Page 111 of What I Should Have Done

“Told you that you didn’t want to hear me voice it,” I muttered.

“Honestly, that’s the least creative shit you’ve come up with,” Bernie said, sounding disappointed.

“Least creative?” Scottie gasped.

“Least. Creative,” Bernie emphasized.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I haven’t really given it too much thought, honestly. As long as he suffers, I’m good.”

“Damn, and I just wanted to beat Rachel up enough to permanently disfigure her face,” Scottie muttered.

“See? Perfect,” Ford stated, waving a hand in our direction.

“By the way, Bernie, you owe me twenty bucks,” Scottie blurted out.

I smiled to myself, knowing exactly what she was referencing.

“Twenty bucks? Why?” Bernie gasped, sitting up right.

“You bet me twenty bucks to kiss anyone on the team.” Scottie extended an arm, wiggling her fingers at Bernie.

Duncan bellowed in laughter. “That’s right you did! I totally forgot about that!”

“And it was my dirty mouth she kissed.” I grinned wide, smirking to myself and feeling very proud.

Scottie whacked my shoulder. “Anyway.” Returning her attention to Bernie, she extended her hand again, palm up. “Pay up!”

Bernie pouted, plopping back down on his bed. “In the morning. I’m not going to dig through my shit to find twenty bucks in the dark.”

Laughter filled the tent as canvas crinkled and the flap flew open. Dom ducked into the tent, his gaze narrowing, and quickly silenced us. “You idiots should be asleep.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re getting there,” Ford said, laying down. Dom was right, and with the impending mission once they broke into the Black Box, the lighthearted banter immediately swallowed into the night.

Dom chuckled. “It’s nice to hear this shit again, though.”

“There’s plenty more to come in the morning,” Bernie replied, exhaustion creeping into his voice.

“Goodnight, assholes.” Duncan yawned, rolling to his side.

Sitting up from Scottie, I glanced at her. Her eyes twinkled, as she slowly laid her head down, not breaking eye contact with me. I winked and crawled out from between her legs and she rolled onto her side. I shamelessly nestled into her back.

I couldn’t believe this was real. Snuggling against her, her body right next to mine. Not an inch separated us. Joy filled my usually dark soul, such a strange sensation that sent chills racing across my skin. I wrapped my arms tightly around her body that fit perfectly cradled within my embrace. How lucky was I? Placing gentle kisses against her neck, sleep crept quickly into my bones.

For a moment, all felt right in the world. Exactly as it should with her right next to me. My team, my family, the people I cared about and loved the most, knew and accepted us. They loved her, too, and that meant more to me than words could express.

Breaking into the Black Box turned out to be more challenging than expected. But it afforded us plenty of time to wait in this bubble as if nothing was really wrong. A lot of time at the gym, heading out on a few rounds of patrol, bantering with the team, tons of sparring practice for my girl, and my favorite part—a lot of sex with Scottie.

A week where, while I knew the impending battle of confronting Karim was encroaching on us, it was a week unlike I’d ever experienced before. So much casual peace, so much serenity, and a sense of belonging. Laying across from me beneath the blazing sun, Scottie’s thumb worked against mine, still not once winning a single thumb war.

“You should just give up, it’s zero for you, and I’ve completely forgotten how many for me,” I teased, and she clicked her tongue.

“I’m no quitter,” she grumbled, narrowing her gaze and scrunching up her face in determination.

“You’re cute.” I smiled, quickly trapping her thumb beneath mine again.

“Cute? Of all the words in the dictionary, you choose ‘cute’ to describe me?”

“Yes.” It was no contest at this particular moment. Though, at other times there were plenty of other more accurate words.

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