“Not a whole lot.” A damn lie. A hell of a lot had been going through his head since returning to Misty Peak.
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
“Fine. Right now, I’m watching people and thinking about what a fucking lie it all is.”
Cody swung a rag onto his shoulder as he straightened. “What are you talking about?”
“People put on a show to make others think they’re one way, when they’re really not. Rich. Confident.” His gaze flicked to the redhead’s fake smile. “Interested.”
“How many beers have you had?”
Too many. He already felt them going to his head.
“If we’re gonna talk about honesty,” Cody started slowly, “I have a question for you.”
Why did Jace suddenly not want to hear it? He took a swig of his beer. “Shoot.”
“Why are you home? You were only in the Air Force for fifteen years. You had plenty of years left to give and gave up your retirement benefits.”
He shook his head, gaze lowering to his beer. “Nope. I had none. Zero. I was done and I needed to get out.”
“Why?”
His brows pulled together as a memory flashed in his head. One he tried to chase away every damn day, but it returned. “I lost someone.” Something he seemed to be pretty damn good at.
For a moment, his brother was quiet. “A teammate?”
“Yeah. He was young. The newest member of our team. Had his whole life ahead of him.” And Jace could have saved him. He hadn’t.
“Shit. I’m sorry, Jace. But he knew what he was signing up for. It’s special operations. It’s dangerous.”
Yeah, but he also expected his team to have his back.
Jace tightened his fingers around his beer and threw back the last of it before pushing the empty bottle across the bar. “Don’t forget, you left early too.”
Cody took the empty bottle and replaced it with a new one. “You know why I left. Dad was sick and Nylah needed help.”
Yeah, their father. Another fucking loss. They seemed to follow him everywhere.
Jace’s gaze shifted back to the guy with the fake watch. He stood a bit closer to the redhead now, and when he smiled, his teeth were so white they had to be veneers.
“You spent much time with Elle since coming home?” Cody asked, drawing his attention back to him.
He’d seen her every day, and every day, he felt the same thing. A kick in the gut at the sight of those gray eyes. Tightness in his chest at the sound of her voice.
“She’s so fucking beautiful.” The words slipped from his mouth, and he was completely incapable of pulling them back. It had to be the beer. “Her eyes, her hair. The way her brows pinch together when she’s angry.”
A grin curved Cody’s lips. “You should tellherthat.”
He took another swig of his beer. “I hugged her last week and it just messed with me.Shemesses with me.”
“Tell me again why you never dated?”
So many fucking reasons, none of which he could properly vocalize. “Because she’s Elle Marshal. She’s the woman who could light up a fucking stadium, and she doesn’t even realize it.She’s the heart and the calm and the reason you take a second look.”
“Yeah, and you’re Jace Walker. You’re pretty badass yourself.”
Jace scoffed.
