a small smile to acknowledge her point, Emma turned to gaze out the window at Clay in the yard. "I guess. I don't like seeing him unhappy though."
Stepping forward, Naima rested a hand on Emma's shoulder. "Of course not, sweetie, but we can't always fix everything for the people we love. Hang in there and eventually he'll be ready to talk about it."
Before Emma replied, Ray came into the kitchen carrying some platters. "I have these from the meat. Where would you like them?" He paused for moment upon seeing the two women looking so intense. "Everything okay?"
"On the table is fine, babe." Naima turned and gave Ray a reassuring smile. "We're good, having a little girl talk is all."
Placing the trays on the table, Ray nodded and headed back out into the yard.
"Do you mind helping me wash these? They won't fit in the dishwasher." Picking up the dishes, Naima brought them over to the sink.
"No problem, Aunt Naima," Emma said, turning the water back on.
The two women began washing and drying the large plates. As they worked, Naima remembered something she had been meaning to ask Emma. "Sweetie, were you able to make an appointment with the doctor whose name I gave you?"
Handing over the first clean tray, Emma nodded. "Yeah, they scheduled me for a time in late August, but the receptionist was able to put me on the cancellation list, so they called when they had a last-minute opening, and I was able to go in a couple of weeks ago."
"That's good. I was worried you might not be able to get an appointment before you had to go back to school." Naima took the first dish and began to dry it. "And everything went well? You liked the doctor?"
"She was really nice, and it was all fine. I mean, seeing the gynecologist is not on my top ten list of fun things to do, but it was good." Propping the next dish on the dish drainer, Emma turned to Naima. "I talked to her about going on the pill."
Naima had wondered if birth control might have been the reason Emma had come to her asking for the name of a gynecologist. "And did she think it was a good idea? Or did she have other suggestions?"
"She thought the pill would work well for me. We talked about some other things, but the pill seemed best. Besides using it for birth control, it should help with keeping my cycle regular, which I've had issues with, and fewer cramps. I feel like it will make my whole life a lot easier."
"It definitely can do that," Naima agreed. "But you wanted it for birth control first?"
Emma turned a little pink at Naima's question. "Um, yeah, it seemed like the right thing to do."
"You're right. That's the responsible thing to do." Placing the first tray in the cabinet by the sink, Naima then picked up the second and began to dry it. "I know earlier in the summer you were concerned about the physical side of your relationship. Is that okay now? Is everything good?"
Emma turned a slightly deeper shade of pink. "Yes, it's good." Then her lips curved into a pleased smile. "Very good."
After putting away the second platter, Naima gave Emma a little squeeze on the upper arm. "I'm glad."
Finishing the third dish, Emma handed it off. "Aunt Naima, I didn't realize what it would be like. The way everyone talks, like it's so serious. And, I mean, it is, trusting someone that much and being that close, but I didn't know how…" She paused as she tried to find the right words. "…fun, I guess, it would be. That we would laugh so much and, oh, I don't know… It just wasn't what I expected. It's so much more."
Naima placed the dish in her hands down onto the counter and hugged Emma. "That's good, baby. That's what it should be like with the right person, and I'm so happy you've been able to find that with Clay. The two of you deserve that." The women hugged for a moment, and then Naima held Emma away from her. "Now that's enough clean up in here. You go out and enjoy the rest of the party and I'll be out in a few minutes. Don't tell your Dad, but I have some of that Rosé you like. I'll bring you a glass, or rather a plastic cup, so we don't give it away."
"That sounds good." Emma agreed. "But really come out in a few minutes. Don't get caught up cleaning something else."
"I won't. I promise." Naima gave Emma a nudge towards the door. Once the younger woman left, Naima turned to the fridge to find the bottle of Rosé. She smiled as she moved things around to get at the wine bottle. She always suspected Clay Spenser knew how to treat a woman, and she was gratified to know he was doing right by Emma.
That evening Clay was trying to read in bed while Emma was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and getting ready to go to sleep. He smiled as he heard her singing to herself through the partially opened door. From what he could see through the small gap, she was smoothing lotion onto her legs as she sang.
She was acting very cheery this evening. Although, Clay suspected her happy mood had something to do with the couple cups of wine he saw Naima slip her during the latter half of the party. Still humming softly, Emma came out of the bathroom and settled down on her side of the bed.
Clay closed his book and put it aside. "Ready to go to sleep?"
"Yeah, but you don't have to stop reading though. It won't bother me if you leave your bedside lamp on." Emma fluffed her pillows up against the headboard and relaxed back into them.
"It's fine. I can't seem to concentrate. I think I've read the same paragraph about five times." He let his head fall back against the headboard, and he sighed.
She rolled onto her side to look at him.
He turned to face her. "I'm sorry. I haven't been in the greatest mood all day."
"That's okay." She reached out and ran her hand down his arm.
"My father… he just…every time I think we're in a better place, he does something or says something that makes me realize nothing's changed."
"What did he say?" Emma asked.
Clay hesitated. He didn't want Emma to think she had anything to do with what happened.
She squeezed his hand. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"We argued." Clay paused, then decided to tell her, figuring it wasn't something he could hide. "About you."
"Oh." Her voice was faint. "I'm sorry."
"No," Clay immediately responded. "It was in no way your fault. He's the one that assumed you and I were sneaking around behind your father's back, and he's the one that said it was exactly the kind of stupid move he'd expect from me."
"He called you stupid?" The outrage on Emma's face was obvious.
"Yeah. It doesn't matter. What matters is he thought it was okay to say I was throwing away my career for..." Clay's voice faded away as he realized he didn't want Emma to know what his father referred to her as.
"A frog hog?" One corner of her mouth quirked up in an ironic smile.
"Those weren't his specific words, but that's what he meant. And, Em, it isn't true, and I'd never let anyone say it was. That includes my father."
Smiling, Emma cupped his cheek with her hand and leaned in to give him a gentle kiss. "I know you don't think that, so who cares what your father thinks? He doesn't know me. He has no idea what I'm like. I'm more upset he said you're stupid. He does know you, and anyone who knows you should know you're not stupid. What kind of father says something like that?"
Clay smiled at how angry Emma was becoming on his behalf. "That's his M.O. Go for the weak spot. Doesn't matter who your opponent is."
"You're not his opponent. You're his son."
Clay shrugged. "That's the way he is."
Emma frowned. She didn't care what crazy judgement Ash Spenser made about her after a five-minute meeting, but his insult to Clay upset her. She did wonder what kind of person treated their child like that, even if their child was an adult. Clay seemed fine with it, but she wasn't sure. Sometimes he hid his emotions expertly behind that SEAL façade.
"Why did you think you two were in a better place?" She thought changing the direction of their conversation might give her a better understanding of what he was thinking.
"He was really helpful with trying to get Swanny the Purple Heart. One of the times we met he even said how nice it was to get together and have a conversation and not have all the tension between us. I thought so too. Once Lindell came down on me for it, I had to ask Ash to stop, but I thought he understood where that was coming from."
Clay's expression became distant as he focused on deciphering his relationship with his father. "I don't know, Em, sometimes I think it has nothing to do with me, that he just wasn't meant to be anyone's father. But it's hard to believe when it's me he's criticizing."
Hearing the sadness in Clay's voice, Emma reached out and pulled him to her in a hug. "It's his loss then, that he doesn't know how great you are."
Feeling Clay lean into her, she squeezed him a little tighter. As he started to pull away, she held on and kept him lying against her side with his head resting on her shoulder. They laid together quietly, and she brought her hand up and stroked his hair, then began gently scratching her nails against his scalp.
"Mmm, that feels good," he said.
"My Mom used to do it when I was small if I was upset. It always made me feel better."
Emma felt Clay's body relaxing as they continued to lie together, and she worked to make herself unwind as well. If she continued thinking about her anger at Ash Spenser for his treatment of Clay, she would never be able to fall asleep. Instead, she focused on how much she liked lying here holding Clay. Usually she would lie along his side with her head on his chest, or they would spoon together with his arm around her, but she enjoyed having him lie against her for a change.
Clay turned his head and nuzzled into her neck. "You smell good, like cake."
"I think that's my body lotion."
"I like it." He continued to snuggle into her neck, making her giggle. "You're also wearing my favorite nightgown."
"Favorite nightgown?" She didn't realize he had a preference when it came to her sleepwear. The nightgown was pretty, but she didn't think it was particularly sexy. It was dark blue with a lacy bralette top she thought was flattering, and then it flowed from under her chest down to mid-thigh and ended with a lace-trimmed hem.
She was curious to know what Clay liked so much about it. Since their relationship had become intimate, she had begun paying more attention to lingerie, but other than some fancy bra and panty sets, she hadn't purchased much. She liked revealing sexy underwear as they undressed when making love, but she wasn't so confident about sashaying around in some racy number.
"Definitely my favorite." Clay smiled and rolled back onto his side, propping his head on his hand, with his elbow on the mattress.
Emma turned on her side to face him. "What makes this one your favorite?"
With his free hand, Clay ran a finger under the lacy strap on her shoulder. "Two reasons, the first is you look very sexy wearing it."
She blushed. "I do?"
"You do." He gave her a teasing grin, and let his finger move lower down the strap to the top of her breast.
