Page 24 of The Hero’s Bride (Unbreakable SEALs #2)

“R eady?” Red asked Thalia as he positioned the computer on the bedspread.

“Yes, but don’t go anywhere. Not yet.”

He paused beside the bed. “Don’t you want some space to talk?”

“Maybe after I formally introduce you to my best friend.”

A heavy weight landed in his gut. “You know that coming with me will take you farther from her, right?”

“There are phones, computer screens, airplanes, trains,” she continued listing different ways she could connect with Vivienne and, feeling lighter than he had in a very long time, he caught her around the waist, tickling below her rib cage.

She shrieked before dissolving into laughter.

He decided tickling her was his new favorite pastime.

“Okay,” she cried. “Enough, enough.” Her smile stretched bright over her glowing cheeks.

He kissed the top of her head before lying down beside her on his stomach, so they were shoulder to shoulder.

Their outer thighs and legs touched as they pressed close to view the screen.

Thalia hit the button he’d shown her to join the call and his chest swelled.

She was a fast learner. The screen changed almost immediately, moving from their reflection to project Vivenne sitting at what appeared to be a kitchen nook with a killer view of the ocean.

“Thalia!” the blonde screamed, clasping her hands in front of her.

She looked from the computer screen to Iron then back, tears gathering in her eyes.

He hadn’t seen Iron in years, not since they met in a military hospital and were roommates on the recovery floor after leaving the ICU, but the man looked a hell of a lot better these days.

He stared down at Thalia’s friend with adoration and Red wondered if they’d also developed feelings for each other like he and Thalia had.

“It’s so good to see you.” The women took each other in for several minutes, both swiping away tears.

“Thank you for sending help. This is Mason. He and Sully found me, although I have no idea how. Thank you, Iron, for taking such good care of my friend. I’ve never seen her look so carefree, so happy. ”

“I could say the same about you with your hair loose around your shoulders and a glow on your cheeks. I miss you, but seeing you looking so well, smiling, makes me so happy.” As Thalia and Vivienne talked, he and Iron exchanged a knowing look.

One that spoke of finding something special when you least expected it.

The only difference was, Vivienne was someone Iron could keep.

There was an odd pressure in his chest and a sick sensation in his gut when he thought of losing Thalia.

“Red,” Iron’s voice boomed through the computer speakers. “We’ve got catching up to do. I’m going to go into the other room to give the girls time to talk. Sully around?”

Iron could’ve said anything else in the world and he would’ve been less shocked. “Probably in the kitchen.”

“Course he is. That bastard could always eat.” Iron laughed and tilted Vivienne’s chin, pressing his lips to her mouth.

Red pushed off the bed, wishing he could openly claim Thalia in the same way without getting their emotions more entangled than they already were.

Instead, he gave her a quick shoulder squeeze and exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him so she could have some privacy.

Red moved into the empty kitchen and noticed the curtains rippling as a breeze moved in from the balcony. He could overhear the sounds of Sully and Jude’s voices and stepped outside.

“Thalia talking to her friend?” Jude asked.

“Yeah, Iron was on the call, too.”

“You saw him?” Sully asked, flattening his palm over the top of his head. “How the hell is he?”

“Told me to come find you because we had catching up to do.”

“You’re shitting me.” A slow grin spread over Sully’s face before he sobered. “He was messed up bad. Holed up and shut everyone out. I understand why. A lot of people don’t survive that kind of loss and PTSD. Glad he’s doing better.”

His phone, still clutched in his hand, vibrated with an incoming call. “This is him. I’ll put it on speaker.”

Jude started to stand. “I’ll see you later today.”

“Stay. We’ll introduce you.” Before Jude could protest, Red accepted the call and set it on the small center table.

“It’s Red, Sully, and our former teammate Jude.”

“Can’t thank you enough for the smile you put on Vee’s face today.” Iron’s voice rumbled through the speaker. “Fucking miracle you found Thalia.”

“What’s even crazier is Thalia and Red knew each other,” Sully began, leaning back in his chair and linking both hands behind his neck. “She helped him escape a mob when he was a kid traveling with his parents in Mexico.”

