by Wade, Maddie
It was why every holiday was a production, every event a big deal. She wanted him to look back at his childhood and not feel he missed out on anything and have only rose-coloured memories.
“He’s good with him.”
Willow jumped at the voice and tipped her head up to see Decker standing there. He’d changed from the workout gear he’d had on earlier into a three piece suit more befitting a banker or a businessman than an FBI profiler stroke badass whatever he was. Aiden had told her all about his new team and, after meeting them, she was surprised out how insightful all of his descriptions were.
“He is. Aiden has always wanted kids. I’m honestly surprised he isn’t married.” She looked back at the man who was making her son laugh with more joy than she’d ever seen and wondered why he hadn’t found someone and settled down. He was the epitome of a family man—loyal, loving, kind and handsome. Why had nobody snapped him up?
“How could he have got married when he was already in love with someone else?”
Willow looked up in shock, her heart beating fast at the comment, but Decker was watching the two with a tilt to his lips. Was Aiden in love with someone else? Was she stopping him from moving on? “I didn’t know. He never said he had a girlfriend.”
Decker looked down, pinning her with a gaze which though not unfriendly, was uncomfortable. It was if he could see her soul. “You have no idea, do you?”
Willow was never confrontational, but she wasn’t a wallflower either. Getting to her feet, she dusted the grass from her jeans and faced the other man. He was tall, way taller than her five feet six. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I would never hold Aiden back or get in the way of him finding happiness. I care about him too much for that.”
“You seem like a lovely woman, Willow, but can I be frank?”
Willow lifted her chin. “Of course.”
“If you don’t love Waggs with every breath in your body, like he’s loved you for the last God knows how long, then you should walk away. I don’t mean leave and put yourself in danger, I mean tell him you don’t want him. Stop whatever is going on between you two and let him off the hook. He loves you, really loves you. I can’t imagine losing his brother has been easy, but he lost you, too, and the chance to be a father to his son.”
Willow drew in a breath as reality and shock hit her full force. “AJ isn’t—”
Decker held up a hand. “Don’t lie to me. I won’t say a word but don’t try and pretend that child doesn’t belong to Aiden Wagner.”
Willow closed her mouth, her hand shaking as her fingers covered her lips. How could she admit that she just didn’t know which of the brothers was her son’s father? “I love him. I’ve always loved him, but I loved Aaron too, and I never cheated on him.” Tears hit her eyes, and she blinked them away under the scrutiny of the man before her.
“Don’ tell me, tell him. Be honest but for God’s sake, if you can’t give him what he needs, walk away now. I’ve seen my friends hurt before and I won’t let it happen again. I like you, Willow, you’re a survivor. If you make him happy, I’m your biggest ally, but if you hurt him…” He left the threat hanging, and she wasn’t sure how to respond. She kind of liked how honest he was and how much he looked out for Aiden.
“I won’t hurt him.”
“Good. Now that’s behind us, would you like a cup of tea before we start the meeting?”
Willow smiled and decided Decker may be a bit forward, but he was a straight talker and had just cut out a lot of the confusion and chaos from her mind. She had no idea if it was true about Aiden loving her but him seeing to the heart of who AJ’s father could be meant she had to find a way to explain to Aiden he might be AJ’s dad, rather than Aaron, who everyone assumed was. “Yes, tea would be great but only if you serve those cute little sandwiches with it.”
Decker shook his head, and as Aiden and AJ walked toward them, victorious after their trip around the assault course. She felt better about moving forward, if a little scared.
Chapter 7
Waggs had seen Decker talking to Willow, and his alarm bells started ringing. It had started friendly, but as he looked over when AJ went under the scramble net, he saw the tension bracketing Willow’s pretty face. He had to help AJ a few times, but the kid was good, agile, and strong for his age. When he glanced up again, Willow was laughing, and his anxiety levels eased.
Everyone knew Decker for his straight-talking, and he didn’t want Willow upset. He hadn’t lied when he said he wouldn’t treat her like a china doll, but that didn’t mean he wanted her upset either.
Finishing the course with him just a little behind AJ, who was whooping it up like he was a superhero, Waggs raced him to his mom, leaving him behind, and giving him back his humility. AJ was young, and it was the perfect time for him to learn that you didn’t always come in first in life.
“You guys headed inside?” He stood with his hands on his hips as he tried to read Willow’s expression. He didn’t even bother trying to read Deck; the man was a master at hiding whatever he was thinking. He was the original Iceman, and nobody was getting through the walls he’d built.
“Yes, Deck promised me tea and cucumber sandwiches.”
“Oh yeah? He tell Alex yet?”
“Alex?”
“Yeah, our resident chef.”
“I thought he was the second in command?”
“He is, but cooking is his passion. If he hadn’t lost Evelyn when he had, I think he’d be a famous chef in Paris now.”
“Lost Evelyn?” Willow was frowning, and her confusion was adorable.
“It’s a long story.” He swung his arm over her shoulders as they walked back up the hill to the back entrance of Eidolon. He stopped her just inside the door as Deck carried on with AJ. “Hey, everything okay?”