Her breathing picked up, and they both saw her nipples becoming erect through the thin material of the gown. Her blush turned a deeper shade of pink as Clay's finger moved from under the strap down to rub her nipple.
Emma's eyes started to drift closed as she enjoyed his touch, but then she realized he hadn't given her the second reason. "Wait." She caught his hand with hers and moved it away from her chest before releasing it. "You said two reasons. What's the other one?"
His gaze moved from her breasts back to her face. "Do you remember the first weekend you stayed here with me?"
"The first weekend I stayed here?" She tapped her finger to her lips. "Should I? Did anything big happen that weekend?"
Clay laughed and wrapped his arms around her, rolling so she was lying under him. "I think you know precisely what 'big thing' happened that weekend." He pressed his hips to hers, and she felt how aroused he was.
She rolled her eyes and groaned at his word play. "You did not just say that."
"Hey, you were the one that tried to pretend she couldn't remember what happened that weekend."
Emma giggled. "Of course, I remember."
"The first night you slept in one of my t-shirts." He shook his head as she giggled at him again. "But, the second night you came parading out in this nightgown—"
"I was not parading!"
"—parading out, and I realized you not only had that nightgown, but you had had your bathing suit earlier in the day and multiple changes of clothes. And it dawned on me, you had come over prepared to stay the whole weekend, even though I didn't invite you until after we came back from Ray and Naima's place."
"Those were some keen observational skills you had going on that weekend." She gave him a teasing grin. "I may have had a plan to convince you to let me stay."
"Was that the only thing you made a plan for?"
She slipped her arms around his neck and gave him a serious answer this time. "Anything more than that was wishful thinking on my part at the time."
"It was wishful thinking for me then too." He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. "But that's the other reason I like this gown, it reminds me of that weekend."
Emma was touched by Clay's second reason. Every so often he would say sweet things like that, and they always made her love him more. She lifted her head from the pillow and began kissing him.
Clay rolled onto his back, bringing her to lie on his chest. "You know, as much as I like this nightgown, I like it even better when we take it off." He returned to kissing her while slowly pulling the gown up.
She broke off their kiss to help him tug it over her head. "Me too."
Early Monday morning Clay was spun up, and that mission led into another in the same part of the world. He and Emma texted a little while he was gone, although most of the time his phone was off and in his bag on the plane. He was aware Emma had accepted some extra shifts at the hotel from her coworkers. She did that sometimes for the extra money or because she could then swap off her shifts to them when he was home with free days.
When checking his phone after the second mission was completed, he noticed Ash had texted several times and left two voice mails. He deleted the messages and glanced at the texts. His father seemed to be apologizing for jumping to conclusions when he saw Clay and Emma together, but Clay didn't want to hear any more from Ash about it.
Once the plane touched down in Virginia Beach, he let Emma know he was home and hoped to be wrapped up at the base by around four o'clock. She would be finished with work at four and suggested she head to his apartment then, stopping on the way to pick up some takeout from a Thai place they liked. He agreed and warned her not to be surprised if he fell asleep right after eating.
Leaving the base earlier than expected, Clay was able to avoid the worst of the traffic and made good time back to his apartment. He parked his truck in the lot and started to pull his bag out of the back when he heard Ash calling his name. He sighed to himself as he turned to face his father.
"Clay, I'm glad I caught you. I've been wanting to talk to you."
"I saw you texted and left voice mails." Clay began walking towards the entrance to his building.
Ash followed along as Clay kept going. "Clay, son, hold on a minute. I want to apologize to you. I made a mistake."
Hearing his father admit to making a mistake was enough to get Clay to stop and turn to Ash. "And what was your mistake?"
"I made an assumption about you and Hayes' daughter. I shouldn't have done that. I should have known you wouldn't sneak around with her."
Clay was shocked. He hadn't believed Ash would truly admit to making a mistake. Clay figured his father would give some long excuse that would exonerate Ash and make Clay the bad guy.
When Clay didn't respond, Ash continued to explain. "I was worried about you losing your career with the Teams, and I said some things I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."
Now Clay was stunned. He didn't think his father had ever apologized in his life. "I, okay, apology accepted, I guess." They stood in silence for a moment, and then Clay spoke again. "I wouldn't do that, you know, put my place on Bravo at risk."
"I do know, or I should have known." Ash was thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not going to say being a best-selling author, giving motivational speeches, and going on book tours make for a bad career, but it's not the same as being a SEAL. There's nothing like door kicking, and no matter how long you do it, it won't be long enough. I saw what I thought was you possibly putting an early end to your time with DEVGRU, and I reacted without thinking."
Clay ran his free hand through his hair. He thought Ash was being sincere, but still needed his father to know what was said about Emma was not acceptable. "Fine, but Emma is not some casual date or anyone's one-night stand."
Ash raised his hands in a placating manner. "Understood. I'd like to make it up to you and maybe start over. I could take you and Emma out for dinner one night and get to know her better."
"I'll have to ask Emma. I'm not sure what her work schedule is." Frowning, Clay debated whether or not a meal out with his father was a good idea. For obvious reasons, Emma didn't have the best impression of Ash, but Clay wanted his father to appreciate how special she was.
"Talk to Emma and find out what works. I'm around through the middle of next week."
Clay decided he would agree for now and see what Emma thought. He could always say they were too busy to meet. "Okay, I'll get back to you."
"Great." Ash stood there awkwardly for a moment, as if he wasn't sure what to do after Clay had agreed so easily. "I'll wait to hear from you then. See you later."
"See you." Clay watched as his father turned and headed off towards his car.
As Emma entered Clay's apartment, she heard the shower running. Leaving the bag of takeout and her purse on the counter between the kitchen and living room, she began pulling out plates and napkins. The sound of running water stopped. She finished organizing everything they needed, left it all by the bag of takeout and headed into the bedroom.
Clay walked out of the bathroom wearing a pair of shorts. "Hey, I didn't realize you were here already."
"I came in while you were still in the shower." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss hello.
Clay pulled her close, and they hugged for a moment, glad to be back together again. Then Clay's stomach growled, making them both laugh. "Guess I'm a little hungry. I've been thinking about those Crispy Rolls ever since you mentioned getting Thai food."
"It just happens I know how much you like those, so I got extra." Emma took his hand and started to walk out to the kitchen.
He paused and let go of her hand to grab his t-shirt off the bed. "You're too good to me."
"Actually, I wanted to make sure I got some too."
"Wait, are you saying I hog the food?" Clay's voice was muffled as he pulled on the shirt. His head popped out of the neck hole, and he gave her a mock wounded look.
Emma grinned and shrugged her shoulders at him as she stepped out of the room.
In the living room, they grabbed everything off the counter and set it up on the coffee table. Emma grabbed them drinks, and they settled down on the couch to enjoy their meal. While they ate, they chatted about what she had been doing while he was gone, and Clay told her a funny story about a prank Brock and Cerb played on Sonny while they were on the plane.
Once she was full, Emma relaxed back against the couch cushions and watched Clay finish off the Crispy Rolls and the Pad See Ew. "Didn't they feed you on this spin up?"
"There were a lot of MREs. I think I was hungry the whole time we were gone." Clay sat back and patted his stomach. "What did you end up doing over the weekend?"
"I worked during the day on Saturday, and then at night a bunch of us from the hotel went out to that bar, Carson's. On Sunday I hung out with Hannah at her house. We sat by the pool."
"Carson's. That's that dump I helped you bring Hannah home from when she drank too much, isn't it?" Clay got up and went to the fridge. "Do you want another seltzer?"
"No, I'm good." She closed up the containers that still had food in them and collected the empty ones in the bag it all came in. "Yeah, that's the place."
He grabbed another beer for himself and returned to the couch. "I don't know why you all like that dive so much."
Emma chuckled. "They don't card, so everyone who wants to drink can."
"Right, I should have realized. How else could Hannah have gotten so drunk?" He made himself comfortable and pulled Emma over to sit against his side, under his arm. "Is she still hung up on that guy?"
"I'm not sure. She's been really closed-mouthed about it. He hasn't been in touch for a while, so I'm hoping she's over him, but I'm afraid she's waiting to hear from him again." Emma rested her head against Clay's chest. "I feel like I can't push too much. The last time I tried she told me it was easy for me to talk because I have the perfect boyfriend."
"That's true, you do—"
"But I pointed out he has a huge ego." Emma cut Clay off with a smirk.
"Hey!"
She smiled at his pretend outrage but then sighed as her thoughts returned to Hannah. "I understand though. It's simple for me to say there's someone better out there for her, and she needs to wait for the right guy when I get to come back to you, and she's all alone."
Clay rubbed his hand up Emma's arm. "Relationships are hard, and sometimes people are with someone just so they aren't alone and not because that someone is the right person for them."
Emma knew he was right. "Yeah, but I want more than that for Hannah. I want her to be with somebody wonderful."
"She will be, but it may not happen for a while. All you can do is be there for her until then."
"Yeah, I guess." Emma laced her fingers with Clay's as she thought about what else she could do.
They were both quiet, each lost in their own thoughts, when Clay broke the silence. "When I got home today, Ash was waiting for me in the parking lot."
