Reese didn’t understand why anyone would make that correlation.“Why?”
“Because he knows Max killed his daughter on Travis’s orders.”
Reese looked at Brantley.He saw surprise on his husband’s face, which offered a modicum of relief.He was fully aware of the phone call Brantley had received while they’d been down in Port Isabel.Knew Max had given them a choice, and Brantley had taken option A—get somewhere that would provide them with an alibi while his man took care of Juliet.But he hadn’t been aware that Travis had played a part in it.
Putting himself in Travis’s shoes, Reese understood.Mostly.He couldn’t fathom ordering the death of anyone, but if someone had taken Brantley from him…
No, Reese couldn’t say what he would be willing to do to avenge his husband’s death.And he prayed to God he would never find out.
She couldn’t believe they were there.
Kylie didn’t move, not wanting to risk waking up if this were a dream because her husbands were there.She could feel their warmth, hear their breaths.It was surreal and a relief.
The nightmare was finally over.
One year, eight months, and twenty-six days.
That was how long it had been since she’d seen her husbands.
That was how long it had been since she’d held her babies.
That was how long it had been since that crazy bitch hit her with her car, and her world was upended because some crazy bastard had a hard-on for justice.At least that was what she’d gathered during her time in captivity.And she’d thought Juliet Prince was psychotic.She had nothing on her biological father.Martin Calloway was a monster.
For most of that time, she’d been confined, kept as a prisoner, refused everything except for her most basic needs.Then Kieran came along and promised to save her from it all, but asked that she give him time.She’d tried arguing with him, insisting that he could do what he needed to do without her.For the first time since she’d been taken, she’d seen actual sympathy in the eyes of one of her captors.He’d promised he would get her home, but insisted this was the only way to protect her family.
Kylie hadn’t needed to hear more than that.The mere thought of her babies being in danger was enough to get her to comply.But the moment her captors attempted to kill her, Kieran had come rushing to the rescue, fending them off and getting her to safety.
“You ready to go home?”Travis asked, his big arms still wrapped firmly around her.
She nodded, not sure her voice would work if she tried to talk.
When he released her, Kylie managed to remain upright.Her knees felt like Jell-O, so she took a second to compose herself.When Travis pulled her against his side and Gage took her hand, she was able to breathe a little easier.They walked like that toward the house, and that was the moment she took her first deep, cleansing breath since the nightmare started all those months ago.
She prayed like hell that it was really over.
Nearly four hours later, Brantley walked intothe house, feeling slightly off-kilter.
How was it possible that everything could change in the blink of an eye?One minute, Kylie Walker was dead, her death mourned by many.The next, she was standing there, breathing.
“You okay?”Reese asked, placing a hand on his arm.
Brantley nodded.“I will be.”
“Let me get Tesha her dinner, then we’ll talk.”
He wasn’t sure what there was to talk about.They’d spent the drive back on their phones, making calls, letting people know what happened.The team was aware thanks to Atticus and Archer sharing the details.His family now knew and would likely be doing whatever they could to get Kylie acclimated to her life again.
He wondered how that would be.Brantley remembered the day he’d come home after being discharged from the hospital.Having spent most of his adult life in the military, he’d been set free to do whatever he wanted.It hadn’t been easy.Then again, he’d never had his choices taken from him.Kylie hadn’t had a say in what happened to her.Would she jump right back in as though she was never gone?
He watched Reese.Not for the first time, he wondered about his husband’s transition back into his normal life after being held captive.Reese rarely shared details of that time in his life, and Brantley chose not to push him.He knew all too well why people compartmentalized the bad shit, and the thought of forcing Reese to relive it wasn’t something he looked forward to.But there was a good chance Reese knew exactly what Kylie was going through.
Those were questions that would have to be answered later.Right now, he wanted to clear it all out for a little while.
Brantley continued to watch Reese in the kitchen, doing the same thing he did every night.Seeing him like that, doing something so mundane, filled him with a sense of peace.At one time, he’d been floundering, not sure which way was up, then Reese Tavoularis walked into his life, and that all changed.Yeah, maybe there were some speed bumps and an influx of chaos from time to time, but there was still peace beneath it all.
Unable to help himself, he walked up behind Reese and put his arms around him.
Reese relaxed against him.
“I love you,” Brantley whispered.
“I love you, too.”
For the moment, that was enough.
