Chapter Seventeen #3
He was honest.
“I’ll never cheat on you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Michael kissed him.
“Then, I’m not worried what people think about me or you.
I’m worried about our marriage and how to sustain it.
I want to romance my husband, and start thinking about our lives.
Maybe we find some kids, and a dog. I don’t care that you took dick from some guy in a bar. That was before our marriage.”
That calmed him down.
“But if being here is difficult because that matters to you, we can go back to the US. I can ask Elizabeth if she will hire you. Technically, Ivan is my boss, but she runs the roost. He pretty much has to do what she says. Thus, Demeter,” he said, laughing.
He was confused.
“Why is that funny?”
Oh, well…
“If you knew Demeter, and the shit he gets into and says…you’d understand.”
That calmed him down.
“So, decide. I’m good with either prospect. I will say though, working for the Blackhawks is dangerous. There’s a reason I have so much money in the bank.”
He lifted a brow.
“Uh, I have money too. I want to contribute.”
Michael pulled out his phone, and opened his banking app. Then, he put it down. When Graham saw it, he began choking on his grilled cheese.
“Michael!”
He laughed.
“I told you. I became an Archangel to make coin so I could buy my man anything he wanted. So what do you want?”
He stared at him.
He had millions.
“Uh, just you. I don’t want your money. I don’t make as much as you, but no one shoots at me. YET. In this castle though, who knows. We have a lake trying to kill people.”
That was true.
“I just want you to know that it’s our money now. You and I both have a nice nest egg. In case something ever happens to me, I want you to be taken care of. I want you to be able to retire and fill that bucket list we once created together.”
Tears filled Graham’s eyes.
“I don’t deserve you,” he admitted. “No matter how hard I try, I’ll never deserve this love.”
He placed his fingers over his lips.
“You do deserve it. You always will too. You’re not the man you think you are, Graham. You’re so valuable, and so important. I hope that one day, you realize that you were made for me, and we were meant to be.”
He hugged him.
Graham needed to be held, and there was no better place than in Michael’s arms. He’d known that from the first time they had sex, and he’d cuddled him like he was precious and mattered.
“I’ve missed you.”
Michael kissed him on the temple.
“I missed you too. We’ll have a long life together,” he offered. “Well, unless I take a bullet again for a Blackhawk,” he said, joking.
Graham didn’t find it funny.
Not.
At.
All.
He stepped back and stared into his eyes. In them, Michael saw fear.
“It’s something we’ll have to keep in mind. With a big paycheck and bonuses, I risk dying.”
Graham didn’t want money.
“Then, we stay here. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t give a shit about money, D’Artangnan. Please. If I lose you, I’m lost forever.”
He touched his face.
“Okay, my love. I hear you. I’ll retire. I just need to tell Elizabeth. She suspects it, but I wanted to clear it with you.”
He stopped him.
“Do you want to retire? This can’t only be about me. You should have say in it too. Again, we’re partners now.”
Yes, yes, they were.
“I’m going to miss them. You know I don’t have a family. I was dumped in an orphanage. They’ve been my family for those seven and a half years I didn’t have you, but I will say, the last one was close.”
Graham sat down and looked ill.
“Someone was trying to kill Christopher. I stepped between him and the bullet, and because he was shorter, it hit my shoulder. I nearly bled out. I’m lucky to have any use in my arm. They paid for the best doctors and rehab for me.”
He said nothing.
“Speak to me.”
Only, he didn’t get a chance.
With the worst timing, Graham’s phone rang. Only, it was a number he didn’t recognize.
Immediately, he thought it would be some man trying for a hookup. The calls mostly came at night, and it was heading toward evening.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“It’s a number I don’t know,” he said.
Michael took the phone. Only, instead of getting ready to tear someone a new one for calling his man, he saw it and knew.
He laughed.
“She’s got uncanny timing. That’s Elizabeth. Why is she calling you?”
Graham didn’t know.
“Should I answer?”
He laughed.
“Uh, yeah. She’s your boss.”
That was a good point.
“Yes, Ma’am?” he asked, speaking to her for legitimately the first time.
Oh, and he was nervous.
From the tone of his voice, she knew. Someone was twitchy. Well, he’d have to get over it.
“You’re my son-in-law, Graham. Michael is like a child to me. Yank the stick out of your arse. I’m going to call you a lot when he forgets to call home.”
He blinked, and Michael laughed.
“I’ll never forget. I’ll call you, Mom. What day do you want me to?” he asked.
She snorted.
