Chapter 10 #2
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked.
“Just checking,” he told her.
“So…you think we’ll be doing this again soon?” she asked with a small grin.
Doc groaned. “Ignore them.”
“But now I’m curious. I take it moving fast in a relationship isn’t uncommon among you and your friends?”
“You have to understand…we’ve seen a lot of bad shit in our line of work.
We’ve had friends die and leave behind their families.
We’ve seen soldiers cheat on their spouses and not even care who knew about it.
Hell, we’ve seen spouses cheat on soldiers, especially in special forces.
We’ve seen death and destruction on a level that would make what happened in South Korea look like a walk in the park, Em.
So when we find someone who can put up with our jobs, our idiosyncrasies, and still want to be with us… we hold on to that with both hands.
“I’m not saying we’re gonna get married and have a ton of babies, but as a rule, the team hasn’t fucked around when it comes to living our lives, because we know how fleeting those lives can be.
And if that means asking the women we love to move in with us faster than what’s considered ‘normal,’ so we can spend as much time with them as possible, that’s what we do.
” Doc held his breath as he waited for Ember’s response.
She lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek. “I get it,” she said softly.
“I know you’re looking forward to being on your own, and I admire you for it. I won’t rush you into anything you aren’t ready for, but I do hope you’re ready for me to be around…a lot.”
“I’m ready,” she told him without hesitation.
“I wouldn’t be here in Texas if I didn’t see us being together for the long haul.
I’ve never done something like this before.
I’ve never moved across the country and made plans to put down roots in a city I’ve never lived in.
I’m excited about my own place, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you in it. ”
“Thank fuck,” Doc muttered.
Ember smiled.
“Hey, you two, you gonna come help us figure out where we’re going and what goes where?” Lucky called out.
Doc looked over and saw that his team had already helped the driver and the movers Ember had hired to open the back of the truck. “Go on up with Devyn and Aspen,” Doc told her.
“I can help,” she protested.
“I know you can, but you’ve got the six of us, plus the guys you hired. We’ll have this done in no time—and I know Devyn and Aspen are probably dying to talk to you.”
“It’s too early for wine, but I may or may not have the makings for mimosas upstairs,” Ember told him.
“Perfect,” Doc said with a smile. He leaned down and kissed her. It was a brief kiss, but he loved the way her lips clung to his as he pulled back. “When we’re done with your stuff, you want to go to lunch with everyone?”
“Absolutely.”
He turned to go, and Ember put her hand on his arm. “Craig?”
“Yeah?”
“Is Grover okay? He’s been very quiet.”
“He’s worried about Sierra.” Doc was concerned about his friend, Grover wasn’t his usual self. It was obvious the entire situation with the missing contractor was weighing heavily on him.
“I was doing some research last night on how to tell where my followers are from, and as far as I can tell, I’ve got about forty thousand who live in the Middle East. I know it’s a long shot, but I still want to post about Sierra. Is there a picture of her I can use?”
“I’ll get you one,” Doc said, reminded once again that Ember was as far from the spoiled, self-centered, rich bitch many accused her of being as she could get.
“Get a move on!” Lefty shouted in their direction.
Doc couldn’t keep from kissing her temple before heading for the truck.
Three hours later, Ember found herself sitting in the middle of a long rectangular table at a barbeque restaurant. Logan had barbeque sauce smeared all over his face, hands, and halfway up his arms, but no one seemed to care.
More than that, she hadn’t seen one person surreptitiously taking pictures or video of her. It was a relief to be incognito here. Ember knew once word about her business got out, she’d probably be more recognized, but for now it was heaven.
The morning had been busy and fun. She never would’ve thought moving could be fun, but it was. The guys were hilarious and gracious, and Ember adored how they encouraged Logan and made him feel like one of the gang.
And Devyn and Aspen were open and welcoming.
Aspen had even let her hold her baby—and when Craig had walked in and seen her with little Chance in her arms, she swore her ovaries had almost burst at the look in his eyes.
It was a combination of lust, need, and gentleness.
He hadn’t said anything, but she knew she’d never forget that look.
Now they were eating lunch before everyone had to get back to work. Ember had a few more papers she needed to sign with the lawyer she’d met with yesterday, and she had to double check the arrangements she made for Julio and Marie to fly out.