Emma tilted her head up to observe Clay. "He was? What did he want?"
Clay shrugged his shoulders. "He apologized for what he said when we ran into him outside the bakery."
"Really? You think he meant it?" She had her doubts.
"He seemed sincere, but he's never apologized for anything ever before. Why now?" Clay blew out a frustrated breath. "I want to believe him, but I keep thinking he must want something from me."
"Like what?" Emma asked.
Clay shook his head. "I don't know. He knows I won't tell him any mission details."
"But he didn't say anything else? He apologized and left?"
"No, when he apologized, he explained he said those things because he thought I was putting my career as a SEAL at risk, and I told him I wouldn't do that. He said he should have known that. So, then I told him you weren't anyone's casual date, which he said he understood. Then he offered to take us out to dinner to make it up to me and to get to know you better." Once he finished reciting the details of the conversation, Clay looked down at Emma.
She met his gaze but wasn't sure what to say. Her initial thought was there was no way she was having dinner with Ash Spenser but looking at Clay she wondered if he wanted them to go. "Did he say when?"
"He said he's around until the middle of next week, but I said I didn't know when you were working, so I'd have to get back to him. I figured I'd tell him we couldn't make it work with our schedules if we decided we didn't want to go."
"Do you want to?" Emma decided she would go, if it was what Clay wanted to do.
"I don't know, Em." Clay sighed and rested his head back against the couch. "Maybe. I liked when he and I were getting along, but I'm still not sure I trust him."
"It's only dinner. We can always cut it short if you think he's trying to get something more from you." Emma vowed to herself they would also be leaving early if Ash started insulting Clay again.
"We could." Clay chewed on his lip for a few seconds. "Also, I'd like him to get to know you better."
"Really?" That wasn't something she was expecting.
He looked down at her with a smile. "Yeah, I want him to see what a terrific person you are."
Emma smiled and stretched up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "That's very nice of you to say. Of course, it's true. I am pretty terrific."
Clay snorted. "Except when you steal all the covers."
Emma laughed. "At least I don't hog all the Crispy Rolls."
Clay started to laugh as well. "I love those Crispy Rolls."
"More than me?" She asked with a teasing grin.
He pretended to ponder her question. "Hmm…"
"Jerk." She thumped his leg lightly with her fist.
He grinned. "I love them almost as much as you."
Smiling, she gave him another quick kiss. "That's better." Then she rested her head against his chest again. Her smile faded as she thought back to what they had been discussing. "So, we're doing this dinner with Ash, then?"
Clay nodded. "I think so. Is there a day that works for you?"
Emma thought for a moment about what she'd be doing over the next few days. "How about Tuesday? I'm going with my Dad to see Mikey's hockey scrimmage at his camp on Saturday, which will take up most of the day. I'd rather spend any other free time over the weekend with you."
"Tuesday works for me, assuming we're not spun up. I'll let Ash know." Before he could say anything else, Clay yawned and rested his head back on the couch.
She smiled and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "Tired?"
"Yeah, I didn't sleep at all on the plane ride home." He moved to settle deeper into the couch cushions.
"Here, stretch out and get some sleep." Grabbing some pillows, she arranged them against the arm rest.
Clay moved to lay along the back of the couch, and Emma relaxed in front of him with her back against the pillows, having him rest his head on her shoulder. Reaching up, she grabbed the lightweight blanket she had left on the back of the couch and spread it over them. Then she took the TV remote from the coffee table and turned on the set with the volume low. Flipping through the channels, she stopped on a "Say Yes to the Dress" marathon on TLC. She glanced down at Clay to see if the sound from the TV was bothering him, but he seemed to already be asleep. She pressed a soft kiss to his brow.
The traffic on the highway was light late Saturday afternoon as Jason drove Emma and himself back to Virginia Beach from Mikey's hockey camp. They had visited his son to watch him play in a scrimmage. Jason was impressed with how much Mikey's skills had improved. His son scored a hat trick, and his team won the game.
Jason glanced at Emma and then back at the road. His daughter looked to be dozing off. He reached over and gave her knee a shake. "You hungry, kiddo?"
Perking up at the mention of food, she looked over at him. "I could eat."
"There's a diner at the next exit. Sound good?" He smiled at her renewed energy.
"Do they have good burgers? I've been craving a burger."
"They have fantastic burgers. They also have the best chicken fried steak you've ever eaten." His stomach growled at the thought of that.
Emma made a disgusted face. "No, thank you to chicken fried steak."
Jason shook his head. "Are you even my daughter?"
She laughed at his question. "Hey, I want a burger and not salad, don't I?"
"True. I guess I'll keep paying for college." Flipping on his directional, he took the exit ramp.
Emma grinned. "Good thing I wasn't in the mood for a Caesar salad wrap."
"Good thing." Turning the truck into the entrance for the diner's parking lot, Jason pulled into a space not too far from the entrance.
They both exited the truck and headed inside. Once they entered, a waitress waved them to sit wherever they wanted. They settled in a booth and grabbed menus.
Another waitress came by their table with a coffee pot. "Coffee? Or something else to drink?"
Jason flipped over the mug in front of him on the table. "I'll take some coffee. Em?"
"I'll have a strawberry milkshake, please."
The waitress filled Jason's mug. "Of course, dear. I'll be right back with that."
They both studied the menus for a bit, then Jason closed his and put it aside. "Still getting a burger?"
"Yes, with bacon and cheese. Mmm, and French fries. I hope they have good French fries." Emma shut her menu and tucked it back behind the ketchup bottle.
The waitress returned with Emma's milkshake and some creamers for Jason's coffee. "Are you folks ready to order?"
"We are. Emma?" He looked to his daughter.
"I'll have a bacon cheeseburger, medium, with French fries, please."
"What kind of cheese, dear?" The waitress scribbled down Emma's order on her pad.
"Cheddar."
Jason waited until the waitress was done writing up Emma's food. "I'll have the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and corn, please."
Once she finished writing out the orders, the waitress smiled at them both. "I'll get these right in to our cook. Let me know if you need anything else."
The waitress headed off to the kitchen, and Jason watched as Emma put a straw in her milkshake and took a drink. Strawberry had always been her favorite flavor of ice cream. He smiled as he remembered all the times he had to wipe it off her face, hands, and shirt.
"What? Why do you have that silly look on your face?" Emma asked.
"Just thinking about having to clean your strawberry ice cream covered face when you were small." His smile turned into a teasing grin as he spoke.
She rolled her eyes at his answer.
"What can I say? You liked your ice cream." Chuckling at her pretended offense at his words, he admitted to himself he sometimes liked poking at Emma's dignity now that she was grown up. "What's Clay up to today?"
"He and Uncle Sonny were meeting to go for a run on the beach. Then they were going to hang out and do 'man things.' I think that meant drink beer and watch sports." Shaking her head, she took another sip of her milkshake.
Jason nodded. "Thank God they've worked out their problems. I was getting tired of Sonny walking around like a high school girl holding a grudge and Clay looking like a wounded puppy every time Sonny ignored him."
"Nice, Dad." Emma wrinkled her nose at him. "I'm just happy me and Clay dating hasn't ruined their bromance. I was getting worried."
Jason let out a bark of laughter. "Bromance, that's what it is alright."
Emma grinned at her father, and they shared an amused look at her term for Clay and Sonny's friendship.
"Okay enough about the Wonder Twins," Jason said, changing the subject. "Your brother has a week left at camp, then he's coming to stay with me for two weeks before he heads back to school early for preseason hockey training."
"What happens if you get spun up?" Emma raised an eyebrow at her father.
"Your Aunt Naima says he can stay with her and the kids." Jason rubbed his chin. "I'm hoping we don't though." He thought they had a solid chance of it not happening. Charlie Team had just returned to full strength and needed to go out as a team again, and Romeo hadn't been out for a while either. Both those teams would get sent before Bravo.
"Uh huh." Emma looked unconvinced. He couldn't blame her.
"I need your help." He hesitated here. Emma had tried to help him with this back in the Fall, but he wasn't interested then. He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to now. "I need to make the place more welcoming for your brother. Could you come out shopping with me one night to get what I need?"
She gave him a reproving glance. "Oh, now you want to make the place homier."
"I know, I know. I should have listened to you before." He hoped she'd take pity on him and still be willing to work with him on this.
"Since you recognize that I was right, even though it is nine months later, I guess I can help you out." With a little smirk, she took another drink of her milkshake.
"Oh well, thank you," Jason said with a chuckle.
At that moment, the waitress arrived with their meals. They both dug in with gusto, and their conversation paused for a time as they enjoyed their food. But once they satisfied their initial hunger, they began chatting again.
"How's your burger?" Jason asked.
"It's so good, and the fries are crispy, just the way I like them." Emma grinned at him as she crunched on another one. "How's your chicken fried steak?" She paused in the middle of her question to make a face.
"Delicious." He gave her a teasing grin. "Probably the best chicken fried steak in the state of Virginia."
"Ugh, I'll take your word for it."
"You know what would go really great with it? French fries." He reached across the table and snagged some of her fries and ate them.
She tried to slap his hand away from her plate but missed. "Wow, taking food right out of your daughter's mouth. Father of the year, right there folks."
