by Honor James
“Exactly,” he said. “Now, is there a place you prefer to purchase your groceries?” he asked, relaxing in his seat. He braced an arm on the console and gave her another look. “Preferably somewhere that the ice cream I’m getting doesn’t melt by the time we get back to your place.”
“There is a store about five minutes from the house. It should have everything that we can possibly need.” Sadie explained where the store was and grinned when she added, “It’s not a large box store, but more of a country mom and pop store, which is kind of strange given the city we live in.” They lived within an hour of Washington DC, so it was more than a little strange that there was something so country so close to them.
“Works for me, I’m all about the little places. Besides, you tend to get much better service in joints like that. And your money isn’t being funneled offshore for God only knows what,” he said. He must have felt her look and shrugged. “My big brother is a Fed, he works mainly on the blood diamond cases, smuggling, selling, purchases of arms, and all the creeps that deal in the trade. The shit he’s told me makes me wonder how anyone sleeps at night. Then it clicks in, the average American has no clue what really goes on. If they did, not a one of them would sleep at night. He does the job to ensure those folks can sit in front of their TVs at night, eating their gourmet takeout, and sleep peacefully each and every night.”
“This is a good point. I think that I’m happy that I don’t know everything that you guys know and I’m able to keep myself sane by simply remaining in the dark. I think that I will leave it to Bryce and Keagan to keep me safe from the things that I would rather never know about.” Yes, it was a bit cowardly of her, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to stick her head in the sand about things like what Michael was talking about.
“Good plan.” He nodded. “Some of it’s downright terrifying. But that’s a whole other conversation for some time when we’re not trying to lighten your mood. So, let’s lighten the mood in here. Tell me something about yourself, Ms. Sadie Green. Something silly, something cute, something off the wall, doesn’t matter, as long as it’s amusing and fun.”
She had to think about it and then grinned. “Well.” Okay, so this was a bit embarrassing, but it was funny. “I went to Comic Con when I was seventeen. Way too young, I know, but I got star struck there and met one of my favorite science-fiction actors and was so tongue tied I introduced myself as him and couldn’t figure out why he said, funny, that’s my name, too.”
Michael let out a laugh at that. “Damn, that’s good,” he said. “Who was it, out of curiosity?” he asked. When she remained silent he looked over at her. “Oh, come on. You can’t leave me hanging like that, Sadie. Dish, woman, dish.”
“Patrick Stewart.” She whispered the name, she had always loved Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek and to meet him in person had floored her so much that she had gotten tongue tied. “He’s such a sweetheart, so kind and so funny. Love that man.”
“Really? You met Captain Picard? Holy shit, that’s too awesome,” he said with a grin. “I’ve always wanted to meet him, and a couple others, too. I’ve never gone to one of those comic cons though. Heard about them, seen clips of them on the news and such, but never had the chance to go. Maybe I’ll talk Gigi into going to one, one of these days,” he said, almost like he was talking to himself.
“I loved Comic Con. I would go again in a heartbeat but, well, you know. Life.” She shrugged. “Who is Gigi?” she asked suddenly. “Is she your girlfriend, wife, sister?” She was curious about Michael, not intimately but because she felt like he would be a good friend to her.
“Gigi is my wife, my gorgeous, amazing, fabulous wife. I think you’d like her,” he said. “I know she’d like you. We’ll have to do dinner, oh, maybe I should call her. I’m sure she’d be more than willing to trundle over to meet you. Especially after I tell her you’ve got Harker and Keagan wrapped around your little finger.”
“I don’t know about that,” Sadie said with a frown. “They’ve just walked back into my life. They have me wrapped around theirs,” she admitted. “However I would really like to meet her. I think it would be nice to meet her and learn more about you and the other guys that seem to be like brothers to Bryce and Keagan.”
