27. Jack
27
JACK
TWO WEEKS LATER
I was walking into the entrance to Ranger Shield when I saw my sister coming out of the elevator and heading in the direction of the front office—the same place I was going. She was dressed for her shift at the pub in her T -shirt and jeans. This was her first shift back since getting out of the hospital.
“Hey sis. You feeling okay?” I asked because I wasn’t sure she should be going back to work so soon.
“Yes, Dad ,” she said, rolling her eyes at me. “ I’m good, and I’m ready to go back to work. Plus , Wade is working with me tonight, which means I won’t have any heavy lifting to do.”
That only eased my concern a little bit, but before I could argue with her more about it, she walked into the front office and headed to Ruthie’s desk.
Ruthie and Wade were standing over her desk going over some papers when we walked in. Ruthie was a mystery to me. I had met her when I arrived to chaos after Ellie was taken. She was gorgeous but guarded. I’d tried to get to know her better since I came home, but she was always professional and never deviated into anything remotely resembling interest.
Plus, I got the impression she and Archer either were together now or had been in the past, so I didn’t want to get into that, until I had more information. If I was wrong, however, and neither of those were true, then I would definitely try to find a way to break through her guarded exterior.
Ruthie intrigued me more than anyone I'd ever met, and I wasn't about to let assumptions stand in the way of discovering who she really was. I’d bide my time, be patient, and look for the right moment to insert myself into her life.
“Hi, Ruthie ,” Ellie said, waving at her, but she walked over to Wade .
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.
I heard a growling noise and quickly realized it had come from me. Ruthie chuckled and it lit up her face, even though she was trying to hide the fact that she’d laughed.
Ellie said goodbye and headed off to the restaurant for her shift.
“See you in a few, baby,” Wade yelled to her as she left.
I turned my head back to him and gave him my best deadly glare.
“You gonna keep my sister living in sin in your apartment, or are you gonna make an honest woman out of her anytime soon?” I grilled Wade .
“I’ve already got the ring. Just waiting for the right moment to ask,” Wade responded quickly and with a grin on his face.
I was surprised by that statement, but deep down a part of me was happy he wasn’t just using her to make another notch in his bedpost.
“She doesn’t have a dad anymore, but she has you,” Wade said, his face more serious now.
I knew what he was going to ask. For permission to marry my sister. Wade was a good man. He was a great sergeant to me while overseas, an even better friend, and I knew he would be good for my sister. But I still wanted to make him squirm a little.
“Yeah, and I’m all she needs,” I told him, trying to keep a straight face.
His face twitched ever so slightly. I imagined most people would have missed it, but you learned to watch your brothers’ faces because sometimes you couldn’t speak on a mission, so you relied on hand signals and facial expressions to communicate. Just as quickly as that twitch was there, it was gone, though, and determination took over.
“Not anymore,” he told me. “ I’m here for the long haul, and I’d like your permission to marry her. Not because I need it, but because it will make her happy.”
The look on his face said he was asking, but he was going to marry her anyway, regardless of what I said.
“I don’t care that we’re brothers,” I said to Wade with such intensity, it made him squirm a bit. “ You hurt her, I will kill you and bury the body where no one will find it, and we both know I’m capable of that.”
“Don’t be a dick,” a little voice popped up.
I realized it was Ruthie , and she was staring right at me. Then she walked over to Wade , standing in front of him as though she was protecting him. All five foot nothing of her. I glanced up at Wade , who was grinning, likely thinking the same thing I was. It was funny that she thought he needed her protection. Even funnier that the protector would be her. This woman was something else.
“Alright, just so you don’t break a nail attempting to save Wade from me, I’ll give,” I told Ruthie , grinning at her before turning to Wade . “ You have my permission. Guess we’ll actually get to be real brothers then.”
I extended my hand to him. He grinned at me, grabbed my hand, and then pulled me in for a shoulder grasp.
“Here’s to a new beginning,” Wade said, and I internally smiled, happy that my sister finally had that.