Page 2 of Finally

“Greg, can you hold up a second?” Micah asked as everyone began filing out of the room. He waited until it was just the two of us and then he shut the door. When he turned to me, the serious expression on his face had me immediately on alert.

“Everything all right?”

“I’m not sure, and that’s where you come in,” he answered, folding his arms across his chest. “I got a call last night from a man who wanted to hire us. Apparently, his son has been gaining some negative attention and last week, his son received a couple of letters telling him that he should back off.”

“Back off from what?” I asked.

“Well, that’s the thing. He’s a political candidate. One that’s made no secret of the fact that he thinks many of our current political leaders aren’t doing a good enough job for the citizens of Illinois. Particularly its LGBT members.” Micah gave me a pointed look.

“Can’t really argue with that, can we?” Despite all the progress minorities, especially those in the gay community, had made over the years in making their voices heard, it was all too common for politicians to ignore the needs of those citizens whose votes they felt weren’t important enough during an election. More often than not, it was the rich, upper class, and the large business owners who held the attention of the candidates.

“Not at all,” Micah agreed. “Unfortunately, his liberal views have garnered the attention of some rather radical groups and it’s got his father worried. I can’t really blame him, given how volatile the political climate is in our country right now.” I watched as a thoughtful look crossed over his face. “I did some further checking and this guy isn’t like a lot of the politicians we’ve been hired to protect. I think he’s the real deal. He’s got a sharp mind and a lot of great ideas, plus, I believe he may just be the guy who can get things done.”

I had to admit, I was intrigued. Micah was selective with who he gave praise to. Whatever he’d found in his research into this man must have really impressed him. “Then it sounds like we need to do whatever it takes to keep him safe, so he has a chance to get into office. What’s the plan?”

“First, we meet with him. As I said, most of what I know about him is from the articles I read last night, but we know those don’t always give an accurate picture of what a person is truly like. You’ve always been good at reading people. I want your opinion on the guy before we agree to take him on as a client. If his story checks out and you don’t think it’s just some kind of publicity stunt to help earn him some votes, then you can move forward.”

“Sounds fair to me. I’m supposed to setup the new system for Mr. Cadwallader today but just let me know when you want to schedule a meeting,” I said.

“Actually, I already did.” Micah gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry to dump this on you so suddenly, especially since you just got back, but I don’t have anyone else who can take the case right now. If everything checks out then this client is going to have to take priority and the sooner, the better.”

“Don’t apologize. That’s what I’m here for and you know I’ll always do anything you need,” I told him.

I meant it too. My childhood had been a pretty lonely one. With no sisters or brothers, a father who spent more time cheating on his wife than actually holding down a job, and a mother who drank all day to escape the pain, I was forced to fend for myself most of the time. The one lesson my parents instilled in me was that you can only ever count on yourself in this world. It was a lesson I’d believed for years.

It wasn’t until I joined the Marines that I learned what it was like to fully rely on someone else. The men I served with taught me how to trust others and that there were people out there I could count on and who counted on me as well. It felt good to finally have a connection like that, but then it all got taken away when I was shot and forced into an early retirement. I’d nearly convinced myself that I would never find a place where I’d feel that sense of belonging again, but Micah proved me wrong.

My team in the Marines had been my friends, my confidants, and my allies. They would have died for me, and I for them, but even then, I’d understood that those bonds were in place because we’d been assigned to that group. Someone else had decided for us that we would work together and provide support for one another because that’s what the job required. I appreciated their friendship, but they had their own families and lives that they would eventually return to, and I would never be a part of that.

Working for Micah had changed all that for me, providing a sense of brotherhood, of family that I’d never experienced before. I respected the people I worked with, I trusted each of them implicitly, but most of all, we genuinely liked each other and often spent as much time together outside of work as we did in it. With them, I felt like I was finally an integral part of something; that I mattered to them. That wasn’t something I took lightly, and I refused to ever take it for granted.

“Thanks, I appreciate that. Landon and I have another appointment this morning with the adoption agency, but I’ll handle Mr. Cadwallader’s home security afterward, so you can focus on this instead,” Micah said.

“How’s that going?” I asked.

Micah sighed, and I saw his shoulders slump. He and his husband had adopted twins, a boy and a girl. Little Spencer and Lilyana had brought so much happiness to the lives of their two dads, but Micah and Landon both wanted more children, somewhat close in age, so they could grow up together the way Landon and his siblings had. They’d begun the adoption process several months before, but so far, they’d only reached dead ends.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to stay positive, but it’s hard to keep my hopes up the longer it takes. Landon is an eternal optimist though. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with him. He has this way of looking at the world that just makes you feel that everything will turn out all right, you know?” Micah’s eyes softened just like they always did whenever he talked about the man he loved.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m with Landon. Any kid would be lucky to have two dads like you, so I’m sure it’ll happen when it’s supposed to. Maybe the universe is just waiting for the right kid to come along,” I told him.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. All I know is that when he or she does show up, there will never be a kid who is more loved or wanted. With the exception of the two we’ve got. Landon’s already an incredible daddy to Lily and Spence,” Micah said with a dreamy smile on his face.

A knock sounded at the door and a second later, Landon popped his head inside. “Hey, sorry to interrupt. Mary told me to come on back, but I can wait out here…” he said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

“No, we were just finishing up. Besides, we were talking about you anyway.” Micah smiled warmly as he stood up and walked over to his husband.

“All good things, I hope,” Landon said with a grin.

“Of course,” Micah murmured before pressing their lips together.

With Landon’s golden highlights and hazel eyes and Micah’s darker features, the two of them made a stunning couple. I had been there to witness the two of them falling in love. We were all working together to try and figure out who was stalking Landon’s famous musician brother, Carter Greene, only to find out that Landon was also in danger. Micah managed to protect them both, but nothing could have protected him from the handsome face and caring heart of Landon. Micah had fallen hard and fast and, from the adoring way they were staring at each other, it was clear their love had only grown.

I had never seen two people more perfectly matched or more in love. Except for maybe Jeremy and Zane. Jeremy also had met and fallen in love with his fiancé while on the job. Jeremy, who specialized in search and rescue missions, had been hired to find Zane. Zane had been missing for several years and his younger brother, Isaac, had been desperate to find him. By the time Jeremy brought Zane home and reunited the two brothers, he was completely and utterly in love with the man.

The rest of us liked to tease Micah and Jeremy about how whipped they were when it came to the men they loved, but we were all really happy for them. Although, that didn’t stop us from joking around about there being something in the water and taking bets on who might become afflicted next.

I cleared my throat loudly, reminding them I was there before they could get too carried away. Landon’s eyes cut to mine and I laughed as his face turned crimson. “How have you been, Landon?”

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