Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 122966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
No one said anything, but I suspected we all felt the same. We were tired, wrung-out, grief-stricken, and we knew Darius. This was how he coped. It wasn’t the first time he’d taken off in the middle of the night to go on an assignment. Was I irritated with him because of the timing? Fuck yeah. So was Ryan. But we kept our mouths shut, and it wasn’t as if Ryan could say much without coming off as a hypocrite.
He had his next deployment coming up at the end of the year.
Instead, we started making our way home.
Ryan returned to California. Lias and his girlfriend went back to New York.
“Everybody fucking leaves,” Willow said tightly before we boarded our flight.
“They’ll be back home soon, sweetie,” Mary comforted, but Willow was having none of it.
Ethan and I exchanged a glance. Then he nodded subtly at Pipsqueak, to which I inclined my head. I’d look after her, and Ethan would focus on Willow.
I blew out a breath and showed my boarding pass at the gate.
Time to go home. Time to rebuild a semblance of normalcy—without Jake.
Nine
In Ryan’s defense, he started talking about retiring from the service after we’d lost Jake.
It took two years and two more deployments, but one sunny day in June of 2010, Ryan came home in time for Pipsqueak’s sixteenth birthday, and in the middle of dinner in the backyard, he stood up and announced he was officially retiring. He had one more training mission—stateside—and then he’d be a civilian.
“This, we have to celebrate.” I tipped my beer at him.
“Best birthday gift ever!” Pipsqueak rushed over to him and hugged the hell out of him. “Gah!” And that wasn’t enough; she grabbed his arm and legit bit him, something I’d only ever heard of her and Willow doing before. I’d never witnessed it. Apparently, it happened every now and then when they couldn’t contain the energy they felt.
Ryan grinned despite his flinching.
Willow smiled carefully, then lifted a brow at Darius, who occupied one of the short ends of the table. “Do you possibly have an announcement too?”
I chuckled.
Darius was busy cutting into his steak. “Before y’all start kissing Ry’s feet, maybe he should tell everyone that he’s moving to San Francisco. Oh, and he’ll be joining me in the private sector.”
“What the fresh f—” I slammed my beer down on the table, and I had a feeling both Ethan and Lias were mirroring my incredulous expression at Ryan.
“Thanks, bro,” Ryan deadpanned.
Darius inclined his head. “Anytime.”
Their father shook his head and sent a glance skyward, as if asking for strength.
Mary was a little warier. “Hon, what does he mean by you joining the private sector?”
“He’s exaggerating,” Ryan insisted and sat down again. “The part about San Francisco is true. I wanna open a bar there, but last time I checked, they don’t throw money at us in the Marines. I’ll need dough for the down payment, and quick in-and-out gigs with Darius will take care of that.”
Okay, then. Basically, we would go back to the regular worry we felt at having him as an active service member, and we’d postpone the celebration. But it was on the horizon. I hoped.
“Quick in-and-out,” Willow stated flatly. “Right.”
Ryan was about to answer when he was saved by the doorbell inside the house, and Pipsqueak let out a squeal before she felt the need to fluff her hair and ask her mother if her makeup looked all right.
It made me frown. The girl was growing up too fast. She wore too much makeup, and now she was dating. She was dating some no-good punk named Chad.
Fucking Chad.
Darius waved a fork in the direction of the house. “We about to meet the boyfriend?”
“Yes, and behave—or I’ll kick you in the balls,” Pipsqueak told him. Then she darted inside to get the door.
“Who’s met him?” Darius pressed forward.
“Avery and me,” Ethan replied. “Chad came by Ave’s place when I was there—Ave was helping her with a school assignment.”
“Chad?” Darius blanched, then…cracked up. “Fucking Chad. That’s priceless.”
“Fucking Chad is the official nickname already,” I added helpfully.
“I’m surprised he’s showing up here.” Ethan took a swig of his beer. “Ave made him look like a fucking idiot last week.”
I showed my palms, indicating I was innocent. “He did that all by himself. All I did was ask some basic questions about Pipsqueak’s homework. Shit he’s supposed to know.”
“Well, good,” James replied. “Mary’s forbidden me from acting like a caveman, so I trust you boys to do your duty as her brothers.”
No problem.
“Seriously,” Mary grated. “From what I hear, he’s a sweet boy.”
Ryan nodded at the patio doors and sat back. “Here they come.”
I didn’t like the sight at all. Pipsqueak was leaving her childhood behind. She stepped out onto the patio hand in hand with Fucking Chad, and she looked utterly love-sick. She was losing her innocence.