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Alarmed, I look to my husband, but Maceo only smiles at the man in question, giving him a bro hug. “Captain Warren, it’s good of you to come. All of you, I’m happy you could make it. Sorry I haven’t made the rounds yet. Been too busy loving on my wife.”
The man Maceo has called Captain hugs him back hard. “Wouldn’t have missed this for the world. I don’t blame you for giving her your undivided attention—she’s a real beauty. Can’t believe you’ve found a woman willing to put up with you. Your parents would be damn proud of you if they were here today.”
Maceo smiles, but I see the hint of sadness in his eyes. I clear my throat. “They’re here, Captain. They’re always with him.”
Captain Warren looks at me with a toothy grin. “Very true, my dear. And please, call me Travis. None of this Captain shit—never been one for titles. Your husband here is like a nephew to me, which makes you my new niece.”
The man seems nice enough and obviously knows Maceo, but he’s a stranger to me, and he’s calling me hisniece. Maceo can feel my uneasiness like a ripple on my skin. “Travis was my dad’s best friend. He led their SEAL team 6. And these guys were part of the original six—Harold, Jax, Mike, and Kevin.”
“Ah,” is all I can manage. I recognize the significance of these men being present for this occasion—it represents his father being part of our special day. I tear up, knowing how touching this must be for Maceo.
“Baby,” Maceo purrs on the top of my head. “It’s okay. This is family. More people to love.” I nod and smile, feeling slightly foolish for being overly emotional in front of these men.
Travis chuckles. “I’d be crying too if it dawned on me that I was married to this asshole,” he says, thumbing Maceo. He pulls out a small leather journal from inside his suit coat and hands it to my husband. “Something your old man left in his locker on base. Your grandmother told me to hold on to it until the time was right to pass it on to you. I’d say the time has come.”
Maceo takes the journal with a shaky hand, running his thumb over the binding. “This was mypadre’sjournal?”
A man behind Travis snorts with amusement. “We use to call it his ‘diary,’ but yeah, journal works too.”
My husband doesn’t seem to know what to say. He swallows loudly when he looks at Travis. “What’s in it?”
“Your father wrote about you and your mom a lot, life as an active SEAL, his hopes and dreams for his life with his family. He started it the day he met your mom in Colombia. Anytime something significant happened, like your birth, he recorded it. Anytime there was a milestone in his relationship with your mother, he recorded it. Anything which struck him as important, he’d write it down,” Travis explains. “You’ll learn you two have a lot in common. Maybe it will help you to feel closer to both your parents.”
Maceo’s knuckles turn white from squeezing the journal tightly. “Thank you,” he croaks, fighting the wave of emotions filling his eyes.
Travis nods, looking equally as emotional. He shakes his head and smiles. “How about we all grab a drink and you can tell us how you two met.”
A wicked smile spreads across Maceo’s face. I elbow him in the ribs, making him double over. “The PG-13 version, hubby.”
Maceo chuckles darkly as we make our way to the bar with his dad’s old team. We freeze when Punk grabs a karaoke microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s come to that special time—bouquet and garter toss. Whoop-whoop! Gauge, if you would kindly take a knee to give Jo a seat. Maceo, you may go in for your prize.”
Well, this should be interesting. My dress is form fitting to mid-thigh, and I forwent underwear to avoid panty lines. It seemed like a smart choice when I was getting ready, but knowing Maceo is about to go down under, I’m regretting my decision. Me being panty-less with a garter on my upper thigh close to my core is an invitation too strong for Maceo to ignore.
“No hands. Teeth only,” Punk adds with a dirty grin.
Fuck you, Punk!
My nostrils flare and I march my butt over to sit on Gauge’s knee. Punk is already giggling like a little kid. He knows exactly what he’s setting up.
“I may need you to rein in your best friend,” I mutter to Gauge.
“Hmm?” he asks with a saccharine smirk. He’s apparently in on this shit show too.
“I’m not going to let my husband go down on me in front of a crowd—with my parents watching,” I hiss under my breath.
Gauge nearly tips us over with his belly laugh. “Please tell me you’re wearing underwear? The man spends a fucking fortune on them for you. And if you’re going commando, you’re screwed or will be—audience or not.”
Butch walks over to the computer with his arm around Candy and switches the music to Marvin Gaye’sLet’s Get It On. I’m definitely done for now. Maceo has a weakness for soulful music when setting the mood.
Blushing hard, I start to sweat. “How in the world did you guys know?”
Maceo is getting hackled by his brothers to start crawling from the other end of the patio to where Gauge and I are seated.
Gauge has to use his free hand to cover his mouth from chuckling. “Punk had his suspicions when he didn’t see the telltale signs poking through your dress.” He shakes his head. “You cost me fifty bucks. I was convinced you wouldn’t have tempted Atlas this much in public.”
I mentally slap myself for being stupid. “It wasn’t intentional. However, public sex is kind of our thing.”
Gauge howls with laughter. “You have no idea how happy my brother is going to be when he sees what’s not underneath.”
