Page 3 of Finding Love in the Clouds

“Well, we’ve heard that before, but national security always seems to take priority over your brothers. I’m so glad you’re home safe and sound,” Fernando said, releasing him so the other men could claim hugs as well.

“You boys, go. Girls need dinner and be ready for bed—too much big guys in here. Go. Go.” Esmerelda, the nanny, ordered in broken English, shooing the men out the door.

Julio chuckled as the men made their way to the game room downstairs. “She would have done well in my unit. That tiny little lady just ordered four large men out of the room, and we ran like our boots would melt if we stayed a moment longer.”

“That is an interesting analogy,” Fernando commented, pondering his brother’s statement. “Have you ever experienced your boots melting while on your feet before?”

“Short answer: yes. I see the wheels of the mystery author turning in that brain of yours, Fern, and it’s not going to happen. That mission, like most of the others, is classified, and it won’t have a change of status for at least three more presidents.” Julio patted Fernando on the shoulder, noting his disappointment.

“Well, now that you are officially no longer a Marine Raider, perhaps you could sit down with me and share some of your adventures that aren’t classified so I can have some fresh ideas for upcoming books,” Fernando said hopefully.

“Once a Raider, always a Raider. But we’ll make some time to catch up and see what I can share. Did you know that the motto for MARSOC is “Always Faithful, Always Forward”? You asked me once why I chose the Marines, and I think I answered something like, ‘Because they are the toughest branch, and I’m the toughest brother’ or some nonsense like that. But once I got in and learned the motto, it kind of struck me that my Marine family had the same focus as my BBC family. We are always faithful to each other and pushing each other to move forward. It was definitely a God thing that I went in, and I think the branch I chose really did matter. I felt connected from the start.”

“Well, we are proud of you and grateful for your service, but we are also very happy to have you home for good this time,” Gabriel said, slapping the smaller man on the back. “Now, who is taking Fernando on first? Julio, do you think you can beat this guy at pool, or will he run the table on you like he always does on me?”

“I will give it my best shot. We play a lot of pool in the military, but we play a lot of other games, too. I have honed my skills at a few, but pool isn’t necessarily my strongest. Now, anyone willing to sit at a table and play poker with me better watch out,” Julio warned good-naturedly.

“Poker has been your game since we were kids. One of my earliest memories of you at the boy’s home was you getting switched for betting all the older boys’ IOUs for their dessert!” Fernando exclaimed.

“Yeah, not my brightest move. Sister Beatrice was not happy when she noticed my pile of cake. I would have gladly taken the beating if she had let me eat it first. I was not happy when she took it all away, and I still got switched for it. ‘Gambling is the devil’s handiwork,’ she said. Live and learn. I got smarter after that one.” His smile was reminiscent of the mischievous child he once was, but it brought joy to Fernando’s heart. His big brother was still in there after all these years, surrounded by death and destruction. He had worked hard to help him find his way off the dark, dangerous path he was on as a child, but in thismoment, seeing his pleasure in the memory of his childhood schemes was a blessing.

Fernando had trounced Julio twice and was well on his way to a third win against Gabriel when Enrique finally showed up, fashionably late as always. Enrique might be the closest brother in age, but they were the farthest apart in personality. He wasn’t in the room for five minutes and was already stirring up trouble with Julio, which inevitably led to a discussion on size and strength, a competition Fernando would always lose as the smaller of the brothers on all fronts.

Thankfully, Hannah called the men to dinner before an arm-wrestling match could be suggested. As they walked to the elaborately decorated dining room, Fernando grinned at his superior skills at the pool table. Before the end of the night, he was going to have to challenge Enrique to a game. He hadn’t had a chance to play his arrogant brother in a few years and looked forward to seeing his surprise when his little brother beat him.

