Chapter 26 #2
Seth hugged her. “Actually, I think they’re just right.”
“Just like you. You’re just right for me.”
Later, Seth decided it was time to call his other family. His teammates.
Mara’s family was amazing. He’d enjoyed his individual chats with her brothers. They were all interesting men, fiercely protective of their sister. An attitude he appreciated.
Years of working in high-pressure kitchens and in special forces had helped him endure the endless questions about why he thought he was good enough for their little sister. Maybe he wasn’t, but the fact that he loved her and wasn’t afraid to tell them so had them all rooting for him.
Her father, James, was a great man. Hard-working, not only in his construction business, but also as a father to nine kids. Nine was overwhelming.
Seth knew he wanted to be a dad. Wanted to watch their kids grow inside Mara, and then run around the farmhouse as they developed into strong people.
But nine? Not a chance.
Unless Mara wanted that many.
With a goofy grin, he wandered into the orchard. He knew he’d be pacing while talking, so outside was better than in.
He’d managed to get all four members of his team on the video call tonight.
They weren’t all on the same team anymore.
Their recovery processes had meant they’d re-entered active duty at different times and with different attitudes.
Clay had chosen to work in the offices rather than return to the front, a choice they all respected.
Brain and Squid were stateside, while Johnny was in Central America dealing with the aftermath of a mission and would be heading home soon.
With them all in the same hemisphere, it hadn’t been as difficult to arrange a call as he’d expected.
Soon, his buddies’ four faces filled the tablet he’d borrowed from Mara, and Seth had to battle back the emotion.
“Babs, so glad you called.”
“It’s great to see you, Babs.”
“Good to be together again.”
“You doing okay?”
“How’s the leg? You still walking?”
“You find a place to do some cooking?”
The flurry of greetings and questions gave him time to swallow hard and answer. “Hey, everyone. It’s great to see you all.”
And it was. Not as painful as it had been in the past. He knew he’d well and truly put his injury into perspective. “I’m a lucky bastard.”
They all cracked up, and Johnny grinned. “No shit. Glad you figured it out.”
He nodded. “I did. It only took an apple farm to help me find my way again.”
Clay’s eyebrows shot up. “For real? I was fifty percent sure you were shitting us about an apple farm.”
Seth flipped the camera around, panning it through the orchard and up into the trees where the apples were growing.
Brain laughed. “Nice. So, who is she?”
He was glad the camera was facing away because another goofy grin popped onto his face at even the thought of her.
Then he decided he didn’t care if they knew he was stupid in love, so he turned it back on himself. “Mara Evans, and she’s incredible.”
They all hooted, and then Brain tilted his head. “Evans. Any relation to Dodge?”
Seth nodded. “His little sister. Ford’s here on the farm, too. Along with two of the Malssum brothers, Gray Santoro, and Nash Cooper.”
Johnny grinned. “Holy shit. You running missions out of rural Vermont?”
He laughed. “Not trying to, although we had a bit of one the other day.”
Laughter disappeared, and everyone turned serious. “You’re okay? Mara, too?”
He nodded at Clay. “We’re all good. But it was all connected to Maki.”
“Tell us.”
He nodded and continued to wander. “Maki’s brother blamed me for his death. He came here and stayed at the inn with a group of bodyguards training at a local facility. He went by Neil while he was here.”
Squid sighed. “Maki said he didn’t look anything like his brother, so you wouldn’t have had a clue that way. He was after revenge?”
Seth nodded. “Wanted me to suffer by losing someone I loved. Spent the week realizing Mara’s the most important person in the world to me.”
Johnny snorted. “I’m hurt, man. Devastated over here to learn I’m not your favorite human anymore.”
Everyone laughed, and it helped Seth swallow the fear at the memories rolling back.
He talked it through as he wandered. The fear of realizing she was gone, the discovery of Blake’s identity, and the absolute terror of finding out he intended to blow her up with a homemade IED.
And how Mara had talked him down. His conversation with Blake at the Phail Jail.
“Holy shit, Babs. You’re a lucky bastard for sure. And you’ve got yourself a hell of a woman.”
He nodded. “I do.”
“How’s Blake doing now?”
Seth wasn’t surprised at Brain’s question. They all knew that having a military member was as difficult for the families as it was for the personnel. “He’s better. Through the anger, and starting to deal with the loss and the pain.”
Brain nodded. “Good. I’m glad you went to see him. You’re going to see he gets some help?”
“I am. He needs to know he’s not alone in dealing with the loss. Doesn’t sound like he’s got a great support system, but that could be because he’s been holding it all inside.”
Clay nodded. “That shit never ends well.”
Seth nodded, knowing he’d done it himself. “Takes some of us longer to deal with it.”
Johnny grinned. “Like you. Glad to see you back on an even keel, man.”
Seth nodded. “Thanks. I focused so damn hard on walking that I didn’t give myself time to deal with the bigger shit. Thanks to Mara, I’m getting there.”
“When do we get to meet the lady?”
Seth stopped and looked up, realizing his steps had brought him to Chick Inn Time. “How about you meet Maki first?”
They all laughed when he turned the phone around again.
Squid shook his head. “I can’t believe you named chickens after us. Chickens.”
Seth grinned. “Seemed appropriate.”
He held the camera over the sheets, showing the names and pictures of the hens. He heard a few hard swallows as they read the tribute Mara had put at the top.
Then he showed the second sheet with the Star Wars names for the other hens.
That helped them all shove their emotions aside and laugh.
“Those are awesome. I’d never have thought of Hen Erso. Gotta meet your woman, Babs.”
Seth had felt Mara approach the coop, so when she rested her hand on his back, he didn’t flinch. Instead, he turned to kiss her lightly, keeping the camera turned away. “You ready to meet the team, Mara?”
She nodded, eyes warm and misty in the deepening evening. “I’d love to meet your friends.”
Knowing his buddies had heard every word, he turned the camera again, so they were both on screen.
“Hi, everyone.”
After introductions, he and Mara entered Chick Inn Time, and Mara picked up each of the hens, introducing her to her namesake.
Clay looked off-screen. “Got a call, so I need to go. I’m glad you called, Seth. We need to do this regularly. Nice to meet you Mara. Thanks for taking care of Babs.”
She laughed. “You’ve got that backwards. Nice to meet you, too.”
Johnny grinned. “Clay had it right. We’ll all take off now, but let’s make this a regular thing. Thanks for naming the chickens after us, Mara. And for helping Babs deal with his shit.”
There was more of the same until they all logged off, promising to do another call in a couple of weeks.
He wrapped himself around Mara as the sun started its final descent behind the trees. Peace filled the area and his soul.
Making the call with his team had been the step he’d needed, the step he’d been putting off. Mara’s call to her family earlier had triggered this one, and he felt like he’d finally healed from the past.
Seth kissed her hair. “They were right, you know. You’ve saved me.”
She laughed and reached up to kiss him softly. “Don’t know if that’s true, but I know you did the same for me. We make a good team, Seth.”
He nodded, wanting to take the next step, but didn’t think the coop was the best place for a proposal.
Soon. Very soon.