CHAPTER EIGHTEEN #2
“Jonathan’s first wife died during premature labor.
She had some kind of dangerous preexisting condition she never told him about.
Their baby, Ashling, almost didn’t make it.
” Caleb tucked his fingers in his front pockets.
“My brother was at a forwarding operating base in Afghanistan when it happened.”
“Shit.” Boone had no idea Jonathan had been married before.
“He was eaten up with guilt for not being there for her.” Caleb’s tone became somber. “That was a really tough time for our whole family, and we thought we might lose him, too. I credit Andi with giving our brother back to us.”
“I assumed Ashling was Andi’s biological daughter,” Boone said.
“She adopted her when she was about eight or nine months old,” Caleb said.
“Andi signed Ashling’s adoption papers at their wedding—right after the judge said, ‘I now pronounce you man and wife.’” Luna grinned.
“Yep. She slapped the paper on Jonathan’s back and had the minister sign as a witness.” Caleb rubbed his hand over his mouth. “It was pretty funny, actually.”
“Did you bring Jake with you?” Luna looked around for Caleb’s K9 partner, a beautiful Czech shepherd. “I miss that little sweetie pie.”
“Ugh.” Caleb groaned. “How many times do I have to tell you he is a highly trained, highly skilled, four-legged meat missile? Not a sweetie pie.” His face contorted with disgust. “Anyway, he’s at home, watching over Dawn and Cade.”
“He’ll always be a sweetie pie to me.” Luna explained how she was terrified of dogs until meeting Jake. “From the first time I met him, he was so gentle and protective of me.”
“What brings you to Virginia, Caleb?” Boone put his arm around Luna and steered them all toward the main door.
“Cole told me about that note from Udall and I’m here to give Luna some backup,” Caleb said. “And since I’m familiar with the inner workings of the ops center, I was the natural choice.”
“Familiar with it—you designed it!” Luna said.
“I know she’s safe here on the compound, but I still feel better knowing you’ll be here, too.” Boone appreciated that Cole wasn’t taking any chances with her safety.
Of course, he’d expected nothing less from their boss.
“I’m glad you’re here, too,” Luna said.
“You kidding? I started packing the minute Cole told me.” Caleb tapped his ID to the scanner by the door, there was a loud ca-thunk, and he pushed the heavy door open and stepped outside. “Threats to the family are not taken lightly.” He tugged on the door handle to ensure it was secured.
The air had a crispness to it that indicated fall was headed their way. All of the large trees surrounding the compound had begun to turn from deep green to beautiful colors of gold, red, and brown. Before long, most of them would be bare, their leaves scattered all over the ground.
They started walking up the path worn in the grass and stopped at the door to the training facility.
“I’ll just run inside super quick and get my bathing suit.” Luna kissed Boone’s cheek and dashed into the building.
“Her bathing suit?” Caleb turned from her to Boone. His brows had disappeared beneath the strands of hair hanging over his forehead, and he speared Boone with a look he couldn’t quite decipher.
“We’re headed to my house for dinner, a quick ride on the horses, then a soak in my hot tub.” Boone maintained eye contact, silently challenging Caleb to say something.
“Huh.” He looked toward where Luna had just entered the building, then back at Boone. “Just so you know—”
Here it comes. Boone prepared himself for the warning.
“I’m cool with this—with you and Luna together.” One big shoulder bobbed up, then down. “She deserves to be with someone who values her, and I sense you do.” Caleb clapped him on the shoulder. “So you can relax now, dude.”
“Luna is special, and I really care about her.” Boone loved her, but those words would be spoken to her before anyone else.
“You have my word that I will never do anything to hurt her. And just for the record, I appreciate that you’re cool with us being together because it’ll make things so much easier, but it really is her decision to make. ”
There was another one of those lingering silences before Caleb said, “Good enough.”
“Okay, got it.” Luna came out of the building and held up a small tote bag.
Boone held her hand and scanned the area as they made their way to the parking lot in front of the main building. Luna’s car was sandwiched between Boone’s truck and one of the unmarked white trucks belonging to OSI.
“I’m going to be staying over at my cousin’s place while I’m here.
” Caleb dug a key fob from his pocket and pressed the button.
The horn honked once, and the headlights flashed on the truck.
“Calliope heard I was considering staying at a hotel and threatened me with great violence if I didn’t stay at their place. ”
“Yeah, one of the first things I learned about my sister is how strongly she feels about family.” Boone shared that sentiment with her.
“Well, I’d better get going.” Caleb wrapped his arms around Luna and whispered something in her ear. He shook Boone’s hand again, swung open the door, and slid behind the wheel. “See you two in the morning.”
The door slammed shut. The big V8 fired up and rumbled toward the security gate at the front of the compound.
Boone was curious to know what Caleb said to her, but it was none of his business. If she wanted him to know, she’d tell him. Well, he didn’t have to wait long.
“Caleb said he’s happy for us.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “That’s what he whispered in my ear.”
“I’m happy for us, too.” He held her close and breathed in the sweet smell of her shampoo.
She placed a kiss to the center of his chest, gave him a quick squeeze, and stepped back.
“My key fob is in my backpack.” Luna waited for him to lift it off his shoulder.
He held it while she unzipped the small front pocket and lifted out a keychain with a small canister of pepper spray dangling from it.
“I’m glad to see you’re carrying your weapon.” Pepper spray was fine in a pinch, but an attacker would have to be relatively close for it to be effective.
“You’ve met the guy my sister married, right?
And you’ve met all of his very large brothers and the very dangerous people they work with, right?
People like you.” She waved her hand up and down his body.
“Believe me, personal safety has been drilled into me ever since I became a part of the O’Halleran family.
” She tapped her backpack. “And you’ll be really happy to know that I have pepper spray in my car and stashed all over my house, too. ”
“That does make me happy.”
“Good. I’ll follow you to pick up the food, then to your place.” She unlocked her car and set her small tote bag on the floor behind the driver’s seat. “You can just set my backpack on the floor with my suit.” After he tucked it behind the seat, she swung the door shut and opened the front door.
He crooked a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up to him.
“Drive carefully.” He gave her a nice long kiss to tide him over until they got to his place.
“You, too.”
Boone kissed the tip of her nose and waited until she was in the car with the engine running before closing her door.
He checked the area again as he hurried around to climb into his truck. He pressed the button on the dash to start it and backed out of his spot.
He loved the new self-confidence he was seeing come alive in her. It was helping her accept and embrace the internal strength that had been stifled by distrust—in herself and others. And he loved that the guilt she’d been harboring for what happened in the past was slowly dwindling.
Boone loved her.
Luna was it for him. She was his person, the half he hadn’t known he was missing. A future without her in it was something he refused to accept.