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She traced it with a single fingertip. “God, Nash. You did it.” He tried to speak. Failed. Swallowed hard. Grace looked up, her voice gentle. “Hey…” He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes flicking away.
“I hated leaving the SEALs,” he said, voice low. “It gutted me. Thought I could live without it. Serve in smaller ways. Stay under the radar. But…” He shook his head once. “Turns out? That need to serve? Thatneed? It never went away. I just buried it.” He looked down at her, eyes shadowed but open. “This lets me carry again. Protect again. Serve the Navy again. Without the long-ass deployments that take me away from my high-value target.”
Her lips curved. “That would be me.”
He nodded. “Yeah. You. You gave this back to me.”
Grace stepped closer, slid her hands up his chest, over the solid lines of his body until she cradled his face in her palms.
“You didn’t need the badge to be worthy of it,” she said softly. “But damn you’ll wear it well.”
He leaned his forehead to hers, his voice barely a breath. “I didn’t know how much I missed it… until I got it back.”
“Me, too,” she whispered. “I got back what I lost, but so much more. I wouldn’t change a thing because we’re together. It was worth it all.”
He kissed her, slow and full of gratitude.
“I made one more stop before I came here.” His voice was strained. “Little Creek. The guys. It was a rough reunion. Too much drinking, man hugs, and something I thought I wouldn’t ever have again. Brotherhood. Now they want to meet you.”
“Bring them on. I’m ready for anything you have to give me or share with me.”
Later that night his phone started blowing up with texts from the guys. Their bedroom was dark except for the glow of the city seeping in through the windows, soft blues and golds stretching long across the floor.
Grace was curled beside him, her breath warm against his shoulder, one leg tangled possessively over his. His phone vibrated on the nightstand. Then again, and again. He exhaled through his nose and reached for it.
Vice:So… badge boy, huh? You can still wear your Oakleys and look just as cool, right? Not.
Hook:Is it true? NCIS actually gave you a badge? Or was it a convincing gaslight. Please confirm. I have a very important bet riding on this.
Trigger:You alive, or did Grace finally kill you with fiber-optic bondage?
Hitch:Lunch. 1200 hours. You bring her, or we riot.
The corner of Nash’s mouth kicked up. He turned his head, brushing a kiss against the crown of Grace’s head. “You up for lunch tomorrow?” he whispered.
She murmured something incoherent, snuggled deeper into his side, and nodded without opening her eyes. He smiled and powered down the phone. “Copy that.”
He shifted, pulling her closer. Her body fit perfectly against his, her breathing even. Steady. Comforting in a way nothing else ever had been. It was quiet. But not the kind of silence that gnawed at him. This was the kind that allowed him to really rest.
Still, his mind wandered. Tomorrow would be the first time he’d since they laid out everything he thought he’d buried. His chest tightened.
Master Chief Benjamin Riggs.
Luis “Burner” Marroquin.
And Kento.
Superman.
Three brothers. Two bodies.
One still unaccounted for.
Nash stared up at the ceiling, his hand stroking slow patterns down Grace’s spine. Everything in his life had finally settled. Grace. The badge. The brotherhood that remained. The chance to serve again without losing himself.
It should’ve been enough. Itwasenough. Yet… He whispered it into the dark. The old oath, older than the SEALs, older than grief. “Kento, man… I’ve got your back. Always.”
Grace shifted slightly against him. Her hand slid over his chest, her breathing still slow. Still safe. Nash closed his eyes, let her weight settle over him, and let the silence soothe him. GRAVITY was destroyed and whatever information he had died with him. Kento was lost, but he’d never be forgotten.