Squared Away (Out of Uniform 5)

Not out of any lingering puppy-dog crush—that had died six years ago, thank you very much, and it wasn’t getting resurrected, not now—but because not being alone sounded so damn good, just having another body close to him. But for all Isaiah was the most forward guy on the planet and a major cuddler, he wasn’t going to snuggle in with a guy who wasn’t conscious enough to say okay to the idea.

So he trudged up to the guest room. Taking the kids to the apartment he shared with two roommates had been out of the question. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t crashed here before, helping Cal and Danielle out when they were between nannies. He knew the drill, checking to make sure he had the baby monitor on for Liam before he rolled into bed. He could manage. He’d fall apart later, after Mark was himself again.

But in the morning, there was no Mark. Isaiah checked—he was still passed out in the back room. He did the breakfast thing for the kids, put on coffee because all the military guys drank it, and started on the list of phone calls that needed to be made before tomorrow. The girls were only happy with the PBS Kids morning lineup in ten-minute increments, so he had to deal with endless interruptions while on the phone. Typing one handed with Liam on his lap, he posted the arrangements on social media from his phone when he realized that he couldn’t possibly call everyone himself. Three more casseroles arrived midmorning, brought by women he’d never met before, who thank God didn’t linger. They all asked the same thing—was he sure he could manage?

And to each of them, he gave the same lie. Yes, he was sure he could handle things. No, there was no one else to call. Aunt Louise, his father’s older sister, was busy with Grandma and Aunt Cecily—they’d be down for the funeral tomorrow, but they weren’t going to help him chase the kids. His father had flown in from Chile, almost as hard to track down as Mark, and would be turning around shortly after the service. Other than Mark, Danielle had had precious little living family, but an uncle and his family were coming in from Ohio.

And each of the well-dressed women suggested he call the agency, get another nanny sent over. They all had nannies and housekeepers and couldn’t see functioning without one, not in this neighborhood. But Isaiah wasn’t about to turn the kids over to a stranger. Not right now.

So he answered the door and read stories and tried to keep Liam from eating anything he wasn’t supposed to and finally when he’d reached peak adulting, making the kids lunch while they colored in the family room and wearing Liam in the backpack carrier, around noon, Mark emerged in the sweatpants and tee that Isaiah had laid out for him.

“Sh—crap. Did I really sleep fifteen hours?” Mark blinked at the clock on the microwave. He had the most adorable bedhead, bushy hair sticking up at all angles, beard looking just as rumpled as the clothes.

“You needed it. I think you should probably nap again later, actually. You’re going to need it for tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” Mark sucked in a breath, seeming to gird himself, muscle by muscle. “What do I need to do?”

“Show up.” Isaiah wasn’t being flip. He needed Mark there. Needed him if he was going to get through this thing. It was why he’d delayed everything waiting for Mark. He couldn’t do this alone, and somehow having Mark to do this for, to know that Mark would need the closure as much as he did, had somehow made each task a little easier.

Mark shook his head as he poured himself some of the now-lukewarm coffee. “Need something to do.”

“Food.” Isaiah slid him the tray of pastries one of the women had dropped off. “Then do you need to run to base? Get clean clothes for tomorrow? I can hold down the fort here.”

“Yeah.” Mark rubbed his scraggly face. “I should go to base. Get some stuff. When do you need to leave by?”

“Leave?” Isaiah blinked at him. “I’m not going anywhere. We’ve got food for days now, and hauling these guys on an outing is probably more than I want to take on today.”

“No, I mean, you’ve got to go back to your place, right? Now that I’m here, I’ll handle things.” Mark took a long sip of the coffee, not seeming to care that it was both cold and black.

“Dude. I’m not leaving you alone with three kids.” Isaiah forced himself to keep his voice level, but really, he was kind of pissed that Mark even thought he’d bail. “Have you ever even changed a diaper?”

Mark’s mouth moved like he was tempted to lie before he finally sighed. “No.”