He laughed. "You know you wanted to share with me."
"Hmph, right." Sure he would try again; Emma gave him a suspicious look. Going for distraction, she changed the subject. "When do you want to go on this shopping trip?"
Jason knew exactly what she was trying to do. He'd let her relax before he made another move on the fries. "I don't know. Sooner is probably better. How's Tuesday?"
"No can do. I already have plans on Tuesday."
"What could you be doing that's more important than helping out your old man?" Teasing, he pretended to be hurt by her refusal.
Swallowing another fry, she shook her head at him. "I'm having dinner with Clay and his old man."
All humor fell from Jason's face, and his bantering tone disappeared. "Ash Spenser? Uh uh, no way. You are not having dinner with that bastard. I forbid it." There was no way his daughter was spending any time anywhere near that piece of shit, and what was Clay thinking even considering letting his father be in her vicinity?
Emma gave him a patient look. "Dad, I'm twenty years old. You can't forbid me from doing this."
"Watch me." There was no way he was giving in on this.
"Dad." Her annoyance at him was obvious.
"Emma." He repeated in her same exasperated tone of voice. "Why are you so set on this? Why do you want to have dinner with Ash Spenser?" He knew Emma could be stubborn, but he couldn't understand why she would consider spending time with that asshole.
She breathed out a frustrated sigh. "I don't want to have dinner with him. But, Clay does, so I'm going to do it."
"And that's why, because Clay wants to?" Jason was irritated by her answer.
"Yes, that's why." With another sigh, she gave him an entreating look. "Are you saying Mom never did things she didn't want to, like have dinner with your commanding officers and their wives, even when you asked her to?"
"Of course she did, but your Mom loved me and wanted to support me." As he spoke, the meaning of what he was saying occurred to Jason. Emma looked him straight in the eye, and he knew even before she said it what was coming next.
"I love him, Daddy." Emma's voice vibrated with emotion. "And he needs my support for this. Yes, to us Ash Spenser is a jerk and a lousy father, but it's up to Clay how he wants to handle their relationship, and right now Clay wants to try to keep that connection." She shrugged. "So, I'm going to be there for him, and hope things go well, but if they don't then I'll stand by him through that."
There it was. She loved Clay. Jason wasn't surprised by it. He had assumed it for a little while now but hearing her say the words out loud brought home to him how adult his strawberry ice cream-loving, little girl had become.
Running his hands through his hair in frustration, he also wondered why he and Alana had thought raising an independent, out-spoken daughter was a good thing. Emma was right too, which was even more infuriating. "Okay, go to this dinner, but do not, under any circumstance, let yourself be alone with Ash. Do not get in a car with him—"
Interrupting Jason's list of instructions, she rolled her eyes. "Dad, what do you think he's going to do? Kidnap me and sell me to human traffickers?"
"I'd rather not find out, so be careful around him. I don't trust him." He reached out and caught her arm and gave it a squeeze. "I'm serious, Emma."
"I get it, Dad. Really." She tried to reassure him. "Clay will be there, you know."
"Yeah, well, I'm not sure he's thinking straight on this," Jason muttered.
Emma patted his hand that was still resting on her arm. "It'll be okay."
Jason spent the rest of the weekend debating whether or not he should speak to Clay about this dinner with Ash. Knowing Emma would be angry if he interfered, Jason was reluctant to approach his rookie. But, not wanting his daughter to be around Ash Spenser wasn't Jason's only reason for concern about this dinner. He was also worried about Clay getting hurt or being used by Ash. Jason thought he'd feel better if he knew where the kid's head was on this.
Entering DEVGRU on Monday morning, he still hadn't come to a decision. He thought maybe he'd try to talk to Ray about it at some point but considering Clay hadn't mentioned the dinner to anyone on the team, Jason believed the kid wanted to keep his plans quiet.
The team spent the morning on training exercises, and Jason was pleased with how well they were working together. Bravo was in a good place, and things were clicking for them.
After training, they all had lunch together and then went their separate ways for the afternoon. Brock took Cerb for some intensive training at the K9 center, while Trent went over to the medical facility for a refresher course he needed. Jason had to meet with Blackburn about some team housekeeping matters, and he thought Ray, Sonny, and Clay were hitting the range.
After his meeting, Jason headed to his cage to work on some paperwork Eric needed. With all the guys occupied with other things, Jason figured he'd have the place to himself for a while. When he entered the room, he was surprised to find Clay's feet sticking out from his cage.
"Everything okay there, kid?" He asked as he approached.
Clay scrabbled around on his hands and knees under the shelving unit in his cage. "Yeah, yeah, I dropped some ammo and I'm trying to find it all."
Standing there watching Clay, Jason realized this would be a good time to talk about the dinner. He hesitated though, still not sure he should. As he debated, his eyes wandered over the contents of Clay's cage.
Along the front edge of the eye level shelf were some photos, mainly of Clay and Emma. For a while after the two started dating, Clay didn't hang up any pictures. Jason didn't think anything of it at the time, but in hindsight he realized the kid was trying to avoid giving him any reminders of the relationship. Ray was the one who fixed the situation.
One day Ray showed up at the cages and gave Clay a photo, explaining Naima had printed a bunch from her phone recently. He and Naima thought Clay might want this one. It was a picture of Emma sitting on Clay's lap on the swing Ray and Clay had hung for Jameelah. It was a sweet picture of them smiling at whoever took the photo.
Clay accepted it and thanked Ray, who said he thought Clay might want to hang it in his cage. Jason pretended not to see the quick glance Clay shot his way before agreeing with Ray's suggestion.
Once that picture went up, more followed. Today Jason saw several additional photos. There was one of Emma sitting on a blanket laughing up at Clay, Jason assumed, taking the photo. Another showed the couple together on an evening out, or at least Jason thought it was, since Emma's makeup was fancier and her top was dressier. They looked like they had been dancing maybe, as Emma's arms were around Clay's neck and his were around her waist, but they had turned and smiled at the person snapping the picture.
Before Jason could study any of the other photos, Clay finished gathering up the spilled ammo and stood. "Did you need something, boss?"
Jason stepped back from the door to the cage. "No, uh, I thought you were at the range with Sonny and Ray."
"I was for a bit, but I wanted to clear out some things in here." Clay started replacing the ammo in the box it came from.
Nodding, Jason made a decision and spoke. "Emma tells me the two of you are having dinner with your father tomorrow."
Clay looked over at Jason. "Yeah, he cornered me after our last spin up and invited us."
"Cornered you? What do you mean?"
Looking away from Jason and then back again, Clay didn't answer. Jason was reminded of Mikey when his son was trying to think of the best explanation for trouble he had gotten into.
Clay finally answered. "I was angry at Ash and avoiding his calls. He waited for me outside my apartment building the day we returned, so he could apologize. He made the dinner offer to make up for his behavior."
"What was he apologizing for?" Jason thought there were any number of things Ash should apologize for, but he wondered what Ash considered worth saying sorry for.
Clay huffed out a dry laugh. "You mean, this time?"
"Yeah," Jason agreed. "Also, I didn't think Ash was a big one for apologies."
Clay nodded. "He's not. That was the first one he's ever given me." He paused and shook his head. "Emma and I ran into him outside the bakery when we were picking up the cupcakes for Jameelah's birthday party. Emma went into the bakery, and Ash went off on me. He thought I was having some kind of casual fling with Emma behind your back, which would ruin my career once you found out."
Leaning back against the table in the center of the room, Jason crossed his arms over his chest. "If that was the case, I'd ruin more than your career."
"I know." A small smile flickered across Clay's face, then his expression became more serious again. "I was pissed, and I let him know it. I think he was surprised, but I was so angry I didn't stay to hear his response. I walked off."
"What did he apologize for exactly?" Jason felt there were several things from that situation Ash could have said sorry for.
"First he apologized for assuming I was sneaking around with Emma. He said he should have known I wouldn't do that. Then he said he was sorry for saying things he shouldn't have because he was worried I was risking my place on the teams."
"Do I want to know what he said that he shouldn't have?" Jason gave Clay a probing look.
"No." Clay's reply was quick and succinct.
Jason waited to see if Clay would add anything to his response. When he didn't, Jason spoke again. "So, the dinner?"
Clay shrugged. "He offered as an apology and a chance to start over in meeting Emma. It seemed like a good way to get us back to where we were when he was helping me with Swanny's Purple Heart."
Not sure he totally understood Clay's desire to repair his relationship with his father, Jason only nodded in response to the kid's statement. What else could Jason say about it? His relationship with his own father had been completely different and nowhere near as challenging as the one Clay had with his. The best Jason could say here was he didn't think Clay was going into this dinner thinking it would solve all the problems that existed in the situation.
"Also," Clay interrupted Jason's thoughts to continue, "I want him to really meet Emma."
Surprised by that, Jason's eyes snapped up to Clay's face.
Without flinching, Clay held Jason's gaze as he spoke. "I love Emma, and I plan on being in her life long-term. I want my father to get to know her a little."
