“Shit. So much for patient confidentiality,” Red muttered. “I’ll fill Jude in after we drop you off.” He eased the car back onto the road.
Silence settled over the SUV, but her heart was thundering so loudly she was sure the others could hear it. Who would disclose that kind of information, especially to someone who’s not allowed to visit the patient? She’d call the hospital to file a formal complaint. The information shared could put Sully in danger. She replayed the conversation in her head—what she heard of it at least. Bentley had mentioned her too, and by Sully’s reaction it was some disparaging remark. He’d instantly jumped to her defense, but she still worried about what Bentley had unearthed about her past.
She wasn’t trying to keep secrets from Sully, but she wanted it to come from her. Red turned on his directional, taking a left down a long drive centered between two rows of townhomes. Vibrant red hibiscus flowers bloomed alongside stout palms that lined the drive. The car slowed to a stop, and Red shifted the vehicle into park.
“Is there anything we can do to help you get settled?” Red had turned in his seat to face her.
She shook her head, glancing up at Sully who stared straight ahead, and her heart sank.
“We grabbed you some groceries to hold you over.” Thalia offered her a hug before they all exited the SUV. The four of them walked up to the door, and Red insisted on checking the house before they settled in. After thanking them for the ride and the groceries, she walked them to the door and promised to call in the morning.
She found Sully in the living room, leaning into his crutches as he stared at a family photo on the wall. Her stomach dropped as she followed his line of sight to a photograph of his mother, father, four gorgeous girls, and two sunny-haired boys.
She approached, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her cheek into his strong, solid back, offering quiet comfort. They stood there for several moments as she tried to absorb some of the pain she could feel pumping off him in currents.
“I always wanted a brother. Especially with four sisters.” His voice was hoarse. “And when Mom and Dad told us we were going to have a new baby in the family, it was like Christmas morning. I got such a kick out of my role as big brother. I helped Dad scrape all the wallpaper out of the spare room and paint it green. I insisted we had some kind of psychic bond and that green was his favorite color. I went shopping with Mom and the girls for onesies and rattles.” His voice was thick with emotion, and she wished she could do something to ease the emotional toll of his brother’s actions.
“When we were kids, we did everything together. Even though there’s a five-year age gap, he was my best friend. He was always competitive. Never one to lose gracefully. If he came in last at Chutes and Ladders, it was because I cheated. If he got in trouble, something I did inevitably caused it.” He shook his head, and she dropped her arms from around his waist to smooth them up and over his stiff back.
“I wish I could say it hadn’t driven a wedge between us, but by middle school I was spending more time with my football friends then Bentley. Hell, I spent more time with Mary, Liza, Jenni, and Bree. He began getting into more trouble, but he could never take ownership of his actions. He’d always shift the blame, telling my parents it was their fault for loving me and the girls more, for putting me on a pedestal he could never live up to.I hated that he felt that way. Tried to see things from his point of view, but my parents weren’t the type to play favorites. He called me Golden Boy. Still does when he wants to make a point or piss me off. My dad was an Army Ranger, but he was a fair man who expected his children to have good values. Mom has a big heart and was always taking in stray animals. When Dad retired from serving, he wanted Mom to have her dream of owning an animal sanctuary, so we spent the other half of our childhood growing up with donkeys, horses, llamas. You name it, and chances were, it was in our backyard.” He chuckled, but the sound held none of its typical mirth.
She hugged him again, squeezing him a bit harder, and he leaned into her touch, letting her take a bit of his weight. She loved that about him. He would hesitate to share whatever burden he was carrying, whether it was emotional or physical. It made her feel like part of a team. Let her know that Sully trusted her to have his back, just as he would have hers.
“Sorry, I’m rambling now. I’m trying to make sense of everything. I don’t know if it’s jealously, spite, vying for my parents’ undivided attention, or what, but I never thought he hated me. What kind of brother must I have been for my baby brother to hate me?” He used the crutches to help him turn so he was facing her. The devastation on his face made the breath catch in her throat.