“Well then,” he said with a grin. He pushed a button on the steering wheel, and when prompted, he gave instructions to call Gigi on her cell. “Hey, Gigi. Listen, you up for coming out to dinner tonight? Nothing fancy, just pizza and some wings, likely. The bonus is you get to meet the woman who will be putting Harker and Bradley in their places as she should.”
Sadie could hear the laughter through the phone and then looking to Michael, asked, “So I take it that she’s coming over?” It was funny, actually. “So why are you giving the guys such a hard time?” She wished they were her guys but she couldn’t say that they were hers, not yet at least.
“Yes, she’s coming over. Honey, grab the other ladies if they are free. I’ll text you the address as soon as we get to the market so you know where you’re coming to. Love you,” he said. Hanging up once he’d gotten an in-kind reply, he chuckled softly.
“You love her a great deal, don’t you?” Sadie asked as she watched the man. “How did the two of you meet? And what do you mean, other ladies? Who else is married?” She vaguely recalled the men, just not a great deal about them. She had always been drawn to Bryce and Keagan and steered clear of the other men, especially their marksman, who gave her the willies with his dead eye stare.
“Cutter, he’s married to an interesting gal by the name of Piper, she owns a bar. And then Markham and Connor are in a relationship with a sweet woman by the name of Patricia. You don’t believe me,” he said. He must have caught her stunned expression. “It’s okay, if Gigi can find those two, you shall see just what I’m talking about.”
“Markham is the sniper, right?” she asked with a frown. “Are you sure that he’s in a relationship? I mean, I can understand Connor because he’s always joking and having a good time, but Markham, he always has a look on his face as if he’s ready to kill you instead of talk to you.” Not that he would, she knew that, but there were times it felt like it.
“Yup, and yup,” he said with a nod. He grinned at her and held up a hand as he gave a shrug. “You have to see it to believe it, but I’m not even kidding. If Gigi can get Patty to come over, you’ll see exactly what I mean.”
“I look forward to it, then. I remember that dad always said that Markham was the best sniper he ever trained because he could focus and kill without even blinking.” She sighed and leaned her head back against the headrest once more and added, “I can’t believe that he’s trained all of you and now he’s doing this. I don’t understand it. He kept me from the guys knowing how I felt. I don’t think I will ever forgive him.” No, she knew she would never forgive him. Ever.
“Maybe not,” he said quietly. “Personally I don’t think you should forgive him. I know for a fact that Bradley and Harker will never forgive him, will likely kill him if he gets within twenty feet of you, but that’s them. Don’t let what he did tarnish what you can have, Sadie. You have a bright future ahead of you, so grab hold and enjoy every single second of it.”
“I plan on it,” she said quietly. “And I don’t think I can forgive him, ever. Especially if he had anything to do with the accident that took my children from me.” Her children with the men she loved more than life itself. “I’ve not lived since they had to leave for duty.” Her admission was clear, her pain still there, but not toward the men. It was more toward the loss of the time with of the men she loved.
“They’re back now, for good. I know it will take some time for you all to adjust to seeing one another again. They’ll also need time to adjust to civilian life, and to get into working for the company. There will be good days, there will be bad days, but it’s important to remember that no matter what is happening, you always turn to one another. I was lucky. Gigi practically fell into my lap, and we instantly click
ed. We also had some time secluded away from the world to learn about one another on a deeper, more intimate level. You’re not the same as you were, and neither are they. While at the core you are all the same people you were, there are enough differences that you need to remember to go slow, and learn one another once more.”
“That’s my plan,” she said honestly and closed her eyes once again. “You are a good guy, Michael. Your wife is a lucky woman.” She smiled and added, “But not as lucky as I am to have a second chance with the two amazing men that I’ve missed for the last several years.”
“See, you were doing so well with the compliment, and then you tanked it. But you did close on a nice sappy moment, so I’ll give you pass this time.” Shooting her a wink, he pulled into the little parking lot for the grocery store. Finding a spot, he pulled in and parked. A hand on her arm kept her in place as he looked out the windows, his expression hard and his gaze watchful. He made them sit there for a time before finally nodding and letting her arm go.