Now Jason had full confirmation of what he had been wondering about for a while. Emma loved Clay and Clay loved Emma, although Jason had been pretty sure of Clay's feelings since Emma's birthday dinner. This relationship was not going to fade away with the end of summer. He wasn't sure where it would go or how long it would last, but it was obvious to Jason he had been naïve earlier this summer when he assumed his daughter and his rookie wouldn't do more than date casually for a little while.
"So, about that, your father spending time with Emma, I'm not happy about it."
Clay frowned as he realized that was all Jason was going to say in response to his declaration of love for Emma. He expected something more than that, something along the lines of what are your intentions or don't screw up my little girl's life. Something. Instead, Jason was concerned about Emma being around Ash.
"Jase, you know I would never let anything happen to Emma. I would never allow anyone to hurt her, including my father."
Jason relaxed back against the table again. "I know that. It's one of the reasons I gave you my permission to date her in the first place, but maybe I worry that when it comes to Ash you don't always have your head on straight."
Clay felt a flash of irritation at Jason's words. He knew his teammates were protective of him and felt he should cut his father off. There were times Clay agreed with them, but Ash was still his father. His only living relative. Clay wasn't ready to cut that connection. He wasn't sure he understood why himself, so how could he make the rest of Bravo understand? He knew under all his anger and disappointment, he needed to keep making an effort with Ash.
His relationship with his father would never be like the bonds Ray and Jason enjoyed with their kids, but he thought seeing them together was part of what made him keep trying with his father.
"What's that supposed to mean?" His voice betrayed his annoyance at Jason's statement.
"Easy, I only meant I'm concerned that because you want to fix your relationship with him, you'll leave yourself open to getting hurt by him again." Jason's voice took on a placating tone.
Clay found Jason's efforts to calm him made him more upset. "Look, I know you all don't get why I want to try to have a better relationship with Ash, but he's still my father and how I handle that is up to me." He stopped speaking for moment to prevent himself from saying anything he might regret, but then he felt he needed to point out something else to Jason. "Ash may have been a crappy father, but he was still a SEAL. He's not going to do anything to Emma."
"You're right. I'm sorry." Jason sighed. "I handled this wrong. It's just, I worry. I worry about you because you're on my team and it's my job to watch out for you. And, I worry about Emma because she's my little girl and no matter how old she gets I will always worry about her."
"I get it. I appreciate how you feel about Emma and that you all care about me. But I need to work this out with Ash on my own terms. I know you guys don't understand it. I barely do myself, so how can I explain it to you? I feel like right now I need to see if Ash and I can have some kind of cordial relationship. Maybe we won't. Maybe he'll turn out to be the asshole you think he is, but I want to try." Shrugging, Clay turned back to organizing the items on the shelving unit.
Jason didn't say anything for a moment, then finally he spoke. "Then give it a shot and know whatever happens we'll always be here for you."
Hearing Jason's words, Clay smiled. "Thanks, boss."
Nodding, Jason picked up his laptop from the table and headed for the door. "Alright, I have to get this paperwork done for Blackburn. I'm going to find myself someplace quiet to work. We good?"
"Yeah we're good." Clay went back to dealing with all the junk he had collected, but before the door shut, he called out. "Boss, I told you I was in love with your daughter. You're not even a little surprised by that?"
Grinning, Jason stuck his head back in the room. "Surprised? Please. I pretty much knew you were in love with her once I saw how you looked at her when we were at her birthday dinner."
Clay gave Jason a stunned look. He didn't think he was that obvious.
Jason laughed. "Ray says he knew the day you asked for permission to date her." With that, he left not waiting to see Clay's reaction.
Butterflies danced in Emma's stomach as she sat in the passenger seat of Clay's truck. She glanced over at Clay calmly driving them to meet Ash Spenser for dinner and wondered if he was truly that relaxed about this. Maybe he was hiding his anxiety better than she was.
Part of her nervousness was due to her wanting this meal to go well for Clay, but much to her displeasure the rest of her apprehension was because she wanted Ash to like her. Well, maybe not like her exactly, but at least think she was a good girlfriend for Clay.
She didn't want to care what Ash thought of her. When Clay told her Ash had suggested she was a frog hog after their first meeting, she wasn't bothered. But that was after they had met for about five minutes. No one could form a true opinion of anyone on that brief of an acquaintance. Now she and Clay were going to spend an evening with his father, and she wanted to make a good impression. So annoying.
Instead of worrying about what Ash would think, Emma tried to focus on what she would do if he started insulting Clay again. She knew she would have no problem with getting up and leaving, but she worried about how Clay would feel. This was not an etiquette situation covered in the copy of "50 Things Every Young Lady Should Know" her mother gave her when she was twelve.
Clay reached over and squeezed her hand, rousing her from her thoughts. He looked at her and smiled before turning back to the road. "Thank you for doing this. I know there are other more fun things we could be doing."
"It's important to you," she said simply. Clay smiled, and she turned her hand in his and squeezed back.
He returned his hand to the steering wheel and turned the truck into the parking lot of the steakhouse Ash had chosen for their dinner. Emma found it interesting Ash Spenser's pick for a restaurant was precisely the type of place her father would select. She decided it would be better not to mention it to either of them though.
Clay parked the truck and walked around to open her door and help her down. They entered the restaurant, and Emma felt those butterflies start up again. Tightening her grip on Clay's hand, she hung back behind him as they approached the hostess stand.
Before Clay could speak to the young woman, they heard Ash call out from the bar. "Clay, Emma."
As they watched, he tossed back the rest of his drink and left a bill on the bar for the bartender. Then he walked towards them, giving the hostess a flirtatious smile. "This is the rest of my party."
She returned his playful glance. "Then I can seat you now. Please follow me."
They followed the hostess back to a dark paneled room, decorated to imitate an English hunting lodge. About half the booths and tables in the room were occupied, and there was a low murmur of conversation. When they reached their booth, Emma slipped into one side and Clay settled on the leather banquette next to her, while Ash sat across from them.
The hostess handed them each a large, bound menu. "Your server will be with you shortly." With a last, lingering smile for Ash, she headed back to the front of the restaurant.
Emma was horrified by the young woman's flirtatiousness with Ash. He was easily old enough to be her father, since she was definitely younger than Clay. Emma thought maybe if you didn't know anything about Ash Spenser he might come off as a charming older man, but then she decided no, not at all, just creepy.
Ash turned his attention to Clay and Emma. "Have you been here before? They cook a delicious steak."
"No, I haven't," Clay said.
"Me neither." Emma opened her menu. "Is there a particular steak you recommend?"
Ash puffed up at being asked his opinion. He opened his menu and looked at the choices. "I always enjoy the Porterhouse, but that might be bigger than you want. The New York Strip is good, but so is the Filet Mignon."
Emma nodded and leaned into Clay's side. "What are you getting?"
Clay smiled at her. "I was thinking the Porterhouse."
The waitress came by at that point and took their drink orders. Ash also ordered some crab bites as an appetizer for them.
Closing her menu, Emma looked around the restaurant. It was fancier than the places she usually went to, and the prices on the menu were higher than she expected. She supposed writing bestsellers could be lucrative.
"So, Emma, Clay mentioned not knowing your work schedule this week when I first asked him about dinner. What do you do?" Ash's voice broke into Emma's study of the restaurant.
"Most of the year I'm a student at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, but for the summer I'm working the front desk at the Maxwell Hotel in Virginia Beach." As she spoke, she slid her hand into Clay's under the table.
Ash raised his eyebrows at her answer. "Tisch School of the Arts. What are you studying?"
"Music."
"Emma has a beautiful voice." Clay interjected.
Ash nodded. "New York's a fun place. I go there sometimes to meet with my agent and my publisher."
"I like it." She hoped he wouldn't suggest them getting together there.
The timely arrival of the waitress with their drinks and the appetizer put an end to any more discussion of New York. "Here you go." She placed their drinks by each of them on the table and put the platter of crab bites in the center. Then she took their meal orders and disappeared back to the kitchen.
They fell into general conversation as they enjoyed the appetizer and their drinks. Clay encouraged Emma to tell Ash a few stories about the funny things that happened at the hotel. Then Ash related a few tales about crazy fans he had come across on his book tours.
Their steaks arrived, but Clay and Ash continued chatting about some training Clay had been working on. Although Emma noticed Clay was very careful to keep that information general and not specific to any missions he had been on or might spin up for in the future.
While the men continued with their conversation, she dug into her steak. She had ordered the Petite Filet Mignon, while both Clay and Ash were having the Porterhouse. Listening to them talk, she thought no one would realize how difficult their relationship was. Anyone would think they were at the very least good friends.
Tuning back into their discussion, she found they had moved on to talking about some sniper rifle and whether or not it was better than some other one. She focused back on her food, which was tasty. The steak was as delicious as Ash had said it would be, and the garlic mashed potatoes were so good. She reminded herself to do something about her garlic breath later if she wanted to kiss Clay.
"Clay, we're being rude to Emma, here." Ash's voice broke into her thoughts. "She has no interest in hearing about sniper rifles."
She gave Ash a polite smile. "It's fine, really. I'm used to it. I've been listening to conversations like that my whole life. And, when it comes to sniper rifles, I'm interested in knowing Clay has the best one possible to do his job."
"A very diplomatic answer." Ash's look became thoughtful. "I guess you would be used to hearing about things like this."
