surprise.”
“No…not so much.” He watched her expression go from amusement to shock, and her lips parted in disbelief. “My parents, at their age, didn’t really want another child. After already raising two daughters who were grown adults, they thought they were done with diapers and nightly feedings and toddler tantrums. They’d just downsized to a two-bedroom house and had planned on doing all the traveling they hadn’t been able to do while my sisters were young. I was definitely an inconvenience for them, an annoyance that made it difficult for them to do the things they’d planned on before I came along.”
Kendall winced, her gaze sympathetic. “Is that why you joined the military? So you could leave home when you graduated high school?”
“Yep,” he said with a nod. “Growing up, I had a ton of different babysitters until I was old enough to be left alone, so I learned to be independent and self-sufficient at a young age. By the time I was ten, I was cooking my own meals, washing my own clothes, and was pretty much by myself during the day and early evenings. Materialistically—clothes, food, a roof over my head—they made sure I had everything a child needed. But emotionally, for the most part, I was an afterthought.”
“I’m so sorry, Jase,” she said softly, her features etched with compassion.
He shrugged, having come to terms with his unconventional childhood long ago. There was nothing he could do to change the past, but he knew he wouldn’t repeat his parents’ mistakes when it came to his own kids. They would always know that they were loved unconditionally, and that they were one of the most important things in his life.
“It is what it is,” he said with a small quirk of his lips. “I went into the Air Force because I knew exactly what I wanted to do, which involved computers and security. When I was a teenager, my parents bought me this elaborate computer system so I’d have something to do while they were at work, or not home, and that’s how I spent most of my time. I became really fascinated by the military’s computer network operations. Specifically cyber attack and defenses, and how to leverage and optimize those network operations in warfare,” he said, not going into depth or detail since he knew she’d never understand the terminology.
A slight frown creased her brows. “That sounds so complicated,” she said, proving his point as she ate another bite of her cake.
“I was a techie computer nerd growing up, so I loved all that cyber stuff. I still am a nerd,” he said humorously.
“You are so not a nerd,” she said with a roll of her eyes before bringing the discussion back to his family. “So, do your parents and sisters live around here?”
“No. They all live in South Carolina. That’s where I was born and raised.”
“Yet you live here in San Diego?”
He shrugged. “I really like everything about Southern California. The sun, the beach, the laid-back vibe. I’m happy with my job at Noble and Associates, I have great friends here, so it’s a perfect place for me to live.” He’d never felt those ties to his parents, and he wasn’t close to his sisters, so it had been easy for him to relocate somewhere else once he left the military. This was where he wanted to build his future.
“What about your family?” he asked, wanting to know about her, too.
She took a sip of her milk and absently swiped her tongue along her bottom lip to lick up any excess moisture. “My parents live in Delaware, not yet retired, and I have a brother who lives in Connecticut with his wife and two little girls.”
“Yet you live here in Southern California, as well,” he repeated back to her.
She looked away, but not before he saw the flash of pain in her eyes. “Yeah, well, you know how all that came about,” she said.
Yes, he did. She’d moved out to California to go to college, met her dickhead ex-husband there, put him through med school and worked
“No…not so much.” He watched her expression go from amusement to shock, and her lips parted in disbelief. “My parents, at their age, didn’t really want another child. After already raising two daughters who were grown adults, they thought they were done with diapers and nightly feedings and toddler tantrums. They’d just downsized to a two-bedroom house and had planned on doing all the traveling they hadn’t been able to do while my sisters were young. I was definitely an inconvenience for them, an annoyance that made it difficult for them to do the things they’d planned on before I came along.”
Kendall winced, her gaze sympathetic. “Is that why you joined the military? So you could leave home when you graduated high school?”
“Yep,” he said with a nod. “Growing up, I had a ton of different babysitters until I was old enough to be left alone, so I learned to be independent and self-sufficient at a young age. By the time I was ten, I was cooking my own meals, washing my own clothes, and was pretty much by myself during the day and early evenings. Materialistically—clothes, food, a roof over my head—they made sure I had everything a child needed. But emotionally, for the most part, I was an afterthought.”
“I’m so sorry, Jase,” she said softly, her features etched with compassion.
He shrugged, having come to terms with his unconventional childhood long ago. There was nothing he could do to change the past, but he knew he wouldn’t repeat his parents’ mistakes when it came to his own kids. They would always know that they were loved unconditionally, and that they were one of the most important things in his life.
“It is what it is,” he said with a small quirk of his lips. “I went into the Air Force because I knew exactly what I wanted to do, which involved computers and security. When I was a teenager, my parents bought me this elaborate computer system so I’d have something to do while they were at work, or not home, and that’s how I spent most of my time. I became really fascinated by the military’s computer network operations. Specifically cyber attack and defenses, and how to leverage and optimize those network operations in warfare,” he said, not going into depth or detail since he knew she’d never understand the terminology.
A slight frown creased her brows. “That sounds so complicated,” she said, proving his point as she ate another bite of her cake.
“I was a techie computer nerd growing up, so I loved all that cyber stuff. I still am a nerd,” he said humorously.
“You are so not a nerd,” she said with a roll of her eyes before bringing the discussion back to his family. “So, do your parents and sisters live around here?”
“No. They all live in South Carolina. That’s where I was born and raised.”
“Yet you live here in San Diego?”
He shrugged. “I really like everything about Southern California. The sun, the beach, the laid-back vibe. I’m happy with my job at Noble and Associates, I have great friends here, so it’s a perfect place for me to live.” He’d never felt those ties to his parents, and he wasn’t close to his sisters, so it had been easy for him to relocate somewhere else once he left the military. This was where he wanted to build his future.
“What about your family?” he asked, wanting to know about her, too.
She took a sip of her milk and absently swiped her tongue along her bottom lip to lick up any excess moisture. “My parents live in Delaware, not yet retired, and I have a brother who lives in Connecticut with his wife and two little girls.”
“Yet you live here in Southern California, as well,” he repeated back to her.
She looked away, but not before he saw the flash of pain in her eyes. “Yeah, well, you know how all that came about,” she said.
Yes, he did. She’d moved out to California to go to college, met her dickhead ex-husband there, put him through med school and worked
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