Apple chuckled. “You aren’t going to retire. You’re going to go down in history as the oldest SEAL.”
“Shut up, Apple. I’m not that old.”
“From my angle, you are very old.”
“Jesus. And I put up with this crap from you all. I should leave.”
Apple threw his arm over Griz’s shoulder. “You love me.”
Griz rolled his eyes. “Let’s get back to work.”
“Sure, Grandpa,” Apple said.
The other guys laughed, but they grabbed their gear they needed to clean. Being a SEAL was about being prepared, and having dirty gear meant the mission would be dirty. He’d spent days, weeks, maybe months over the years cleaning, and every cleaning session had been worth it. He’d saved himself much pain by keeping his gear clean.
He’d been through so much in his years in the Navy. His life was good, and he was happy for the most part. There were times he wished he’d found someone to spend his life with, but he’d been all in as a SEAL and didn’t have time to make a relationship. It wouldn’t have been fair.
Sure, Sharp had been great for Danika, and Jay and Nichole had a great relationship. Shine and Rowan had made it work. Asher and Squat were perfect together and had worked out well. Apple and Amelia had been together for the shortest amount of time, but they were doing well together, even with the added stress of a kid.
He wasn’t sure he would ever find someone, though. A memory of a girl he’d known surfaced. She was the oneperson he thought he would have had forever with. It hadn’t worked out for them.
If he’d stayed, if his father hadn’t beaten him, if he hadn’t been tossed out, he would have stayed in town. He probably would have worked at the air conditioning factory and eventually asked Elowen to marry him. She would have been the one thing worth staying for. But he’d taken a different route, and this was his life now.
Chapter 3
Danika wasglad the other women agreed to wake up early and go for a hike. The cabin had elevation, not too high, but they were high enough it was chilly. It felt good being outside. She needed to remember to take breaks and get out in nature. They had the beach, which wasn’t a cool forest, but still, she could go down in the mornings or closer to sunset.
“What is that?” Rowan pointed to their left, and they all turned, seeing an animal dart away.
“A deer?” Asher said.
Amelia hugged her arms around her waist. “It’s so beautiful here.”
Nichole raised her arms and spun around. “I love it here.”
“I’m so glad we did this,” Amelia said.
“You’re the reason. Thank you,” Danika said.
Asher shook her head. “I should be thanking you all. I needed this. It has been rough getting to this place.”
Rowan took her hand, and they walked together. “I think it was their loss. You would have made a greatnursing assistant, but they screwed you over, forcing you to choose between taking care of your daughter or working.”
“Yeah. They knew when I could work and when I couldn’t and they hired me to work during the day but then switched me to nights. It sucked.”
Nichole rolled her eyes. “I hate that they did that. But you’re a great realtor. You have closed some great properties in the last two months.”
Amelia laughed. “I know, right? It has been good. I never imagined I would be staying at a cabin like this with my friends.”
“It is gorgeous,” Danika said.
They turned the corner, and they all froze. What was that person doing out here on the path? Was it a man? Short hair, they were tall, and had broad shoulders, but there was something about the person that made Danika think it was a woman.
Elowen loved mornings out here.It was incredibly different from the city. The peace was incredible. She’d just rounded the bend and seen a patch of blackberries. A pie would be amazing. She had a bag in her pocket and began picking blackberries.
She had half a bag picked when she heard people behind her. At first, fear filled her, then she realized it was a group of women and turned around.
They looked surprised, then one of them started laughing. “Sorry. I thought you were a man.”
