Page 2 of Protected By the SEAL
“I can get that.” I take her weekend bag and toss it in the back with mine.
Once we’re on the highway, she relaxes into the passenger seat, bare feet up on my dashboard. I pretend to be annoyed.
“Feet off the dash, Morgana.”
“You love my feet on your dash.” She wiggles her toes. “Plus, I’m in love with this pedicure, and my feet deserve to be shown off.”
I laugh and shake my head, then turn on the radio.
“Tell me about the weekend again,” I say. “I want to be prepared.”
Her smile dims. “Right. The family gauntlet.” She takes a breath. “Okay, so there’s my mom. You’ve met her. Passive-aggressive champion of the world. She’ll have comments about everything, from my job, my weight, my relationship status.”
“What else?”
“Aunt Carol. No filter. Thinks being blunt and abrasive is an art form. Then there’s the cousin brigade. Sarah, Jennifer, and Emma. All married with kids. They haven’t seen me in years, but they’ll act like we’re close while making sure I know how behind I am in life. I don’t know if my cousin Sophie will make it. I adore her, but it’s been ages since we’ve been in contact.”
I hear the stress creeping into her voice. I reach over, covering her hand with mine before I even think about it. She relaxes a fraction.
“And the bride?”
“Belinda.” Her voice goes flat. “My cousin, who can do no wrong. Valedictorian. Prom queen. The one my mom always compared me to. And now she’s marrying Victor.”
“Tell me about Victor.”
She’s quiet for a long moment. “We were together for three years in college, while you were serving. I thought we were solid, but then it fizzled out. Six months later, he was with Belinda.”
My hands tighten on the wheel. “He’s an idiot.”
“Kane…”
“Anyone who lets you go is an idiot. End of story.”
She reaches over and squeezes my arm. “Thanks. He didn’t treat me badly. It…we didn’t have that spark. And thank you for finally agreeing to be my date for this. I know you didn’t want to.”
I can barely admit it to myself, but it shames me that I hesitated to help Morgana out with this. I know about her family, but there was something deep in me that hesitated. Doesn’t take a genius to know that Jake would say something like I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to admit my feelings about her. He doesn’t get it that Morgana is my best friend. I may have kissed her a couple of times when we were younger, but we’re friends. End of story.
“It’s no big deal. I should have agreed sooner. You know I’d do anything for you.”
Morgana smiles and reaches out to touch my arm, and it’s like being hit by lightning. “Still. It means a lot. I know the weekend will be significantly easier with you at my side.”
We stop for gas outside Sacramento. While I’m filling the tank, she disappears into the station. She comes back with a bag with beef jerky, peanut M&M’s, and a coffee fixed exactly how I like it.
“You didn’t have to get me coffee.”
“Shut up and drink your coffee.” She smiles and hands it to me. “We’ve got three more hours, and you get cranky without caffeine.”
My phone buzzes as we get back on the road.
Operation Lock Her In - Status Report Required
I ignore it, but Morgana catches me rolling my eyes.
“Who’s that?”
“The guys. They’ve decided this weekend is their personal mission.” I shift gears and focus on the road.
“What mission?”
