Holden was another member of their Ghost Ops team, and he’d always been the closest to Jesse, so that wasn’t a surprise. “It will be good for you two to spend time together, after everything.”
“It will. You should visit if you get a chance.”
“I definitely will.”
Jesse paused. “Are you still doing okay?”
“Better than I should be, thanks to Callie and my brothers. You?”
“Yeah. I’m still angry. And the hurt…shit, it’s hard to take. But I’m not gonna let his betrayal change me.”
“Good. None of us should.”
“I was thinking about the mission where we eliminated Malone. It was Antwan who took the kill shot when Malone reached for his weapon.”
Lock had been thinking about that too. “So he couldn’t talk.”
There’d been clues, but no one had seen them.
Aspen stepped back into the room and handed out coffees. “Here you go.”
Something glinted in Jesse’s eyes when he took the mug from her.
What was going on between those two?
The bedroom door opened, and Lock turned his head to watch Callie step out.
She smiled and said hi to Jesse before heading into the kitchen, where Aspen had returned. The women immediately hugged and started talking.
A phone on the coffee table lit up. The cover was pink and fluffy, definitely not Callie’s cell. Aspen must have set it down on her way to the kitchen.
Jesse leaned forward and read whatever was on the screen. Anger immediately darkened his features.
“Everything okay?” Lock asked.
Jesse’s gaze shifted to Aspen in the kitchen, then back. He lowered his voice. “It’s her ex. He’s…a problem.”
“What kind of a problem?”
Jesse’s jaw clicked. “The kind I want her far away from.”
“Is your dad still freaked out?”
Callie cringed at Aspen’s question as she wrapped her fingers around the hot mug of coffee. “Freaked out is an understatement. He calls every day, and when he’s not calling, he’s coming over in person. And if he can’t reach me, he starts callingotherpeople.”
“Because he loves you and you were in danger.”
“I know. But I’m okay. Better than okay. I’m pregnant with a healthy baby. I’m in love. And I’ve just reopened my studio after weeks of no classes. I’m doing really well.”
Aspen lifted a shoulder. “So remind him of that every time you talk to him.”
“I will. A part of me kind of likes that he’s calling so often. I get to check in on him at the same time.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Really well. He’s so strong. He never lets anything get to him.” And she’d decided that from here on out she was going to be more optimistic about his diagnosis. Her father was a fighter. He’d do everything he could to stay healthy, and she’d do everything she could to help him. She was determined to enjoy every last year she had with him.
“That’s where you get it from.”
