Silver Linings (The Silver Springs #1)

Chapter 1

One

F uck, he didn’t want to be back in his hometown. He didn’t even want to be in this state. But there he was, in his rented truck with nothing but a bag filled with enough clothes to last him a few days, driving down the streets he grew up on. There was no way to tell how long he’d be stuck there, waiting. And he felt so fucking guilty for hoping his trip would be over soon.

The last time he’d felt so trapped by circumstance, he was eighteen years old. Nearly a lifetime ago, but thinking of the freedom he’d enjoyed since joining the Navy had his skin feeling too tight. He craved that. The ability to just solely focus on his job, on his team, and on the mission.

Gunner Brooks had to leave behind his life at the worst time possible. His five best friends, his teammates, were all in Clarence County, Texas, putting their lives on the line to protect one of their own, and he was back in Connecticut, unable to help.

He couldn’t put the trip off like he had many times over the last few years. He couldn’t say no to his sister’s frantic call. Their mother was dying from a rapidly progressing cancer, some fancy fucking name he would never be able to pronounce. It was going to take her from them, and Gunner had to say goodbye.

The fact she was dying hit him right in his chest. No one would ever say he was an overly emotional person. Or even a little emotional at that. He was cold. Gruff. Blunt. It was a fact that had served him well during his time as a sniper with the SEALs. But this was his mother. The woman had raised him and his little sister all on her own nearly all their lives, and he didn’t know how to reconcile the powerful image of her in his mind with the sick woman he was about to see.

He pulled into the driveway a few minutes later and sat frozen with indecision. There was no desire to step out and walk up to the house, because the moment he did, he would have to admit that the next chapter in his family was starting. One where Gunner and his sister would continue on without their mother in the world.

His sister Gia stepped out onto the front porch and gave him a small wave. He hadn’t seen her in nearly two years, but she hadn’t changed one bit. Bright blue streaks peaked out randomly through her jet black hair and he smiled, knowing how many times that rebellious spirit had gotten her in trouble with their mother growing up. Gritting his teeth, Gunner reached into the back seat and pulled his overnight bag out before opening his door.

“Hi, Gunner.” Gia wrapped him in a big hug as he walked towards the house.

“Hey, G. How’s she doing today?”

His sister shook her head. “It hasn’t been a good day. I just, I can’t believe how fast she’s fading away.” Gia wiped at her eyes. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Yeah, kid. I’m glad I’m here too.”

Gia landed a punch to his stomach. “You do remember I’m only two years younger than you, right? ”

“That’s the perk of being the older sibling.” Gunner rubbed at his stomach. “You’ll always be a kid to me.”

Gia stuck out her tongue and smiled. “Glad to see you haven’t changed at all, Gunner.”

He stopped walking, pulling Gia to a halt alongside him.

“Listen, before we go in there, I just wanted to say thank you. For being here with her all these years. I had to leave, G, but you never got the chance to because of that. And now, with all this. I couldn’t do it. But you did. So, thank you.”

“I wasn’t going anywhere, you know that. And I haven’t been completely on my own with her. She’s had her nurse who comes a few times each week, and I hired someone to help with her care every day. It’s been good for her to have someone other than me to talk to. To still have friendship, you know?”

“Yeah.” Gunner wondered who this person was that had free rein over his mother’s house. He knew he’d be asking his teammate back in Texas to run a background check as soon as he could.

“Come on. She’ll be happy to see you.”

As Gunner opened the front door, he immediately felt transported back to his childhood. Not a single thing had changed in there over the years, aside from the addition of pictures chronicling his time in the Navy and all his accomplishments and accolades in the SEALs.

His eyes landed on his mother, asleep in her recliner, and a lump formed in his throat that he quickly tried to swallow. She didn’t look like the vibrant mother he had spent time with on his last trip home. No, she looked frail. Dark purple circles surrounded her eyes, and her complexion was no longer golden but so pale that some of her skin seemed translucent. She had lost so much weight.

“Gia?”

“I know.” His sister placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s taking her from us so quickly. Her nurse was here a few hours ago, making her comfortable. She doesn’t think it will be long now.”

Gunner nodded, unsure of what to say to that.

“She’s been talking about Granny being here. She sees her from time to time. You know what she said?” Gia laughed, and Gunner just shrugged his shoulders. “Gran apparently doesn’t approve of the blue streaks in my hair.”

“She said that?”

“Yeah, we had a big laugh over it together. Do you want me to wake her up?” Gia asked.

“No. Let her rest. I’ll get settled in, maybe grab a shower and then we can see if she’s up for having dinner all together.”

Gia shook her head. “She hasn’t been eating much. They’ve been giving her an IV to make sure she’s hydrated, but she’s been resisting that the last few days.”

Gunner dragged his hand over his face. “Jesus.”

“Go get settled in.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Gunner grabbed the bag at his feet and hauled it up over his shoulder. Stepping into his bedroom was like jumping right back into being eighteen. The feeling of being excited about what his career in the Navy was going to hold for him slammed back into Gunner like a freight train. His mom hadn’t moved a single thing, and a strange pit formed in his stomach, knowing there were only a handful of days left where he would ever be under the same roof as his mom and sister. It was the end of his family as he knew it. That thought brought back the same thick feeling in his throat that seeing his mother just a few minutes before had.

