“Thank you.” Brittany turned to Kate. “This is seriously awesome. And above and beyond in my book.”
Kate shook her head as she took Brittany’s hand. “Family first, sweet girl.” She turned to the Williamses. “Thank you for accepting our invitation. I hope you enjoy your time with us here.”
“We were glad to accept your invitation, ma’am. Rosemary has family in Dallas, so it’s a very good deal, all the way around.” Then he turned to Brittany. “We’re staying at the Parkview Inn. There’s a room there we can use for our appointments, or I can come to your place. Whatever works best.”
“We’ll make a firm date before you leave here today,” Brittany said. She owed this man some apologies—and a whole lot of honesty. Then something occurred to her. “I’ll also be seeing a psychologist. Maybe the two of you could meet, as well.”
“Sounds good, Brit.” The use of her name let her know there were no hard feelings on his part. Technically, she outranked him, except when it came to the sessions they had together where he was her counselor. In those instances, he outranked her, the same as her nurse had.
Sean and Noah both greeted Gunny, who introduced them to his wife. Henry Kendall came over, shook hands, and led the couple to a table so they could get comfortable, talk, and, of course, eat.
Kate then introduced Brittany to her friend Angela Monroe. She recognized the woman’s name. She’d heard from Kelsey Benedict that Angela and Ricoh Stone were engaged and soon to be married. She didn’t see Ricoh, whom she’d also met, at the gathering but was willing to bet he’d show up soon. Kate and Angela headed over to sit with the same woman Kate had been lunching with the day Brittany had met her and whom she’d met before leaving here that day. Her name was Abigail Benedict, and she was one of Kate’s daughters-in-law.
Music played on the sound system, a nice background accompaniment to the talking and the laughter. Sean escorted Brit to a table beside where Adam and Jake and Ginny and their kids were sitting, and over the course of the next hour, people who Brittany hadn’t met yet drifted over to correct that little thing.
She’d wanted a cup of hot tea, and Ginny had gotten up to bring her a small pot, cup and saucer, and milk. Brittany could only shake her head in wonder that so many people cared so much about her. Her men saw to it she had a plate of food, and she found herself relaxing into the rhythm of this small Texas town.
She finished her food and was just gazing around the large restaurant. The darkened area to her far left was a bookstore and, since the extra space wasn’t needed tonight, was closed off. But if the restaurant needed the space, the bookstore was available. Brittany shook her head in wonder. “This place is a miracle.”
“Boy howdy, I do know how you feel. Not that many years ago, I was a newcomer here, too. And trust me when I tell you that there were reasons no one should have welcomed me at all.” Then she looked around and, finally, met the gazes of her clearly adoring husbands.
Brittany could see the love between them, just as she witnessed it countless times over the last week not only between the many spouses she’d met but among the numerous families of Lusty, too.
Then Ginny gave her a huge smile. “It does look like a miracle, but really, it’s simply family. It’s home.”
Right at that moment, Brittany began to feel that, for her, Lusty was already becoming her home.
* * * *
Noah had never been prouder of his Texas family than he was that night. His cousins, aunts, and uncles spaced their approaches, as if sensing how overwhelmed Brit was becoming with all the attention. The smiles on her face that filled her eyes let him know she was in a good place, emotionally. And he learned so much just by sitting beside her and paying attention.
He hadn’t known she was a fan of both Cody Harper, Pulitzer-Prize-winning photographer and Rebecca Jessop, famed artist. Her delight that they were not only family but also married to each other and to Greg Benedict—a man who’d recently become very well known as the head of the humanitarian agency Maria’s Quest—was sweet to watch.
After those particular cousins moved on, Brit shook her head in wonder. “When you drove me through town on that first day, I remember thinking how neat and tidy and…unremarkable it all looked.” She laughed. “This town is the most remarkable place I have ever been. Thank you for bringing me here.”
