The Return Home: The Aegis Network (the SARICH BROTHERS series Book 4)

by Jen Talty

  Her fists landed on his shoulders, and he knew he should have backed away, but instead, he deepened the kiss, tentatively at first, but when her tongue engaged with his, he found himself on a mission to show her just how much he cared.

  “Dylan,” she whispered, pushing away. “You can’t come over if you’re going to do that.”

  He swallowed. Hard.

  He planned on doing that and a whole lot more.

  “I just want to talk to you.”

  She nodded and walked away.

  When he turned, three cameras were pointed in his face and one photographer was still snapping pictures.

  “Is that your girlfriend?” one reporter asked with a mic shoved in his face.

  Shit. Kinsley wasn’t going to like seeing that kiss plastered all over the news.

  “Holy shit,” Kinsley mumbled as her face turned beet red sitting on the sofa in Catherine’s house. Leandra was on one side, Mia on the other, while Tequila and Catherine sat on the floor with the kids.

  “Mommy, Uncle Baby Dyl is kissing Kinsley,” Kayla said.

  “That’s gross,” Abigail, Logan’s daughter, yelled.

  “No, it’s not,” Tyler, Nick’s two-year-old, said, climbing on the recliner to be on his father’s lap. “Everyone kisses everyone.” He grabbed his dad’s face and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. “See.”

  “That’s a different kind of kissing,” Nick said.

  “Really. You have to go there with him?” Leandra shook her head. “He’s girl crazy as it is.”

  “He’s a Sarich, what do you expect,” Catherine said. “Turn up the volume.”

  The image switched to the local anchor. “We’ll be right back with more coverage from today’s parade, an interview with Major Dylan James Sarich where we all hope he’ll tell us who that young woman was.”

  “Oh, this should be good,” Logan said, plopping down on the floor in front of Mia, holding Michael in his lap with a bottle.

  The news cut out to commercial.

  Kinsley sank deeper into the sofa. She wanted to run and hide. She shouldn’t have ever let his family talk her into coming over for dinner and drinks.

  “Dylan should have been home by now,” Ramey said from his perch on a folding chair. “We are taping this, aren’t we?”

  “God, I hope not.” Dylan walked through the front door.

  “We saw you kissing Kinsley!” Tyler said, puckering his lips, making smacking noises.

  “I kind of hope she’s not watching this.” Dylan tossed yanked one of the kitchen chairs as he pulled it closer to the family room. “I need to talk with her first, but she wasn’t home.”

  “Um, Baby Dyl,” Ramey said, pointing his finger to the couch. “She’s right there.”

  “You come sit over here,” Leandra said, standing with Emmerson in her arms. I’ll go sit in front of Nick.”

  “No. I think I’m fine right here,” Dylan said.

  Kinsley blinked her eyes a few times, taking in long breaths, examining potential escape routes, but she knew this family would stop her, and that might make this situation worse.

  “I insist.” Leandra kicked his good leg. “Go sit on the sofa and put your bad leg up on the coffee table.”

  “Yeah, why don’t you go do that, Baby Dyl,” Ramey said with a huge smile.

  “You’re lucky children are here,” Dylan said behind a clenched jaw as he took a seat next to Kinsley.

  “Hey,” he said. “How are things going?”

  “I don’t know, you tell me?” Kinsley asked with wide eyes.

  “We really don’t want to watch this in front of my family,” he whispered.

  “Do I want to watch this at all?”

  “Probably not. I was hoping to talk to you first, but all the interviews lasted longer than expected and just so you know, they all got that kiss, and they all asked me about it.”

  “My father is going to see that.”

  “He’s texted me twice,” Logan said. “You might want to check your phone.”

  “It’s in my purse,” Kinsley said. Her voice rattled like a scared rabbit. She wasn’t worried about what her father would say, but she was sure as hell worried about what Dylan said.

  Or didn’t say.

  “I can get it for you.” Catherine snagged it off the counter. “Can I—”

  “The news is back on,” Ramey said. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

  “I’m here with Major Dylan Sarich who was just awarded the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart. He was here with his entire family and one very special lady.” The camera panned from the reporter to Dylan, who looked like someone tied a noose around his neck. “Today was about honoring your service, your heroism, and all the sacrifices you have made for this country. It was a touching speech the general gave and amazing he knew and served with you and all your brothers.”

  “It was an privilege for me to have him and my brothers here today. I accept the medals in honor of all my fallen brothers. It’s them who really deserve to be remembered for their great acts of heroism.”

  “I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for your family when they got word you went missing.”

  “Actually, due to the nature of the mission, they didn’t know until after I had been extracted and taken to Germany.”

  “That sounded horrible,” his mother muttered.

  “It’s true,” Ramey said. “And it was best we didn’t know until after. It would have been weeks of hell not knowing.”

  “I agree,” Logan said.

  “Shhhhh,” Nick said.

  “Still, it must have been hard on your family, especially the young woman you were kissing just moments ago.”

  Dylan cleared his throat. “War is never easy.”

  “You dodge that question well,” Nick said with a sarcastic laugh.

  “Not even close,” Dylan mumbled.

