“Yeah, that’s why it’s good to be surrounded by good people. I really feel like you prevented her from getting hurt, so thank you.”
“Well, I’ll accept your thank-you, but… you really gotta make sure your brother gets his due. He was Johnny-on-the-spot. And damn, the expression on his face… I’m not surprised that the guy ended up backing down. I swear, Nick could have killed him with that look alone.”
“Oh, yeah. He’s definitely got a really strong protector instinct, and I think over the years he’s finally figuring out how not to intimidate people.”
I laugh. “Eh. He could still use some work on that.”
Scout looks at me funny. “You’re intimidated by Nick? Really?”
I hold the universal gesture forduh. “Oh, not at all. I mean he’s a gay, broody, ripped Navy SEAL with eyes that pierce the soul, and more straight edges than a room full of Shaker furniture.”
“Mm, you might have a point,” she concedes on a laugh.
“I remember thinking that all of his rules for the gym were so strict, until I realized that the rules he has for himself are far stricter. I mean… he’s so buttoned-up.”
She smiles, almost a little sad. “That he is. I mean, we all know that he was a Navy SEAL, but we have no idea what he did, or how often he encountered violence. He just doesn’t share a lot with people. And he never talks about the incident with his leg.”
I nod. It makes sense, really. When I think about the times I was confronted with battle, I shut down a bit. It’s hard to consider the reality of being so close to mortal danger.
Chewing on a fingernail, she continues. “One thing you need to know is that once he considers you part of the crew, you are immediately under his umbrella of protection. It’s real strange, almost Pavlovian, how he begins to act around people who are in his inner circle. You’re clearly someone he trusts, and I hope you know you can trust him.”
Well, damn. I swallow funny, feeling my nose get a little stuffy and red with emotion. “I do trust him, though I’m always worried about disappointing him, or somehow doing something that’ll get me fired.”
She practically snorts at the thought. “He wouldn’t fireyou. You’re the best employee he’s had here, period. Though he’d never admit it, you’re exactly what he’s needed for a long time.”
Oh, don’t mind me. I’ll just be over here hyperventilating because Scout Martinez just told me that I’m everything her brother ever needed. Or words to that effect. I recover quickly and ignore the sparkle in her eyes.
“Okay, good to know. So, was he always like this? All stern and unflinching?”
She throws her head back and laughs for a good thirty seconds. “Pretty much. We knew he was going to do well in the military before he went to the Naval Academy. He’s had that killer instinct always.”
A hilarious thought occurs to me. “Oh god, please, please tell me that you have a picture of young Nick in some kind of soldier uniform or cowboy costume.”
Scout laughs. “Why, so you can use it against him?”
I stub my toe along the ground, aiming for innocent. “Well, maybe…”
Laughing harder, she pulls up her phone and begins scrolling through her pictures. She chuckles when she lands on one and shows it to me.
Oh, fuck squared. Kid Nick isadorable. His gorgeous little face and dark, shiny eyes ringed in black, black eyelashes just nail me in the heart. Worst-best of all is that his costume is the cutest little set of green Army fatigues, ever, and he’s standing perfectly at attention with his little plastic rifle.
“You have got to send me this picture. I need a visual representation of him not being an intimidating badass.” And I want to know what our kids would look like.
Shut up.
As Scout and I are chatting, an older gentleman joins us. Given that his eyes are the same otherworldly honey color as Evie’s, I can guess who he is. Scout and I part to let him join us, and I stick out my hand. “Hi, you must be Evie’s father.”
He smiles broadly and shakes my hand vigorously. “That I am. Adam. You must be Elijah; I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Adam, should I be weirded out that we’ve never met and you know who I am?” I ask, quirking my eyebrow.
He shakes his head, laughing at my idiocy. “Don’t worry, kid. It’s all good stuff.”
I cross my arms, assessing him closely. “Okay, well, I don’t know why, but I trust you.”
He pushes my shoulder like we’ve been friends for years. “I feel like I’m supposed to take that as a compliment.”
“Absolutely.”
