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“Marley’s agreed to marry me,” I declare proudly. I’m greeted with a moment of silence. Not the response I was hoping for, but it doesn’t matter if my sister isn’t happy for me.
“Luke, that’s great,” Daisy finally responds, but her voice is cracking. “I…I didn’t know you two were so close. I had my suspicious, but you never said anything. I’m seriously happy for you.”
“Thank you,” I reply. “I love her, Daisy, and she loves me. She’s my everything, and I hope you and Ace will come up for the wedding.”
“Of course, if we aren’t on deployment,” Daisy responds. “Have you already set a date?”
“We are hoping to have the ceremony in a couple of weeks.” I hold my breath, waiting her response. I know this is fast, and she’s probably going to try to talk me out of it, but my mind is made up. Marley is mine, and I want it official as soon as possible.
“Wow! This is rather fast, isn’t it?” Here it comes, I sigh. I’m not going to argue with my sister about this. “I mean I guess you don’t believe in long courtships?”
“Do you?” I hear Ace asking, concern lacing his voice.
“I’ve never given it much thought,” Daisy replies, cautiously. “I’ve never been in a serious relationship where I was thinking marriage.” An uncomfortable silence descends. I wonder if I should say something to break the tension or wait and see how this plays out.
“You don’t want to get married?” Ace questions, his voice hesitant. I hear my sister huff.
“Is that a proposal?” she demands gruffly. This is not how Iwanted this conversation to go. This is supposed to be about me and Marley, not my sister and her new first real boyfriend.
“You’re not answering my question,” Ace growls. “Stop trying to deflect by asking me a question.” Another huff from Daisy. I need to get this conversation back on track.
“How about the two of you work this out later?” I interject. “I just want to know if I can expect you both at the wedding?”
“Yes, of course,” Ace replies, which draws a sharp inhale from my sister.
“Daisy?” I question.
“Yes, Luke,” she grumbles. “Ace and I will be there. We are both currently on leave, so we can head up there any time. Do you need help with preparations?”
“That would be wonderful,” I say with a smile. “I’m sure Marley would love to have you here to help her get ready and to deal with our mothers.”
“Oh God!” Daisy exclaims. “You’re inviting mom? Geeze, Luke. I thought this is supposed to be a happy occasion. You said you love Marley. Why would you do that to your soon-to-be wife?” I chuckle without much humor. My sister isn’t wrong. Mom will definitely try to make this a less than festive event, but I’m going to make it clear when I call her. I won’t tolerate her treating Marley poorly. Marley is going to be my wife, and she will be treated with the respect she deserves, or Mom will no longer be welcome in our home. I’ll be sure Mom understands this before I send her a plane ticket.
“I intend to make it clear to mom where I stand,” I tell my sister. “Marley comes first, before Mom, before anyone for that matter. She is and will forever more, be my first priority.”
“Well, damn!” My sister exclaims with a giggle. “My brother is well and truly in love. I’m really happy for you.” I can hear her sincerity. It warms my heart and eases much of the tension that’s been between us for the last twenty years. “I love you, Luke.”
“I love you, too, Daisy. Now not to start an argument, but willthere be wedding bells in your near future?” Another tense silence.
“That’s a topic for another time,” Daisy declares, as I hear Ace huff in the background. “See you tomorrow afternoon, bye.” Daisy ends our call. I should feel bad that I may have caused my sister to be at odds with Ace, but I want to push my sister to accept what’s right in front of her. Ace loves her. I can see it in their interactions. I just want her to allow herself to be happy. A knock on my office door draws my attention. I look up to Bo and Rosco standing in the doorway.
“Hey, Bro,” Bo mumbles as he enters, flopping in a chair. “What are we going to do to keep Marley safe? You heard what Agent Morris said. She’s in danger. We can’t let these fuckers get to her again. We might not be so lucky the next time.”
“I know. We keep doing what we are doing,” I state. “She’s with me at all times, and if I can’t be with her, one of you will be. Oh, and I have something to tell you all. Have Enos, Dalton, and Kelvin come in here.” Bo nods, rising to his feet to go retrieve the rest of the gang. Rosco regards me with scrutiny. I can see the wheels turning in his head. I choose to ignore him and call Marley on the office phone.
“Would you come in here, please?” I ask as soon as she answers.
“Of course, I’ll be right there,” Marley replies. In moments, she’s entering my office about the time the rest of the gang arrives. She looks around wide-eyed as they all file inside. I round my desk. Reaching, I motion for her to come to me. She moves without hesitation. I pull her onto my lap, pressing a kiss to her temple, when she reaches my side of the desk. She blushes at the PDA in front of everyone. I turn to the guys, who are grinning at me.
“Marley and I have an announcement,” I tell them. Marley sucks in a breath, realizing the reason I’ve called them all in here. My brothers turn to give each other looks that I’m trying to read,but I don’t waste my time. I’m just going to get to the point. “Marley and I are getting married.” My brothers and friends begin to high-five and whoop their excitement.
“I knew it!” Bo exclaims. “You owe me a hundred bucks.” He holds out his hand to Rosco who bats his hand away with a grimace.
“I do not!” Rosco denies. “I never doubted they would get married. I just didn’t expect it to happen this fast.”
“Boys!” I growl, not wanting them to ruin this happy moment with their childish behavior. Bo at least manages to look slightly ashamed of his behavior.
“Congrats, boss,” Kelvin says, reaching out to shake my hand and pull in for a half-bro hug. He gives Marley a hug, too with a kiss to her cheek. “I’m really happy for you both.”