After a quick shower, Gunner threw on a pair of jeans and headed towards the living room. Much to his surprise, his mom was no longer in her recliner. Maybe she had woken up and wanted to go back to her room?

Turning back down the hall, movement behind the kitchen counter caught his eye. There, at the island, sat a very familiar girl he’d thought about a time or two over the years he spent away.

He could only see from about her shoulders up, thanks to the laundry basket set on the counter top, but that bright cool blonde hair hadn’t changed.

Fuck, her face was still so cute. The sun-kissed freckles that dotted her nose were in full bloom. Her cheeks were rounder than he remembered, but she still had that girl next door look that had caught his attention when they were growing up.

Gunner moved into the kitchen quietly until vibrant green eyes pinned him with curiosity. He watched as the eyes dipped over every inch of his body, smiling when they widened at the realization that he was shirtless. Her strawberry red lips parted before she snapped them closed, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Hey, neighbor.” He should have known she would be there. Gia and Lily Bennett had been best friends for as long as he could remember, and even if she hadn’t been, he knew the blonde pixie would have been there for his mom. The two of them had a bond that was more like mother and daughter than old neighbors.

“Gunner.” Her smile was so bright, but her eyes were tired, filled with something he couldn’t quite place. “It’s been such a long time. You look good.”

Her cheeks flushed, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, you do to Lily Kate.”

She laughed.

“What?”

“I don’t think anyone has used my full name since you moved away.”

“Sorry,” he grumbled.

“Don’t be sorry. I like it.” She pushed off the bar stool she was sitting on and moved out from behind the counter. Gunner’s heart fell into his stomach as he took her in, giant baby bump and all.

A groan built in his throat. He was just lusting after a pregnant woman. A very pregnant woman, from the look of things.

“Jesus, Lil. You’re pregnant?”

“What?” She grabbed a stack of towels off the counter and placed them into the basket.

He nodded towards her belly.

“Oh,” she laughed as she ran her hand over her bump. “Yeah. I guess I am, huh? I’m surprised G didn’t tell you.”

“Wait. Why are you folding our laundry?”

“Ah, another thing Gia failed to mention to you, I see.” She picked up the laundry basket and moved it over to her hip, slapping away Gunner’s hand as he reached to take it away from her. “I’m working. Your sister hired me to care for your mom. It’s just a few hours a day, but I know the break has been nice for her, and I love getting to spend one-on-one time with Jules.”

“You’re the home helper? Should you still be working? I mean, you look like you’re about to have that baby.” He walked over and placed his hand on her arm. “Hand that basket over. You shouldn’t be carrying anything.”

Her eyes went wide as he took the basket from her. “Wow, Gunner. Not holding anything back,” Lily sighed. “I’ll have you know that my due date is still a few weeks away. And besides, women work all the time while they’re pregnant. I want to be here for Juliette. She’s always been such a positive force in my life. I want to squeeze out every minute I can with her.”

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and twisted what looked suspiciously like an engagement ring around on her finger. Fuck. He’d lusted after a very pregnant and very engaged Lily Bennett. What the hell was wrong with him ?

“Sorry. It’s been a long day.” He ran his hand through his hair. “How are your parents?”

Her shoulders tensed and he could tell even after all these years, it was still a sore subject for her. Damn, he’d really been hoping things between them were better.

“Wouldn’t know. They stopped talking to me the day they found out their daughter got knocked up without being married first.”

“I don’t know if this helps any, but the fact that they did that does not surprise me in the least.”

“Yeah, I honestly wasn’t surprised, either,” Lily said, laughing. “Their only child, still not good enough for them. Oh well, I’ve had Gia and Juliette this whole time, cheering me on and loving on the baby. Who needs a biological family when you’ve got a great chosen one?”

“That’s a good way to look at it.”

Lily didn’t respond. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and pressed her hands into her lower back.

“Where does this basket need to go?”

“Do you remember where the closet is in the hallway?”

He sighed. “I haven’t been gone that long, Lil.”

“You really have been, Gunner.”

Well, she certainly knew how to cut right through him. Gunner may be blunt and gruff to the point of pain, but Lily was usually all spun sugar. She shouldn’t be able to see his weaknesses and push them back in his face, yet there she was doing exactly that.

“Here,” he dropped the basket in front of the closet. “I need to find Gia.”

“She’s in with your mom.”

As if on cue, Gunner heard Gia’s laugh filter through the door from his mother’s room.

“Guess I should go see her. You going to be okay with all that?” he asked as he gestured to the laundry .

“Gunner, I’m not about to break putting away a few towels. Jeepers, it’s like you don’t remember me at all.”

“Oh, I remember you, Lily. Specifically, how stubborn you are.”

“Yeah, well, you would know all about stubbornness, wouldn’t you?” She huffed and started moving the towels onto the shelves.

Gunner just shook his head as he walked away. Why the hell would Gia hire Lily to help around the house when she was clearly about to have her baby? And where the hell was the father of her kid? Why was he letting her work instead of insisting she be at home, resting?