by Anya Nowlan
“Sure, you old grouch,” Barkley laughed, waving Hemingway away.
The Colonel shook his head, heading out the door while audibly grumbling to himself. When they were all sure that Hemingway was out of earshot, laughter broke out in the room, Grim almost doubling over.
“So, none of the rest of you copulate with women who have terrorists after them, okay? We’ve got that market covered,” Connor said with a grin, throwing a wink at Madeline.
She smiled, shaking her head. What the hell kind of family had she gotten herself into? Because that was what it was, wasn’t it? A family. Brothers in arms, brothers in spirit. Leaning into Tex, she sighed as his hands wrapped around her and she could drop her head on his shoulder while Thatch put a hand on her back. It felt right. She could work with this. She could love this.
Maybe things can be right after all?
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Thatch
It was a few days before everything started feeling normal again. Or what could pass for normal now. Both Thatch and Tex got taken off the active rotation list for a few months and the rest of the team wanted to take themselves off in protest, but Thatch talked them out of it. There was no use in having everyone lose out on money.
For him and Tex though, it meant getting some much-needed time together with Madeline, Raze, and Rhone.
As expected, their wounds healed quickly enough and within two days, they were back to fighting strength. This time, though, the only thing they wanted to fight for was to be with their family more. Thatch had the sneaking suspicion that Spade’s hand may have been involved in their two-month probation and unpaid leave, but he had no proof to back it up. Secretly, he had to wonder if he was wrong about the guy all along.
Can’t be all wrong, though. He did extort a bunch of bombs out of you, he reminded himself as him, Madeline, Tex and the kids were taking a long walk through downtown New Orleans, breathing in the atmosphere.
They’d taken the first flight out they could, and spent a few days with Madeline’s parents and family. She’d been desperate to see them and being Louisiana boys themselves, the Crawleys didn’t want to miss out on a chance to show off the new pack members to the rest of the pack back home. Of course, it also opened up a lot of discussion about whether they’d be coming back to the fold as the up-and-coming Alpha pair, obviously having found their mate and fathered their heirs already.
Thankfully, their family was understanding about their lifestyle choices, as usual, and they weren’t pressured very hard to do anything but bring the kids around as often as possible. That was something both Thatch and Tex could commit to easily.
Madeline’s parents had been tougher nuts to crack. It wasn’t surprising, really. Welcoming back their daughter they thought was dead, as well as her having had twins—and not just any twins, but shifters—was difficult enough to process. That daughter bringing along two strapping ex-SEALs who happened to be werewolves themselves and seemed to be committed to marrying her as fast as possible? Well, that just added to the confusion.
After a few family dinners and two long, hard conversations with Madeline’s father, things seemed to calm down a bit. It helped that her father was a big gun nut himself and he and Tex hit it off immediately, while her mother seemed to take a particular liking to Thatch. Neither of the Crawley boys minded that one bit.
“I still can’t believe we’re back home,” Madeline said wistfully, squeezing Thatch’s hand as he pushed one stroller in front of him with his free hand, and Tex had the other.
“Well, no reason to hide anymore, seeing as all the chumps from the train are now dead and buried,” Tex mused with a smirk.
That was true enough. Thatch figured that Madeline would never be truly safe because of her connection to The Arctics’ failure in Chicago, but it would have to do for now. She didn’t know anyone by their face anymore, and she hadn’t seen anything more than Squad Six had. If anyone wanted to come for her, it would be pure revenge, and no fake identity would save her from that when dealing with an organization like The Arctics.
Of course, neither Thatch nor Tex would allow anything to happen to her as long as they had anything to say about it. They’d gotten very far into a discussion about quitting altogether before Madeline managed to reel them in and tell them in no uncertain terms that if they tried to quit, she’d kick them both out of the house they hadn’t bought yet.
“I don’t need two mopey-looking wolves sitting around trying to do the ‘right thing.’ I can manage when you’re away, and that will make our time together all the better.”