Noah grinned, his gaze meeting his brother’s for just a moment. “You’re welcome,” he said. He knew his brother felt the same way he did, that they both should be thanking her. Since they’d set eyes on her again at that private air field just outside Indianapolis, Brittany had shown them in so many ways that she not only loved them, she also trusted them.
He really believed she was being as open and forthright with them as she knew how to be. He also knew the question of her future loomed large for her and was one she hadn’t shared her thoughts on overmuch. She still had plenty of time before she had to make a decision on her career in the Corps. He didn’t know if she was a Marine down to the bone or if the Corps had been the branch of service she’d chosen, based on family tradition. He didn’t know how a return to service after a severe injury worked. Would she have to requalify once she’d been cleared, psychologically, to return to active duty? And what would that active duty entail? A desk job, stateside? That would still be serving her country, but was that what she’d want to do for the rest of her working life?
As much as he was coming to know Brittany, there was so much more he needed to learn about her. He counted it a positive thing that she was as open with them as she was.
They hadn’t been back together again for a full week, yet. Noah tended to be impatient. He needed to try and squelch that bad tendency.
Brittany’s crisis, as she called it, had actually added a bit more time onto her deadline. That was one of the reasons he and Sean were so glad Grandma Kate had invited Chris and Rosemary Williams to come to Lusty. Seeing Charlotta Benedict was a good step for her to take, but her exchanges with her peer counselor would be crucial in the Corps determining her fitness for duty.
“You look deep in thought.” Brittany’s whispered words pulled him out of his head.
He turned to her then gave her a very brief kiss. “I was thinking about you.”
“Good thoughts, I hope?”
“Always. Are you doing okay? I know the family can be a bit overwhelming at times.”
Brittany grinned. “They are that, but I’m good.” She looked around the dining room, her eyes bright and…happy. Especially when they lit upon all the children in attendance.
Aunt Samantha had come over with Uncle Taylor and scooped Ginny’s twins, Marty and Nick. Ginny’s oldest son, Benny, was sitting on the floor out of the way with some of the four-, five- and six-year-olds, playing a board game. No one here minded the sound of little ones, be it shouts, laughter, or the occasional bout of tears.
Because he was watching her, he noticed Brittany’s gaze swing toward the front window of the restaurant. Then the door opened to admit more people, and her grin lit up.
Charlotta looked around the restaurant, spotted them, and headed straight for them. Her husbands were in tow, and her baby was in her arms.
“Oh! Let me have him!”
Charlotta chuckled and handed over her son. Noah didn’t know much about babies, but he thought Patrick Benedict looked about as cheerful as a baby could possibly be. Brittany wasted no time settling him on her lap, and Ginny, sitting next to Brit at the next table, turned her attention to the six-month-old infant, too.
“Hey, guys.” Noah got up and shook hands with his cousins and gave Shar a hug.
“Brit, these are my husbands, Jesse and Barry Benedict. Guys, meet Lieutenant Brittany Phillips.”
Brittany grinned at them. “I’m so pleased to meet you all. You’ll pardon me if I tell you I’m most happy to meet this little guy!”
“Can’t say I blame you, Lieutenant,” Jesse said. “I have to admit he’s an exceptionally handsome fella, even
for a Benedict.”
“Even for a Benedict?” Sean’s question contained just the right tone of disbelief. “Don’t you mean ‘despite’ being a Benedict?”
Noah chuckled at his brother’s barb, and Shar rolled her eyes. “I’m going to write a book on cousin-speak,” she said.
“I’ve been trying to learn that new language,” Brit said. “But it mostly just sounds like baby babble to me.”
Ginny laughed, as her sister-in-law Tamara Kendall came over to join them.
“You’ve got that right,” Tamara said.
Noah gave her his seat beside Brittany. In the next few moments, other women joined the table, ousting Sean from his seat, as well. Shar sat down across from Brit, as Shar’s two sisters-in-law, Ari Benedict, and Addison Benedict Jones-Jessop stood close by.