“We will do this very quickly, then.” They would go in and get the groceries that they needed and get out. “We will each take a cart because I have a feeling that I need to get a great deal of groceries.” Especially since she planned on keeping Bryce and Keagan with her instead of letting them go. “Should the guys go and pick up clothes? Since I don’t plan on letting them go that is.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get one of the guys to tend to that stuff. We’ll have to get Bradley’s pain meds, too. Fucker’s always forgetting them somewhere. Very conveniently, too, I might add,” he told her. Stepping into the store, she watched him as he looked around. She knew the look. He was cataloguing everyone in there, exits, potential threats, and whatever else went through a soldier’s head when walking into an unknown space or situation.
“How bad was his injury?” she asked as they both walked through the store. “He looks like he’s still hurting and then it didn’t make things any easier for him when he decided to beat the shit out of my dad.” Although she couldn’t blame him. Hell, she had wanted to beat him herself. “He’s still stubborn as can be, crazy stubborn, too.” She pulled food from the shelves as they walked and talked.
“Eight surgeries to save the leg,” he told her flat out. “He had crush syndrome on the leg so the doctors were worried he’d have a blood clot that ended up killing him, or he’d lose the leg. For the most part he was in a medically induced coma, so the hard choices were left up to the one he had on his medical shit to make those calls. Thankfully, he’s as stubborn as I’ve always believed him to be, and came through it. For a while there though I truly thought I’d made the wrong choice.”
“Oh god.” She looked at Michael with wide eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For not allowing him to die. Thank you for saving the life of the man that I love.” And she did. She had always loved Keagan and Bryce, a great deal. “It’s so odd for me to hear you all talking about them and calling them by their last names. I’m so used to calling them by their firsts. Strange thing for me to think of, I know.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. He stopped to read the packaging on something before putting it back. “When we’re working together we always use last names. In the field it’s call signs. You get so used to it that it becomes a very hard habit to break.”
“I can imagine. I’m still trying to correlate the men’s names in my mind, well, anyone other than Bryce and Keagan that is. The two of them I know exactly who they are so they don’t bother me at all. The others, well, it takes me a bit to figure out the others, but yeah.” She shrugged.
“I’m pretty much the only one they use my given name,” he told her. “Everyone else is a surname. The only time you might hear our call signs is if we’re working. Keeps anyone from knowing who we are. Oh! Gummy bears,” he said. Wide eyed, he pushed his cart faster and grabbed two bags. Dropping them into the cart, he paused, wiggling his fingers, and then snatched up a third one.
She laughed at Michael and grabbed a couple bags of soft peppermints that Keagan loved and sour candies for Bryce. She wanted to ensure that they had goodies that they might like. A while later they were loading things into the back of the SUV. She looked to Michael and asked, “Do you think we have enough? I know that you guys eat a lot and I want to ensure that we have enough food. Do you think this is good?” She hoped.
“More than enough,” he said. “Especially since we’ll likely be around now, and then to give your guys some time off.” Shutting the back of the truck, he opened her door for her and helped her inside. Once he had them moving, he shot her a look. “I know that we tend to swoop in and take over. How are you dealing with everything?”
“With the way that I was raised? I’m fine with it,” she said with a shrug. “You have to understand that I was raised in a Marine family.” While her father was not a good person, she had learned, the hard way, just what it was to live in a military home. “Thank you for your concern, however, I appreciate it.”
“Well, if it ever becomes too much let me know,” he told her. “We can always rework things a bit to ensure you have some form of privacy. I don’t want you to feel cramped, or boxed up. This is your life, so if we’re stepping on toes, you say something.”
“Well I’m sure that the guys will tell you if you are spending too much time with us.” She looked forward to having time alone with Keagan and Bryce, she hoped that they did as well. She wanted to spend time with them, alone. They all had a great deal to work out and knew it.
