Lilly had only stayed for about a week, and even made time to stop by to visit Melanie and Jordan at college and Carter, Lucy, and Drew at their home before heading back to South Africa. It was bittersweet to see her, because Steel had no idea how long it would be before she’d be back again.
Jenna was doing really well. She had one more pseudo-exacerbation, or flare-up, around Thanksgiving but no new symptoms. They were falling into a steady routine and were likely being more cautious than necessary. If it kept Jenna’s symptoms down while also keeping her mobile, Steel couldn’t give a shit. Bring on the caution.
The Bahamas was amazing. They went for three weeks, leaving just before Christmas and returning just after the New Year. Three weeks of beach, sun, and days in bed. Jenna worried about missing Christmas, but after last year and how much stress the holidays had put on Jenna, Steel was thrilled to get away. To just bethem. No kids, no club, no responsibilities.
They even went to a nudist beach, because it had always been something on Jenna’s bucket list. And fuck it, they were on vacation. As freeing as Jenna found the experience, Steel had a hard time—no pun intended—not popping wood every time helooked at her. He spent a good part of the day with a towel over his lap.
Other than when Melanie had visited over Christmas Eve and Day, Ollie had stayed at Angel and Cage’s while they were away. This was for his protection as well as company. Cage assured Steel that Ollie would not be sleeping in Aaron’s room. Steel and Jenna had assumed Ollie would be sleeping on their couch, but later discovered that Aaron had given up his room to Ollie and had claimed the couch for himself. Per Cage, Aaron did not like the idea that Ollie was sleeping so close to the front door and wanted to put himself between Ollie and any potential danger.
Steel had a hard time admitting that he really liked his son’s boyfriend. Because fuck, it washisjob as Ollie’s father to make his boyfriend’s life miserable. And Aaron was taking that joy away from Steel by being too fucking honorable.
Didn’t change the fact that Steel had Bulldog run Aaron exhausted at their next training session. He still had to havesomefun.
Returning was interesting to say the least. Steel had left as the President and had returned as… He wasn’t really sure. They hadn’t actually declared a title for him. He wasn’t a member. The offer to be a part of the club had been there, but Steel had declined. If he remained in the club, he would feel obligated to participate, and it had been a long time since he’d taken orders from anyone. It was better to have a clean break.
Calling himself an ex-member seemed morose. He supposed classifying himself and Jenna as friends of the club was the best thing. They were still living on property. Neither Jenna nor Ollie had turned in their cuts.
He’d felt equally displaced when he’d left the Marines after so many years. It was that awkward transition period. Regardless, he knew he’d made the right decision and could nowdevote the entirety of his time to taking care of and being with Jenna.
The only club business he asked to be kept in the loop on was if there was anything new on the sniper, who hadn’t been seen or heard of since October when he’d killed Dixie Gilbert. Ghost promised, as well as swore that Jenna, Ollie, and their adult children would continue to have their protection. The Mountain Mutineers were also doing discreet check-ins, but with no current threat, they were pulled elsewhere.
Heavy snowfall came in the middle of January, including one night when they got over eight inches. The pond behind the clubhouse was usually frozen from December to February most years, and this winter was no exception. When the snow day was announced, none of the kids were interested in participating in the online lessons the school had set up.
The ol’ ladies, including Jenna, worked under the pavilion to set up a hot cocoa bar, including spirits for the adults who wanted some. The club kids and some of the adults spent the afternoon ice skating. Tall, outdoor heaters were placed around the outside of the pavilion as well as smaller ones by each picnic table. The firepit just outside the pavilion was also lit for when the kids were ready to have s’mores.
Paths had been dug so the smaller kids, Jenna, and Scotty did not have to fight to walk around in the high snow. Steel was constantly checking on Jenna to ensure she was warm enough. He was not thrilled about her being outside in this weather, but Jenna would not be swayed. She was feeling really good, and she wanted to see the kids skating.
She had heating packs inside her snow boots and gloves as well as a battery-operated heated snow suit. Her headband was also heated. While he was not pleased to learn she’d given away her heated scarf to Scotty, he couldn’t fault her for it. The lovable teen was hard to say ‘no’ to.