Thankfully, Thatch and Tex were both too smart to argue with authority in that particular case. So it was settled. As soon as The Firm would have them back, they’d return to active duty with Squad Six, and they’d spend as much time at home as they could. Home, as it was decided, would be California. Not because of the glorious weather, but because Madeline could finish up her degree there and get work she liked, and Connor had already settled down there and it would be easier to combine forces with more Squad Six guys there.
Well, the weather helped.
“Almost like none of it ever happened,” Thatch mused, partially to himself.
“Don’t make any mistake of that. It happened. We’re never going to forget about it,” Tex said, his voice low.
“That’s awfully negative of you to say,” Madeline commented, quirking a brow at Tex as Thatch gave his brother a look over Madeline’s head.
“I’m not saying that as a bad thing,” Tex said, waving his hand dismissively. “I think it’s good. We met. Fate decided it had to be like this. We had our boys—not under ideal circumstances, I’ll give you that—and we could come out in the sun again eventually. It all worked out like it had to. I don’t want to forget about the things that brought us together, no matter how gruesome they might have been.”
Thatch nodded thoughtfully, maneuvering past another family strolling on a Sunday that wasn’t quite as big as his. Not everyone could be as lucky. As far as Thatch was concerned, his family could get a lot bigger, and he hoped it would.
“If you say it like that, I think I have to agree.”
“Look at that, Thatch listening to the voice of reason,” Tex boasted, chuckling.
“I could have done without all the blood, though,” Madeline said, scrunching her nose.
Thatch swiped his thumb over the soft, smooth skin on her hand and grinned. Yes, the past wasn’t always ideal, but they could deal with that. They could deal with anything if they had to, as long as they were together. Soon enough, they made it to a small park under some trees. Winter was fast approaching and it wasn’t too warm outside, but the boys were bundled up nice and snuggly. As if reading one another’s minds, as they sometimes did, the twins parked the strollers next to a swing set and picked up the baby boys.
Thatch put Raze into the swing on the left and Tex slid Rhone into the baby swing on the right. There was a regular swing in the middle and Madeline giggled as she sat down on it, starting to give herself momentum while the sounds of Raze and Rhone laughing filled the air as the wolves pushed them gently.
Thatch’s eyes met with Tex’s while they were both giving the swings a push and they nodded to one another. It wasn’t something they’d been prepared for, this… happiness. But it had happened and they’d both embraced it like it was perfectly normal, like this was what they had been waiting for all along. A big part of Thatch told him that it was. This was what they’d needed.
All the womanizing, the running around, Tex’s “bad boy” antics and his wild spirit seemed to mellow out immediately when faced with a very real, very compelling reason to be there, to be present and in the moment. It was obvious that they’d both do anything for their kids and their mate and the feeling was unlike anything Thatch had ever felt before. He’d always looked after his brother and his squad; but now he would give not only his life, but his soul for the health and safety of his family.
He was finally becoming the man he had al
ways wanted to be and it felt amazing.
The air was crisp and Thatch took a big breath, allowing himself to smile. It was almost like he’d forgotten how to do it for years and it was now slowly coming back to him, along with everything else that made him human. The wolf had been given too much freedom, and Thatch was reining him in now. Anger, confusion and depression did that to a shifter—it made it easy to lose one’s human side when the beast became stronger and more in control.
It helped that the main cause of his discomfort was now taken care of. Blake was no longer in the picture. Thanks to Madeline’s friend Charlie, all of Blake’s claims could be refuted before they ever even made it to trial, and the man was left gnashing his teeth and spewing hatred, but that was it. Thatch felt bad for ever getting wrapped up in the nonsense the heartbroken and pained man created, but in retrospect, he doubted he could have done anything differently.
Tex was a hothead and likely would always be one. And mistakes happened to everyone. Faced with compelling evidence, it was hard to think differently. Thatch had even checked Blake’s facts on his own, but the people that he had spoken to had missed the key clue that Madeline had picked up. For that, he would always be grateful.
