Page 41 of Harry

She followed him to the couch, her thoughts jumbled. Growing up without a family had meant she allowed the Marines to fill that role. “Who will I be without the Marines?” She’d been planning on leaving before being abducted, but because the decision had been taken out of her hands, she felt off about it. She knew without a doubt she wouldn’t be able to serve in the capacity she’d previously served.

Harry held her hand and squeezed before he let out a huge sigh. “I know I’m a SEAL. Hell, being a SEAL is a huge part of who I am, but it’s not all I am. You grew up without family, and I know a lot of guys who are lifers in the military who were in similar situations. They depend on the military to be their family, but you have people who care about you beyond the connections you made in the military.”

“Ava called and talked, as well as Jessica and Ingrid. They all want to see me this weekend, but I don’t know.”

“They might be able to help.”

She moved to look him in the face. “What do you mean?”

“They all suffered. They have dealt with people coming after them. Sure, Ava’s torturer was her ex, and their situations might have been different, but they will understand.”

“Huh, I guess that didn’t really sink in. I’ve been obsessing about what happened to me. I didn’t even think about what could have happened to anyone else.”

“Which is totally understandable. After something happens, it occupies our minds. How about you call them and see when they can get together?”

“I feel bad doing that.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m here with you.”

“Hey, I want what’s best for you. If that means we drive over to Ava’s place, and you sit and chat with her, okay.”

She chewed on her lower lip, then pulled out the new phone she’d picked up and dialed Ava. It rang twice before Ava picked up.

“Hey, Rory, it’s great to hear from you.”

“Hello. I was wondering if…” she blew out a breath. “Do you think we could all get together? You know, you, Ingrid, and Jessica.”

“Yes. Let me call the girls and see what they have going this weekend. We could send the men to Ingrid’s place with the kids and order pizza.”

Rory’s heart felt lighter, and she let go a sigh. “That would be nice.”

“I’ll call you back. Give me a minute.”

“Thank you.” Tears filled Rory’s eyes. Harry held her as she cried, not asking why she was so weepy. She didn’t know why she was crying so much. Her emotions were all over the place, along with her thoughts. What she’d been through had changed her. She wanted to be the same badass woman she’d been before but knew she never would be. The grief would come. Right now, all she had was pain and hate in her heart.

Chapter 34

Harry stepped into Bear’s house, hoping his worry for Rory didn’t come out as anger. He needed his buddies now more than ever.

“Harry,” Wild said as he pulled him into a hug. “Everything okay?” he whispered.

He nodded. “It’s good. She was happy to see them.”

“Good.” Wild stepped back and squeezed his shoulder. “We’ve got hotdogs and burgers for the grill, and the kids are in the back playing ball. They’ve requested you head back there and play with them.

This was what he needed. Not time away from Rory, but time with kids to get his head on right. They were so innocent and fun. All the kids laughed easily and had him laughing, too. He wanted to tell them they made him happy, but he knew they wouldn’t understand. Instead, he played with them for a long time, running around the yard, kicking or catching the ball while they made up new rules for their silly game that included not using his right hand and having him hop three times before going after the ball.

After about an hour, Wild and Bear had the kids wash up so they could eat. He grabbed a hotdog and burger, then sat in a lawn chair next to Andy.

“You’re a hero for those kids,” Andy said.

Harry blew out a breath. “They have a lot of energy.”

“They do,” Bear said. “I swear they can totally wear me out. I come home, and they are so full of energy. I love it, but damn, they are busy little bodies.”

Harry chuckled as he lifted his burger. He liked how the group had changed over the years. When he’d first joined the Navy, he’d been young and stupid. He had been smart enough to wrap up his dick when he fucked, but other than that, he’d made mistakes. When he’d become a SEAL, he’d gained a measure of maturity they all had. Then, as he’d gone from being backup on teams to being a main team member, more maturity had come. Now, they were moving from a group of single guys to most of them having someone special in their lives. Andy and Peach were still single, but both of them were different about it. He was a little surprised Andy didn’t have a special woman in his life. Peach would be hard for any one woman to tie down. A laugh escaped his lips at the thought of someone laying claim to Peach.

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