Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
“How’s the arm?” I asked. When I’d woken up the first time in the hospital he hadn’t even taken care of it yet. He’d still been wearing the same wrinkled bloody shirt he’d had on all day.
“Back, too,” Ephraim said, shaking his head. “Caught his shoulder blade somehow. Hey, Chief. Lookin’ good.”
“Good to see you, Eph.”
“Wilson said not to apologize for him because it’s not as if his medical training would’ve helped you heal any faster,” Josiah said with a bark of laughter. “But he’s with you in spirit.”
“He did not say he was in here in spirit,” I shot back.
“Nah, you’re right,” Siah replied as he sat down on the floor with the kids. “Just the first part.”
“Asshole,” Lu grumbled.
“Love the company, but—” I murmured as Cec stood up and pulled a sleeping Forrest from my arms.
“I’ll put him in bed,” she whispered, leaning in to give me a kiss.
I looked around the room once she was gone. “This feels like a meeting.”
“It is,” Eli said with a sigh.
“Timing’s a little…unfortunate,” I said, drawing the last word out. What the fuck was going on?
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Lu said, curling her legs up on the couch.
“We’re thinkin’ it’s time for a little break,” Josiah said, looking up from the crocodile he was drawing.
“Oh, yeah?” I leaned up, hiding my wince.
“I’m gonna meet up with Layla in Vancouver,” Forrest said, crossing his arms over his chest. “After that clusterfuck with her old security company, they’re scramblin’ to find someone else.”
“And that someone is you,” I replied knowingly.
“Me and Eli are goin’ to go up with him,” Lu added. “Just for a couple of the tour stops, then we’ll head back when her and Hollis have shit handled.”
“You set up a new contract?” I asked, frowning.
“All set. Wilson set it up,” Forrest confirmed.
“Me and Siah are gonna take some time, head back home for a minute,” Ephraim said, glancing at his cousin. “Haven’t been back in a while and our grandparents are gettin’ old.”
“Alright.” I just sat there for a minute.
“No one else is saying it, so I’m just going to,” Lu said in disgust, rolling her eyes. “When we’re back, we think we need to reconfigure some shit. Shift to consulting, that kind of thing.”
“Say what?” I was stunned and reached out, pulling Cecilia to my side as she came back into the room. “You know about this?” I looked up at her.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” she said softly, running her hand through my hair.
“You’ve got a family, Chief,” Josiah said quietly, shrugging.
“It was a bit of a wake up call,” Forrest added. “We’re gettin’ too old for this.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ephraim joked. He looked over at me. “I’m in my prime,” he said smugly. “But I agree with ’em. We’ve done our time steppin’ in front of B-U-L-L-E-T-S to protect people we don’t give a shit about.” He glanced at the girls to make sure they didn’t understand the word he’d spelled.
“You pissed?” Lu asked.
It took me a minute to answer, but if I was honest, it was a really easy decision. “I’m relieved.”
“Thank fuck,” Eli muttered.
“Uncle Eli,” Olive scolded, her eyes wide. “That’s a really bad word.”
“Sorry, princess.”
“When do you guys leave?” I asked Forrest. It had been a long ass time since the team had been split up.
“Flyin’ out tonight,” he said, leaning back in his chair, the tension in his shoulders visibly disappearing.
The team stayed for another hour, playing with the girls and visiting, and then one by one they trickled out of the house. When they were gone, Cecilia climbed onto the couch with me, curling into my side.
“You okay with things changing?” she asked quietly.
“Fuck, yes,” I replied, letting out a long breath. “Jesus. I never wanna get shot again.”
She let out a startled laugh and looked up at me. “No shit.”
“You gonna be happy with me underfoot all the time?”
“I love it when you’re home,” she said with a sigh, leaning her head on my shoulder. “I mean, really. What’s better than this?”
Forrest was still asleep. Olive was singing softly to her Barbie, dancing it around in a circle. Meg sat in the middle of the floor, stacking blocks on her outstretched legs from thigh to ankle and knocking them back down.
“Nothin’,” I murmured, swallowing hard. “Nothin’ is better than this.”
Cecilia hummed happily in her throat.
“But next year, swear to God, I’m takin’ you out for Valentine’s Day.”