Chapter 50 #3
“He was still your brother, though,” Briggs responds.
“I begged him to give them the information they wanted, but he said we were as good as dead if he did. I didn’t understand that at the time; I just wanted the pain to end.
But he’s the only reason that Annie and I made it out of there alive.
Unfortunately, Elijah succumbed to his injuries before we were rescued.
But I’d listened to him talk about his little brother for three weeks straight.
How his one regret in life was that he didn’t go back for him now that he was stable and had an income that could support both of them.
So I hired a private investigator to track down Col, then showed up on his doorstep, drunk and high, apologizing for getting his brother killed. ”
“Which was never your fault,” Col insists.
“SFAB soldiers aren’t supposed to see combat. They train foreign militaries. He should’ve come home alive, not in a box,” Briggs counters, still pacing the polished concrete floor.
“None of which you had any control over, Briggs,” Col reaffirms. “As you said yourself, you couldn’t have given them what they wanted because you didn’t have the information.
The only one who could’ve done that was Eli.
He made his choice, and it was the right one.
I’m sad that he died, but at least two of you made it home. ”
“That’s just it,” Briggs laughs, but there’s not a trace of amusement in his tone.
“On the one-year anniversary of us being taken, Annie took her own life. So really, all that sacrifice ended up being for nothing. My life alone wasn’t worth your brother keeping his silence.
What was the point, huh? Why didn’t we all die, right then and there?
Why bring me home, where I’m tortured by memories I can’t erase? ”
“Shit,” Col swears. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“What good would it have done?” Briggs questions.
“Please don’t say that,” Andi intervenes, her voice watery and steeped in heartache.
“I need you, Briggs. Izzy and Hudson need their dad. The guys need their friend. Your life matters to us.” When he catches sight of how devastated she is at hearing him talk about his life so flippantly, he quickly erases the space between them, stealing her from Dayton’s hold.
“I don’t feel that way anymore, Angel. I promise. Talking about it puts me in a shitty headspace. I know that rehashing your trauma works for some people, but it has the opposite effect on me. I don’t like talking about it because it makes me feel as if I haven’t made any progress at all.”
“I’m sorry,” Andi mumbles, her voice muffled from where her face is pressed against Briggs’ chest. “You don’t have to speak about it ever again.”
“Agreed,” I chime in. “I know I’ve given you shit for how you’ve previously behaved, but it’s obvious you aren’t that person anymore.”
“Aw, don’t go soft on me now, Detective Hardass,” Briggs mocks, attempting to lighten the mood.
“How about you never have to bring it up again, but we reserve the right to check in with you if something seems off. And you need to come to us if you’re struggling.
We can’t read your mind, and now more than ever, we all need to be the best possible versions of ourselves.
We’re parents now,” Dayton demands, unable to contain his grin when speaking about Hudson and Izzy, which completely obliterates the stern tone he was attempting to set.
“Fine,” Briggs concedes, feigning annoyance, but I think he appreciates having people who care about him far more than he lets on. “I’d like to take our woman to bed now, so let’s put a pin in the heart-to-heart we’re having. Brings the mood down.” He wags his eyebrows, making Andi laugh.
“I know we’ll be cramped for space, but can you all stay tonight? I miss having everyone under the same roof,” Andi pleads.
“Of course we’ll stay, minha luz. There’s nowhere any of us would rather be,” I tell her, pressing my lips to the side of her neck. The way her breath stutters makes my cock stiffen.
“Oooh, I like those sounds, Angel,” Briggs teases, sinking his teeth into her shoulder.
“Ah, fuck,” Dayton groans, readjusting himself. I glance at Col, knowing he’s not as keen on the sharing aspect, but his eyes are molten pools of desire. I take it he’s officially over his hang-ups.
“Does that mean there’s an orgasm in my very near future?” Andi asks, tilting her head to the side to give Briggs and me better access. “I was cleared to have sex last week, and yet none of you have done more than kiss me.”
“Feeling needy, Sunshine?” Col jests, his voice gritty with need.
“Very,” she answers, bobbing her head up and down.
“Pump the brakes,” Briggs commands, making me groan with frustration.
“If this is going where I think it is, we need to put Izzy in her crib. There’s no way in hell we’re going to make our kids’ mother climax–repeatedly–in the presence of our little girl.
” Briggs shivers dramatically, but the image makes me queasy as well.
“Make sure the baby monitor is on,” Andi adds.
“Of course.” Briggs nods his head in agreement, already walking towards the bedroom to get our daughter.
“I want you naked by the time I’m back, Angel.
There better not be anything between me and your dripping wet pussy.
” Andi’s breathing grows harsher, her pulse thumping rapidly in the side of her neck.
“Us,” Col amends. “There better not be anything between us and her delectable pussy.”
Holy fuck, we’re actually doing this.