“No shit.” Iron dragged the words out. “I know Vee and I got together quick, but I thought you looked mighty cozy with Thalia after just a few days. Good for you, Red.” Iron laughed, and he and Sully jerked back at the sound and exchanged a look of surprise.

“Listen, even though I was going through hard times, I never should’ve cut my former teammates and friends out of my life.

Hard to admit when you’ve fucked up as badly as I did.

I’m turning a corner though and wanted to thank you for staying in touch with the occasional texts and calls, even when I didn’t respond.

It helped, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. ”

They sat around the deck, shooting the shit with Iron.

Even Jude made the occasional comment, and they disconnected the call with a sense of peace that Iron had found exactly what he needed to heal.

They were going to join Iron and Vivienne in Virginia Beach the following day.

Jude declined the invitation, needing to get back to his task force in San Diego.

He thanked them for their help to bring Thalia home and left to pack for his early evening flight.

As they stood to go inside, Sully’s phone started ringing.

He shot him a look across the deck. “It’s the lieutenant commander. ”

“We have another week of leave.” The hair stood up on Red’s arms.

Sully’s brows drew together as he answered, pacing inside as he spoke. “Yes, sir.”

Red stepped over the threshold, the cool air of the suite coating his skin.

He slid the glass doors leading to the balcony closed and followed Sully into the living room.

It was rare for them to get reassigned without the other, because they worked in tandem, but by Sully’s grunts of agreement, it sounded like that was exactly what was happening.

Sully hung up the phone and turned to him.

“Talk about timing. The lieutenant commander is pulling me for a mission with the Virginia SEAL Team. One of the men’s wives is having their first child any day now, and not only that, but his twin sister is an anthropologist who has been called in as a civilian contractor. He’s losing his shit.”

“I would be too. Why an anthropologist?”

“There’s a hostage situation along the Itaquaí River. I’m guessing they want her there to facilitate the mission in a way that’s safe for the Indigenous people who call the riverbanks home.”

“Will you still catch a flight with us in the morning?”

“Yeah, but I’ll have to head straight to the base to be briefed. I’m going to give my parents a call to let them know I’m going on a mission, then try to catch a few hours of sleep.”

“I can keep an eye on your house, bring in the mail.” Sully’s parents didn’t live far, but they weren’t as close as he was. They ran a horse and livestock rescue a half hour north of where he and Sully were located.

“Appreciate it. Sorry I can’t spend the day with you guys, but I have a feeling you’ll find a way to occupy yourselves.” Sully walked down the hall toward the bedrooms while he turned toward where he’d left Thalia to her video call.

He was just walking down the hall, when she slipped out of the room and turned directly into him with an oomph. A wide grin spread over her face, and she laughed.

“Sorry. I almost ran you over.” Mirth shimmered in her eyes. They seemed to regain more light with each passing day.

He placed his hands on his hips and smiled down at her. “Don’t think you have to worry about that, sweetheart.”

“Why because I’m small and you’re a big man mountain?”

It wasn’t only her eyes that seemed brighter.

He was surprised but also delighted to see her personality come out with the more time they spent together and the more distance they put between themselves and danger.

Talking to Vivienne had eased something inside her.

He’d seen enough, experienced enough, to know it would be foolish to think a few days of freedom would rid her mind of past trauma.

That would most likely never go away, but just like Iron, he hoped she found enough light to balance the dark.

“Something like that.” He ruffled her hair, his entire hand covering the top of her head.

When she rocked onto her toes and gave him a quick, playful kiss, he gripped her elbows and drew her to his chest, kissing her the type of way he couldn’t stop thinking of.

When he pulled back, her cheeks were flushed and there was a smile on her face. “I guess there are some benefits to your size and strength.” She patted his chest, and he grinned. “I can’t get over how happy Vivienne looks. How free. She was wearing a sweatshirt!”

He chuckled at her description. “A sweatshirt?”

“Vivienne was just as much a prisoner at the estate as me and the other servants. Her parents dictated when she worked, ate, and what she wore. I can assure you a sweatshirt and jeans were never part of the wardrobe selection unless she was contracted to model for a casual clothing line, which was rare.”

“Iron looked better than I’d ever seen him, too. He was in a bad place when we met and it only spiraled downward. I think meeting your friend was the catalyst he needed to put some of those demons to rest. I was shocked when he said he wanted to catch up.”