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“That’s Laila.” Madison smiled.
“Yep. I’m still not convinced Trees knew what he was getting into when he married her.”
“From everything I saw, he did.”
Nash shrugged. “The fact Haisley is also a redhead really revs my motor. Is there anything I can do to persuade her to even talk to me?”
“Unless you can shrink a foot, probably not.”
“I’m too tall?” He looked lovably confused.
“I’ve already said too much.” She tried to distract him by peering into the refrigerator and taking stock. “How about a frittata? You’ve got some cooked chicken, tomatoes, spinach, cheese, and eggs…”
“Sure. That sounds…really healthy.” His tone said he wasn’t pumped.
“Too many vitamins for you? I thought all you He-Man types followed strict diets.”
“Most of the other guys are good at that. Even my brother’s taste buds have grown up since getting married. Me?” He shrugged. “I still like a good drunken two a.m. Taco Bell run. What can I say?”
“Ah, the good old days…”
Nash sobered. “You’ve been missed since you went to DC.”
“I’ve missed everyone.” So much that, when she’d been married to Todd, she’d fantasized about hopping on a plane to return home for more of the revelry-with-her-girl-gang weekends she’d once taken for granted. But she’d known that was impossible with social media and the press watching every move she made now that she was a Pershing. And she’d always been afraid she would run into Matt. If he’d even looked at her, she feared she would have been too weak to say no. “They’re all doing well?”
“Yeah. The bosses have really gotten their shit together. We’re a more cohesive team. One-Mile still goes out on missions, but he’s spending most of his time doing secret shit the bosses won’t explain and teaching the other guys, especially some of the newer ones you haven’t met, the tricks of his trade. None of us will ever be snipers of his caliber. He’s got a great eye and fucking nerves of steel, but Brea has been really good for him.”
“Softened him up?” she asked, plucking the ingredients for dinner from the fridge and making herself at home in his kitchen.
“I wouldn’t say that. More social. A little.” Nash smiled. “It’s progress. Zy and Tessa are ridiculously in love. I poke fun at the guy all the time because he’s always thinking about his wife. And kids, too. He’s a great dad.” Suddenly, he winced. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I know you two…”
Did everyone know? “It’s fine. That was a long time ago, and it didn’t mean anything. He and Tessa are great together, and I’m happy for them.”
“You’re amazing. Really. And for what it’s worth, I think Matt is being an idiot.”
Madison couldn’t talk about it. After having his hands on her and his body against hers last night, she was still too sensitive to sort through her feelings. Knowing that he’d passed her off and walked away again, even if it was for her own safety, left her feeling incredibly raw.
She tried to shrug off Nash’s concern. “I’m not it for him. That’s not a new phenomenon for me.”
“I think you are, but you don’t want to talk about it. I get it.”
“I really don’t.” She began mixing things in the first appropriate pan she found.
“What are your plans once you get free of Todd and his family?”
“I don’t know.” Staying alive and one step ahead of the Pershings had been far more critical since escaping DC than deciding what came next. “I have to think about my dad. I’m hopeful that he’ll go into remission—God willing—and I’ll have the chance to take care of him until he’s back on his feet. Then I’ll figure out what’s next. How about you?”
“I’m pretty set. I love what I do. I’m an adrenaline junkie from way back. Couple of weeks ago, a bunch of us got together to practice our HALO jumps.”
“HALO jumps?”
“High altitude, low open. You know, jumping from a plane at, like, forty thousand feet and free falling before pulling your chute open at the last possible second and gliding down to a rough-as-fuck landing.”
Madison gaped. “That sounds insane. You think that’s fun?”
“Yeah. Hell of a good time.”
She wondered if Matt had gone, too, but bit back the question. Even though she intended to end her marriage to Todd, Matt’s life was still none of her business. “If you say so.”
