Chapter 5 #2
He opened his eyes—and couldn’t stop himself from burying one hand in her hair and wrapping his other arm around her waist. She fell against him with a small oof, her other hand joining the first on his chest. But she didn’t push him away.
Simply continued to look at him with that empathetic and gentle way she had.
She made him feel as if they were the only two people in the world.
“I’m a little…miffed that Cookie didn’t warn me that they’d all be here.
But they mean well. And they’re my friends.
I look up to these men. They’re legendary in our circles.
The things they’ve been through, that their women have been through, it’s enough to bring lesser people to their knees.
I can handle them. I just want to make sure no one is pushing you too hard.
This is all new to you. You’ve been living a very solitary life for months.
If this gets overwhelming, just tell me and we’ll leave. ”
“Does the reverse also apply?”
“Meaning?”
“If you’re feeling overwhelmed, will you let me know you want to leave?” she asked.
It was in that moment when Smiley understood he was going to do whatever it took to make sure this woman never wanted to leave him—ever.
He’d always known he wanted her, didn’t want her to leave Riverton, either now or when her troubles were over. But in the back of his mind, he figured if she insisted on leaving, he’d have to let her go.
Now, he knew he’d fight to keep her. Turn his entire world upside down for her. He’d leave his grumpy disposition behind, turn into a social butterfly…hell, change everything about himself if it meant somehow convincing Bree to stay with him forever.
He needed her. It was that simple.
“Smiley? I’m serious. I admit that I want to meet your friends, especially since I’ve heard so much about them, but not if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“I’m fine. And yeah, if I want to go, I’ll let you know.”
“Good. Should we have a code word? Oh! I know, how about a signal? Tugging on our ear? No, that’s too obvious. Maybe I can, I don’t know, blow my nose or something?”
Smiley chuckled. “How about you just tell me, or I’ll tell you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That would be rude.”
“Trust me, Bree, the men and women you’re about to meet won’t think it’s rude. They’d appreciate you coming out and saying what you feel.”
She looked doubtful, but she nodded. “All right. Deal. Then I’m thinking we should probably get inside and stop standing out here like a couple of psychos.”
Her words snapped Smiley back to reality. He was an idiot. Castillo’s men were out there somewhere, probably watching and waiting. Maybe even the man himself—and he had Bree standing out in the open as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
To his surprise, Bree went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “If I forget to tell you later, thank you for this. For introducing me to Fiona and Julie. For letting me meet your friends. Being on the inside, instead of the outside looking in, is a gift.”
“Anything you want or need, I’ll do my best to give it to you,” he vowed.
She gave him a grin, then turned toward the house.
He was forced to drop his hand from her hair, but he kept his other arm around her waist as they walked toward the door. It opened before they got there, and then Caroline was beaming at them.
“It’s about time!” she said happily. “I thought you were going to stand on my lawn forever. Then I thought you were going to bolt. For the record, this wasn’t my idea.
Fiona told me about meeting you, and I suggested that maybe it would be more comfortable for you to talk here at the house instead of Julie’s store.
One thing led to another, and everyone wanted in on the action, and here we are!
If you want to run, I don’t blame you, but I promise we’re all harmless.
Oh, sorry. I’m Caroline,” she said belatedly, holding out her hand.
Bree shook it and gave her a genuine smile. “I’m happy to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I’m sure you have. Not all of it good.” She grinned as she said it, then stepped back and gestured inside with her arm. “Come in. Please. I’ve got plenty of appetizers and snacks. Do you want something to drink?”
“I’m good, thanks,” Bree told her.
Smiley walked behind the women as they headed toward the living room. The second they entered the crowded space, Bree was surrounded. Everyone was very eager to meet the woman who’d been the talk of the SEAL gossip network for months now.
Keeping a close eye on her, Smiley backed up and let Caroline do her thing.
From what he understood, she’d come a long way from the shy, nerdy woman Wolf had met all those years ago, when they were on a plane together and shit went south.
She’d survived some pretty horrific stuff and had blossomed throughout the years.
She was the one all the others looked up to, the unofficial leader of the wives.
“Sorry about this,” Cookie said as he came up beside Smiley and leaned against the wall, watching the women welcome Bree into their fold.
“Are you?” he couldn’t help but ask.
Cookie grinned. “Not really. You know this had to happen sooner or later. Might as well get it over with in one fell swoop. Besides, we’re all going to be at Aces at Kevlar and Blink’s wedding reception soon, it’ll be more comfortable for everyone to meet now rather than then.”
He wasn’t wrong. But Smiley was still perturbed that he hadn’t warned him everyone would be here for this little meet and greet.
“Come on, man. Lighten up. This is a good thing. Look, they’re already all getting along so well!” Cookie said, gesturing to the women with his head.
They were. Bree was sitting on the couch between Fiona and Jessyka, and the others had pulled up chairs Caroline had strategically placed around the room, so everyone could have a seat. They were all laughing and talking exuberantly. He wasn’t surprised Bree was fitting in so seamlessly.