Nothing drew the women as much as the arrival of another baby to coo over.
On Brittany’s lap, little Patrick seemed enamored of Noah’s woman. His chubby hand reached out to touch her smile. Brittany chuckled, and the pleasure in her eyes was hard to miss.
The sense of longing that swept through him surprised him. He’d not spent much time thinking about babies, but seeing Brittany surrounded by family, a baby in her arms, made him hunger to see her belly swollen with his child. He met Sean’s gaze and knew, in that instant, his brother was experiencing the same sense of wonder, of craving, as he was.
He’d been so focused on reaching Brit he hadn’t let himself hope for much more than that. Now, in a heartbeat, he could imagine the three of them forming a family, welcoming their babies into the world, and watching those babies grow. He could envision a lifetime of living and loving and laughing, of becoming mature and growing old, here in this wonderful sanctuary where family meant everything.
In that moment, he sent a quick prayer heavenward. That vision, becoming reality, would be his most heart-close dream come true. He could never ask for anything more than that.
Chapter Twelve
Brittany was sitting on the porch of the Parkview Inn. Sean had dropped her off a few minutes before, and then headed back to the house. They had a Skype conference scheduled with Perry North, their project chief in Namibia.
Over the last few days she’d come to realize just how vast their business interests were. They had projects on the go on nearly every continent on the planet!
Chris Williams had just kissed his wife good-bye as she left to drive to Dallas to visit some of the family she had there. At the moment, Chris and Rosemary were the only guests at the inn. That would change later in the day. Maggie had told them she was expecting two separate bookings, both businessmen, each staying for two nights.
The porch of the large old Victorian was blessed with some comfortable chairs, as well as ceiling fans that kept the air moving around them. June had turned hot and muggy, with the possibility of thunderstorms looming. Brittany thought those fans were amazing, as, combined with the shade of the roof, the temperature had to be a good ten degrees cooler than out in the sun.
As soon as he turned his attention from the departing vehicle, and regained the porch, Brittany said what she knew she needed to say.
“I’m sorry. I lied to you, and I’m ashamed that I did so. I was…” How could she explain what had been going through her mind? She really couldn’t. “No, no excuses. I led you to believe I was okay, and I was not okay. Please accept my apology.”
“I accept your apology, Brittany, but I need to correct your assumption. I never believed you were okay. In fact, I knew you weren’t.”
“Oh.”
Chris gestured to the chair, and she sat. He settled into the chair beside her but got to his feet again when Maggie Benedict came out bearing a tray with a jug of sweet tea and two glasses filled with ice.
“I’ll take that, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Sergeant.” Then she smiled at Brit. “I’ll leave you two alone. If it gets too hot out here, the small conference room behind the great room is available for your use.”
“Thanks, Maggie.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” He set the tray on the small table between their chairs.
Watching Gunny, no one would necessarily know he was an amputee. His movements all seemed natural, with perhaps a slight favoring of the one leg. He sat again then poured out the tea for them. “The folks around here sure are kind. Rosie and I were quite impressed with that party the other night.”
“The people here in Lusty are awesome.” She thanked him for the glass and took a sip. “It kind of blows me away. When I was on duty, I never thought much about how others perceived what I did as a Marine. I was just doing my job.”
“I know what you mean.” Chris took a drink from his own glass and set it aside. “It took me a while to get comfortable with being thanked for my service, too. My dad served in Vietnam, and when he came home, it was a whole different attitude than what you and I have experienced—and it was not a nice one, either.”
“My dad said the same thing. It was a different world back then.”
They sat silently for just a minute. Then Chris turned toward her. “Tell me about the night you contemplated suicide.”
Brittany blew out a breath. Chris’s question might as well have been a knife shoved into her heart. She’d done her damnedest to not even think that word, let alone hear it spoken aloud.
She met his gaze and read it in his eyes. He’d known that, somehow, and had absolutely no intention of tiptoeing around the truth to protect her delusions.