She reached up, burying her fingers in the coarse blond beard that had grown during his time in the hospital. “You can’t take responsibility for his actions or his feelings. I can’t pretend to know what that feels like, because I was an only child, but I can imagine it hurts.”
“Yeah.” The breath he seemed to be holding rushed from his lungs. “I keep hoping everything was a big misunderstanding, but I know it’s not. I heard it in his voice on the phone today. The hate. The bitter disappointment that I was discharged.”
“Then we made the right decision coming here. Your focus needs to be on you right now. Healing. Getting back to doing the things you love.” She removed her hands from his face, instantly missing the contact. “Why don’t we sit on the couch so you can get off your leg?”
“I haven’t shown you around.” Sully smiled and the relief that stemmed through her was palpable. He was resilient. His brother wasn’t going to break his spirit.
“I can find my own way around.” She turned and walked toward the couch, hoping he’d follow and not make her beg him to take it easy. “But right now, I’d love to just relax with you.”
“I think that’s nurse code for sit your ass down.”
A laugh burst from her lips. After a somber few minutes, it felt nice to have him joke with her. “Can’t confirm or deny. That would be giving away trade secrets.” She smiled over her shoulder and curled up by the arm of the couch.
He sat beside her, so close that their outer thighs nearly touched.
“You know, Bentley might be blood, but you have two other brothers in all the ways that count. Red didn’t hesitate to swoop in and make sure I had everything I needed at the hospital, just because I was with you. His fear for you when I first spoke to him on the phone was so raw. So intense. And then there’s Jude. I have a feeling he doesn’t show much outward emotion, but his love language is through protecting what and who he considers his.” Sully nodded, fully engaged with what she was saying. It was like that every time she spoke, even if it was nothing important. He always made her feel as though she had his undivided attention.
“I’ve never heard Jude described in that way, but you’re right. He might not be able to show much on the outside, but he will burn down everything in his path to get to someone he cares about. When we were in Mexico, he tracked us so closely it feltlike he was with us.” Sully relaxed into the sofa, resting his head on the back of the chair, gaze still fixed on her face.
He was gorgeous, yet so approachable. His rich, harvest gold eyes were intense but would instantly saturate with warmth when he looked at her. It made her feel special in a way she never had before. Then there was the dusting of freckles over the bridge of his nose, an almost delicate contrast to sharp cheekbones, square jaw, and masculine physique. The air thickened between them as she realized she was staring. His pupils had expanded, darkening his eyes.
“How did you meet?” If her staring didn’t fan his ego, the breathless note in her voice certainly would. “I know you and Red have been on the same team for years, and you were on a team with Iron, but I don’t know how you met Jude.” She was grateful that Sully had the good manners not to call her out for staring.
“Before I knew Red, he was severely injured on a mission. Shot three times in the back. Jude led the SEAL team who got Red out of Sudan. Around that time, my team had a mission that didn’t go as planned, and Iron was sent to the same military hospital. He and Red were roommates on the recovery floor. That’s when I first met Red. I was shocked as hell when nearly five years later, we were assigned together. We happened to be on a mission when Jude’s team was ambushed and were in the right place at the right time to help. Jude and another SEAL were the only survivors. That’s when he got out and started working for the Department of Homeland Security in San Diego. We were stationed in Coronado and stayed friends.”
“You’ve all been through so much.” She let her head rest on the back of the couch, too, mirroring Sully. It felt incredibly intimate to sit together like this, faces angled close, eyes locked. “Have seen and done so many things no one will ever know about. Been under stress and experienced pain most people,including me, can never understand. I want to thank you for all the sacrifices you’ve made, but it feels totally inadequate. I hope you know the world is a better, safer place with men like you, Red, Jude, and Iron in it.”
“You might not be part of the military, but you make the world a better, safer place too. Going into remote areas to offer medical care that would otherwise be inaccessible? Gaining the trust of people you’ve never met? I respect the hell out of that, Jane. I respect the hell out of you.”
She didn’t know what to say. Couldn’t express how much his words and actions meant to her. Before she could try, he lifted his hand toward her face, then paused.
“What is it?” She searched his face and didn’t like the way his forehead wrinkled with uncertainty.
