I appreciated his offer, but I needed to do this on my own.
“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary.”
As we neared Jack’s, I saw my father’s car in Jack’s driveway. I might not want Matt’s help, but I appreciated my father’s presence; he wouldn’t let Jack give me too much shit.
And the best part, Dad wouldn’t need words.
But once Dad was gone, all bets were off.
A small part of me wondered if I could use the same threat I’d used when we were kids—if you don’t stop, I’ll tell Dad.
Obviously I could; the words were easy to say. And the threat was real enough.Who knows, maybe sounding ridiculous will lessen the tension.
But I knew I’d never resort to such childish ploys, giving my brothers a reason to doubt my ability to stand up for myself.
Matt parked, killed the engine, and told me to wait. He got out, walked around the hood of the SUV—I couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous he looked—and opened my door.
“Before you say anything, I know I don’t need to open your door, but chances are your father and brother are watching and scanning for threats before letting you exit the car is part of the job.”
I stared at him for a second as several sarcastic thoughts ran through my head, but in the end, I kept my mouth shut.
His acknowledging that I didn’t need his help with my door softened the blow, and I didn’t want to get Matt in trouble.
“Okay.”
He grinned. “Not gonna fight me about it?”
“No, I don’t want to get you in trouble.” Nor did I want my brothers giving me shit for not following the rules.
Playing by the rules doesn’t mean I won’t find a way around them. I had a history of following the rules while working silently behind the scenes to change them.
Mostly it was challenging the Navy’s ‘that’s how we do it’ excuse when it no longer made sense. Outdated and inefficient practices were common, but I wasn’t one to toe the line. I was the sailor who rocked the boat.
“I appreciate that.”
“I suppose you need to walk me to the door, but unless my father or brother asks you to, I don’t need you to come in.”
“As you wish.”
I wondered if he knew he’d quoted the hero from one of my favorite movies about a princess and a dread pirate.
Probably not.
Jack opened the door as we approached. His eyes scanned me from head to toe before he pulled me into a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks, Jack. “
“Robinson, you have a minute?”
“Sure thing, boss.”
He said he didn’t want to get into trouble, yet he seemed to like pushing my brother’s buttons.
“Hey, Dad.”
I was about to tell him he hadn’t needed to wait for me, but he was holding Natalie and it was clear he was enjoying time with his granddaughter. I convinced myself that was the reason he’d stayed.
“Madi!” Meg rushed over and pulled me into a tight hug.
