Fucking gorgeous. If there was anywhere to go to heal, it was Amber Ridge.
“She stole your burrito?” Jesse asked, beer in his hand.
“Swiped it from right under my nose,” Becket confirmed. “I have successfully picked up terrorists sneaking up on me. Once, I even saw an asshole in the bushes five hundred meters away in open terrain without gear. Yet Bella’s able to steal my burrito from the middle console while she’s in the back seat. She’d be a better soldier than all of us.”
Noah laughed, and damn, it felt good to laugh with his cousins. “How does that happen?”
“Sky was on speaker, so I got distracted. I found the wrapper under the passenger seat when I got home.”
The guy was a former Navy SEAL, trained to have the best tactical awareness in the world. But one phone call from his woman and he missed a dog eating his food.
“But…I wasn’t even mad,” Becket said, lifting his beer to his mouth. “I said ‘well done,’ and then I went and bought a taco.”
Noah shook his head. “You’re becoming a softy.”
“Tell me about it.” Becket looked at him. “We’ve been doing all the talking. What about you, Noah?”
“Whataboutme?” He was deflecting because he didnotwant to talk about himself.
“How are you doing being home?” Jesse asked, all hints of humor leaving his eyes. “The transition back into civilian life isn’t easy.”
He glanced down at the beer in his hands. “Truth?”
“Always,” Becket said.
“It’s been tough. I’m here, but I don’t alwaysfeellike I’m here. I thought being away from the military would…unchain me from certain memories.”
Jesse leaned forward. “I know that feeling. When you live on the edge of danger for long enough, your nervous system takes time to find peace.”
Time…was that all he needed?
“It took me at least a year to feel like I could sleep without waking every hour,” Becket agreed.
They said it with such ease. But then, they didn’t know the details of his last mission or why he’d left his team. Andthatwas imprinted so deeply inside him it would be there forever.
His gaze moved over the mountains. “I loved my time in the Marines but sometimes…sometimes I feel angry that I signed up.”
He’d never said those words out loud before. He’d barely allowed himself tothinkthem. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe because it was honorable to be a soldier. To fight for your country. So feeling anything but proud felt taboo.
“I’ve been there,” Jesse said quietly.
“Same,” Becket agreed. “The military changes you, and there are moments where that change doesn’t feel for the better.”
So it wasn’t just him.
“It helps to move,” Becket added. “Running or an hour with a bag does a world of good for your mental health. Have you tried the new gym? It’s called The Pit, and the owner is former UFC.”
“Colt told me about it, but I haven’t gone.”
“You should.”
Becket was right. Noah worked out every day, but he hadn’t hit a bag in too long. “Thanks. Now, onto a different topic, why haven’t I seen you guys on my zip line?”
Both of them laughed.
An hour later, the guys were leaving, Jesse getting ready for his evening shift at the station and Becket going home to Sky and Bella.
He was just closing the door when his phone vibrated with a text.