Then she wanted to pinch herself to make sure all this was really happening.
It hadn’t been too long ago that she’d been depressed and wondering what to do with her life. And now, here she was in Texas, with her own apartment, a man she cared about a great deal, and about to start up her own business.
Making a mental note to look into taking college classes online so she could get her degree, Ember happened to look across the table at Craig.
She was sitting between Logan—who’d insisted on sitting next to her—and Devyn. Across from her was Craig, Trigger, and Lefty. Grover had passed on lunch, saying he was going back to base to see if any new reports had come in that morning.
Aspen and Brain were sitting at one end of the table, and Brain was holding their son against his chest as he ate with one hand.
Everyone was smiling and laughing, and not worrying about how many calories they were consuming or who might be watching.
It was as different as night and day from her old life in California, and Ember was happier than she’d been in a very long time.
“When are you gonna come watch me play, Em?” Logan asked.
“Logan, that’s rude,” Oz admonished mildly.
“It’s fine,” Ember said quickly. She loved how the little boy had picked up on Craig’s nickname for her. She loved being Em, and not Ember Maxwell. “I definitely want to. When’s your next game?”
Logan looked to his uncle.
Oz chuckled. “I think it’s next weekend, Slugger, but I’m not the schedule pro. That’s Ri.”
“She keeps us all in line,” Logan agreed with a nod. “From Amalia’s feeding schedule and doctor appointments, to Bria’s play dates and activities, to my baseball stuff. Without her we’d be late all the time and probably miss everything.”
Oz laughed harder. “He’s not wrong. Ri keeps us all organized.
I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He turned to Logan.
“But no matter what Em said, it’s still rude to almost demand someone come watch you play.
It’s more polite to say you’re having a good time playing baseball, and then invite someone to possibly come and watch a game sometime. ”
“That’s what I did!” Logan insisted with a confused look on his face.
“Subtle, he’s not,” Devyn said quietly from next to her.
“Besides, wouldn’t it be cool for Em to say she watched me play when I was little after I’m famous? I bet if she took a picture of me today, it would be worth millions after I grow up and make it big.”
“Not lacking in confidence either,” Devyn quipped.
Ember couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d be honored to come and watch you play, Logan. And I’ll take tons of pictures, so when I get old and gray, they can finance my retirement. Okay?”
“Okay!” Logan agreed happily. “And you’ll show the pictures to me too? Maybe I can have one?”
“Absolutely.”
As Logan turned to tell his uncle that Ember was going to take pictures of him, even though Oz was sitting right there and heard the entire conversation, Devyn leaned in once more.
“He doesn’t have any pictures from when he was growing up.
Either his mom never took any, or she didn’t keep them for him.
With everyone taking so many pictures of his newborn sister, Riley thinks he’s feeling left out. ”
Ember’s heart broke for the little boy, and for his sister, Bria. “I’ll take so many pictures, he’ll be sick of me,” she promised.
Devyn eyed her for a long moment before saying, “You know, I wasn’t sure what to think about you at first. When we heard Doc was into you, I went and checked out your Instagram…you know, to make sure you were good enough for him.”
Ember smirked a little, and Devyn continued.
“I admit that I was skeptical. There was a lot of what seemed to be superficial stuff on there…but then I realized that your profile was basically a way to monetize your name, which is pretty smart. Just because I don’t like selfies or wearing a lot of makeup, doesn’t make it a bad business decision.
Then the more I read about the modern pentathlon and how hard it is, and how much training athletes have to do in order to be good in all five sports, the more impressed I got.
Now that I’ve met you, I feel bad that I had any judgmental thoughts about you at all.
I also cried when I read that letter on your profile.
I realized that was the real you. Just be you—Em.
She’s much more likeable than the fake Ember Maxwell. ”
“Thanks. I like being Em,” Ember said.
The two women smiled at each other.
“I do have a question though,” Ember continued.
“Shoot,” Devyn said.
“How long did it take you to move in with Lucky?”
Everyone burst out laughing. Lucky leaned his elbows on the table and smirked, letting Devyn handle the conversation.
“Longer than everyone else, but that was because I was his friend’s bratty little sister. Actually, it seems that we take longer than everyone on everything.”
“What do you mean?” Ember asked.