Page 15 of Forever Theirs

“Knew what?” I asked.

She hooked a thumb in Miles’s direction. “That he was former military.”

Miles stiffened, drawing Jubie’s attention. She licked at his hand, offering him comfort the best way she could. “And what made you assume that about me?”

Aspen shrugged and went back to running a hand down Jubie’s spine. “You have this commanding presence about you that says ‘I see all and can handle anything thrown my way.’ It’s noticeable to me as a woman because I’m usually the one constantly on high alert.” Miles’s shoulders rolled back as his chest puffed out at her basically saying that his observance allowed her to relax a fraction. “What I don’t know is which branch of the military.” She tapped a single finger against her lower lip, drawing my gaze. “For sure, special forces. Army Rangers?” She paused, waiting for Miles’s response.

He huffed an incredulous laugh and flicked his eyes to the ceiling as if that were a ridiculous guess. “No.”

“Okay, then, how about Green Berets?”

This time he snorted and shook his head, running a hand over his short hair.

As she studied him, her eyes widened. “Holy fuck, you’re a Navy SEAL.” At his confirming nod, she blew out a controlled breath. “Wow. That is amazing. No wonder you have that aura about you and why I feel safe around you. Though that could be Jubie here; she looks like a killer.” With that, she pulled Jubie’s face close and gave her a kiss on the nose. “I should’ve guessed SEALs from the start. You have a similar intensity to someone I met a while back during an assignment for the magazine. I was documenting a weeklong survivalist-type venture with this former SEAL and our guy from the magazine for a multi-page article that was also being filmed for a TV episode.”

“No shit?” I tipped the chair on its back legs. “When was that?”

“Last summer.” That smile of hers grew, and she leaned in, as if she was about to divulge a big secret. “It was legit the highlight of my year. I didn’t stop smiling once I got home for days. So, James had this great idea?—”

“James Peoples?” Miles interjected.

“Yep,” she said, popping theP. “James fucking Peoples was the survivalist I worked with at the magazine. Guessing you know of him, or the version of himself that he wants the world to see?”

Miles grunted. “He seems like a fucking pretender douche canoe who’s obsessed with himself.”

Aspen stared at him, eyes wide for a second before tipping her face to the ceiling and laughing so loud the sound echoed through the bar. “You’re great at reading people because you are so right!” she exclaimed. “I’ll cheers to that all day, every day. Douche canoe, I like it. I’ve just been calling him a soggy sandwich in my head.”

When she turned her attention back to Jubie, Miles looked my way and flicked his hazel gaze down to his almost-empty drink, then to Aspen. It took me a second to catch on. When I did, a frustrated groan rattled in my chest, and I fell forward, the chair’s front legs slamming to the floor.

Right. I’m an asshole who invited her for drinks but didn’t get her anything. I was too wrapped up in studying their interactions, and it slipped my mind. I was a terrible host, but who could blame me when she was so damn distracting?

“You need a drink to cheers. What can I get you, Aspen?”

She chewed on her lower lip and turned in her seat to stare at the bar. “It’s not that I don’t trust either of you, but can you grab me a bottle of beer with the cap still on?” She grimaced as if worrying I would be offended. Sensing her discomfort, Jubie turned her head and began licking her cheek. “Any light beer is fine,” she said with a giggle. “I’m not picky.”

“That’s smart,” Miles said with a proud expression. “Even if you trust us, we’re still strangers, and it’s a wise move.”

I nodded. “Speaking of safety first… Miles, send her a picture of your driver’s license. She doesn’t have her cell phone, but you can send it to whatever number she gives you. I already sent her mine before we left The Nest.”

Aspen gave him the same number she did me earlier, and while he did what I asked, I stood from the chair. I turned toward the bar but paused when Miles asked me a question that had my stomach dropping.

“Have you heard from Caroline?” I slowly shook my head. “It’s not like her to go a full twenty-four hours without checking in,” he mused, rubbing a hand along his thick dark beard. “If we don’t hear from her tomorrow, let’s talk to Hudson.”

I rapped my knuckles on the back of the chair and nodded in agreement. It was odd that she hadn’t reached out to either of us, but Miles especially. He’d taken on the role of her protector in a big brother type of way. “I’ll be right back with our drinks. Hold off on that story about the SEAL and James Peoples until I’m back. I can’t wait to hear how that turned out.”

At my back, Miles’s deep voice sounded, asking Aspen about her old job and photography. My nostrils flared with a deep inhale in an attempt to dim the hope swelling in my chest as I moved toward the bar.

No one was perfect, but it sure felt like Aspen was for us. In less than thirty minutes, she’d pulled multiple smiles and laughs from Miles, made Jubie fall in love with her, and distracted me from the constant regret and guilt that weighed me down daily.

I was getting ahead of myself, but fuck, how could I not? It felt like it was meant to be with her here, with the two of us. Sure, this was just drinks, and she didn’t know Miles and I were a package deal with relationships, but this felt like the start of something big.

We needed something, a change, after all that shit with Jessica, plus the looming ominous feeling that had settled over our community and Anchor Bay with the missing women cases.

And maybe, just maybe, Aspen was that change we desperately needed.

6

MILES

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