“You know how my schedule is. I can’t answer that, but you’d better call.”
He would.
Before he could say anything else, she was off to the races—no shock there.
“I want to talk to you, Graham Graves. Tell my son to skedaddle. In fact, I’ll tell him. Michael, take a hike,” she said, and he immediately stopped laughing.
“What? Why?”
She was to the point.
“Maybe because you yelled at me, and now, I’m going to have fun making your new husband squirm. I guess that bit you in the ass, huh?”
Oh, he wasn’t worried.
“Oh, no. Don’t tell him all my secrets like I have a fetish for Scottish men with brown hair and grass-green eyes.”
She snorted.
“You’re a whore, and we know it. You get that from your mother. I gotta be me.”
He found her outrageously amusing. There was no doubt in his mind if she was calling, it was likely because she wanted to talk about him.
And their new marriage.
Elizabeth was a good egg, and she protected her Marines at all costs.
Because he also liked seeing a man squirm, his hot man, he kissed Graham and left the room.
Alone.
With the man killer.
“He’s gone,” he said.
Well, then, good.
She didn’t know why he was nervous.
“I’m switching over to a video call so I can see you. Get ready,” she said, hanging up and immediately re-calling him. When he came on the screen, she smiled at him.
Her son chose well.
He was a handsome man.
“Do I scare you?”
Oh.
Hell.
Yeah.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Ma’am. Your husbands are terrified of you, and they love you. So, I’m sure people you don’t know are wary.”
She laughed.
“You can call me Mom, or you can call me Elizabeth. I don’t bite, Graham, unless that’s your kink. Do tell if it is. Then, I can bust D’Artangnan’s ass.”
He actually laughed.
“It’s not, but who am I to say shit. I have a Marine Kink,” he admitted.
She was aware.
“Welcome to the family,” she said. “I didn’t get to talk to you at the end of the garden ceremony. It looked pretty out there.”
He was waiting for the sneak attack. Callen and Chris said she was wily.
He was bracing for it.
“Thank you, Ma’am. I mean…”
She cut him a break.
“I’m not as scary as they say. I promise.
I do want to know though, what are your plans?
” she asked. “He’s married to you, and now, you two have to find a place unless you’re staying there.
When I asked if he was leaving, he didn’t know.
It was up to you. So, I need to know where my favorite Marine, and don’t let that slip to the others, is going to be. ”
He didn’t know why he felt so compelled to tell her the truth.
“I made a mess here. I don’t think we have a choice. I might have to leave Scotland, but I’m afraid he’ll die if we go to the US.”
As soon as it was out of his mouth, he was dumbfounded why he’d spilled his guts.
Holy shit.
She hadn’t even asked.
Why was he compelled to tell her everything? It had to be those icy-blue eyes.
They were eerie.
“I see,” she said. “Why?”
“I slept around, and I did some foul things to feel. I’m ashamed that he’ll be bombarded with that each day if we go into the village. I hit rock bottom, and I made bad choices. Maybe staying here is a bad plan, but I’m afraid if we don’t, he’ll get hurt at work and die.”
That she understood.
“We all do things we regret. It’s how we come back from them that matters.
I slept with my partner after Chris broke my heart back then.
It ended up getting me shot, and him killed.
As for Michael getting killed at work…it’s always a possibility, Graham.
I’m high on the list of people who’d rather me be dead.
I have senators who have been outed because of me, going to jail for child pornography. I’m always in danger.”
That terrified him too.
But he said nothing, so she did.
“I regret those choices to this day, because it kept me from being around for my father to say goodbye.”
What befuddled him was she wasn’t telling him what to do. What he’d expected was for her to tell him to let Michael stay, putting her safety first.
But she didn’t.
“So we shouldn’t or should leave?” he asked. “Ma’am, I’m not good with this kind of thing. Just tell me. I’m a soldier. I can follow orders. I can…”
She couldn’t do that.
Everyone had to make their own choice. If Michael was willing to leave his job, and he was, then Graham had to make that call.
“Do you love him?”
He didn’t have to think.
“Yes.”
“Are you happy there minus the whole people will talk thing?”
Again, this was a no-brainer.
“I have an amazing job given to me by your husbands. I love this old castle, even if she’s spicy.”
That amused her.
Now, she knew what was going on, so she could address this in the best way possible.
“Then, stay. D’Artangnan is tough. He’s been through some shit, and you know most of it. If he wants to leave, hopefully, he’ll tell you.”
He was curious.
“How much do you know about me?” he asked.
She laughed.