That’s his job, and you had better learn to be honest, even when it shames you. “It was a few weeks after…after I’d asked Sean and Noah to give me some space.” She hadn’t put things into words, beyond the little bit that she’d shared with her men. “I’d been full of self-pity, which, before I knew it, seemed to have morphed into self-loathing and depression. I began experiencing ghost pain, which just seemed to make everything worse. I wasn’t sleeping for more than an hour or two at a time. I couldn’t get comfortable, and I couldn’t get warm.
“The sleeping pills were on my bedside table. It was an entire prescription, and I thought…I thought it would be so easy to simply take them, go to sleep, and never wake up again. And then I looked up, and my mother…” A box of tissues appeared in front of her, and she grabbed a handful from the box. She hadn’t realized she had tears streaming down her face. Not the first time Gunny has seen me cry, and it likely won’t be the last. “My mother was standing there with such…such anguish on her face. And in that moment, I knew it wasn’t the fact that I’d lost part of my leg that put that look on her face. It was just me, my selfish attitude and my really bad choices.”
“That’s one hell of a kick in the ass, isn’t it?”
Brittany sighed. “Yeah.” Why had she been so afraid of this? Gunny had told her that very first time that he wasn’t there to judge her. “Tell me about it. I gave her the pills, and she held me while I cried. I told her I needed help, and she told me she was getting help for me and I had better damn well accept that help.”
“Did you know she was going to call Sean and Noah Kendall?”
“I think I did, even before she told me. And I told myself that if they still wanted to have anything to do with me—if they still wanted me—I would do everything in my power to show them how much I wanted and loved them, too.”
“This thing you and I are dealing with isn’t easy.” He used his hand to indicate his own prosthesis. “But nothing in life is supposed to be easy. Basic training wasn’t easy. Combat sure as hell wasn’t easy.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Her second deployment had been in Afghanistan, and she’d been on patrol and taken and returned fire a few times. She’d known a couple of men who’d been wounded and a couple who’d been killed. And she had, in defense of her fellow Marines, taken a few lives herself.
Combat was the hardest thing she’d ever done—before this.
“That’s one thing neither of us has to face again—combat. There are other ways
to serve and helping those who came after me to adjust to the same change in circumstances I experienced was what worked for me. I only ever wanted to be a Marine. What about you? Why did you enlist in the first place?”
It was the first time he’d asked her that. Brittany had been thinking about this very topic because her guys had broached it with her. “I think, originally, I wanted to enlist because my father had and his father before him—along with my two uncles and my older brother, Peter. It was a sense of family tradition wrapped in patriotism. I love this country, and serving her was the only thing I ever considered in high school.”
“What about now? Are you a Marine down to the bone?”
“Honestly, Gunny, I don’t know. I want to do something with my life that will make a difference. I don’t know if that will be within the Corps or in civilian life. I guess…I guess I’m waiting to heal a bit more. And I’m waiting for something to move me. Does that sound stupid?”
“Hell, no. It doesn’t matter what you do going forward, as long as you find something to do that gives you a passion for getting up each day. This”—he pointed to her and then himself—“this talking about our feelings, reaching out to others, was a stretch for me, in the beginning. I had to take some college courses, and I don’t need to tell you about the ribbing I took from my dad and brothers about that.”
Brittany recalled then that he, too, came from a military family. She grinned. “Did they call you ‘college boy’?”
“You know they did. I gave them hell right back because I was still a damned Marine. But Rosemary? She was my rock. She told me that she loved me and only wanted me to be happy. And I’ve known since I first met them that both Sean and Noah feel the same about you.” He sighed. “I’ve been around the block a time or two. The concept of ménage marriages isn’t completely new to me. This town may elevate it to a fine art form, but the funny thing about coming close to dying, to having to change your reality when you lose a part of your body, is the desire to be judgmental simply isn’t there. At least for me, it’s not. So, if you’re happy…”
Love Under Two Prospectors [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Page 12