Willow smiled widely her eyes bright as she wrapped her arms around his neck, surprising him. “Yep.”
Waggs linked his fingers at the small of her back and stole a kiss, wishing he had time to do more and a private place to do it, but right now he needed a plan from his team. He could do this alone, but he’d seen first-hand the damage going it alone and keeping secrets could do. “You want to sit in on this meeting or hang with Autumn for a bit?”
Willow had told her story twice, but she may not want to keep going over what was sure to be a frightening time for her, plus he had some confessions to make to his team which he’d rather she wasn’t there for.
“Hang with Autumn. I don’t pretend to know the first thing about security and protection, so I don’t think I’ll be any help. I trust you to make the decisions on this.”
“Okay.”
He walked her down and left her chatting with Autumn about some new hair fad he couldn’t even pronounce correctly, let alone understand what it was. He was whistling as he made his way to the conference room, surprised to see Gunner walk in the room just in front of him.
“Shouldn’t you be on your honeymoon, wrapped in some sort of blissful romantic state of being?”
Gunner chuckled. “You’d think, but Lacey and I are waiting and going on a honeymoon after the royal tour wraps up in October.”
Gunner and he sat in their usual spots, and he half-listened to Blake and Alex who were talking with Liam and Mitch. “Makes sense, I guess. Is Lacey okay with it?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty easy going. In fact, it was her idea, although I think Jack might have dropped a few hints, but she won’t confirm. Either way, she’s happy, and so am I.”
“That’s the main thing. Happy wife.”
“Happy life.”
Gunner high fived Mitch who had tuned into the conversation.
Waggs wondered what it would be like not to have to wonder about his future, to have it all figured out and laid out before him. Ready and waiting like an adventure just waiting for them.
Reid walked in holding the door for Lopez, who had a slew of equipment with him. He was becoming more like Will, their other boss, although he
was a silent partner and let Jack run things his way, but he was a genius with anything technical.
The man had literally made millions inventing things and selling them, including the watches they wore which not only tracked them, but allowed the computer to read their health, heart rate, pulse, blood volume, and brain activity. It meant if one of them was hurt, the rest could see it, even if they weren’t in a position to alert the team. He’d even made mini trackers that did the same thing that fit inside more elaborate jewellery for the women in their lives.
He didn’t mind the watch; it was similar in style to a diver’s watch and was invaluable to him as a medic, especially if he was working remotely from the patient, which he’d had to on occasion.
Finally, Jack walked in looking a little harassed, but that was his go-to these days, especially since his father was still on the run. “Right, let’s get down to business. First up, you may have noticed Waggs here has a beautiful woman in tow. Willow needs our help, and we’re going to provide it somehow. Waggs, over to you.”
Jack sat down and handed the floor over to him. His teammates turned their attention to him, and he felt nerves as he was about to admit things about his brother and himself that weren’t particularly going to show him in a good light. What man fell in love with his brother’s girlfriend?
He shifted in his seat, and they waited patiently for him to get his words straight in his head. If there was one thing these men could do, it was to be patient.
“I had a twin brother called Aaron, some of you know that. We were in the Green Berets together. I was a medic, and he was a sniper. He was killed by a suicide bomber in Kandahar five years ago by a kid barely seven or eight, with a vest on.”
Reid shook his head. “Fuck, man.”
“Yeah, I knew seconds before the bomb blew. I knew, but I couldn’t get to him in time. There was nothing I could do. He was so broken. I’m not sure the best surgeons in the world could’ve saved him. He and Willow had just got engaged a week before.”
Waggs swallowed as he relived the most painful memories of his life, his head aching and his heart feeling so heavy with loss that was still so fresh, and he knew always would be. “Aaron and I were inseparable. We fought as most brothers do, but we were never apart. Spent every moment together, and when he met Willow, I thought it might change, but it didn’t. She just slid right into our world as if she’d always been there. I fell in love with her. I still love her and always have. Aaron never knew, and neither did she. She still doesn’t, I don’t think.”
The room was silent as he told his story, neither urging him to get on with it nor judging him as he looked around at the closed expressions with a hint of sadness on them. It was impossible to do the jobs they did without loss. Every man here had lost someone they cared about. Liam with his best friend and their former teammate, Ambrose. Reid and his teammate from the FBI hostage rescue team. They all understood loss but to lose a twin was a pain like no other, it was like a piece of you was missing, like a limb and extension of who you were. His very existence was changed, and he still, even now, didn’t know how to fix the hole and maybe he never would.
“I stayed with Aaron every second until they lowered his body into the ground, and then I went and got blind drunk. Later that night, I saw Willow. We were so broken we clung to each other. I never meant for it to happen, but it did. We betrayed Aaron the day he was buried by sleeping together. I know what kind of an asshole that makes me. Believe me, I do, but every year on the anniversary of his death, I go home, and every time we end up in bed together.
“Now, I’m not telling you this because I want to start a knitting circle and braid each other’s hair but so that you know how much that woman out there means to me. I love her. I always have, and I always will. I have no idea if it can, or even should, work between us, but I think we’re going to try. But she’s in trouble, big trouble.” Waggs rubbed his hands over his face waiting for the accusations and judgement.