Emma nodded. "My father's been a SEAL my whole life."
"And he doesn't mind you and Clay dating?"
Emma caught Clay's eye, and they smiled faintly at each other. "He's getting used to it," she said to Ash. "Now."
"Yeah, he wasn't so thrilled at first," Clay added.
Emma raised her eyebrows at Clay. "Not thrilled? Aunt Naima told me he threatened to kill you when you asked permission."
Clay turned to look at Emma. "That was only if I hurt you."
"Oh, well, that's okay then." She laughed lightly.
"Wait, wait." Ash's voice interrupted their focus on each other. "You asked Hayes for permission?"
Clay nodded. "Yeah, like you said, Jason would not have been happy to find out I was dating his daughter behind his back, so I asked his permission to date her."
"And he said yes?" Ash gave Clay a disbelieving look.
"He took some convincing, but yeah."
Emma placed her hand on Clay's arm. "Clay said some sweet things about me that persuaded my Dad, and he was impressed Clay came to him first."
Clay gave her a teasing look. "Funny, I don't remember you being this supportive when I said I had to ask your Dad's permission. In fact, I believe your exact words were I should—"
"I don't think we need to go over that again." Emma cut Clay off with a grin.
Ash watched the couple with interest. Emma met his gaze and shrugged. "If my Dad had his way, I wouldn't date at all until I was forty."
Ash nodded. "What about your Mom? Is she okay with you dating a SEAL?"
Emma froze for a moment. Then she felt Clay's hand rubbing her back. "I, my Mom died when I was in high school."
Sitting back in his seat, Ash winced. "I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't realize…"
"No, it's okay. You had no way of knowing." She leaned into Clay's side for comfort. He slid his arm around her and pulled her in closer. She always had a hard time when people who didn't know about her Mom, assumed she was still alive.
Right then the waitress came to the table, asking how their meals were and if they needed anything. Her arrival broke the awkward moment.
Once she headed off to the bar to fill their requests for new drinks, Clay made an effort to change the subject. "So, you're headed out of town tomorrow?"
Looking relieved at a question on a new topic, Ash nodded. "Yes, I have a speaking engagement at a corporate event in Chicago. The company's doing their annual sales meeting, and they want a motivational speech for their people as the finale."
Emma could imagine her father's response to hearing about Ash doing motivational speeches for salesmen. "Do you do that a lot for companies?"
"A fair amount. Sometimes it's for a company like this, but other times it could be a trade organization for people in a certain field, like corporate travel or veterinary medicine. My publisher got me on the public speaking circuit when my first book came out, and it's grown from there." Ash looked like he could keep talking about this for the rest of the evening.
Finishing the rest of her steak, Emma nodded at Ash as he continued to drone on about his speaking engagements. Clay looked to be concentrating more on his meal as well. She thought as long as Ash was talking about himself, he could probably go on forever.
"You know, I have a book signing with a talk coming up on a Saturday here in Virginia, in two weeks. You both should come. What do you think?" He waited for a response from either of them.
Emma groaned to herself. The last thing she wanted to do was go to hear Ash Spenser talk about being a SEAL. Then she realized she was home free. She already had plans that day. "That would be nice, but I already have a commitment that Saturday."
"You do?" Clay asked.
She smiled at him. "That's the day I'm going with Aunt Naima to volunteer at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society."
"That's too bad." Ash looked disappointed. "Not that you're volunteering, but that you can't make it. Maybe another time."
Emma nodded and tried to look sorry she couldn't be there
"Who's Aunt Naima?" Ash asked.
"Ray Perry's wife." Clay answered.
"Bravo's second in command." Ash stated.
"He's my Dad's best friend. I've known him as long as I can remember." Emma took another sip of her drink.
Ash nodded. "What will you do there?"
"I think we're going to pack disaster relief packs for families, since it's hurricane season." Clay's hand was sitting on the seat between them now they had finished eating, and Emma slipped hers into it again. "But I'm not sure. It could be something else. I don't have all the details since I was recruited by Aunt Naima. She's the one that talked to Captain Lindell's wife, who organized everything."
"So, there's a whole group from DEVGRU that's going to be there?" Ash looked thoughtful as he questioned Emma.
"Well, wives and family members. I used to go with my Mom when Captain Harrington's wife would arrange it."
"Interesting," Ash said.
Before he could say anything else, the waitress approached the table, asking if they would like dessert. They all declined, and Ash asked for the check. Once the waitress returned, he handed her his charge card to pay the bill. While they waited for her to bring it back, he and Clay chatted about a former teammate of Ash's Clay knew.
Soon the waitress came back with the card, and Ash signed the receipt. With that, the three of them got up from the booth and headed out of the restaurant. As they made it to the front door, the hostess waved to Ash, and he gave her a wink.
Emma still found the hostess' flirtation with Ash perplexing. She couldn't understand what the young woman was thinking.
They exited the restaurant and stopped out front to say their goodnights.
"Son, it was good seeing you." Ash clapped Clay on the shoulder. "Emma, I'm glad we had a chance to get to know each other better."
Ash came forward, and Emma realized he was going to give her a hug. Bracing herself for it, she gave him a little pat on the back as he squeezed. She then quickly stepped back before he could prolong the experience. Deciding Clay owed her big time for that, Emma slid behind a bit him to stop any further physical contact. "Thank you for dinner. It was delicious."
"Yeah, thanks. Have a good trip to Chicago." Clay added.
"You're welcome. We'll talk soon." Ash watched as they turned and walked towards Clay's truck.
Emma could feel Ash's gaze on them as they went. Clay opened the door for her and gave her a hand in. She pretended to search in her purse for something while trying to see with her peripheral vision if Ash was still observing them. Clay climbed in and started up the truck. As they pulled away from the restaurant, she saw Ash wave and returned it.
"That wasn't too bad." Clay glanced at Emma while waiting to make the turn out of the parking lot.
"No, it wasn't." She was surprised. The dinner hadn't been anything like she expected. "It was kind of anticlimactic."
He chuckled. "What did you think was going to happen?"
"I don't know. More than that. Ash making mean comments to you or hinting you shouldn't date me because of my Dad. Something." She waved her hands around fervently as she spoke. "He didn't even mention our age difference."
Clay grinned at her for a second before looking back at the road. "That's Ash for you, never doing what you expect. The steak was great though."
Emma snorted. "Seriously, that's your recap of the evening? The steak was great." Guys were so blasé about these types of things. She was going to have to call Hannah later to discuss this in detail.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Emma. It went better than I expected. We had a pleasant evening that, I hope, is another step to me and Ash having a decent relationship. I don't have any bigger expectations than that." Clay shrugged.
She realized that was her issue. She was looking for a big reconciliation or blow up between them, and all Clay wanted was friendly. How sad was that? That the best relationship you could anticipate with your father was cordial. It made her sad for Clay. She decided it was time to change the subject.
"Okay, what was the deal with the hostess? Could she have flirted with Ash any more?" Emma wrinkled her nose as she remembered the interactions.
Clay laughed out loud at her questions. "He likes to think he's a ladies man."
"He might, but she was younger than you. Why would she want to flirt with him?" Emma shook her head. She didn't get it at all.
"Maybe she likes an experienced, older man," Clay suggested with a grin.
"Eww, eww. Stop. Don't even go there." She gave him a disgusted look.
He pulled the truck into the parking area by the employee quarters of the hotel and into a space. Turning, he grinned at her. "There are those who would say you're with an experienced, older man."
"Oh, this is not the same at all. We are not like, wait a minute." Emma narrowed her eyes at Clay. "You're just teasing me."
He laughed. "Maybe a little."
"Hmph, are you coming in?" She tilted her head and gave him a beseeching look.
"Sure, we both have early mornings though, so I won't stay too late."
Nodding, Emma hopped down from the truck before Clay could come around and open her door. She caught his hand in hers as they walked towards the entrance to the employee area. "You're not even a little grossed out at the thought of your father and the hostess from the restaurant?"
Clay laughed and shook his head as they walked inside.
Sighing to herself, Emma checked the time again. Although she felt an hour had passed, the clock showed it was only fifteen minutes, and there was most of the afternoon left to work. Some days at the hotel flew by, but others crawled.
Not that she had anything big planned for after work. She was having dinner with Aunt Naima, Jameelah, RJ, and Mikey. Mikey finished camp over the weekend, and Bravo was spun up early on Monday morning. She thought she'd stop on her way to dinner and pick up some cookies she knew Mikey liked. He was disappointed not to be spending time with their Dad.
Clicking through the reservations program on the computer, she looked to see if anyone was expected for a check in. There were a few reservations, but no sign of any arrivals. As she thought that, the lobby door opened, and someone walked in. It was Ash Spenser.
He looked around the lobby as he approached Emma at the desk. His arrival was so unexpected she didn't know how to react.
"Hi, Emma." He smiled as if he was enjoying her surprise.
Get it together, she thought to herself. "Hi, Ash. Is there something I can help you with? Do you need a room?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I'm sorry to bother you at work, but I wanted to talk to you, and I didn't have any other way to get in touch with you." He leaned on the counter in front of her. "I tried getting in touch with Clay, but he's not answering."
