Laura grinned at me. “Something, or someone?”
I raised my brows, trying not to smile when he came to mind. But I was finding that impossible to do. “Someone. And he needs me, whether he wants me or not.”
Her expression changed, and I could see her trying to read between the lines. “Who wouldn’t want you? You’re the best.”
I raised a brow. “Your mother, for one.”
Laura went wide-eyed. “Touché, but she doesn’t count.”
When we were together, Carrie didn’t want to be a military wife. Much less one of a SEAL who disappeared in the middle of the night and might not come home. She wanted stability for our daughter, and when she met Richard, he gave her what she needed. Now she had an accountant and our daughter.
“Is that all you’re going to tell me? There’s more to the story than you’re letting on.”
I looked at the young woman who had become my best friend and gave in. “His name is Brent. He’s thirty-five, and a former SEAL. He works for EHM as well.”
She stared at me while I squirmed. Some tough commander I was when one look from my kid had me folding like a house of cards.
“You love him, Dad?”
I ran my hands over my head and looked up at the ceiling. I could deny this until my dying day, but what was the point? What would that get me? So I told her the truth. “Yes, I love him. We met a while back in Vegas…”
I paused. Was I going to tell her when I was pretty sure he didn’t know?
But my daughter, who loved a salacious story, beat me to it. “You got married, didn’t you?”
I covered my face and sighed when she laughed at me.
“It’s not funny,” I insisted. “It’s serious. And he doesn’t know.”
If I thought that was going to get her to stop laughing, I was wrong. She only laughed more. So I waited her out.
“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be laughing, but that’s some drama TV shit right there.”
“I know,” I sighed, scrubbing my hands over my face. “It’s a mess.”
When she got her laughter under control, I looked at her. “You see why I have to go to Portland? I have to at the very least get divorced.”
“Is that what you want? A divorce?”
I shook my head. “No. I want to try to make a go of this thing. He’s charming in a frat boy kind of way, funny, and sweet. And the attraction is unreal.”
She curled her lips in, but it didn’t hide her smile. “It’s okay, Dad. Go to Portland and turn on the charm. You’ll have him falling for you in no time.”
I grunted, not so sure it would be that simple.
She opened her arms, and this time I walked into hers for the hug.
The next morning, I loaded up my truck for the drive to Portland.
Needing some time to put things into perspective, I decided to take the Pacific Coast Highway and enjoy the beauty of the ocean. The thirteen-hundred-mile drive gave me time to figure out where to start and how best to handle all this with Brent. But when GQ called nine hundred miles in, the picture got very clear.
“Something has come up, and I need some surveillance.”
“Okay. Give me the details.”
I heard his chair move back. “Greer Rowan is being sued by a former player. His attorneys contacted me about checking the guy out. I’m going to send Dreamboat with you. He and Daredevil forcefully helped the former player leave the stadium. It’s a miracle they aren’t suing me.”
I chuckled, understanding what he meant. “I bet they enjoyed that.”
