Page 91 of Duty Bound

“Yeah, I laid low for a couple of weeks then had the journey on top of that.”

Pat shot him a knowing look—that weathered look of a man who's experienced his fair share of danger. “Glad you had a safe place to hunker down.”

“Yeah, and a motorcycle sturdy enough to handle the off-road terrain. Made it a lot easier—until I ran out of fuel.”

“What did you do then?” Lily asked, her eyes wide.

“Kept going on foot, over the Khyber Pass.”

“Plan C?”

He flashed a grin. “You got it, Plan C.”

“Hit any snags?” Pat asked.

He leveled the former SEALs gaze. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Pat's nod was full of respect. “Damn good to have you back, son.”

Lily's hand in his was a surprise, a warm affirmation. He hadn’t expected her to have told Pat about how she felt, him being Spade’s father and all.

Pat was all grins. Their closeness didn’t appear to bother him. “I’m happy for you two.”

“Really?”

Pat’s blessing hit deep. Without folks of his own, Pat’s opinion was the one that mattered most to him.

“I think Joe would approve.” Pat nodded at the photograph of his fallen son.

Blade felt the weight and warmth in Lily's grip as much as in Pat’s words. “That means everything.”

They talked for a while longer, then Lily turned to Blade. “I do believe you promised me a motorcycle ride.”

Pat laughed. “You kids have fun.”

Blade shook Pat’s hand—firm, brief, meaningful. It was a soldier’s bond. “She's in safe hands.”

He wasn’t just talking about the ride.

Pat's grip was iron. “I don't doubt it for a second.”

EPILOGUE

One month later…

Blade grinned as Pat pumped his hand before turning to Lily and giving her a bear hug. “Congratulations. I couldn’t be happier for you two.”

After the last month, Blade knew without a doubt he wanted to make Lily his—forever. As it was, they’d spent every possible moment together since he’d returned, and the thought of her not being in his life wasn't just unbearable. It was unthinkable.

That’s when he’d dropped to one knee.

A toast with champagne had barely settled, when Pat cleared his throat, a crafty glint in his eye. “Blade, I have a proposition for you.”

Blade looked weary. “What sort of proposition? If it involves a whiff of desert sand, I’m not interested.”

“Water, actually,” said Pat, laughing. “The Gulf of Mexico. There’s a security job on an oil rig...”

Both Blade and Lily stared at him like he was mad.

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