“I’m sure they will,” he said dryly. Shaking his head, he sighed. “Well, the offer is there, speak up about anything that’s bugging you. I don’t want this to be a concentration camp. We’re looking out for your safety and well-being. It’s our job. But sometimes as males we can be a little oblivious about the little things in love.”
“I think that they will be good for me. They will be just what I need because they need me, too.” She knew that they did. She knew that they needed her a great deal. She needed them as well. “And believe me, I will speak up if something bothers me. Now, we should get home so that we can get the SUV unloaded and they can get the food ordered.”
“The food will likely be there, if they time it right, by the time we get everything inside and put away. They are relatively good little planners,” he told her. “As long as someone supervises them. It’s when they are left to their own devices without instruction that the shit hits the fan.”
“Gotcha,” she said with a smirk. “Well they better be ready to help us take everything inside and put it away, or else I’m going to be a very, very angry person.” Not really, but she would put her feet down and demand that they help her, that much was for sure. She was just that much of a task driver.
“They will be by the time I’m done with them. Besides, I’ll point out that the women are on their way over, and promise to rat each and every single one of them. Gigi and Piper are both General’s daughters, and they will rip them all a strip.”
“Oh, boy. I can only imagine. Dad wasn’t that high in ranking, but he was a bit of a control freak so I’m sure that their dads were even more so. I just hope that they will help because that’s what I hate about grocery shopping, putting things away.” She didn’t mind the store, didn’t mind paying for food, but she hated putting things away.
“Well you grab a chair, and you snap out the orders. They’re used to it,” he said with a chuckle. “Though I doubt they’ll need a lot of guidance. They’ve been there long enough to have figured it out for the most part. Just ensure they don’t put anything anywhere you can readily grab it. They like pulling that one on my wife, sticking things up where she can’t reach.”
“This is a good point.” She wasn’t a massively tall person but she wasn’t hugely short either. Being five-foot-six-inches tall, she was pretty good at being able to get things, but she could see the guys using the top of the cabinets where she couldn’t reach, ever. “And if they put something out of reach I will have to
climb on a cabinet and could fall and I could guarantee that they will ensure that my things would be down lower from that point on.” Bryce and Keagan would be damn sure that she was able to reach everything if she climbed on the countertops.
“I’d point that out to them,” he said. “Lay down the law when they start taking things in. If they step out of line I’m sure one of your guys will smack them. I’d bet on Bradley, he’s actually managing those crutches pretty well.” He slowed and pulled onto her street, easing into the spot out front he’d left earlier.
“He is.” She sighed and asked, “Are you sure that he’s going to be okay? That he won’t push himself too far because he’s here with me? If so, should I ask him to go away? I don’t want to, but if he needs to go and recoup he should. Right?”
“Woman,” he practically growled at her. Turning in his seat, he glared at her. “Listen here. That man loves you, has loved you, and will continue to love you until his last breath. Yes, he’s in pain, yes he is a pain, but you say the word and he’ll take a bullet for you. You are in power here, Sadie. You and you alone can keep him in line. Even if you have to use some of that feminine wiles shit you women have in spades. Use every trick in the book if you need to with him, but I have a feeling all you’ll need to do is bat your lashes, and he’ll do whatever you tell him. Though I’m tempted to dare you to try and make him leave, I’d feel really bad taking your money when you lose.”
“Well that’s a very good thing because I really don’t want him to leave either. I happen to love every single part of him and I need him in my life every bit as much as I need Bryce in my life,” she admitted. “So enough of that. I’m keeping him. Thank you for reinforcing that point with me.”
Huffing an aggravated breath out in her direction, he slid out of the truck. Walking around, he opened the door for her and gave her a hand out. “Grab the camera will you, and maybe the eggs and bread. No need to let the heathens near the fragile stuff. When you get inside, send the troops out.”