  “I feel sick to my stomach.” Kinsley leaned closer to Dylan and whispered, which was a mistake because everyone was staring at her and not the television.

  “We understand you are with the Elite group, Delta Force. Since what has happened, will you be able to return to active duty? Do you plan on returning? And what does our girlfriend have to say about that? And while I’m on that subject, what is her name?”

  “I don’t know if I will be able to return to the same role I had. I’m currently on medical leave, and I will possibly need another surgery on my foot. I will need to pass a very difficult physical once I’m healed, and trust me when I say, it was the hardest test I’ve ever had to take and I don’t look forward to taking it again, which is in part, why I am considering not returning to Delta Force.”

  “Holy shit,” Logan said.

  His mother grabbed his ear. “Children in the room.”

  “I think holy something else is in order, Nick said.

  “Why would you say that?” Kinsley snapped her gaze toward Dylan.

  “At this point, we might as well listen to the rest of the interview.” He pressed his finger on her lips then pointed to the television.

  Her heart hammered against her ribs like a woodpecker.

  “Will you stay in the Army?” the reporter asked.

  “I’m not sure. After the ceremony, my brothers and I had a chance to talk with General Maxwell and we joked about what it would be like for all four of us to be on the same team. I mean, we’ve all worked special jobs together, but not in anything permanent. But all three of them work for the Aegis Network, which is a group of men and women, mostly ex-military, police, and those types of professions who use their specialized skills in different ways that help protect and serve the community. It also gives them the chance to spend more time with their wives and children.”

  “Does this mean you’re not only planning on joining the Aegis Network, but settling down as well?”

  “Oh my God,” Kinsley said, covering her mouth as she stood. “I think I need to—”

  “I will be looking into resigning from
the Army and working with my brothers at the Aegis Network. The more I think about that, the more I really want to do it. You don’t find men better than those three, and our father always told us to have each other’s backs. What better way to honor our dad than to actually work together. As far as the settling down part goes, well, yeah. But I kind of haven’t really talked to Kinsley about that, so when I get home tonight, I’m going to have some explaining to do.”

  “I would say so. Well, we wish you the best of luck and thank you once again for your service.”

  Someone clicked off the television. The room went deadpan silent.

  “Excuse me.” Kinsley sidestepped those sitting on the floor. Hell, she didn’t even know at this point who was where. All she knew was every time she tried to suck in a breath, she nearly choked. “I need some air.” She gripped the door as a wave a nausea rose from deep in the pit of her stomach, smacking the back of her mouth like a pebble skipping across the water.

  “Maybe you should sit down,” a female voice said. Could have been Catherine, but Kinsley wasn’t so sure.

  “Air. Just air,” Kinsley said as she managed to step outside, but the thick, humid Florida air only clung to the insides of her lungs, making her feel like someone had a hold on her neck, not allowing her to breath.

  “Kinsley, sit down.” Dylan came up behind her and helped her to one of the chairs on his mother’s porch. “I didn’t mean for you to hear all that on the news, in front of my family.”

  She took the glass of water he offered. “I could really use something stronger after that news show.”

  “In that case, let’s go to your place, because I’m not going back in there.”

  “You can’t go back in there? How do you think I feel?”

  “I really don’t know, but can I tell you how I feel?”

  She blinked a few times, trying to focus on his face. “Did you mean what you said to that reporter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know,” he whispered. “I know you said you don’t do relationships, and maybe I’m just being a fool, but God, I want so badly to be with you. This isn’t lust, or even heavy like. I used to close my eyes and all I could see was the next mission. The next time I got to put my life on the line. Now I close them, and all I see is you. I was crazy to tell you I couldn’t give up Delta Force. Of course, I can give that up to have a chance at something with you. I lov—”

  She covered his mouth. “Nope. You don’t get to blurt that out just yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I haven’t processed any of this. I mean, everyone heard you state you were leaving something you love because of me. I can’t be responsible for that. I need to—”

  “Did you not hear me?” He bolted from his seat and groaned, bending over and clutching his boot. “This isn’t just about you and me. It’s about me and my brothers. Standing with them today, I knew I wanted to work with them. So, even if you don’t love me, though I think you do but you’re more stubborn than I am, I’m still leaving the Army and going to work for Aegis. So, really, don’t sweat it. I didn’t do it for you.” He stood up tall. “Go ahead. Process whatever you need to. I still have to go to Ft. Bragg in a week or so. I still have six months left on my contract, but it won’t be on deployment. They will put me behind a desk but guess what. I won’t be miserable because I know what I want and that includes you. I love you, whether you want to hear it or not.” He turned, shaking his head, and disappeared into the house.

  “Fuck,” she muttered, chasing him inside. “Oh no, you don’t, Dylan James Sarich.” His full name rolled off her tongue like she’d been saying it for years.

  “Don’t what?” He stopped in the kitchen, turned and glared at her.

  “Walk away from me when we’re not done talking.”

  “You said you need time to process. I’m giving that to you.”

  “You never let me finish my statement before you went off ranting,” she said, sucking in a deep breath, painfully aware that his entire family was staring at them.

