Page 74 of What I Should Have Felt

My eyes slid down the only person I recognized of the six, but I didn’t make it far from his hardened gaze as my eyes landed on the silver chain proudly displayed on his chest, bumping against the weighted vest he wore. A matching vest to the five others surrounding him. They all worea simple T-shirt of varying dark colors and joggers, uniform but not exactly matching.

Ford’s chest slowly expanded as he remained still, simply watching Becca, and I used the opportunity to quickly take in the other five people. Each of them had a pair of dog tags dangling around their necks. A blond-haired man with easily recognizable cauliflower ears had even me raising my walls in defense. The redhead who stopped directly beside Ford wasn’t as tall as any of the other men in the group, but there was an intimidating arrogance lacing his rather muscled frame that made him seem as large as the massively brawny and tattooed man behind him.

Ford had one solid sleeve, but this guy… Both his arms were covered in gray-scale tattoos that migrated down the back of his hands and peeked out around the collar of his shirt. He stood like a ghost rider beside a man whose gaze alone sent goosebumps crawling across my skin. There were no tattoos visible on this man, but the veins that rippled beneath his dark black skin tensed as he tucked his hands against the sides of his vest. The woman standing beside him wasn’t quite as dark as he was, but the strength exuding from her snapped as brazenly as an alligator catching its prey.

Ford finally lifted his gaze from Becca and locked sights with Azelie. He gave her a warm smile that seemed so ill-fitting to the rage oozing from his frame. “I hope we’re not too late,” he said with a tone that sliced as sharp as the new knives he’d gifted me last night.

Azelie slowly shook her head without blinking.

“Cool.” Ford tossed a thumb at the group. “I didn’t think wrangling these assholes would take as long as it did, but—”

“Wrangling us? You’re the one who couldn’t stop bullshitting with Bernie,” the blond inserted and smacked Ford on the back of the head.

“Watch your language, fucker,” the redhead quipped over his shoulder with a raised middle finger. “There are children present.”

Ford rolled his eyes as the bearded, heavily tattooed giant flicked the back of the redhead’s ear. “Shut up, Bernie,” he hissed. “You’re ruining the moment.”

“First off, ow!” Bernie whined, rubbing his ear as the rest of the group, including Ford, snickered. “Second, I’m not the one beefing with a teenager.”

“I’m not beefing with a teenager,” Ford snarled as I bit down on my bottom lip and stifled a giggle.

“Then what the fuck do you call this?” the blond said, gesturing between the group. “Are we not here to run with Azelie because some little shit bullied her because she didn’t have anyone in her family in the military?”

“Mikey, will you stop,” the woman hissed behind the blond. She shook her head and closed her eyes. “This is exactly why you guys can’t be together in public. You’d think none of you were adults, and not just adults, but adults who are almost all in your fucking thirties.”

Becca finally stepped forward directly toward Ford, though the confidence that she’d had a moment ago was lacking as she briefly glanced at his face and then looked at everything but him. “I demand to know what is going on. Who are you?”

“Oh, you demand, do you?” Bernie snickered with a shake of his head. He glanced at the group. “This little insecure teenager demands to know what’s going on.”

Ford ran a hand over his face and shook his head. “This went entirely different in my head,” he rumbled.

The only man who hadn’t spoken shrugged his shoulders. “How many years have you spent with us, with Bernie, and you thought it’d go differently?”

Ford blew air out of his lips. “Fair. Fair. This one’s on me.”

“Seriously!” Becca quipped again. “Who are you?”

By now, the rest of the crowd had turned away, no longer interested in the very confusing insanity going on here. I, on the other hand, no longer felt intimidated by the group as nothing but humor sifted through me. Even Azelie shared a quick glance my way while biting back a grin.

“You’ve met Ford before, haven’t you?” Azelie said. Her gaze flashed to her dad, then me briefly as she took a step forward.

“Well, yes. Everyone in town knows about him. My mom won’t stop gushing about how much he’s grown up,” Becca snarled and rolled her eyes. “What does that have to do with you, and who the rest of them are?”

“Well, he’s my dad,” Azelie stated.

Macy’s, Cory’s, and Thomas’s jaws fell to the grass we stood on so fast I could’ve sworn I heard their bones snap. “Ford is your dad?! As in, Azelie LeBlanc’s dad is a Thibodeaux?” Macy exclaimed loud enough that once again, the crowd’s attention shot toward our group.

Azelie nodded with a grin, and I peeked at Ford. His eyes gleamed with pride, and he seemed to stand a couple inches taller. I guess this was oneway to announce to the world that I was once in love with him, and was again, but the latter tidbit of information could come later.

“Big whoop. So, some dude whose parents run a restaurant is your dad. Again, what does that have to do with the entire group? Plus, it doesn’t change the fact that nobody in your family has any ties to the military. So, once again, I’m unimpressed. How sad,” Becca said and shoved her nose into the air.

“No military connection?” Mark stated, stepping out from behind Cory. “Ford is in the military, or did you not notice the dog tags hanging around his neck? In fact, all of them are in the military. Though, Ford.” Mark paused and nodded at the very man whose grin shifted from pride to that of a malicious smirk toward Becca. “You never did mention what branch you’re in?”

Ford raised a brow as the rest of his group chuckled. And the redhead clapped Ford on the back. “Dude’s a fucking Navy SEAL,” Bernie stated. “Like we all are. Except her.” He pointed at the striking woman who also wore a weighted vest and dog tags. “Though technically she’s like an honorary member since she’s the best damn sniper I’ve ever met.”

His eyes widened as the massive, tattooed man behind him stepped forward. “Only after the Commander here retired,” Bernie quickly added with a tossed thumb over his shoulder. “Both of them are phenomenal. Deadly. Watch out. Bang bang. Death. Yeah…” He finished his rambling as the rest of the group snickered.

And the information settled in like a ship to a yard. The man I once believed would never hurt a fly now stood before me with evidence to the contrary. Everything made sense. And I understood now. All of hisreactions, or rather lack of fear toward the physical danger we’d been dealing with. How quick he was to assess and react to the situations as well as the language he used and methodical approach he had to it all.

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