Chapter Thirteen #3
Gene was a calming, centering force of nature, and Ethan was damn lucky to have him and Elizabeth.
They healed him.
“Thank you, Babe.”
Gene didn’t mind.
Not.
At.
All.
When the bathroom door opened, out came Elizabeth wrapped in a towel. When she heard Gene’s voice, she climbed onto the bed.
“Hey,” she said, clueing him in that she was there.
Ethan held the phone for her so she could talk.
“Hey, Kitten. Miss me?” he asked, gently.
That made her smile.
“I miss all of you. I just can’t be what you all need until I find me again. Don’t worry about me missing all of you. I absolutely do, and then some. Tell Callen and Chris I love them when you see them.”
Oh, he didn’t need to.
They were right there.
And they looked pleased that she sounded so much better than she had.
Gene went there.
“So, find you. I support you in this journey. We want you to be happy and alive. That’s all we want.
Don’t feel like you have to come back before you’re ready.
That’s between you and your boss. Oh, wait.
You’re the boss. That’s a lucky break for you.
I am about to ask mine for a BIG FAT PAYRAISE since I’m taking over running her division while she’s banging my husband in Scotland… ”
She laughed.
How could she not?
Gene was goddamn amusing.
“I think she might approve that raise if you manage to run that division and not let Alex do anything stupid. That’s the hardest part of my job.”
They both laughed.
Why?
Ethan had pretty much said that, but Corbin was involved with that scenario. She hadn’t worked with Corbin long enough to see the pure, unadulterated clusterfuck he could get himself into.
“Well, I’ll make that happen, Boss.”
She appreciated him, and that.
“Thanks for all you do, Gene. I miss you, Huggy-Bear. I really do. I miss that face of yours.”
Well, the feeling was mutual.
For.
Sure.
“I mean, bears are amazing, so yeah, I’m not shocked. I’d miss me, too. All this fabulousness in one gay bear…how do you beat that?”
She snorted.
“So modest too. That’s perfect to run my division. Run it like you stole it.”
Well, that was the plan. Now, he pointed one thing out.
“I’m a Blackhawk. I don’t need modesty. I’m amazing by proxy.”
Yeah, he was.
That was for sure.
Gene was to the point. In case she needed to hear it, here it was.
“Just let Ethan take care of you, and we’ll hold down the fort, so to speak. Life will go on, but not if you’re out of ours, Kitten. Heal up, have some fun, and don’t stress it. We’ll see you for the wedding.”
She couldn’t wait.
Really, she did miss all of them.
“I love you, Gene. I love that you came into our life, and you’ve been nothing but a good, decent man who always had my back. I love that I can always count on you to protect me and be there.”
The big, older bear softened. How could he not after that? Elizabeth loved with her whole heart, and this was just proof of it.
“And I love you, Elizabeth. Have fun, and tell the ghosts I said hey! Because you’re insane to run there, Boo. That proves you need time off.”
She found that outrageously funny because he was absolutely right.
“I’m aware. Apparently, cuckoo is contagious. ACHOO,” she said, fake sneezing.
He laughed.
Then, he said goodbye to his husband.
“I love you too, EJ. See you when I see you. Take care of our girl for us. You’re in charge. She’s clearly lost her mind.”
They both found that amusing because he wasn’t wrong, now was he?
“Bye, Babe.”
With that, Gene hung up.
Now, Elizabeth was curious.
“Had to call, huh?” she asked. “Or did he know you were coming here?”
Ethan shared why he did it.
“No, I snuck out, just like you. As for the rest, they took a lot of heat from Ivan. You know how bitchy he gets. Toady isn’t good when he loses one person, but he lost two. Coincidentally, both are Blackhawks, and you know that…what’s a good term?”
She rattled them off.
“Butters his biscuits? Pin the tail on him and call him a donkey?” she asked, with a Southern accent that she’d had when they first met.
He laughed.
“Yeah, along those lines, Ms. LaRue.”
She grinned.
“All joking aside, I bet that annoyed the fuck out of him. God. I wish I could have seen it. I love when the Toady gets his warts all in a twist.”
He found that funny.
“Oh, I bet you do. That’s something you should get help for while you’re at it. You’re going to give him a stroke.”
Elizabeth reassured him.
“He’ll be fine. Secretly, he loves shit like this. I can tell it keeps him on his toes.”
Oh, well, he hoped she kept that energy for when she got back there, and he was a tyrant.
Because it was definitely coming.
He could feel it in his balls.
When she sniffed the air, he was curious.
“What?”
Oh, it was the most delicious smell in the whole damn world, and it called to her.
“I smell coffee. Want to join me for breakfast, my love?” she asked.
He played with one of her damp curls.
“Absolutely. I need to fuel up for a long morning of digging up a body. Our lives are pretty much consistent on both sides of the pond.”