She made him better, as well as Tex. With her, they were starting to be the men they should be, the men they could be. And that filled Thatch with a sense of confidence unlike any other. He could be a father to his kids. He could build the kind of relationship with his mates that he’d always thought was never meant for him. He could have the kind of life he thought he wouldn’t. It was, in a word, exciting. And maybe a relief, too, knowing that his existence didn’t have to be a series of hoops to jump through with nothing more than physical comfort waiting at the other end.
Now, he had something to fight for. Something that meant so much to him that he had real trouble putting it into words. But when Tex flashed him a mischievous grin, Thatch knew that it was about time he tried. That they both tried.
So, after slowly stopping the swings, they both picked the kids up and stood in front of Madeline. She looked at them a bit confused, but Thatch gave her a reassuring smile that she mirrored happily.
“Madeline, we’ve been thinking about this for a while,” he started, glancing at Tex.
“We have. We have something to say and I think you need to hear us out. So we figured we’d take you to somewhere where you had to.”
“Not that we’re thinking you’re going to run away or anything, but… well, who knows with you, always sticking your nose in the wrong place,” Thatch commented, getting a playful glare from Madeline.
“Okay, smart asses. I’m listening,” she said, her fingers wrapped around the cords holding up the swing, her legs crossed.
She looked like a goddess to him, with her flaming red mane billowing around her in gorgeous waves and her curious eyes slipping from Thatch to Tex and then back again.
“So, we know we haven’t known each other for very long. But I think there’s plenty of reasons for us to get to know as much as we possibly can about one another. Would you agree?” Thatch asked, fixing Raze’s position in his arms a bit and receiving an enthusiastic hug in return for that.
Frowning a bit, Madeline nodded. “Yes,” she said hesitantly, her eyes narrowing as she must have been trying to find out where they were going with all of this.
“Madeline, I love you,” Tex said, and there was a note of softness there that plucked at Thatch’s heartstrings, so he knew it had to do the same for Madeline.
“And I love you too,” Thatch added, smiling.
He could see her eyes welling up a little as she stood up, ready to embrace both of them. “I love you too!” she yelped, her voice breaking a little.
Smiling, Tex stopped her from going in for a hug with a gentle hand to her shoulder. He stuck a hand in his pocket and produced a small dark green velvet box. Madeline’s eyes went wide when she saw it and she practically squealed when Tex opened it, revealing a gorgeous ring.
“So we were wondering,” Thatch continued, smiling like a damn jack-o’-lantern now, “if you’d do us the honor of becoming our wife and our mate?”
She didn’t hesitate for a moment when nodded assent, beaming happily. “Yes, of course!”
They gathered her up in a big group hug, both sets of twins and Madeline bundled together in a big happy pile. Thatch kissed her first and then her lips moved smoothly to Tex, the most natural movement in the world. It took Thatch’s breath away, having her so close and having his brother and his most trusted friend and partner there as well. The triad was almost complete now—only the ceremony still missing—and Thatch’s heart was damn near threatening to bounce out of his chest because he was so happy about it.
The hug and kiss could have lasted a second, it could have lasted a lifetime... it felt both eternal and fleeting at the same time. Like he could live off of that contact alone for all his life, or always need more. All he knew was that he’d never let go again. Whatever he did, the first thing on his mind and on his heart would be his family. And that was all right with him.
EPILOGUE
Tex
Tex wasn’t sure if he’d ever been so nervous.
“Have I ever been so nervous?” he asked Thatch, who was fussing with his tie like it was the first time he’d ever put one on.
Tex knew for a fact that both of them had worn ties at least once before—to Connor’s wedding. And maybe to a high school graduation or something, if their mother had made them do it. In any case, it had to be one of those memories that he’d blocked out because tying a tie was still fucking black magic and he could commiserate with his brother’s frustration with his reflection.
“Eighth grade, you forgot to study for that test for Miss Wilcox. You were pretty nervous then,” Thatch offered, his brows furrowed in concentration.
