Chapter 22 Theo
THEO
The air smelled like charcoal, sunscreen and that special scent it got when most of us were together.
We hadn’t all managed to be at a gathering in years.
With Aidan and Holden both being SEALs, it was rare that they were both home at the same time, as it was they were both deployed.
Jason and Dom both managed to make it home and even Owen, Holden’s younger brother, managed to make it.
I could tell Maggie was happy to have all three of her sisters in the same place. Cat would be leaving soon, but she was home. And that meant I had all my siblings with me for a little while, too.
Once again, someone had left Tiffany in charge of decorating. Moderation was not my sister’s strong point and it looked like a series of red, blue, and silver glitter bombs had exploded all over my home.
I was surprised that she had suggested having the BBQ at my house. I could count on one hand the number of times she had been back since she left eight years ago. Rounding out our friends was Skylar and her boyfriend Hilton.
As I stood at the massive stainless steel grill, tongs in one hand, beer in another, I watched the chaos of my life unfold in the best possible way.
Connor and Zoe had both invited friends around, which meant I was being hypervigilant.
Zoe’s two best friends were two sixteen-year-old boys.
Not exactly a demographic that engendered trust.
Ryder stepped up to me. “You know your eyes aren’t actually lasers, right? All you’re doing is making Matty and Cooper uncomfortable.”
“Good.” I continued to stare at the teens splashing around in the pool. “Hopefully, they’ll get the hint not to mess with me. And does Zoe really need to be wearing that bikini?”
I knew I was being hypocritical since I had convinced Maggie to wear the white one she had on under that mesh cover-up.
My friend stood between me and the pool. “Why don’t you use all that laser focus on the job at hand? The edges of those burgers are going to burn.” He raised a brow at me and held out his hand. “Unless, you want me to take over?”
“Hands off, Hawkins, or I’ll have security escort you out.” There was no heat in my words as I removed the burgers from the grill and added the hot dogs.
Jason stood closer and shoved his hand in the pockets of his shorts. “He's right though. We want the meat cooked not cremated.”
I rested the tongs next to the grill and gave them both the middle finger. My eyes scanned over the people taking over my back yard. Grace and Owen sat talking to Skylar and Hilton. I looked at Jason and then pointed in their direction.
“Are those two a couple now, or not?”
Jason shrugged his shoulders. “Not as far as they know.”
“So, what?” I was the last one to judge, but I didn’t understand why Grace and Owen couldn’t make it work. “They’re just hooking up when they’re in town?”
Jason looked away from us. A clear indication he was hiding something.
Ryder, who had known Jason almost as long as I had, narrowed his eyes. “What aren’t you telling us? You stayed with her in New York.”
“I know she snuck a man in.” He looked over at Grace and Owen. “A man whose snores sound an awful lot like Owen.”
That made no sense. “Owen’s in the army. What the hell is he doing in New York?”
Before we could think too hard on Owen's secret life that many of us suspected about for a while, laughter drew my attention.
Maggie and Shiloh were laughing at the kids playing in the pool, trying to dunk Tiffany.
It was the first time we’d interacted with our friends as a couple.
Officially, at least. Maggie had done most of the catering and had no problem putting everything on my card.
Something about her being that comfortable settled another bit of the tension inside me.
I watched as she threw her head back in laughter at something Shiloh whispered to her.
It had been such a privilege to watch the shadows that had haunted her beautiful brown eyes since Fred was released slowly disappear and morph into unadulterated joy.
Even knowing that her ex was still out there, lurking, she’d still managed to find the joy around her.
In the few weeks since we had discussed the future of our careers, we’d both been overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork involved.
Not to mention that both Hunter and I would be fully under the Salinger Security umbrella once our current case was over.
Nick had also given me the option to buy a share in Salinger Security.
It really looked like I could get out of my father’s shadow and lead the life I was meant to.
Much of my future was still a secret, especially my involvement with Salinger Security. The board had not been happy with my decision to sell parts of the company but my lawyers were happy to make sure that I got everything I said I wanted.
Hunter walked up to us and elbowed Jason in the ribs. “They’re like two love sick puppies, the way they’re staring at their women.”
I turned to Ryder to see a very similar look on his face to mine. Not that I was in any way embarrassed. Was I whipped? Absolutely. Was I proud of that fact? Also, yes. I got to do the bidding of the woman of my dreams. Nothing could be better than that. I just needed to say the words.
Watching her eyes roam around the backyard I could tell she was watching our friends, ensuring everyone was okay.
