His smile tightened. Her help had come a little too late, not that telling her would accomplish anything. He dropped a kiss on his mother's cheek. "Thanks, Mom. We'll be back in an hour."
"No need to rush!" She waved him off, bracelet jingling.
He walked up behind Lori in the great room as she watched a movie with his dad and two nieces. Lori sat with his niece Jessica in front of her on the floor, braiding her hair. Gray leaned, his mouth two inches shy of hem ear. "Lori?"
"What?" She glanced over her shoulder at him, their faces a whisper apart. Her pupils widened, darkening her eyes to the near black he'd only seen while deep inside her.
"Let's go for a walk. Magda's asleep with my mom and dad watching her. We won't be gone more than an hour."
No lie there, as he couldn't trust himself alone with her for too long.
"All right."
No arguments? Not that he planned to question his luck.
She twisted the rubber band in place on his niece's hair and stood. Careful not to disturb the movie watchers, Lori stepped over his other niece and a bowl of popcorn. As she passed Magda, Lori's hand trailed over the girl's back in an unconscious, affectionate pat. Gray's father shot them an absent wave without looking away from the television.
Gray held the door open for Lori. She tapped the blanket and bag. "Planning a picnic?"
"Mom insisted. It was easier to take it than argue. Hope you're a fan of Cheez Whiz." Gray glanced down at Lori, trying to gauge her reaction to his mother's blatant matchmaking after he'd promised to keep a lid on it.
Lori's eyes crinkled in the corners, her chest shaking with barely suppressed laughter. Damn, how had he made it through the past year without her? The Washington move loomed over him, leaving him with none of the usual excitement he experienced at a new assignment.
He extended his hand. She stared, her brow puckered like Magda's when she tried to decide between a healthy cheese stick and a gooey chocolate cookie. Lori's face smoothed, and she rested her soft hand in his.
It felt almost as good as sex.
Okay, not quite that awesome. But damned good. Even a small measure of Lori's trust was a powerful commodity.
She linked her fingers with his, and they walked across the parking lot toward a patch of woods away from the water. "You have a wonderful family."
"Thanks." Not perfect by a long shot, but who was he to throw stones? Bottom line, he loved them.
"What made your parents decide to settle here?"
"It's Mom's hometown. Retiring here was Dad's pay-back for all those years of moving around." Their arms swung between them as they left the parking lot to stroll along a narrowing sandy path. "We lived nearby anytime Dad went overseas so Mom would have family to help out."
"Family's important."
Sliding into silence, they walked and Gray wondered what the hell he would say to her when they stopped. Parking lot lights faded, the night darkening to warm shadows cast by stars and a harvest moon. He tugged his hand free and palmed her back as they trekked over a hill, past a battle ground marker.
Almost there.
Sprawling pines blocked the condos from view, closing them off from the world. "This is it."
She dusted her toe through dried pine needles while he whipped out the blanket, fluttering it to the ground. He waited for her to sit. Lori studied the blanket as if its quilted pattern held secrets to the universe.
"Lori? Problem?"
She shook her head. "No. I was just thinking about something your mother said."
Did he even want to know? Cheez Whiz might be a safer option.
Or maybe not.
In days past, they would have found better uses for Cheez Whiz than wasting it on a cracker. He dropped the sack. "What words of wisdom does Mom have for us today?"
Lori shrugged. "How about we call a truce for tonight? No talk about matchmaking or goodbyes. Just you and me. One last evening together."