"He's away." She wondered if Ash was looking to pump her for information about where Clay was.
"I thought that might be it." Ash glanced around the reception area again. "Is there somewhere we can speak privately?"
"I'm not sure I can—"
Emma's co-worker Casey piped up from further down the desk, cutting Emma off. "There's nothing much going on now. Take your break. I'll be fine here on my own."
"Oh, okay, thanks." Emma wasn't grateful though, as she had been hoping to use work as an excuse to put Ash off.
She stood and came out from behind the check in desk. "Why don't we go outside. There's a sitting area where we can have some privacy.
Ash nodded and followed her as she led the way out the lobby doors and around the side of the building. There was a spot with benches that looked out on the ocean. Emma enjoyed sitting there during her breaks and enjoying the view.
As they walked, she wondered if this was what her father had been warning her about. Was Ash trying to get her alone for some nefarious reason? Maybe he was involved with human traffickers.
Emma gave herself a mental shake. She was letting her imagination run away with her. To be on the safe side though, when they sat down on the benches, she positioned herself in view of the hotel pool area. If Ash did anything inappropriate, she'd be able to attract the attention of her co-workers on the pool deck.
Once they were seated, she gave Ash an expectant look and waited for him to speak. She thought he was nervous, which made her feel better about how flustered she had been when he arrived.
Finally, Ash cleared his throat and spoke. "I came by, Emma, to apologize to you."
Surprised, she wasn't sure how to respond. But he continued. "That day I ran into you and Clay on the street, I said some things about you that weren't fair. I don't know if Clay shared them with you, but I made some assumptions about you I shouldn't have, and I am sorry for that."
Emma didn't speak, as she had no idea what to say, but Ash was looking at her waiting for a response.
She took a deep breath. "Clay did tell me what you said, and I appreciate you coming to apologize, but if I'm completely honest with you, I wasn't upset by what you said about me." Ash's eyebrows shot up, and she suspected her answer was not what he was expecting. "What made me angry was what you said about Clay."
"What I said about Clay." Ash repeated her words as if he was trying to understand her meaning.
His lack of a real response sparked Emma's temper, and her reply was biting. "Yes, you accused him of being the kind of man who would lie to someone he respects, my father, and called him stupid. I don't know why you would think that was okay to say, and it makes me think you don't know Clay at all."
"You're right. It wasn't okay for me to say that, and I have apologized to Clay." Ash's immediate agreement with her made Emma suspicious.
She took a deep breath to reply, but before she could, he spoke again. "You're also correct in saying I don't know my son well, but I'm trying to fix that. Perhaps you could help me."
"Help you?" She raised one eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look.
"I want to know Clay better, but our relationship has been difficult. I could see at dinner last week how much influence you have over my son. If you could encourage him to be more open to spending time with me, I would be grateful."
He'd be grateful? Emma wondered if Ash was offering to bribe her or something, because that's what it felt like. "I would never use whatever so-called influence I have over Clay to get him to do things he doesn't want to. Maybe if you treated him better, he'd want to spend more time with you."
Ash raised his hands in supplication. "You're right. I haven't always been the best father, but I've been trying to change that. You know I helped Clay in trying to get that Purple Heart for Brett Swann.
"I heard about it." She answered in a flat voice.
Encouraged by her response, Ash kept going. "I would love for Clay to join me sometime on one of my tours. You could come too. People would love to see you both."
At that moment, Emma realized what Ash wanted from Clay. He was looking for a prop to use on his book tour. Her expression tightened into a scowl. "Clay would never do that. He's not a pet for you to trot out as part of your show. And, he would never do anything that would even suggest he might have broken classification."
"You're right. You're right. I wasn't thinking about that." Ash backed off when he saw Emma wasn't as easily convinced as he had hoped she'd be. "I want what's best for Clay too, you know."
She rolled her eyes. "Really?"
"Really. I didn't help him with the Purple Heart only because of Swanny. I want Clay to be able to access any medical care he might need for head trauma, if that's an issue for him in the future." Ash sounded so sincere; Emma could almost believe him. "Clay's important to me. I would hate it if you tried to get him to stop seeing me."
Sighing, Emma gave Ash a scornful look. "Again, I wouldn't push Clay to do things he doesn't want to, and that includes stopping him from seeing you, if that's what he wants to do." Her eyes narrowed and her expression became harder. "But if you continue to treat him so poorly, insulting him like you did, then I would have no problem telling him he'd be better off without you."
"Understood." Ash nodded and looked pensive for a moment. "You know, when Stella was dating Clay, she made more of an effort to be friendly with me."
Emma snorted. "When Stella was dating Clay, she dumped him on the tarmac as he was deploying. I hardly think she's an example I want to follow." Raising an eyebrow, Emma gave Ash a mocking look. "Sorry if I'm more interested in making Clay happy than you."
Ash huffed out a frustrated breath. "You're definitely Jason Hayes' daughter, aren't you?"
"I am." She gave him a gratified smile.
He shook his head and sent her a probing look. "Alright, it looks like we know where we stand then."
Emma nodded in agreement. "It looks like we do." She paused for a moment to see if he'd say anything more. When he didn't, she continued. "I should get back to work. I'm sure I'll see you around." She stood, ready to head back to the lobby.
"You will." Ash leaned back on the bench and waited to see if she'd say anything else.
Turning, she walked away towards the entrance to the hotel, leaving him on his own.
Unlocking the door to his apartment, Clay entered and dropped his rucksack on the living room floor. The bag was full of dirty laundry he had at the base. When the team returned from this latest spin up, he realized he didn't have any clean clothes left in his cage.
He checked the time, as he didn't want to call Emma too late. Seeing it was around ten thirty, he figured he could take a quick shower and then give her a call. He pulled some fresh boxers from his bureau and headed for the bathroom.
After his shower, Clay returned to his bedroom and pulled on some cotton pajama pants. Then he grabbed his phone and facetimed Emma. As he waited for her to answer, he went into the living room and dumped out the contents of his pack.
"Hey, you're home." Emma appeared on his screen, settled in bed in her room at the hotel. "You should have let me know you'd be back tonight."
Clay smiled, happy to see her. "I thought we'd be home a lot later than this, so I didn't want you to worry about getting over here. Especially because we both have to be up early for work in the morning anyway."
She snuggled down into her bed. "I'd still rather see you in person."
"Me too." He propped his phone on the shelf above his washer and dryer and began to toss clothes into the washing machine.
Emma's eyes took on a teasing glint. "Because I'm lying here in my bed in your favorite nightgown, and if I had known you'd be home tonight, then I'd be in lying in your bed in your favorite nightgown." She moved her phone to include the lacy top of her gown in the picture.
Clay's eyes widened as he looked at her. "You're a cruel, cruel woman Emma Hayes."
She gave him a seductive smile. "Oh well, next time, I guess."
Clay shook his head. Maybe he should have let her know, but he didn't want her dragging over here to see him for a couple hours only to turn around and go before they both had to be back at work. "What were you up to while I was gone?"
"Nothing too exciting. Mainly working." She paused a moment before continuing. "I did have a surprise visitor during my shift yesterday."
He set the first load of laundry going, then picked up his phone and headed to his couch. "Who was that?"
Emma tilted her phone to frame her face better. "Your father."
"Ash? Ash came to see you? Did he say why?" Clay sat forward on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and holding the phone between them. He couldn't imagine why Ash would go see Emma on her own, and he wasn't sure he was happy about it.
"He said he came to apologize for what he said about me to you that day outside the bakery." Emma sounded skeptical to Clay.
"He did?" Clay had a hard time believing that was Ash's true reason as well.
"Yeah, but I think I surprised him when I thanked him but said I didn't care about what he called me. That I was more upset about how he insulted you."
Clay laughed. He loved that Emma wasn't afraid to speak her mind. "What did he say to that?"
"He said he apologized to you and he was trying to get to know you better. Then he suggested I could help him because he could see I had a lot of influence over you." She gave him a mischievous grin. "Do I have a lot of 'influence' over you?"
Emma's emphasis on the word influence made Clay laugh again. "Oh, you definitely do."
Tilting her head, she ran a finger down her neck towards the neckline of her gown. "Maybe I could come by tomorrow after work and 'influence' you again."
Groaning to himself, Clay regretted once more he hadn't told her he'd be home tonight. "You can influence me any time you want."
She giggled. "Good to know." Then her expression became more solemn. "I told him I'd never use any supposed power I have over you to get you to do things you didn't want to. And, then I said maybe you'd want to spend more time with him if he treated you better."
"Em, you don't need to defend me to him."
"I know, but his attitude made me so mad. He sounded like he was trying so hard to be friends with you, and it was you that was being so difficult. And we know that's not true. Besides, you're not stupid, and nobody should say you are!" Emma's voice became louder as her temper rose.
"I appreciate that." Settling back on the couch, Clay smiled at how upset she was becoming on his behalf. Having Emma be so protective of him gave him a warm feeling. It reminded him a little of how his grandmother had been when he was in Africa.
"The other thing he suggested was that we join him on his book tour. He thought people would love seeing us. Is that crazy, or what? I told him you would never do anything like that and risk your career. Or make anyone think you were sharing classified information." Her annoyance obvious, Emma sat up in bed again.
