“Thank you. I’ll remember that.”
Willa’s history with men hadn’t been the best. Being with Cy was already so different from anything she’d experienced before. He hadn’t given her a set of rules to follow before meeting his friends. He also hadn’t told her what she should wear. The get-together was outside at a park, and he just said to dress comfortably and wear sunscreen. It was so different from what she’d known before. Robert expected her to be a prop to make him look good.
Everything she’d experienced with Cy surprised her. She imagined that if they stayed together, there would be a lot more surprises coming her way.
25
Willa had no idea there were this many SEALs in the Navy. And from what Thario said shortly after they arrived, it wasn’t even a tenth of the guys in the program. They came in all sizes, but all of them were fit. Cy was tall, but there were a few guys who were almost a foot shorter than he was. One guy looked small, like skinny as a rail, but from what she’d seen when he climbed up a tree like it was walking up a gentle slope, he was all muscle.
“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” Calla asked.
“Amazing. I never even thought about the military, and certainly not guys in a group like this.”
Calla pointed to the parking lot. “Looks like more have arrived.”
She glanced over and swore she recognized one of the women. “Is that Bree?”
Calla turned to glance over. “Yeah, that’s Bree. She’s with Smiley.”
“She came to the police station with me. I had no idea.”
“Go say hello.”
She gave Calla a quick hug before heading over to say hello to Bree. A sense of awkwardness filled her as she approached Bree. She hoped the woman didn’t think she was stalking her.
“Bree,” Willa called out when she was about ten feet away.
Bree turned, and shock played out on her face. Before Bree could say hello, Cy was there, his hand on her back.
“Smiley, Kevlar, it’s good to see you.”
“Hey, Cy,” one of the guys pulled Cy into a hug.
“Willa, I didn’t know you were with Cy.” Bree pulled her close, giving her a tight hug.
“He was at the bar when Robert came in. He stopped Robert from assaulting me that night.”
Bree held her at arm's length, her smile wide. “Of course he did. He’s a good one. I’m glad you’re here. I was going to call you on Monday and check in.”
“Thank you. I’m good for now. Robert was in jail for a while, then got out, but he should be back behind bars soon.”
“Good. And I’m glad you’re with Cy. He’ll keep you safe. Come on, I want you to meet a few friends.”
Cy squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll be here talking to these guys. Go with Bree, she’s safe.”
She nodded. “Sure, and thank you.”
Cy winked and then gave her a hug before Bree pulled her away. The number of people Bree knew was impressive. She met a bunch of women. There was no way she would remember all of their names. There was Kelli, Addison, Josie, and Remi who she’d already met, then there was Caroline, Piper, and Avery. Keeping up with all the people seemed impossible.
“Don’t worry about names. They know there are a lot of people to remember.”
Willa nodded and was about to say something when Bree squealed and waved at someone.
“You have to meet Melody. Come.”
Bree pulled her along behind her. She passed by Cy, who smiled and waved as they went. Loads of people said hello to Bree as they passed. It was impressive and intimidating.
“Bree, it’s good to see you.”
