Z-Minus (Book 4) Read Free Page A

shirt’s still damp,” she said. “Hopefully it’ll dry soon.”
    Mark caught her wrist. He kissed her fingertips.
    “Sit down,” he said. “Please.”
    Tabitha pressed her lips together. She didn’t sit.
    “I would stay if I could,” Mark said. “You know that.”
    “You can,” Tabitha said. “Stay.”
    Mark shook his head. This served only to fan Tabitha’s anger.
    “How can they call you back?” Tabitha said. “You only just got here.”
    “I know,” Mark said. “I don’t want to go, but I have to.”
    “No you don’t,” Tabitha said. “These tours are tearing you apart. I lose a part of you each time you leave.”
    “This won’t be another tour,” Mark said.
    “How do you know?” Tabitha said.
    “Because even the major wouldn’t do that,” Mark said.
    Tabitha folded her arms and looked away. Mark put on the damp shirt. The wet part clung to his muscular abs.
    “How did he sound?” Tabitha said. “The major.”
    “Anxious,” Mark said. “But then, he always does. I don’t expect you to understand, but trust me. I wouldn’t go if I didn’t have to.”
    He stood up and tucked in his shirt. Tabitha sighed, and then relented. She picked up Mark’s jacket and held it up for him to slide his arms into.
    “You’re going to make this up to me,” she said.
    “I know,” Mark said. “How much is it going to cost me?”
    “I haven’t decided yet,” Tabitha said.
    “That expensive?” Mark said.
    Tabitha nodded, but she looked distracted.
    “Look, Mark,” she said. “There’s something I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you before, when you were away, but… I don’t know. The time never seemed right. I planned to tell you when you got back, after a few days, but now…”
    “Can’t it wait?” Mark said, checking himself in the mirror.
    “It could,” Tabitha said, though she sounded like she didn’t really think that. “If I knew how long you were going to be gone for.”
    “I don’t know yet,” Mark said.
    He kissed Tabitha on the forehead.
    “I’ll be back soon though,” he said. “You wait and see. Then you’ll wish they had sent me on a maneuver.”
    Mark’s attempt at humor fell flat. He tied his boots and headed toward the door, dressed in the same uniform he’d worn when he entered the room not much more than an hour ago. He gripped the door handle.
    “I’m pregnant,” Tabitha said.
    Her words were without inflection, as if she had just opened her mouth and they’d fallen out.
    Mark froze, staring at the door. He turned to face Tabitha. She sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers picking at the skin around her nails. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
    Mark unshouldered his bag and let it hit the floor. He approached the bed and sat down beside Tabitha.
    “How long?” he said.
    “Four months,” Tabitha said. “I tried to tell you every time we had a Skype chat but… I didn’t want to distract you from what you were doing.”
    “Who else knows?” Mark said.
    “Nobody yet,” Tabitha said. “I wanted you to be the first.”
    Mark nodded. Not exactly thrilled about the prospect.
    “It’s not possible it could be the wrong result?” Mark said.
    “I tried about a dozen different tests,” Tabitha said. “They all said the same thing.”
    Mark nodded again. He stared at the laces on his boots. Of all the things to happen now, having a baby was the worst. He wasn’t in his right mind. He needed time and space. He couldn’t give a baby the care it needed.
    “It’s definitely yours, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Tabitha said.
    Mark grunted and shook his head. He smiled.
    “What?” Tabitha said.
    “It never occurred to me for a second that it wasn’t mine,” Mark said, his tone turning light.
    Tabitha pursed her lips, sensing the subtle shift in tone in the conversation.
    “I get a lot of male attention, I’ll have you know,” she said.
    “Oh, I believe you,” Mark said.
    “I turn heads,” Tabitha