“Because Daddy spoils Mama, you know that, but he worries. She loves the water. Always has. She still swims daily, but she isn’t the strongest open-water swimmer. So, Daddy bought a beach house and put in a pool. That way, when he was deployed, he wasn’t imagining her drowning in the ocean.”
“So, she didn’t get in the ocean when he was gone?”
Walker burst out laughing. “If that’s what you think, you don’t know Vivian Holt very well.”
I smirked. I loved Aunt Viv. She was a firecracker. A perfect example of a modern southern belle, but rile her up, and she’d let loose a hellstorm the likes of which would make demons cower.
“The pool was peace of mind. Daddy’s job was to protect a nation and the world from evil, but to do so, he had to leave his family unprotected.”
“I wouldn’t say y’all were unprotected. Aunt Viv is badass.”
“She is. Daddy made sure of it. She can move like a trained operator and shoot better than some snipers I know, but that doesn’t mean Daddy didn’t feel guilty for not fulfilling his duty as a husband and father.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“Have you heard from him?”
I shook my head, taking a pull from the beer bottle.
“And you’re worried…”
I tilted the mouth of the beer bottle at him in agreement.
“You realize…”
“Yeah, I do, but it’s been a week of radio silence. They shipped them out like there was some huge crisis somewhere, yet there’s nothing on the news.”
Walker sat a bucket of beer on the table before me. He cleaned up all the empties before coming back. He pulled out a chair and sat a couple of glasses and an enormously large bottle of whiskey between us.
“Is this where the party is?”
My head swiveled. Brock’s large frame strode through the house, followed by Adam. Looking back at Walker, I asked, “What did you do?”
“I did what needed to be done. You need a support group. Since I know you won’t reach out to the FRG, I’m creating you one of your own with people you already know and trust.”
Brock pulled me out of my chair and wrapped me in his arms. “Doing this on your own… Yeah, not smart. There’s nothing forcing you to hide, so cut that shit out and lean on us, brother. We’re here for your stupid ass, even if you did saddle us with another jarhead.”
He pushed me out of his embrace, holding me at arm’s length, his eyes cataloging my features. He nodded, smacked the side of my face, then moved to a chair at the patio table that had been my home lately.
Adam stopped next to me. He was the strong, silent type. We’d gotten close during the years I worked alongside him and Brock. They’d taught me so freaking much, and I envied them their relationship.
“I’m not going to bust your chops, but this burden isn’t one you can bear on your own. You have to surround yourself with people who know what it’s like to live it. If you aren’t reaching out, expect Brock and me to show up at the door. The doc, too. Margot had a swim meet this weekend, or he’d be here.”
My lips twitched at the pride I heard in Adam’s voice. He loved his buddy Carson and Roman’s little girl like she was his own. When Adam and Brock came to live in Texas after joining Holt, Margot had become a regular visitor to the ranch.
“How’s she doing?”
“Kicking ass and taking names, as always.”
I smiled but didn’t need a mirror to tell it was half-hearted at best.
Adam pulled me aside and stood in front of me. His legs spread, and his arms folded across his chest. He was nearly half a foot shorter than me, but he had big dick energy going for him, and his presence took up much more space than his physical appearance did.
“You don’t have to hide like we did back in the day, so don’t. It’s difficult being the one sitting at home waiting and worrying. Fucking Brock outed us to the team because he was trying to hold his shit together on his own. Luckily, the guys we served with didn’t care how or who a person got their rocks off with, and we didn’t get booted out of the service. What I’m saying is call. When the stress gets to you, or you’re pacing the house in the middle of the night because the nightmares won’t leave you be, you pick up the damn phone. Any one of us will take that call no matter what time it comes in.”
My throat thickened, and my eyes and nose caught fire. Knowing I would be able to respond without letting him on to how touched I was, I gripped his arm, squeezing it.
“Damn, dude, you might need to lay off the iron,” I joked to further cover up the turn my emotions took.