  “By all means, finish.” He waved his hand in the air in a flippant gesture.

  “When you cut me off, I was about to say that I needed to know that you weren’t leaving the Army for me, but for yourself. Yesterday you said you couldn’t give up Delta Force. And I understood why, and I couldn’t ask you to change that for me.”

  “And you told me you couldn’t live that life and didn’t think you could love anyone.”

  “I can’t live that life and you wouldn’t ask me to, now would you?”

  He shook his head. “But you still said you couldn’t—”

  “I lied.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because I’m scared of how much I love you, and now I’m going to have to move my practice to Orlando, which is fine. My father is there and I love Orland as much as I love it here. But don’t think I’m coming to Ft. Bragg with you. I hate that base so for six months we’ll have to long-distance it.”

  “Everyone hates it there,” Logan said, laughing.

  “I hope someone recorded that,” Ramey said. “Better than the news show.”

  “Don’t just stand there, you idiot. Kiss the girl,” his mother said, tugging at his ear.

  “I think I’d like to do that in private.” He took Kinsley’s hand and led her outside to the porch where he took her into his arms. “I love you,” he whispered.

  It felt right to be with him. She smiled. “I love you, too.”

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later…

  Dylan took the corner into his brother’s neighborhood a little too fast, but it had been five days since he’d last seen Kinsley, and five days was five days too many. Didn’t matter that they talked on the phone every night. Didn’t matter as of yesterday, he’d been discharged from the Army.

  And it didn’t matter that he knew he’d have the rest of his life to wake up to her pretty face and loving arms.

  He slammed the car into park. Ramey’s house was only a block from Logan’s, and Nick’s butted up two houses behind Logan’s. Hopefully, Kinsley had found a house for them to buy close by. His heart fluttered like a bunch of bees hanging around honey. Next weekend, they would drive to Jupiter and have a nice little beach wedding with just him, his brothers and their families, his mom, her dad, and her mom and step-father, and of course, General Maxwell.

  Even better, in two months, his mom would be moving to Orlando. He and his brothers helped her buy a modest home only a couple miles away. She didn’t want to live in the same neighborhood, not because she didn’t want to be near them, but the houses were all too big for her, and he could understand that. Hell, they were too big for him and Kinsley, but hopefully, soon, very soon, they’d be adding to the family brood.

  Five grandchildren in about four years, with one due in a month, and Logan and Mia decided that two kids just weren’t enough, so they were now expecting a new arrival in about five months.

  His mother was beside herself.

  Now all they had to do was get her married.

  Ha! And they had the perfect plan. It was so obvious she and Kinsley’s dad were smitten with each other. Now they just had to push them along.

  But first things first.

  He pounded on Ramey’s front door.

  A very pregnant Tequila answered the door.

  “You look like a house.”

  “And you look like a dill pickle.” She gave him a hug and a kiss. “Everyone is out back.”

  “Everyone?”

  She nodded. “I will warn you. Abigail has learned a new word.”

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

  “Sex. She overheard her father ask her mother if she wanted to sneak away and have sex in the bathroom to which Mia replied with that’s how baby number three happened. So, Abigail is all about finding out exactly what sex is and why it makes babies.”

  “She just turned four. How is that possible?”

 
; Tequila laughed, patting her belly. “She asked her Uncle Ramey if we made this one in the bathroom too.”

  “Good Lord. She’s going to end up joining the mile-high club.”

  “Oh, it gets better.” Tequila looped her hand in the crook of his arm. “My daughter heard her father say fuck, and it’s now her favorite word. Even got Tyler to say it.”

  “Remind me when I have kids to keep mine away from yours.”

  Tequila paused. “I still feel like I need to stick a Q-tip in my ear every time you say something like that.”

  He pulled open the sliding glass doors and prepared himself for the ambush of toddlers.

  “Uncle Dylan!” they all yelled, making a beeline for him.

  He got down on one knee, so he could hug them all. Well, all but Emmerson, who had started to crawl and pull himself up, but that was about it. Now Michael, who was fifteen months old, nearly barreled over Tyler, who was two and a half.

  His ankle still ached, and he rolled it funny as he hugged the kids, giving each of them a big kiss. When he stood, he ended up limping a tad as he made his way to where the adults all sat around a table, sipping beer and wine.

  Kinsley stood and did her best not to tackle him when she wrapped her arms around his neck. “This isn’t going to be a G-rated kiss.”

  “Hey, I hear these kids are talking about sex and swearing, I think a little tongue action won’t be a problem,” he whispered in her ear, before he made true on that statement. “God, I missed you.”

  “It’s only been a week.”

  “Longest week of my life,” he said.

  “We’ve been apart longer,” she teased.

  “Baby Dyl,” Ramey said, slapping him on the back. “Good to have you back.”

  He’d given up on being upset over his nickname. When he thought about it, it was kind of funny and in a weird way, sweet that his brother had sort of named him. “Looks like you’re stuck with me for a while unless my future wife has found us a place to live.” He’d originally planned on staying at Nick’s, but Tequila wanted the help when the baby was born.

  “Oh, we don’t mind having you around to help, but I think she did find the perfect place.”