14. Chapter 14 Marcus
Chapter 14: Marcus
One Month Later
D aisy's scent lingers in my car as I drive to our monthly meeting. For once, I'm not the first to arrive at the Trading Post. My late arrival has everything to do with how she looked in my shirt this morning, hair mussed from my hands.
"That smile's disturbing." Jake's voice breaks through my thoughts. He's leaning against his truck, arms crossed. "You're scaring the wildlife."
"Bugger off."
I can't wipe the smile completely. Not after last night, or this morning. Daisy was everything and more.
"Man, you've got it bad." Cole joins us, rifle slung over his shoulder. He's been tracking something in the high country. "Good thing we like her."
Finn arrives last, limping slightly. The weather change always affects his old injury.
"Let’s get inside," I order, noticing his discomfort.
They follow me into the Trading Post's back room.
"Alright." I settle into my usual corner. "Status."
We might pretend that we get together to report about the mountain, but it's more than just checking in. These meetings kept us sane after coming home, when the silence got too loud and the memories too heavy.
Jake starts, all business. "The fire was a warning to us to get better prepared. Three idiots tried to scale up the north side yesterday. I had to extract them from the ledge."
"Tourist season." Cole shakes his head. "Getting worse."
"Town council wants to promote more adventure tourism." Finn's voice holds disgust. "Like we need more fools on our mountain."
"Your brewery's benefiting," I point out. Finn started a small brewery, mainly for the town but more tourists now add it to their list to visit.
He shrugs. "Rather have peace than profit."
We all understand that.
"Speaking of peace." Jake grinned. "How's domestic life treating you?"
I growl, but there's no heat in it. They've earned the right to give me shit.
"Focus." But I'm fighting another smile. "Trail report?"
They share intel about conditions, wildlife movements, problem areas.
"Grizzly signs near Miller's Creek," Cole reports. "Female with cubs."
"Mark it." I update our shared map. "Finn?"
"Brewery's good cover for monitoring river traffic." He stretches his bad leg. "Caught some poachers last week."
"Handled?"
His smile is cold. "They won't be back."
Good. We protect our own here, the land, the town, each other.
"Doctor's asking questions again," Jake mentions casually. Too casually.
I hide my smile. "About?"
"Rescue protocols. Medical response times." He shifts. "Training requirements."
"Sounds reasonable," Cole says innocently. "Maybe you should show her personally."
Jake's glare could strip paint.
"She's good people," I offer. "Daisy says she climbs."
"Don't start." But Jake's ears redden. "Not all of us need a woman to fix us."
"Fix us?" I snort. "Daisy doesn't fix anything. She just?"
"Makes it better," Finn finishes quietly.
Yeah. She does.
The room softens as we all remember why we're here. What brought us to this mountain, seeking peace after the military broke us differently.
My scars are just the most visible.
"Speaking of Daisy." Cole pulls out a flask. "When's the wedding?"
I choke on my coffee. "What?"
"Please." Jake rolls his eyes. "You've got that look."
"What look?"
"Same one you had before proposing to join our unit." He grins. "When you know something's right but you're overthinking it."
They're not wrong. I've been carrying Grandma's ring in my pocket for weeks.
"I haven't asked yet," I admit.
"Waiting for what?" Finn passes the flask. "Another crisis?"
"Right moment."
They share knowing looks.
"Okay. Then I have one more item to talk about." I pull out a small box. "I need opinions."
They lean forward as I open it. Grandma's ring catches the light. A simple gold band with three small diamonds.
"It was her favorite," I explain. "Dad gave it to me before" I trail off.
Before the cancer took him. Before I shipped out. Before everything changed.
"It's perfect," Cole says softly.
"Daisy will love it," Finn agrees.
Jake just grins. "Just do it already."
"Brother." Jake's voice gentles. "After everything, you really think she'll say no?"
No. But.
"You survived our unit," Cole adds. "This should be easy."
"Says the man who can't talk to the new bartender."
He flips me off, but flushes.
The meeting devolves into giving each other shit, as it usually does. Underneath runs that current of understanding. Of brotherhood.
These men know my darkest places. They watched my back in hell and then followed me home to this mountain.
They're family.
"Seriously though." Jake interrupts. "You deserve this. Deserve her."
The others nod. We finish our coffee and I think about Daisy waiting back at my cabin and I have never needed to be home more than now.
"Go." Jake shoulders his rifle. "We’ve got patrol tonight."
"You sure?"
"Brother." Cole claps my shoulder. "Go get your girl."
They file out, watching over our mountain, our town.
I climb into my truck and drive as fast as I can home to her. Home. To her. With the ring burning a hole in my pocket. Maybe tonight.
She looks up as I enter, smile brilliant. "Good meeting?"
"Better now."
She comes willingly when I pull her close. There’s no games with Daisy. She is real.
"I missed you," she murmurs against my chest.
I kiss her deeply and I pull her closer. She steps back and looks at me.
"Marcus?" She traces my smile.
"Hmm?"
"You okay?"
I hold her tighter, feeling the ring press against my hip. Soon.
"Perfect."
"I love you," she whispers.
“I love you too,” I murmur before I carry her to our bed. To show her just how damn much.