I know she’d noticed when Skylar had winced when she was hugged earlier.
And the way Tiffany seemed to be off in her head far too many times over the course of the day.
Maggie was our glue. The one who kept us together.
Our caregiver. And I was privileged enough to say she was mine.
One day soon she would have my ring, and my name. Our kids would have my name, as well. Because make no mistake, those kids were mine. I may have had my head up my ass while their sperm donor took advantage, but he would not get another opportunity. They were in my life and I was not letting go.
As the sun began to dip, and the sky was a simple ombre of purple and orange, the mood shifted. The raucous laughter had died down and was replaced by quiet murmur among our friends. Jaycee had crawled into my lap, not bothering to hang onto what her brother and Ethan were up to.
I lowered my lips to the top of her head and planted a soft kiss. “Don’t go to sleep just yet. You still have to watch the show.”
“I’m not tired.” Her voice was filled with conviction, even if that little yawn betrayed her.
I placed my hand over her mouth. “I’m sure you’re not.” Looking over at Hunter, I gave him a small nod.
He acknowledged me by lifting his chin. “Light show in ten minutes everyone.”
It had been a decision we’d made many years before when Skylar’s dad had been triggered into a panic attack during a particularly loud fireworks display. It only made sense with so many of our friends and family being military or former military to have a spectacle without the bang.
While everyone settled in and made themselves comfortable, I set up the app on my phone while Hunter set up what needed to be done in the yard.
Once we were all ready I tapped the go button on my phone and watched the spectacle unfold.
An electric hum vibrated through the air, before hundreds of tiny lights lifted into the dark night sky.
The kids gasped as the drones ascended and formed a glittering American flag that rippled as if the wind was actually blowing it.
The formation shifted, the lights swirling like synchronized fireflies to form a cowboy hat — a nod to my woman — before it morphed into a shield and pom-poms, then a skateboard.
The light show was a tribute to each of the people I loved.
A police badge for Shiloh, a stick man with a guitar for Ryder, and so on.
Finally, the sky lit up with an overflowing volcano and I glanced over at Hayden and shot him a wink.
Of course, I could not leave out Jaycee.
The last image of the evening was a pink unicorn running around the sky with a rainbow forming behind her.
As we switched the patio lights back on and everyone started to move and stretch their legs, Ryder smiled at me.
“Okay Snow, that was a cool party trick.”
Jaycee turned into my neck. “It’s like magic.”
“Oh.” Maggie stood, her eyes wide. “We forgot about the sparklers. I have colorful ones for the kids.”
She breezed past me before I could argue. I watched as she walked across the lawn toward the deck area where we had all eaten earlier. The security lights had flickered on, casting more shadows across the lawn.
I watched as Maggie reached the long bench against the wall. She bent down to grab the box. Then paused. It wasn’t a casual hesitation. Her entire body went rigid. She froze, her hand hovering over the cushion.
“Maggie?” I tried not to let my alarm show, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
She didn’t answer me. Instead, she backed away from the bench, her hand covering her mouth. Then she screamed my name. The sound tore through the peace of the evening like a bullet. It was raw and terrifying and hit me straight in the chest.
I lifted Jaycee and handed her to Ryder before the second scream left her throat. I watched as my friend covered her face before I sprinted across the lawn, Hunter right on my heels. I reached her in seconds, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around. Her hands were shaking, her face pale.
“What is it?” My voice was harsh and it occurred to me if we were under an attack, none of us were armed.
She didn’t speak. She just shook her head, her face pale and her lips moved without sound.
Maggie pointed at the bench where we’d left our towels.
There on the cushion was a polaroid. I stepped closer, opening and closing my fists.
A picture of Jaycee taken a few hours ago in the pool with her pink flamingo around her.
At some point, all of us had taken out our phones and snapped a picture or two. But none of us had an instant camera. That photo was taken today, and not by any of us.
My blood turned to ice. That fucker hadn’t just breeched my perimeter, Fred had been here. Sneaked onto my property and watched my daughter. He’d been close enough to hear her laugh.
“Hunter.” My roar was primal, coming from a place I didn’t know was in me. “Lock this place down. Right fucking now.”
My words tore through the beautiful life I’d created. That single picture made a mockery of the fortress I’d spent weeks building. In a matter of hours, he’d put fear into my family. And that would not stand.
I pulled Maggie into my arms, while Ryder and Tiffany took the kids inside. Shiloh, Owen, and Hunter stood around me.
Owen was the one to speak first. “What do you need us to do?”