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Rosie felt like she was glowing from the inside out. Last night had changed everything. The last of Gideon’s walls had come crashing down. It wasn’t just making love, it was everything they’d shared, everything they’d gone through. Together.
When he looked at the boys, he was the big brother Ari had always talked about, laughing, talking, loving, teaching.
And when he looked at her, he was the lover and protector she had always dreamed about, a beautiful, caring, endearing man.
Noah and Jorge raced to them, each holding a tiny baggie of gold flakes.
“Some of it’s pyrite,” Jorge said sagely.
“But some of it’s gold,” Noah said, with excitement.
Gideon ruffled his hair. “Awesome. We’ll have to save it to show your mom. Now let’s take a walk through the redwood loop in the park.”
The boys wanted their pictures taken inside the huge hollow of a tree, and with banana slugs, then on top of a tall tree stump. They wanted pictures of deer and squirrels and a raccoon. Their delight was never ending.
Gideon was endlessly patient, caring, interested. And during the moments the boys rushed ahead, he dropped a kiss on Rosie’s hair, laced her fingers with his, or pulled her close into the shelter of his arm.
It was idyllic. It was a fantasy. It was their new reality.
Then Gideon’s phone pinged. He looked at the text, looked at her. And his gaze turned a dark and stormy blue. “It’s Evan. The guys have some info for us.” He didn’t say Archie’s name. He didn’t have to.
“Good. I want to be done with him. I want him gone for good.” She wanted a new life with Gideon to start right now. She went up on her toes, threw her arms around him. “This has been the best day ever.”
He held her tight. “Tomorrow will be even better.”
It felt like a vow he was making for their future. One she was fiercely determined they would have.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gideon’s arm lay firmly around Rosie’s shoulders when they rang Evan’s doorbell. Jorge hung on Gideon’s hand, while Noah clung to Rosie’s. There could be no doubt in anyone’s mind about exactly where Gideon stood: smack dab in the middle of a family.
His family.
In all the months he’d spent watching Rosie from afar, Gideon’s feelings for her had always seemed like a betrayal of Karmen’s memory. His friend had been good and brave, but he’d never truly allowed his budding feelings for her to grow between them. Maybe it was the place, the war, the fighting, the fear. Maybe it was because he’d been afraid he’d lose her. And his nightmare had become a reality.
He could never make up for failing to keep her from harm, or for losing his men, or for all the pain their families had suffered. But he could keep Rosie and Jorge safe.
He knew in his heart that Karmen would approve.
The scent of freshly baked cookies wafted out as Evan opened the door. “Thanks for coming.” He tipped his head toward the kitchen, smiling. “Paige has been baking again.”
The Mavericks had put out the call for a meeting, and the men were assembled in Evan’s living room, demolishing a large plate of chocolate chip cookies. As Evan had already briefed Paige on the situation, she took the boys into the kitchen so the adults could talk openly without worrying about upsetting them.
Gideon sat with Rosie on the couch, his arm around her. He could see on the other Mavericks’ faces that they’d known all along what Rosie and Jorge meant to him.
They were absolutely everything.
Sebastian spoke first. “It didn’t take long to ferret out your ex’s dirty little secrets. Everything is in this manila folder.”
Rosie opened it, sliding it closer to Gideon so they could both review the information Rafe Sullivan had pulled together. Her eyes were wide, and she was shaking her head by the time they finished reading about the scumbag’s dirty dealings.
Gideon held her hand tightly, securely, lovingly in his, as she looked up at the other Mavericks. “Thank you so much for doing this, you guys.” A slight hitch in her voice betrayed her
emotion.
“Rosie.” Will’s tone was gentle. “You’re Ari’s sister. You’re family. We take care of family.”
The Mavericks were foster brothers, just as Ari, Rosie, and Chi were foster sisters. They understood better than anybody that the bond wasn’t blood. The bond was love.