All in all, it was a great afternoon. Some of the club members slipped up and still called Steel ‘Prez’ out of habit, but it turned into a running joke. Neither Ghost nor Steel minded, though. As Jenna had reminded him only that morning, regardless of titles, the club was stillfamily, and that was all that mattered.
The pond wasn’t actually a ‘pond’ by scientific standards. It was just what the club called it when they bought the property and found the water area. It was approximately fourteen feet long and sixteen feet wide. There were no fish or wildlife that they knew of that called the pond home outside of some frogs and the occasional visiting duck family. The bottom was mostly mud and sand. The previous owners hadn’t said much about it, only that it had been their hope to one day turn it into a koi pond.
The water came from somewhere underneath, because it never dried up and was naturally warm. Even when there was early snow on the ground, the pond didn’t freeze until later in the winter and always thawed around March.
To everyone’s entertainment, Tally was not only skating herself but had gottenScaron the ice. Keys assured everyone that he was recording for their future enjoyment. Though she was blind, Tally was proving to be a good skater. The biggest issue was that her echolocation was thrown off by the snow and the kids’ laughter. She didn’t want to risk running into anyone, so she was skating further away from the others.
Scar, who was the most agile man Steel had ever met, wasnota good skater and was clearly only on the ice for Tally’s enjoyment. He hadn’t fallen—yet. But there were some pretty high bets going around the adults as to if he would.
By the time the ol’ ladies were calling everyone in to warm up, the sun was starting to go down. Steel was helping some of the younger ones transition off the ice to solid ground as the adults on the ice helped to corral them. Rather than create abackup on land, other members came over to lift the kids and carry them to the pavilion to have their skates removed and boots put back on. All of their shoes were being kept warm by a heater.
Steel wasn’t the only adult who was looking forward to a cup of hot chocolate. The day itself didn’t feel too chilly, despite the extensive snowfall, but when the mountain wind hit, it was brutal. He would never admit it, but he was kicking himself that he hadn’t bought a heated snowsuit for himself too.
High-pitched laughter caught everyone’s attention, making their assembly line of children pause as they turned to see Tally and Scar. It wasn’t quite a smile on Scar’s face as he watched the woman he loved try to twirl on one leg, but the brightness in his eyes portrayed his happiness. There was a time when Steel had felt utterly conflicted when it came to Scar. Even before his desertion, Scar hadn’t been getting better, and it made Steel wonder if being a part of the club was helping the man. In comparison, Jumper, whose PTSD had involved hallucinations, blackouts, and severe panic attacks, had shown some signs of improvement as the years went by. Nothing like when Jasmine had entered his life, but he’d been doingbetter.
And even the smallest relief was still relief.
But Scar? He hadn’t seemed to change. He wasn’t social, he wasn’t sleeping, he wasn’t eating… He was justthere. Only two people ever seemed to be able to get through to him, Bulldog and Lucky’s daughter, Sissy. He was part of the club, but also not.
Looking at him now, seeing the enormous weight off his shoulders, and as close to a smile as Steel was pretty sure Scar was capable of, he knew that it wasn’t the club that had healed him, but Tally. And Steel wasn’t the only one who would be eternally grateful to her for metaphorically and literally bringing their brother back from the dead.
Ollie and Aaron were on the ice while Bree was under the pavilion with the ol’ ladies; Lucky was trying to convince Scotty and Lila that the ice would still be there tomorrow; and the assembly line of laughing, squirming club kids continued.
Demo was handing Nelly Bean to Steel when there was an audiblecrack.
Everyone froze, the adults trying to place the sound. It wasn’t as crisp as a gunshot, but it had been as loud as one. Steel turned towards the ol’ ladies, fearing seeing one of them felled by a sniper shot.
A shocked yell where there had been laughter only a moment before pulled Steel’s attention to his left where Scar and Tally were skating. As anothercracksounded, Steel saw Scar reach Tally. In a swift, singular move, Scar lifted Tally off the ice, spun, and bodily tossed her into the deep snow yards away. Tally screamed as she flew.