“Hey,” Wolf said as he approached, with the rest of his team following.
The men in this room really were legendary.
Smiley hadn’t lied when he’d told Bree that he looked up to them.
The missions they’d been on, the things they’d survived against all odds, would make current Hollywood movies seem tame.
And yet they were all down-to-earth and dismissive of what they’d done.
And now that they were retired, their entire worlds were their families.
Smiley had always been a little envious of what they had.
But now, maybe he was on the cusp of having the same thing.
With Bree.
He hoped.
Most would consider it a ridiculous idea, considering he’d known the woman for two-point-three seconds.
How could he be thinking about a long-term relationship?
But he was. He knew in his bones that she was it for him.
His one chance to have what his friends had found.
What all the men standing around Caroline’s living room had found.
And he was scared shitless that he’d fuck it up.
“How’s she holding up?” Benny asked.
“We’ve heard whoever’s looking for her has been able to hide his tracks from Tex so far,” Abe said.
“You need anything, we’re here,” Mozart added.
All of a sudden, Smiley felt the intense weight of the information he was keeping from these men. That Mateo Castillo might be involved in what had happened to Fiona and Julie all those years ago. They’d want to know…but he’d agreed to give Tex a little more time to be sure.
“I appreciate it,” he told the others.
“For the record, I think this is a good thing,” Patrick Hurt said.
He was older than Wolf and the others, that team’s previous commander.
But he still looked younger than his years, and the silver in his hair gave him a distinguished vibe rather than an “old man” appearance.
“Julie’s been looking forward to talking with Bree. ”
Smiley nodded, but inside, he was having second thoughts. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure what Fiona or Julie could tell Bree that wouldn’t completely scare the shit out of her.
“Trust them,” Cookie said, as if he could read Smiley’s mind. “They aren’t going to freak her out. They’ll follow her lead and only talk about the things she’s open to discussing.”
“Caroline figured we could all mingle for a while first, let Bree get comfortable, meet all of us, then the others will head out, letting Fiona and Julie talk with her for a bit,” Wolf told him.
“And I’m sure you probably have questions for me,” Cookie told him. “I was there. I saw the condition they were both in. The compound. How they were being restrained. I thought you and I could talk while our women are getting acquainted.”
Smiley looked at the older man. “You’re okay with that? Talking about it?”
“Honestly? No. I hate even thinking about that day. About how I found Fee. How freaked out Julie was. It doesn’t bring back good memories. But I figured it might help you to hear a firsthand account of their rescue from those scumbags.”
It took all his legendary SEAL control not to blurt out that Cookie’s info might come in handy even more than he thought. But he was able to keep his mouth shut.
Cookie and Hurt were going to lose their shit if Tex confirmed the man who’d bought Bree was also part of the organization that had held their women hostage years ago. He didn’t want to be anywhere near them if that little tidbit of information was dropped into their laps.
“I appreciate it,” Smiley managed to say.
Caroline called Wolf over then, and the other men eventually trailed after him, waiting their turn to be officially introduced to Bree.
Smiley kept a close watch on her and, to his relief, she seemed perfectly at ease with the other women and the former SEALs. Her manners were impeccable, she was charming and funny, and it was as if everyone in the room was drawn to her like a fly to honey.
And Bree seemed to blossom in front of his eyes.
It was obvious she needed to be around other people.
To be social. It struck Smiley not only how hard it must have been for her, living in her vehicle for months, no contact with anyone…
but also how much his life was about to change.
He wasn’t too upset about it. Seeing Bree in her element made him forget about everything else.
It was surprising how fast the time went. Before he knew it, most of the group was saying their goodbyes to Bree and telling her they’d see her at Aces for the wedding reception. Soon, there were only Fiona, Julie, their husbands, Wolf and Caroline, and he and Bree left.
“I poured you all a glass of wine. Thought we could head out to the patio to talk,” Caroline told the women.
“Thank you.”
“I could use some for sure.”
Bree stayed silent, but she followed the others into the kitchen for one of the glasses of wine Caroline had poured.
Smiley intercepted her as she was on her way to the backyard. “You good?”
“Yeah. You?”
“I’m good as long as you’re good,” he told her honestly.
Bree rolled her eyes. “Smiley, I don’t want you staying if you’re miserable.”
“I’m not miserable. Not in the least,” he reassured her. “Seeing you making friends, smiling, being a part of this close-knit group of people…it makes me happy.”
“Me too. I’ve loved meeting everyone today, but I have to admit I can’t wait to get to know your teammates’ women better.
They’re closer to my age, and while it’s obvious Caroline and the others have a lot of experience with life in general, I want to get to know Josie, Remi, Wren, and all the others more, because they’re your best friends’ best friends. If that makes sense.”
“It does,” Smiley said, feeling a warmth spread throughout his body. This woman, she constantly surprised and awed him. She’d been dealt a shitty hand, and yet she was still gracious and kind. He would protect that at all costs.
She smiled at him, then followed Fiona and Julie out the sliding glass door to the deck behind the house. They got settled into chairs and began to talk.