“What do you need, Waggs?” Jack asked.
Those five little words meant everything to Waggs, and he let the worry he’d been holding onto go. He knew this team supported each other but what he’d done to Aaron broke so many codes, it was a wonder he hadn’t been hit by lightning.
He looked up and saw only expectation as they waited for him to continue. “Willow works for a trucking company. She noticed some discrepancies in the trucks going in and out, and when she took it to someone higher up, she was told to leave it alone.”
Alex uncrossed his arms and sat forward as Lopez began to type like crazy. “She didn’t though, did she?”
“No, and now her immediate boss, who was dating the owner’s son, is dead. We, or at least I, believe the son is the one behind it. Aaron and I went to school with him, and Ralph Edwards is a dick. He was always looking for an angle or leverage on people, and now he’s looking to run for the state Senate.”
“So, he’s a rich, entitled prick with a God complex? Perfect!” Liam shook his head.
“Pretty much. When Willow saw two men hanging around AJ’s school, she panicked and ended up here.”
Blake crossed his ankle over his knee. “Smart girl.”
Waggs agreed with a nod. “Yeah, she is. When she got off the plane at Heathrow, she saw one of the men again, though, which is why she ended up here with nothing. My guess is she’s run herself ragged, which is how she ended up sick.”
“I can let you have Liam and Decker but not for a couple of weeks. How about we investigate what we can from here with Lopez helping you, and then when Deck and Liam are free you can head back to the US with them and finish this?”
“That works. If I can find out what I can here, it will give me the jump before we head back into the firing line.”
“We’ll see if we can get Liam undercover at the trucking yard so he can poke around, and Deck can speak to his contacts and see if they’re on anyone’s radar. Reid, reach out to Clay and see if he or any of his team have heard anything.”
Reid nodded quietly, thinking things over in that way of his.
“We need to be mindful that this guy might still be in the UK and could even have followed Willow here. If Ralph goes looking, it won’t take much to find her on CCTV at the station getting on the train.”
“Let them come. They won’t be expecting us, and your apartment is one of the most secure with Mitch above you and Bebe opposite,” Reid reminded him.
Bebe was one of the Zenobi girls, an assassin who was both beautiful and deadly. She and Waggs got on well and there was nothing between them but friendship. In the beginning, he’d wished for some sort of physical attraction, but neither felt it, so they’d become fast friends instead. “I thought she was on a job for Roz.”
Mitch cocked his head as he regarded him. “She got back last night.”
“Ah. Then yes, Willow and AJ are as safe as we can make them right now.” He stood and looked at his friends who were perhaps seeing the real him for the first time, warts and all. “Thank you, guys! I know this is a lot, and some of you may see me differently now, but I promise you can trust me.”
Liam threw an empty drink bottle at his head. “Shut up, Waggs. Nobody feels any differently about you. So, you fell in love with the wrong woman. You didn’t cheat or betray your brother and honestly, if it were the other way around, who would you want looking after your girl and kid?” Liam walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. “Because I know for sure if it was me, there’d be nobody I trusted more than my brother.”
Waggs had never considered that, and as his friends all agreed with Liam and began to shoot the shit and suggested a night out, he knew he had food for thought.
Waggs was concerned, but as a plan came together, he felt better. He’d spend some time with Willow and AJ over the next few weeks and then they’d head back to the US and sort out the problems there. Then he didn’t know what would happen, and he didn’t want to think about it. His life was here now, and hers was there.
&nb
sp; Chapter 8
Aiden was smiling and laughing with his friends when he came out of the conference room, and Willow took that as a positive sign. He hadn’t explained anything or told her what the plan was or even if there was one as they made their way home, but she suspected that was because he didn’t want to talk in front of AJ.
AJ. God, she had no idea how she’d even broach that subject. How could she tell him that the child he thought of as his nephew could be his son? It wasn’t like she could just blurt that out over dinner after so long.
When she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d known instantly that it could be either of the brothers’ baby. The timing of her messed up cycles meant it could be Aiden or Aaron who was the father, but everyone had assumed it was Aaron’s, and why wouldn’t they? They were engaged, after all.
She was meant to be the grieving fiancée not some slut who got naked with his twin the night he was buried. She’d loved Aaron down to her soul, there was no doubt about that in her mind, but she’d long since given up trying to deny how she felt about Aiden. She was in love with him too, and it had possibly resulted in her son, who she adored. Whoever said you couldn’t love two people had never met the Wagner twins.
That Aiden didn’t know how she felt about him, or about the possibility that AJ was his son, was her fault and something she’d need to be honest about. She just needed time to figure it all out. Decide how best to approach it for AJ and Aiden both. Everyone believed him to be Aaron’s, and a part of her hoped he was, then they’d always have a piece of Aaron with them. But she knew that was selfish. Surely it was better for AJ to have his father alive.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Willow jumped as she was chopping peppers for fajitas and turned to Aiden. “Shit, you scared me.”