109
EMERSYN
We hadn’t even been back at Alpha One for a full twenty-four hours and I was already down in the forest behind the house.
The pine scent wrapped around me in a comfortable way that managed to seep deep into my bones.
My throat closed and my knees folded. I sank into the pine needles with reverence—grateful that I was home at last. When I heard familiar footsteps, I stood up and brushed debris from my knees.
“Should you be up walking?” I asked without turning.
My father scoffed roughly. “You better not be calling me old,” he warned.
I grinned and turned toward him. “I meant because of your injury.”
“I’m hurt, not dead.” He looked around us at the trees and the soft light of the afternoon, as it filtered in great sheets through the foliage. “It really is beautiful back here.”
His gaze settled back onto me and he jerked his head at the house.
“Walk back with me?” He asked. “Dinner is nearly ready.”
I fell into step with him as we picked up a path back to the treeline.
“It’s a bit early, isn’t it?”
My father hummed in agreement. “Yes, well, Nyx insisted.”
“I thought he didn’t like to cook for this many people?”
The house was packed. Arkady had decided to stay for a few more days, as well as Knight and Cal’s team. Even King’s group decided to stay for another week before they flew back to Florence.
“He doesn’t,” my father grumbled. “I told him to cater it—he refused—said we could do it this once, then refused all help and kicked everyone out of the kitchen. Then, a few minutes ago, he ran out—nearly in a panic—and said we had to eat in fifteen minutes—” My father shook his head while I bit back a smile.
“Something about how he mistimed something. I don’t know. I learned not to ask questions.”
We emerged from the trees and started the trek up to the house. I could already hear the conversations drift down toward us from outside, where people sat with beers near the pool.
“Oh, I should warn you, the Russians are here for dinner,” my father said.
“Warn me?”
My father’s lips twitched in a small smile. “I’m sure they’ll drill you with inappropriate questions about your stay with a certain Russian spy.”
“Ah, alright, that should be fun.”
“Just tell them to fuck off if you don’t want to talk about any of it,” my father said.
“No, it’s fine. I–I miss him,” I said.
“You know if you ever want to go back there to visit, we can do that.”
I nodded, because I’d thought about it. I missed the forest I grew up in. The mountains and the river that had healed me, and the trees that had taught me more about myself than anything else ever could.
“I think I’d like that actually,” I admitted.
My father nodded. “I think I would too,” he said.
I turned to him in surprise and he shrugged. “I’d like to meet the man who raised my daughter.”
“Well, you know he’s dead,” I said dryly.
My father slipped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the side of my head.
“I know, but I’d like to pay my respects.” He smiled. “Maybe cuss him out for putting you through SERE—”
“Hey, I pretty much forced him to do that,” I said.
I’d told my father more about my time with Sacha, including what had happened in the woods with the hunters, and the resulting training afterwards. Of course, he hadn’t been happy, but he knew the training had been invaluable and a huge reason why I got out of everything I went through, alive.
“Yeah, well, I don’t like the thought of him hurting you,” my father growled.
“We should go in a few months when spring hits.”
We arrived at the edge of the pool deck and watched Tex and Knox throw Sakari into the pool against his will. My father pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as the man surfaced sputtering, and glaring murderously at the pair who stood just out of reach.
“I really hope Sakari doesn’t have his throwing stars on him,” he muttered.
Despite the ominous words, when I looked over, he had a calm look of contentment on his face.
His arm tightened around my shoulders, and I leaned my head against him and soaked in the laughter and banter.
It felt a bit surreal with the twinkle lights, and the smell of the grill Atlas manned while Nyx scolded him—it all felt so normal, so domestic.
“It feels strange,” I said.
“It’ll settle,” my father said quietly. “Adjusting is always a process.”
“What will happen with Mahoney?” I asked.
“What do you want to happen?”
“He deserves to rot down there for a bit, I think.”
“Well, we have all the time in the world now.”
That made me pause. Suddenly, the future was something tangible. A thrill shot through me because before, thoughts about my future were just that—thoughts, dreams—but, vastly unreachable. It wasn’t like that anymore.
“What do I do now, Dad?”
He turned to me and his hands settled on either side of my face. His thumb brushed over my scar, and a tender look broke through the usual stoic mask. For a moment the steel in his eyes softened, and he gave me a small smile.
“That’s the beauty of it, baby,” he said, his voice rough. “Anything you want.”
“What if–what if I don’t want to do it all alone?”
His eyes filled with a deep knowing. “You’re with your family now, Em. You’re not alone anymore.”
My eyes filled, and I gave him a watery smile back. The possibilities were endless and vast and filled with hope. I’d spent sixteen years surviving—enduring alone because that was what I’d been taught. That was what I learned I was capable of.
But, love taught me I didn’t have to do any of it alone anymore. I was home, I was safe, and I was surrounded by people who loved me.
I pulled my father in for a hug. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” my father kissed my hair. “Never doubt that.”
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Griffin walking with purpose across the pool deck.
He was headed toward his sister and Knight, who looked like they were about to throw down.
Well, Arkady looked like she was about to punch Knight in the face, and Knight looked irritated about something.
My father frowned. “What is that all about?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
I parted ways with my father and headed toward the group. I arrived just as Knight walked away, and Griffin told Arkady something along the lines of that she needed to behave.
“What the fuck, Griff?” Arkady exploded. “Are you on his side?”
“I don’t even know what the sides are!” Griffin scoffed.
“It shouldn’t matter,” Arkady sniffed. “You should always be on mine.”
“And I am,” Griffin insisted. “Always. You know that!”
Arkady glared at him before she stormed off. My eyebrows raised as he turned to me.
“Trouble in paradise?” I asked.
“That’s the thing,” Griffin shrugged. “I don’t even know what’s going on. She won’t tell me.” He frowned. “And she always tells me.”
“Ah, love will do that,” I mused like I was some sage guru on the topic.
Griffin’s eyes sharpened and he wrapped his arms around my waist. “Yeah it will. It certainly drives people crazy.” He gave me a kiss that was much too brief before he pulled back.
“Oh, before I forget, don’t go in the kitchen.
I went to grab some water and nearly had a whole turkey thrown at my head. ”
I giggled. “Really?”
Griffin huffed a laugh. “Yeah. It was scary enough that I don’t ever want to see Nyx have an actual crash out because I think that would probably be terrifying.”
“There you two are—” Seven came over with two beers and a glass of something clear.
He handed Griffin a beer, and me the glass, before he slung his arm around Griffin’s shoulder.
“That is courtesy of the Russian mafia,” Seven said as he nodded to my glass. “I’m told it is expensive, but I’m afraid vodka is lost on my simple palette.”
As much as I was interested in the vodka, I was completely distracted at the sight of the two men pressed together at the hip.
I buried my blush in my glass at the thoughts that bombarded me.
The night on the boat still played over and over again in my head.
It made me all kinds of hot and bothered to think of the two of them kissing.
Unfortunately, there hadn’t been a repeat yet—between the travel time and our exhaustion when we got back, the three of us had done nothing but sleep. I was going to have to change that tonight. I was about to say something dirty, when the sound of silverware tapping glass cut across the backyard.
“Dinner is served!” Nyx shouted. “Eat anywhere you want you heathens—”
His words were cut off as Atlas put a hand over his mouth and dragged him off, while laughter rang out across the sunset-drenched yard. Griffin put his other arm around my shoulders, and together the three of us headed toward the house wrapped up in love, hope and family.