“Good as new.” He held it up for Mike to admire his handiwork.
“You picking up Logan tonight?” Christopher asked.
“Yeah. I’m gonna drop my gear off and shower first, but within the hour I’ll be over at his grandparents’ house.”
“Sweet. That kid is growing like a weed. The last time I saw him he was throwing a damn good spiral.”
“And Ice taught him that?” Mike joked.
Patrick had been all-American in high school football, but rather than take one of the many football scholarships that were offered to him, he’d joined the US Navy and become a SEAL. He’d felt it was his duty to serve and protect, and although he loved football, it didn’t hold a candle to serving his nation.
September 11 had only furthered his resolve to make the military a lifelong career, and he hadn’t looked back or regretted his decision once.
He’d seen a lot over the years, in warzones and deployments to other war-torn areas, proving just that much more how much guys like him—like any of the men on his SEAL team—were needed.
Patrick and his team had been wounded on numerous occasions but had successfully completed every mission they’d deployed on. They’d helped women and children who had nothing, protected those who needed someone to defend them, fought against men who were hell-bent on causing nothing but harm and destruction, and rescued Americans from situations others wouldn’t imagine in their worst nightmares.
And not once had he wished for the cushy life of a professional athlete. Of the fame and glory that came with it. The SEAL’s motto was, “The only easy day was yesterday,” and that suited Patrick damn fine. He’d push himself every day to serve his country and protect others, and he expected nothing less from the other men on his team.
None of that meant he was about to take shit about his ball-playing days from his teammates. Patrick shot Mike a look that would’ve killed a lesser man, his cool blue eyes like ice.
“Easy,” Mike joked. “I’m only kidding around with you about Logan because I plan to stay single for life. No wife or kids tying me down—and plenty of ladies to keep me company.”
“I heard that!” Evan “Flip” Jenkins turned around and shouted from ahead of them. “You’re gonna be a lonely old man some day, Hunter.”
Mike laughed and flipped him the bird. “I just flipped off Flip. Get it?”
“Fuck you,” Evan spat out good-naturedly.
“Is that how you got your name, Flip?” Mike joked, moving ahead to catch up with Evan and the other guys.
They were walking across the tarmac of the airstrip now, speeding up as they got closer to the hangar. An overnight flight on a military cargo plane was less than comfortable accommodations, and none of them could wait to get out of there, get cleaned up, and enjoy life back in the good ole U.S. of A.
“That kid can throw,” Christopher continued as the others walked off ahead of them. Flip jokingly punched Mike in the arm, and the guys tussled back and forth a minute with the other two members of their team egging them on.
“Don’t I know it,” Patrick said with a rare laugh. “He’s gonna play ball like his old man.”
“Think he’ll be a SEAL some day?”
“Hell if I know. The kid can do whatever he wants, and he’ll have my full support.”
“Are you turning soft on me, Ice?”
Patrick laughed, feeling lighter than he had all year. He’d pulled off another successful mission with his team, they’d rescued an American hostage, and he was about to see his kid. At the moment, life didn’t get much better than that. Even his guys ribbing he could take, because they knew he’d throw it right back at them when the mood struck. They fought with each other like brothers sometimes, but when the shit hit the fan, he could count on each and every one of his men with his life.
He’d lay down his own life for them any day, their brotherhood forged on the battlefield and stronger than blood ties.
Save for his son, each of those men were the most important thing in his life. Patrick’s duty to his country came first. He put his country and SEAL brothers before anything else, and nothing would ever change that.
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Loved by a SEAL (Alpha SEALs Book 7) Page 14