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Willie is one of our guys. Well, technically, he was our Lieutenant Colonel. And is currently our connection to MARSOC. When we all left, he was the one who came to us with a proposition. A proposition we agreed to without a second thought. No questions, no hesitancy, no delays. Department of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy, and who-the-fuck-ever step in to take care of the details, and we do the mission.
So, him calling in thirty means something is up. Something that requires briefing the four of us.
“Fuck.” I scrub a hand down my face.
“Exactly.”
There’s no time to question further when my phone rings with Harley’s morning call. “Baby—”
“You’re upset.”
“I’m fine. Rough night, but it’s over.”
“Did you get shot at, chased, threatened, or hit on?”
I chuckle lightly at the last part. “None of the above.”
“Just bad shit?”
“Bad shit,” I confirm.
“Do you need me?”
The answer is yes, but she has to work, and even though she can set up in the space in my room, there’s Willie’s call to deal with.
“I always need you, but I’m good. Got a few things to handle, then gonna crash for hours.”
“You’re not heading to the gym?”
“Running then bringing you lunch.”
“Right… soooo…” she trails off in a way that rouses my already hyper-alert mind. “My mom asked me to lunch.”
“Cool, hang with her. I’ll be over around six to drive you to Tom’s. You’re at my place tonight.”
“Well, that’s not all,” she stalls.
“Harley, what’s up?”
“We’re solid, right? Like super solid, more than the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, volcano rock, and the price of the fall collection of Louboutins?”
I don’t even know what the fuck that is.
“Baby, get to the point. I don’t even know what a Louboutin spring collection is.”
“Fall collection! And it’s fabulous with a price tag that rivals anything else. They don’t budge on their pricing. It’s solid.”
Well, shit, I’ll need to learn about this lo-bu-ton and find out what she wants in this collection. “We’re more solid than that.”
She exhales loudly. “Okay, your mom calledmymomandsetupadateforlunchtodaybecauseshe’sgoinginsanewithouthearingfromyou.”
I hear her but swallow hard again, attempting to drive down my irritation. “What the fuck?”
“My mom…” she explains, and I cut her off.
“I get it, but what the fuck? Mom knows better than that.”
“She says you’re dragging your feet on planning a lunch.”
“She’s playing dirty trying to force my hand on this.”
“Didn’t you talk to her last week?”
“Through text. She asked me again to meet up, and I told her we’d plan something.”
“And then you didn’t follow through.”
“It’s only been a week.”
“Sweetie,” her tone is gentle, and I know what she’s about to say before she says it. “You’ve been back in town a lot longer than a week. She’s your mom. She is curious about your life. And she knows you’ve made amends with Pete, so she’s impatient.”
“Christ,” I gripe.
“I’ll cancel.”
“No, keep the plans, and I’ll be there.”
“You will? Don’t you need to sleep?”
“I’ll pick you up at eleven-thirty. Choose a place that serves more than salads.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in a few hours. Love you.”
I grunt my response before disconnecting. “Lunch with my fucking mom today.”
“Picked up on that. Cunning play. First your dad waylays you; now your mom’s sneak attack on Harley.”
“My family is a pain in the ass.”
He lets out an exaggerated laugh, his amusement grating on my nerves.
“They better not make this a fucking habit.”
“You don’t have to tell me about pains in the ass. Remember, I have two sisters—that adds to four people always wanting to know my business.”
I grunt again, this time less irritated. Ford’s sisters are exactly like little mother hens. Always in his business.
“Ace, you forgave them, right?”
“There wasn’t anything to forgive, but essentially, yes, I let them know it was all good.”
“You are back in the same town, with a new career and a new woman. A woman they adore. Be prepared for more ambushes in your future.”
“Fuck. Between Harley working two jobs and me working mostly nights, now I have to add my parents in the mix?”
“Looks like it.”
“I’m taking her away. As soon as we get time off, we’re off the grid.”
“You have that wing of the house to yourself, and you already demanded she practically move in.”
“A few drawers and closet space doesn’t mean she’s moved in.”
“Just saying, you may want to save that cash for the house. When you do finally tell her, depending on if she kicks your ass, she’s likely to go wild.”
He drives through the neighborhood and pulls into his regular spot on the outside of the other three trucks.
I hop out, looking across the back, and seeing the piece of land I’m buying in the distance. All four of us purchased a lot from Ford’s dad when he offered. I’m the only one who’s actually thinking about building soon.
The thought flees when the back door opens and Major’s steely expression brings me back to the dark cloud hanging.
