Page 9

“Next time, do you promise to listen to me?” frowned Gabi, Kennedy standing behind her, giving a knowing smirk.

“I promise, Gabi. You too, Kennedy. I don’t understand it, but I don’t think I’m supposed to. Thank you. Thank you all for helping me,” she smiled.

“We’re family,” smiled Benji, winking at his son. “Right?”

“Yeah, Dad,” he laughed. “We’re family. We will be anyway. Deanna wants to spend a week or two back at the house in Coronado. She was really enjoying the peace and quiet. We’re gonna head back out there.”

“I’m coming,” said Braxton, frowning at them.

“You are?” asked Deanna.

“Yes. I mean, if that’s okay. I could really use some time away from here. I mean, I know I was gone for a long time, but, well, whatever. Can I go?”

“Of course, it’s fine. I mean, there are plenty of bedrooms there. Right, Pax?” she said, smiling up at him.

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

“Good,” said Saint. “I’m coming too.” He looked across the grove at Marilisa and quickly looked away.

“What the hell is wrong with you guys?” frowned Gabi. “You two have been acting strange for more than a week now.”

“We’re good,” said Brax, frowning at his brother. “Saint and I need a break as well.”

“What if your mother and I came? Is that okay?” asked Benji. Pax stared at them all with an expression of disappointment. But it was Deanna who laughed, shaking her head.

“It’s fine. We can all go,” she giggled.

“Alright, I’ll go get your mother, and we’ll pack a few things. See you at the plane.” Deanna kissed Pax.

“I’m just going to grab a few more things from the cottage,” she said. He nodded, smiling at her as she walked away.

“Everything good, bro?” asked Brax.

“You’re asking me? What the fuck is wrong with the two of you? Why are you running from those women?”

“I’m not running,” frowned Brax.

“Aren’t you? And you,” he said, pointing to Saint. “What’s with you and Marilisa?”

“Nothing! Nothing,” he said, calmer. “I just need a break for a while.”

“Well, don’t screw with what’s finally happening for me and Deanna. She admitted that she’s loved me for a long time, and I admitted the same to her. This is it. Do you two understand me?” he said with a serious expression. His brother chuckled, shaking his head.

“Like we didn’t already know that,” laughed his brother. “You’re so stubborn and fucking slow you just needed to figure it out on your own.”

Pax just laughed, shaking his head as they waited for everyone to get to the plane. He watched as Marilisa and Stephanie sat at a table talking and knew they were plotting against his brother and his friend. He also knew that the women would win.

No doubt.

“Is she sleeping?” asked Brax. Pax nodded.

“Yeah. I don’t think she was sleeping well while she was gone and when she was alone. And it didn’t help that she was hurting and was too afraid to say anything.”

“I’m glad you found her, bro,” said Saint. He looked at the two men across from him, his own parents a few seats back, snuggled together, laughing.

“Are you two assholes gonna tell me what’s going on with you?”

“Nothing,” they said in unison.

“It’s not nothing. You’re acting like Stephanie has the plague, and you’re not doing much better with Marilisa. What the hell is wrong? They’re both grown women.”

“No,” said Saint, shaking his head. “No, they are not. They’re young and inexperienced, and young and…”

“And beautiful, and smart, and seductive,” smirked Pax.

“Shut up,” growled Saint.

“Whatever, dude. Just know that you’re going to be fucking miserable if you don’t figure this shit out. Believe me, I know. I hate that I didn’t connect with Deanna sooner. I knew she was the girl for me. I always knew, and I was too scared to tell her that. I was fucking lucky that she knew I was the one for her as well.”

“That’s good for you,” said Brax. “Deanna is your age. Stephanie and Marilisa are not our ages.”

“What the fuck does it matter? They’re not children. Have you forgotten the age difference between grandpa and grandma?” asked Pax.

“Let’s talk about something else,” said Saint. “How was the house? Still amazing?”

“Yeah, it’s always spectacular there. Oh, I ran into someone you knew, Brax. Master Chief Chuck Aaron.”

“Yeah,” he grinned. “I remember him. We worked an op together while you were healing from that last knife wound. Great guy or at least he was a great SEAL. We didn’t spend a lot of free time together.”

“He’s an instructor now at the SEAL base.”

“How did you meet him?” he frowned.

“Oh, that’s a different story. I was running on the beach early morning. It was still dark. I saw this small-ass boat bobbing up and down, well off-shore. I could see that it was full of people. He stopped to tell me they’d seen it and called the Coast Guard. It was full of immigrants, I guess.

“Shitty thing is, Deanna and I walked down that way a few hours later, and the boat had overturned with everyone on it. They’d been chained to the boat.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” asked Saint.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I wish I were. There were two survivors, but that’s all I know. The minute Deanna agreed to come back home, we were out of there. Aaron said it wasn’t the first time this had happened.”

“That’s fucking scary,” said Brax. “Are these runners charging people for passage and then killing them just as they get near the shores?”

“I don’t know. I plan to look him up while we’re there. He asked about you, so I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

With the G.R.I.P. jets, they were able to reach Coronado in less than an hour. Along with his own parents, Benji and Annie, Saint’s parents had tagged along as well. Bogey and Alice enjoyed quiet, and she could often be found at the animal sanctuary, working with the horses.

By the time they made it to the mansion, it was dark out, and time for dinner. Without anything in the house, they ordered in pizza, enjoying the milder evening weather around the fire pit.

“Um, it looks like we have to share a room,” blushed Deanna. Pax smiled at her.

“It looks that way. Are you okay with that?” She smiled at him, taking his hand as they entered the large bedroom. She turned on the bedside table lamp and then opened her suitcase. Pax held his breath, watching her move around the room. She tossed a simple black negligée on the bed and smiled up at him.

“Have I told you about Charlie’s latest book I’ve read?”