In no time at all, the food was laid out on the table, Anthony had said the blessing, and plates were filled. Hannah always prepared a traditional Jamaican meal for them every year since they were children. Usually, curry goat, gungo peas, oxtail stew, ham, and Jamaican black cake with a shooter of rum cream for dessert. Fernando looked forward to this meal and the time with his brothers all year. Dinner was when they caught up on each other’s lives. Most of them were used to eating in a rush, but during this meal, everyone slowed down and savored every bite.

Conversation flowed as each man shared the highlights of their years.

“Now that J is out of the military, we are merging our two security firms to provide wrap-around protection services. J will provide the physical asset and retrieval services, the boots on the ground, while myside of the firm provides the same for the digital, soft assets,” Enrique shared excitedly.

“Yep, we have big plans for the coming year,” Julio agreed.

The men spoke briefly about location, staffing, increased security needs for the family, etc., before Gabriel explained the success of his Bold Believers Charities Driving Global Transformation, which put the rest of his brother’s philanthropic work to shame.

“Those are some impressive numbers, Gabe,” Hannah gushed. “I’m so proud of you for putting together a network of private jets to help those in need. Goodness knows how much money is wasted on flights for one or two rich folks, but to have those flights transport organs or people that would otherwise never make it warms my heart. I’m assuming the Global Transformation part means you have expanded into other parts of the world, not just the U.S.?”

“Yes, when we started this, it was just two of us with jets that we needed, but we also felt the impact on the environment. My partner Tom was selling his when I met him and asked him to join me. His board of directors was not happy about the sale, so he agreed to keep it as long as it joined the network and only flew when fully occupied for a company event or when transporting a person in need. We now have six jets in the network and a fully staffed office organizing the flights, the cargo, well, everything for the network, actually. There are a surprisingly large number of moving pieces. When we don’t have a wealthy person in need of a charter flight but need to move cargo, we now have a group of foundations and corporations that need tax deductions to help pay for the flights. I would love for you guys to join that group of donors,” Gabriel invited before taking his next bite.

“Count me in,” Fernando said. But first, I need to know how you came up with such a convoluted name for the network. I’m pretty surewith five minutes, I could have come up with something better for you. That is a mouthful!”

Chuckling, Gabriel nodded his head in agreement, “I hear you, but I think you’re going to like this. If you take the first letters of the name, you get BBC and DGT. BBC, of course, stands for us, but I wasn’t going to name it the Bad Boys Club network. That would have been lame, so I came up with ‘Bold Believers Charities’ because I always wanted it to be more than just my plane flying. Then, my first and largest partner, Tom’s foundation, was called DGT for Do Good Things. I told him we could keep it ‘Bold Believers Charities Doing Good Things,’ but he also wanted it to be bigger than us, so he added the ‘Driving Global Transformation’ to represent his foundation and, ultimately, his grandfather. So, it is a lot to say, and remember, that is why the planes have BBCDGT emblazed on them.”

“I like Bold Believers Charities much better than the Bad Boys Club. Perhaps now is a good time to reconsider renaming our family?” Fernando suggested.

“And on that note, I think it’s time I served dessert,” Hannah commented softly, knowing the argument was about to ensue.

Chapter Four

The men helped clear the table as Hannah served dessert. The annual New Year’s Eve meal was looked forward to by one and all, but dessert held center stage. Hannah made her family’s traditional recipe of Jamaican black cake and added a shooter of rum pudding on the side.

“Before we start on dessert, Hannah and I have some news to share,” Anthony announced, reclaiming his seat at the head of the table. He reached over and gently took his wife’s hand in his. “You go first. Your news is most important,” he said, looking at her with a tender smile.

She gave a little bounce in her seat and sighed, “Finally! I thought I was going to burst.” Looking around the table at each of the men she adored, her face glowing with happiness, she declared, “We’re having another baby!”

“What! That’s amazing!” Fernando shouted, rounding the table to give Hannah a hug.

“Congratulations,” Julio added more sedately, hugging her from his seat beside her.

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