Yeah, tell her about it.
They couldn’t seem to escape death.
Digging through their things, they each found something to wear. Elizabeth went with some corduroy pants and a thick sweater, and Ethan pulled on jeans and a Henley. When they were both done, they headed down, hand-in-hand.
In the kitchen, they were met with three people enjoying coffee at the island.
Graham was behind it, working on the food, and both Michael and Gabby were on the other side.
“Morning,” Ethan said, as they headed in.
Everyone turned to greet them.
“Sleeping beauty is up!” Gabby said. “Now, we can eat. I’m starving,” she stated.
Michael moved over, making room between him and Gabby for the two of them.
They sat and immediately were rewarded with cups of coffee.
“I could get used to this,” Elizabeth stated. “You guys are going to make really good innkeepers,” she stated. “Or castle keepers. Whatever the term is for that. Maybe it’s ghost wranglers.”
Graham began putting food on plates for all of them.
“Thank you, Mom. It’s a really great castle to keep. Thanks for trusting us with it. I’m ignoring the last part and for good reason.”
Oh, and no one blamed them.
As for sharing it with them…
Yeah, that had been the best decision she’d ever made. Both men deserved to own a piece of something amazing, and this was exactly what they needed to heal, too.
It appeared that everyone’s life was a journey of healing something or other.
“I can’t wait to have the wedding here. Ian and Gryphen will be so happy.”
Graham knew they would be.
Who wouldn’t?
They’d had theirs in the courtyard, and it was a memorable experience.
“You ready with everything?” Graham asked. “Because if you need help, I’d love to assist. I can do whatever you need.”
She thought back to what Ethan said to her about how she carried everything but never gave anyone a chance to help.
That had been a miscalculation on her behalf.
So, she took a chance.
“I’d love some help, if you’re available.”
From beside her, Ethan sipped his coffee, and he was proud of his wife. She was genuinely working on fixing what had broken her in the first place.
In fact, he was beyond proud.
He had hope.
They definitely could work through this.
Graham leaned on the counter.
“Well, Mom, you have a Scotsman at your beck and call. Just tell me what you need done.”
Oh, well, she knew.
“We need to go pick out a cake. Ian and Gryphen didn’t care what kind we get. They just want to get married. So, it looks like you and I are going cake tasting.”
Michael laughed.
“Yeah, I’m going too. First, it’s cake. Second, it’s cake, and third, it’s cake. If you think I’m being left out of that, you’ve lost your mind. I run on sexy Scotsman and sugar.”
She snorted.
“Someone is food-motivated and clearly takes after me. I run on hot Native and sugar.”
Oh, and coffee.
God.
She loved a good cup of coffee.
As she sipped hers, Michael winked at her from where he sat nearby.
“I mean, there’s no lunatic I’d rather be just like, than my mom,” Michael admitted.
Graham put a plate down in front of his husband.
“I’m well aware.”
That made Elizabeth laugh. She loved this man for Michael. He had a wicked sense of humor, and she could tell he loved her son.
Speaking of help, Elizabeth continued.
“I’m also not going home yet. I hope that’s okay,” she said. “I’d like to stay until after the wedding. I need to work on some things.”
Graham smiled.
“Mom, we’d love you to stay. I was thinking about getting a dog and…”
He had her at dog.
Immediately, she shouted out, scaring Gabby, who hadn’t expected it. Coffee sloshed everywhere.
“I’ll help!”
That made Ethan laugh.
“Oh, here we go. I foresee some German Shepherd puppies eating the shoes of all the guests, but the goats need company,” he added.
Michael shook his head.
“We gotta have a big dog,” he stated. “A herding dog who can manage all the goats. There’s one for each bodyguard, including Jet.”
Ethan remembered her saying that.
“Oh, I hear you have a goat for each guy. That’s crazy and ridiculous. I love it.”
Elizabeth giggled and shared what she knew.
“There’s a dorky one named Ivan, and a troublemaker named Demeter. Saint the goat is always humping Raphael the vacant staring one.”
Blackhawk laughed.
Well, that sounded about right.
“Oh, we gotta send pictures back. That’s going to annoy and amuse Ivan.”
No doubt.
Only, now, Elizabeth had other fish to fry, so to speak.
“Now, talk dog to me,” she said, eating breakfast. It was thick waffles, and she was loading on the syrup. Someone knew the way to her heart.
Waffles.
Dogs.
And sexy men.
Graham pulled out his phone.
“I kind of found some. Would you like to see the puppies?” he asked, holding out his phone to her in case she was interested. His husband had warned him that she loved dogs, but so did he, so they could bond over that.
Elizabeth actually stared at him.
Did she want to see puppies?
Was?
He?
Kidding?
“Uh, no need to ask,” Gabby said. “She’s getting all of them. Bet on it.”
Yes, yes, she was.
Why?