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Jake snorted where he sat – and then leaned forward to gingerly touch Max’s shoulder.
“When you’re ready to humble the man, I’ve got a few ideas.”
“Hey! Not you, too, Ortega.”
“Ain’t nothing like a little humility to straighten a man up.”
“You don’t have a humble bone in your body.”
“Oh yes, I do. I’ve been humbled a lot lately, and while it’s not fun in the slightest… having your life flash before your eyes, meeting someone who deserves so much better than you, and realizing she’s picked you anyhow, along with learning they are your soulmate. Yeah, it’s really humbling.”
Lena didn’t say a word, just resting her head on his shoulder as he kissed her hair. Surprisingly enough – Gideon and Max both grew silent, each of them staring out the window deep in thought.
“Jill, babe, can we swing by the airstrip?”
“Of course. Do we have another soldier coming?”
“I’m out of cabins… so I hope not. I guess I need to get that fourth cabin ready eventually – just in case.”
“Who are we picking up?” Jill asked, looking openly surprised. “There’s not much room in the van and…”
“We’re grabbing Lena’s sister, Cajun, his son, Beau, – and my friend, Logan.”
Lena and Jake looked at each other, sharing a stunned smile of awareness. Her sister was coming – along with the man that set Jake on this path here. It was so fitting, so wonderful, and she couldn’t imagine a better surprise wedding gift than this.
* * *
Hours later, there was so much going on around them that Lena felt slightly overwhelmed. Her sister, Shelby, was talking about her relationship with Deacon and his impish son, Beau… who was apparently into everything.
Logan was openly sharing, talking, and making the guys wince as well as laugh as they talked about their time in Ghazni. While it was wonderful – it was also a strange reminder as to how they both got here. Jake had been refused a pen pal by this man who was talking with him and Max Collins. Apparently, he knew Gideon’s sister as well, and it was like half of them there were settling into their lives while others were obviously still having problems adjusting.
Max sat as far from Daphne as possible – and talking to Christina, which only served to put Gideon on edge. She hoped that the couples found their places, realized that the person they had been partnered up with wasn’t an enemy or a threat, but rather a chance at having a friend they had never imagined.
“Okay… who’s ready?” Jill said excitedly – and Jake nodded.
“Ready for what?”
“We’re gonna cut the cake, right?”
“There’s a wedding cake?”
“Nope.”
“But you just said…”
“Was there a wedding?” he retorted quietly, looking at her and smirking with this innocent glint, appearing so delighted. “Did someone we know get married?”
“You know there was…” she sighed in frustration. “Are you being difficult?”
“You know I am, Lumberjack,” he smiled lazily and winked at her.
“Here we go,” Jill called out happily, backing into the dining room where everyone was sitting… and turned, setting down a massive cheesecake before Lena and Jake.
Lena knew her eyes must have been as big as saucers because Shelby and Jake both burst out laughing in unison. She looked at Jake, who didn’t hold back his wide smile as she sputtered.
“What is t-this?”
“I believe marrying the girl of my dreams qualifies as an emotional moment that is too much to handle for this lucky,luckyman…” he said tenderly, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her palm. “I want my bride to enjoy her wedding even if it was not some fairytale event with tons of satin, flowers, and…”