“Not really what I had in mind,” Tex snorted, returning his attention to his own reflection.
He had to say, he cut a nice picture in a suit. Very dapper. It felt scratchy as hell and he couldn’t wait to rip it off at the end of the evening and throw Madeline on the bed and show her that he looked so much better stark fucking naked. Tex grinned to himself when he thought about that particular side of the wedding, and it got him a quick, warning glare from Thatch.
“She can see if you’re hard during the ceremony, you know.”
“Aren’t you fucking helpful. It’s my goddamn wedding, I’ll be as hard as I want to,” Tex grumbled, though he went into suppression mode really fast, trying to scrape the thoughts of their sexy mate out of his head.
Easier said than done.
They’d planned for a big, but fairly frugal church wedding. The ring itself had cost them everything Thatch had saved up to pay off the next installment to Blake, which ended up not being needed, and their line of work didn’t come with big bank rolls. But none of it mattered. Family and friends pitched in and Tex’s and Thatch’s local parish had kindly offered use of the church for free if they held the wedding in Louisiana.
The weather wasn’t perfect, what with it being early January at that point, but doing this at home felt right to everyone involved. If anything, they wanted to be as close to their kin as they could. It was a lucky coincidence, all in all, that said family all happened to be centralized in Louisiana. It did make for an odd wedding party though. Tex’s and Thatch’s side were all old-school werewolves, stuck in the pack ways, very inward facing. Madeline’s family? As free-spirited as one could expect from a bunch of scientists.
It worked, so no one complained. Raze and Rhone helped a lot, of course. Everyone wanted to be a good influence on the boys, who were growing like absolute weeds. Raze was already having arguments with Tex and he loved that, much to Madeline’s obvious chagrin.
“That boy will have a mouth on him!” Tex would often exclaim proudly, followed by Madeline’s groan and Thatch’s snort.
It was true, too. Shifter twins always sort of mirrored their fathers if they were boys. Rho
ne was more stable, thoughtful, and quiet. Raze raised hell. Tex had no problem guessing which one took after who, not that it mattered. He loved both equally and he’d never known his heart was so big that it could accommodate that much love.
He knew that the twins were already seated up front, too young to really be ring bearers, but with the help of their grandmothers they were still going to perform that duty. And Madeline was somewhere away from them too. They’d gone traditional, according to Madeline’s traditions anyway, and neither Tex nor Thatch had seen her for more than a day now, buying into all of that jinxing stuff and whatever.
It was a bit silly if one were to ask Tex, seeing as they’d already had the ceremony in the light of the full moon, the Gold Moon, a few days ago. As far as he was concerned, she was their mate and that was that. But with that ceremony, there had been no cause for nerves—the wolf was in control there. Here? Hell, the man definitely had some butterflies in his stomach.
Finally, they both tackled their ties and could walk out and take their place at the altar. Connor and the rest of the crew were running security, of course, though Tex was more than certain that nothing would happen. Better safe than sorry, though. Dutch had volunteered to take a sniper nest and lookout position in the bell tower of the church. Tex and Thatch had reluctantly agreed. Dutch had never been much for weddings. Tex was fairly certain that it was going to be hilarious when fate decided to conk that guy over the head.
Tex looked out into the crowd and was met with beaming smiles all around. Grim waved at him and winked, keeping an eye on one of the side exits, and Connor gave an encouraging nod from the back. Tex barely remembered to take a breath before the music started. A thousand thoughts ran through his head, starting from worrying about whether all of this would go off without a hitch, to racking his brain about whether they had enough food for the reception.
All of that chatter stopped the second Madeline stepped out.
She took his breath away, like always. Her red curls loose around her shoulders and her dress off the shoulder and swimming around her in elegance, teasing Tex just enough to have him teetering on the edge of madness. He looked over to Thatch for a second and saw that his brother was exactly as enthralled as he was. She was, in a word, perfect. And she was theirs.