Page 81 of No Man Left Behind

Inside the Saloon, his guys had pulled tables together, and they were all taking seats. It hit him right in the heart to see them all there together.

Troy and Piper.

Sean and Branna.

Levi and Isla.

Heath, Addy, and Nina.

Garrett and Kimi.

His family.

When the group spotted them walking in, they jumped up from their seats and surrounded them with hugs, backslaps, and congratulations.

Branna’s whistle brought everyone’s attention to where she stood at their table with a tray full of draft. “This seems like the best day to unveil the latest beer from Phail Brewery.”

The glasses on the tray held a dark brew. His stout. He braced himself for whatever ridiculous name they’d concocted for it.

As if sensing his thoughts, Sean slapped him on the shoulder and then helped Branna pass out the glasses, including a milkshake for Nina.

Sean lifted his glass. “For our team leader, we had to have a special brew.”

“With a special name.” Troy’s grin had Marcus gritting his teeth.

Levi chuckled. “No worries, Arrow. We have your back.”

That helped.

Heath nodded. “You got us through situations we should never have survived.”

Garrett agreed. “Between you and Shaggy, we had the best leaders in the forces. We were proud to be part of your team then, and we’re proud to be part of it now.”

Elina slipped her hand into his and squeezed. Marcus swallowed hard to keep the emotions locked down.

Troy lifted his glass. “The Straight Arrow Stout, a tribute to the best man we know. To Arrow.”

The room echoed as his team and their families repeated the words. Even the people at the other tables joined in.

Marcus closed his eyes and squeezed Elina’s hand to ground himself. When he looked up, he knew his eyes shone but he didn’t care. These people were his family.

“To our team. To us all.”

They all lifted their glasses and then sipped. To his relief, the beer was really good. “Nice.”

Elina laughed. “Better than nice. It’s perfect.”

Troy lifted his glass again. “Another toast. To Arrow for finally snagging the woman he’s been in love with for years. To Elina for helping Arrow find a life outside of his job. We’re glad you found us. And you’re all welcome for having a town name that drew Elina here.”

Everyone laughed and groaned.

“To Elina and Marcus.”

The room echoed with the words and he raised his glass to his family and then turned to the woman he adored and tapped his glass to hers. They sipped, and she reached up to kiss him. “To us.”

When everyone started to sit, his guys called for him to make a speech. Because, of course, they did.

Marcus helped Elina into her chair, and then looked around the group. “I have so much to be grateful for. Friends who’ve become family. A wacky town filled with amazing people. We’ve all been through some serious shit. We’ve lost people and animals we loved. We’ve learned to be strong and resilient. We’re working together to make the world better. Kinder and more fun.”

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