Grant chuckled. “Relax. Everyone waited for you to wake up.”
They walked into the kitchen to see Echo in different parts of the room, with Seth peering out the back window. The members of Artemis were busy setting up for dinner.
Iona grabbed plates from the cabinet and set them on the dining room table. Violet made napkins out of paper towels andset one beside each plate. Teagan pulled glasses from the cabinet and set them on the other side of the plates. Rayne used the pizza cutter on each pizza. Riley filled a large bowl with ice and filled each glass. Soft drinks and bottles of water were in the center of the table.
Iona glanced up, saw him, and smiled. “You’re awake.”
“Barely. So we’re having a party?”
“That’s right. We’re celebrating your survival.”
He blinked. “Okay.”
“If you don’t feel up to eating pizza, you better speak up.” Violet looked at him critically. “We’d rather you didn’t barf, buddy.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Sit down before you fall down.” Noah pulled out a chair for him. “What would you like to drink?”
“Water.” He hadn’t had enough, and he could tell.
“You’ve got it.” His teammate selected a bottle of water, cracked the seal, and handed him the bottle.
Elias downed half of the water before he came up for air. Man, that was good.
Iona picked up a plate. “Does it matter what kind of pizza I choose for you?”
“Nope. I’m not a picky eater. The Army drummed that out of me.”
“Same,” his teammates said in unison.
The women laughed. But it was the truth. You couldn’t be picky in the military or you’d starve until your next meal. They’d learned fast anything was better than MREs.
Iona headed for the breakfast bar, where pizza boxes covered the surface. She loaded his plate with one piece from each box and set the plate in front of him. “Need anything else?”
“Not until my plate is empty.”
She grabbed another plate and placed two pieces on top. After setting her plate beside his, Iona went back for a bowl of salad.
He’d planned to make a joke about the women eating salad, then realized the rest of his teammates were also eating salads. Is that what happened when you got married? You started eating green stuff that resembled the weeds that came out of his yard?
He kept his mouth filled with pizza so he wouldn’t stick his foot in it and offend the women of Artemis.
When they’d polished off the pizzas, Iona and Violet brought out tall glasses, vanilla ice cream, and root beer. His eyes widened. “Root beer floats? I haven’t had one of those since I was a kid.”
“Then you’re missing out, and it’s time we rectified that.”
“Sounds good to me.” Iona made his float and brought it to him along with a long-handled spoon. “Thanks.”
“Let me know if you want another one.”
Soon, the floats were gone, and the table was cleared. Elias knew he couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer when Seth turned to him and said, “Let’s hear it, and your explanation better be good.”
He looked at each of his teammates and their women, then looked at his own and couldn’t say a word. They wouldn’t understand. None of them came from the background he had.
“We’re waiting for an explanation.” Noah folded his arms across his chest. “But I bet I can make your argument for you. Does it go something like this? ‘I didn’t want to tell you because the assignment’s too dangerous. You’re married and deserve a happy life. Besides, I can handle things on my own.’ How am I doing?”
Elias huffed. “Nailed it.”
