Page 11 of The Hero’s Bride (Unbreakable SEALs #2)

He expressed his thanks and clicked off the line.

As much as he’d love for Thalia to have a place to get rest, keeping her safe was critical.

They could get to the border in a day if they traveled straight through.

The question was, would Jude have the paperwork needed for them to successfully cross?

He trusted Jude with his life, but thoughts of his friend’s task force swooping in for Thalia’s statement to try to nail the Day family left him off-balance.

He’d always been mission first, understanding that the safety of the masses was more vital than that of one person.

Sometimes hard decisions had to be made.

The thought of Thalia being used for an active investigation though, made his stomach tangle.

She deserved to be safe and explore what she enjoyed instead of being forced to go places and do things at the whim of others.

“Think he knows how the information got out?” Sully said, turning the wheel to allow room for another vehicle moving in the opposite direction to pass along the narrow road.

“Not directly. If he was involved, he wouldn’t have agreed it would be best for us to move forward alone.

” The soft squeeze of Thalia’s hand gave him a sense of peace despite the current situation.

She was here. They’d found her, and that was half the battle.

There was still so much they needed to discuss, like where he lived.

She’d only ever been in Texas when in the United States, but he lived nearly a thousand miles away.

He wasn’t sure how she would feel about trading the flat plains of Texas for the mountains of California. The intense heat for snowy winters.

“What are you thinking?” Thalia whispered through the dark.

It struck him how easily she could read him. “How you might feel about where I live in comparison to Texas.”

Sully casually turned up the radio, giving them some privacy to talk.

“I’d like to know about where you’re from.” She gave him an encouraging smile, and although there wasn’t much visibility in the dimly lit Jeep, the way her eyes brightened was mesmerizing.

He sucked in a sharp breath, knocked back by her beauty. “Well, now I consider myself to be from California.”

“And when we first met?” She leaned in closer.

“Colorado, but my parents were constantly traveling with their band. Sometimes I’d have to go with them, and other times, I didn’t.

” He shrugged. “When I was first stationed in California, I instantly fell in love with the area. The coastal scenery and beaches can’t be beat.

Where I live in Coronado is just off the coast of San Diego.

It’s an ocean community and I have a two-bedroom condo.

God, I guess I sound like a travel agent. ”

“Your home sounds beautiful. I’ve always loved the rainforests of Mexico, but I couldn’t see much of Texas. I never left the Day estate.”

Anger swelled in his gut, and he clenched his jaw.

She must’ve been so scared, barely a teenager, when she arrived at the Day estate only to discover her life was no longer her own.

He wanted nothing more than to see them convicted of their crimes.

“Why tell Vivienne that you lived in an apartment?”

A crease formed between her brows. “When Vivienne began questioning her father about me and why I worked so much for them, he was furious. I was afraid she’d continue to push.

I made up many small lies over the years.

” She glanced away, looking straight ahead.

“That they paid me well. How I’d saved enough to get my own place to live.

That I was able to leave the estate. I hope she’ll forgive me for being dishonest.”

“Hey,” he said, squeezing her hand gently to gain her attention. “You did what you thought was best at the time. Where did you sleep at night?”

“There was a large lower floor off one of the wings of the estate with cots. That’s where the staff stayed, and Vivienne was not to know about it.

At night, the door was locked from the outside—not that anyone made attempts to leave.

Most of the others were elderly and didn’t speak much English. We had no money and no place to go.”

“Shit, Thalia.” He shook his head and was quiet for a moment, soaking in what had been her reality for so long. “I’m sorry you went through that.” The words sounded insignificant when he heard them. She’d been through so much and hadn’t even reached her thirties.

“I was lucky. I know that. As a woman, my situation could have been so much worse.”

“Not many people would think that way, but you’re not most people, Thalia.” He spoke past the wedge lodged in his throat. Instead of dwelling on the fact she’d been enslaved, she chose to focus on others’ predicaments and feel grateful for the hand she’d been dealt.

“You mentioned the others didn’t speak much English, but you’re fluent. You told me once your mom was a teacher?”

Thalia nodded. “My mother was fluent in English and Spanish. She was trying to teach my father English so he could get a more versatile job, so I grew up hearing both. She taught at one of the private schools, so I went there, too. We had a modest home. My father worked hard at the docks, but it wasn’t enough to support us when she died, and we became homeless.

I knew how to get you back to the resort, because each day I would go there to look for food.

With the money you gave me, we were able to eat for a month.

I’ll never forget his smile when I gave it to him. ”

“I wish I could’ve done more. I grew up with wealth, but I was a lonely kid. That probably sounds selfish.”

“No,” Thalia said sternly. “Vivienne felt the same way. We don’t control what we are born into. We don’t feel the same about things because we’ve all experienced the world in different ways. You don’t need to apologize for that.”

He suddenly had no doubt that if Thalia’s mother had lived, she would’ve followed her footsteps and become a teacher, too.

Her ability to take others’ perspectives floored him.

“I was scared to death—sure I was about to die when your hand shot out and pulled me to safety. I remember being awestruck by your courage.”

“I was in awe of your bright red hair.” She giggled a little. The sound so fucking sweet it washed over him and created a burn in his chest. He wanted to hear that carefree sound more often. Would do just about anything to give her space to feel joy.

From the day they’d met, her strong character had humbled him.

It was no surprise she’d turned into such a resilient adult.

Her life had been wrought with tragedy, her world small and controlled.

The desire to watch her discover freedom and experiences dug deep into his gut.

Made him want to baby and spoil her, not because she wasn’t tough but because she’d had to be.

Maybe it was too soon to be experiencing such a jolt of emotion when it came to Thalia, but it had rushed through him as they stood in the Colima jungle, recognition flooding her face.

Again, when she’d tried to put the needs of him and Sully before her own, just like she’d protected Vivienne from discovering what she was going through.

Thalia was selfless and strong. Thoughtful and courageous.

He was about to tell her he was honored to have the opportunity to reunite, but pressure on his shoulder stopped him.

He glanced down and her smooth hair brushed against his chin.

Her eyes were closed, the crescent of dark lashes hugging her cheeks.

She grumbled something nonsensical, and one of her hands moved to rest on his stomach.

He lifted his arm slightly, and she burrowed into his side.

Fuck, her body felt perfect snuggled up to his.

Her trust felt even better. When her other hand tucked behind his back, so her arms were encircled around him, a sense of peace settled over him.

A few minutes went by before Sully cleared his throat. “Not easy to find a good woman,” he said, glimpsing in the rearview mirror.

He glanced down at the woman in his arms and sucked in a breath, letting her sweet scent from the safe-house soap coat his lungs. “I’ve got one right here.”

Sully grinned. “Maybe we’ll be having a real wedding after all.”