"You're right, I wouldn't do that." Clay frowned. He was sure Ash knew his son would never go on a book tour with him. He wondered if his father had been dangling the idea in front of Emma to gauge her interest in his minor fame. Ash had always enjoyed how impressed Stella was with him. "Did he have any other strange ideas?"
"No, that was it. Although, he did end the conversation by saying I was definitely Jason Hayes' daughter. I don't think he meant it as a compliment." Sighing, she slid down under her covers again.
Clay laughed. "I'm sure he didn't, but it was."
His comment made Emma grin. "I agree." Wrinkling her nose, she became more somber. "I don't think he likes me much."
"That's his loss then."
"True, but I don't want to make your relationship with him more difficult." She frowned. "I know you've been trying to have a better connection with him."
Clay leaned forward on the couch again, as if that would bring him closer to her. "Em, listen to me. If he has an issue with you, then it's his problem. You are more important to me than him, and in the time we've been together you've given me more support than he ever has. I love you, and nothing he says or does will change that."
Resting her head on her pillow, she gave him a soft smile. "I love you too."
He returned her smile, and they both sat quietly for a moment. Eventually, Clay broke the silence. "Okay, I should let you go so you can get some sleep."
"I guess. Are you going to get some sleep too?"
He nodded. "Yeah, as soon as this load of laundry is done."
"Promise?" She looked doubtful.
"I promise."
"Okay, goodnight." She blew him a kiss.
"Goodnight, baby. Sweet dreams." He ended the call and tossed his phone on the couch.
Leaning back against the cushions, he thought about getting up to see how much time was left for the load to finish. Maybe he could go to sleep and put it in the dryer in the morning. Deciding that was the best course of action, he turned out the living room lights, went into the bedroom, and crawled into bed.
That Friday night, Clay headed to Hampton, Virginia to meet Ash for a drink. Ash had texted Clay earlier in the week, asking if he wanted to get together. Interested in hearing what Ash had to say about his visit with Emma, Clay agreed.
Emma was having a girls night with Hannah and some other friends. Remembering the last time they all went out together, he hoped he wouldn't get called to help with anyone who had too much to drink.
Walking into the bar, Clay looked for Ash. The place wasn't too crowded for a Friday night and not seeing his father anywhere, he grabbed a high-top table for them. He began reading the beer list while he waited. The place had a large selection of craft beers on tap, and he was having a hard time deciding what he wanted.
Soon the waitress came by, and they chatted for a few minutes about the offerings. At her suggestion, he chose a Hefeweizen from a brewery in California he had never heard of. He continued to watch for Ash as he waited for his drink. He glanced at the appetizer menu and debated ordering from that as well.
Looking up from the menu, he saw Ash enter the bar. His father scanned the room until he saw Clay at the high-top and headed that way. Arriving at the table, Ash slapped Clay on the back. "Son, it's good to see you. Glad you could make it."
"Good to see you too."
The waitress returned with Clay's beer. Setting the glass on the table, she took Ash's drink order, and Clay added some sliders and nachos to their tab as well.
Ash grinned at Clay when he heard his food choices. "Better keep working out if you want to eat like that."
Clay shrugged. "Just in the mood for some junk food tonight."
Ash nodded, and they began chatting about what they had each been up to recently. While they talked, the waitress brought Ash's beer over.
Once they were caught up, Clay steered the discussion to Emma. "I hear you visited Emma at the hotel while I was spun up."
Taking a sip from his glass, Ash placed it back on the table and smiled at Clay. "I did, and son, you need to marry that girl."
Clay had been taking a drink from his beer when Ash spoke. He quickly set his glass down as he began choking on the liquid. Finally, he was able to clear his throat. "Did you say marry her?"
"I did. That girl is the real deal, and you'd be a fool to let her get away."
Astounded, Clay wasn't sure what to say. "You know we've only been dating since June?"
"I'm not saying you should elope tomorrow. In fact, don't elope at all." Ash nodded to himself as he considered it. "Having a real wedding with all the trimmings would be the best way to go politically."
Clay started coughing as his next sip of beer went down the wrong way. "A wedding, with all the trimmings? What are you talking about?"
"Clay, son, that girl is the exact right wife for a man in your position. She obviously knows the drill about what it means to be with a SEAL. She's already involved with volunteering with the commanding officer's wife. She'll look good on your arm at official events. Hold on to her."
"I…are you serious?" Grabbing his glass, Clay took a gulp of his beer before his father could say anything else.
"Yes, I'm serious. Take your boss, Emma's father. You think Hayes made it all the way to Master Chief without his wife's help? Sure, you need to be talented and a leader, but the right wife is the extra edge that puts you over the top."
"You being the expert on who to marry, of course." Clay's voice was slightly bitter sounding.
"Learn from my mistake." Ash slapped the table with his hand in a show of frustration. "I had the skill to lead my own team, but other guys were promoted ahead of me. Believe me when I tell you having every advantage possible makes a difference when the promotion review board looks at you. You think your CO's wife doesn't have an opinion on the wives of the men in her husband's command? You think she doesn't share that info with him? The politics are just as important as ability."
Before Clay could reply, the waitress returned with the food. Once she left, he took a slider from the plate and started eating, mainly in an effort to avoid responding to his father.
Taking another sip from his beer, Ash waited for a response from Clay. When his son continued to eat, Ash continued. "You think I'm wrong? You think politics don't come into play?"
Putting the remains of a slider on a plate, Clay answered. "No, I know they do. I'm trying to get past hearing my mother referred to as a mistake."
Ash gestured with his hand as if his remarks about his ex-wife meant nothing. "It's nice you feel some loyalty to her, but she was not cut out to be married to a SEAL."
Not being able to disagree with that opinion, Clay didn't bother with a reply.
"Son, I mean it. Having the right wife will help you move up in the Navy, and Emma Hayes definitely fits the bill. Don't screw this up."
Shaking his head, Clay drained the last of his beer. "And that's all it is to you, a way to get ahead in my career? What about love?"
Ash rolled his eyes. "Come on, Clay. You're old enough to know better than to believe in fairy tales."
Clay sighed. He wasn't even going to get into that debate. "I didn't think you liked Emma that much. She mentioned your conversation at the hotel ended on a not so friendly note."
"She is a spitfire, your girl. I can't deny it." Ash smiled. "But that's good. It'll keep things interesting, in and out of bed. Because once you marry her, you want to stay married to her."
"Another of your mistakes I should learn from? And, don't talk about Emma like that." Clay emphasized his statement with a hard glare at Ash, not appreciating any reference to Emma and bed.
Ignoring Clay's directive, Ash answered his son's question. "Yes, it is. I mean it, Clay." He tapped the table with his knuckle to emphasis his words. "You need a strong partner on your side. And, she's certainly ready to stand up for you. You should have heard her telling me off for how poorly she thought I treated you. The two of you will make a great team."
Clay couldn't disagree with that. He and Emma did make a great team, but he was finding Ash's all out push for Clay to marry her bizarre. They had only been dating for a few months, and he had learned his lesson about committing too soon with Stella. He couldn't say the idea of a future with Emma hadn't floated around deep in the back of his mind, but they were in no way ready for that.
"Look, I'm not saying you're wrong, but as I said, we've only been together since June. Emma still has three years left at NYU, and that's too important to her for me to get in the way of. Also, Jason would kill me if I asked his twenty-year-old daughter to marry me."
Ash frowned. "That would be a problem anyway. If you marry her, your team leader would be your father-in-law. That's an issue for your chain of command, but Hayes should retire or move on from team leader at some point. Until he does, you have some time."
Clay, who had started to scoop a bunch of the nachos onto his plate, stopped what he was doing and gave Ash an exasperated look. "You've thought this through way too much. Besides, Jason isn't going anywhere anytime soon."
Shaking his head, Ash spoke in a patronizing tone. "Didn't he have a hip replacement or something like that last year? It's a matter of time before he physically can't do it anymore. Trust me, son, I know what I'm talking about."
Sighing, Clay decided he had enough of this conversation. "Look, I appreciate you think enough of Emma that you want me to marry her, but it isn't happening right now or in the near future. We're not at that point yet. So, I need you to drop it."
"Okay, okay, but don't do anything foolish like break up with her." Seeing Clay ready to snap at him, Ash backed off. "I'll stop, but I'm only thinking of you and your future."
"Thank you, but I think I can handle my future fine on my own."
Grabbing the last slider, Ash looked at his son with a raised eyebrow. "If you say so, son. If you say so."
Later Clay headed out of the bar by himself. He was still taken aback by the surreal conversation with Ash about marrying Emma. Leave it to his father to think marriage was a steppingstone for a better career. If Clay ever asked Emma to marry him, he knew it would be because he loved her and wanted to spend his life with her, not because she would be useful in advancing himself in the Navy.
It wasn't that Clay didn't love Emma now, he did, and she returned his feelings, but they had a lot to work out before they were ready for the kind of commitment marriage required. Emma would be returning to New York in September and talk at the base this week said Bravo was deploying then as well. Getting through that separation would be challenge enough for them. For now his grandmother's ring would stay in his lock box and maybe in the future, when the moment was right, he'd give it to Emma.
