Kateri shakes her head.
I agree but need to know. “Where were you, Anton, and did anyone tell Adrian?”
“VP Mase tell Boss Adrian and Pres Maverick. We fly to laser tag.” Anton is cute.
“I bet laser tag is fun at night.”
The littlest guy is nodding like crazy. “Are you Pax?”
“I Pax Ford, Space IT tech.” He looks about four.
I nod and look at the next boy that looks about seven. “Lance Ford, Space IT.”
“Nice to meet you. Do you live in the tree house by the lake?” They have a compound to die for. I love the tree house but never would have seen it if Josephine hadn’t pointed it out.
Pax tells me all about his treehouse, I guess there’s more than one, I saw the bridge but only one house up there.
§*§*§
The night was good and Hud had his hand on me all night like he needs the contact. When we get to the Sentinel gate Mase goes to the chopper pad and we go to Rescue. I wave to Kateri who is always sweet, quiet and very smart. Nataliasaid she doesn’t know how smart she is. I see it. She follows all kinds of conversations and asks questions that show her understanding. Tonight, she got Chara thinking about Seamus’s ramp that changes from stairs. Since we’re going back to Sentinel, I’m going to ask Alder about tracking on the chair so the ramp shows when he’s in the chair like the doors opening for him when he’s in it. Keylan would know, or Anchor, or Racks, damn, they all would know, I bet. I still would need Alder’s okay to do it.
“Penny for your thoughts but I don’t have a penny. Can’t remember the last time I held one.”
I laugh but he’s got a point. “I have a full bottle of pennies.”
“I know. The glass five-gallon bottle is like an old water cooler. It’s almost full. I didn’t say saw one, held one is different.” He sees everything.
“Yeah. I was thinking about the ramp. I can code it but need permission from Alder.”
He slows for the gate to be opened. “Bet it will be done when you get back to Honor.”
That’s true. If it’s not I’ll do it. “Whatcha betting?”
He flips his visor up and I do the same so the Brother sees me. We get nodded through. “Bet you a dollar in pennies.”
I laugh squeezing him a little tighter. “You’re on.” I’m asking Alder to hold the job for me to do when I get home. I’ll even tell him why.
The house here is comfortable with an office and Havoc’s bedroom that has the K9’s chosen pictures. Hud said his bathroom is outside but I thought he was kidding or playing on the words but there’s a square of grass that gets washed and a little red fire plug that Havoc pees on. I asked if it’s red because it can’t put a house fire out and had to explain the color coding for the fireplugs. Red is 499 or less, orange 600-999, green1000-1499 and blue 1500 gallons per minute or higher. I asked nothing else because dog’s bathrooms are the kind of crazy that’s deep set. The kitchen and living room are decent sized but the patio out back is what I like most. There’s a fire pit table and the deck is screened in which will make nights outside perfect.
He thought it was crazy for me to know gallons per minute color coding and I think it’s crazy for him to talk about dog bathrooms like it’s normal to anyone outside of the Badass universe. It’s a very strange world but the world I fell into and have come to love with my Bosses under four feet and dogs that can spell better than some enlisted men I’ve met all being topped by flying, reading and disappearing people. The one thing that makes this universe the place I’ll die is my new husband with the icy gray eyes, thick, light brown hair that’s disheveled by a definite curl he gets cut off a month past military regulation and that square jaw that gives him a classic old movie character look.
Something changed… “Oh.”
He chuckles bouncing his hand up and down until I sit up and take it. “Where were you?” He sounds amused.
“How long were we sitting here?” I should be embarrassed but I’m not.
He stands but doesn’t start walking. He sits on the bike sideways and pulls me closer. I’m glad we’re in the garage but think being in the garage is what makes this odd. I lean into him for the hug. “I was thinking about the Badass universe and how I’ll take the crazy because I love my job that feels like I’m taking care of family, my Bosses that are under four foot, the capable dogs that are better soldiers than I was and you’re here. You’re everything I never dreamed of because …,” uhhmmm, “because I never had a family and you’re a beauty in all ways.”
“Beauty?”
I smile at the not so Canadian Canadian. “Handsome, drop dead gorgeous, Shoresy, in more than looks. It’s looks,intelligence, skill, compassion, cool.”
His hand goes up. “This is real? My mum called mebeautat ball games.”
I nod. “It’s the same thing; you were a good player?”
“Yeah, I was scouted for football and college basketball. I’m not tall enough to be anything more than an average player and I never went for the bulk up shit the coaches pushed.”
