Page 2 of For The Days We Can't Forget

“Why did he have to go so young?” She whined. Loudly. “Such a wonderful man, you’ll be so missed, Zach.” Her phony sobbing shook her frame as she begged for everyone’s attention.

Rosie and Jackson contained their reactions, but when I saw the pain in Haley’s eyes as Andrea mournedherman, I had enough. I pulled her away from the mantel as she struggled to keep her spectacle.

“This is low, even for you, Andrea. You have no place being here, causing this little show to feed your ego. For once, stop trying to hurt other people just so you can feel better.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw my baby girl confused about her mother’s display of selfishness. How could one explain to their three-year-old daughter her mother didn’t care for anyone but herself?

When Lisa urged the kids to the back yard and away from that shameful actress, I was once again grateful for meeting the woman who was starring in my dreams.

“I’m expressing my condolences, Daniel.” Her voice was ever loud. “Let me go, so I can tell all these people the amazing man Zach was. And how you could never compare to him. He was just so heroic.” She cried again.

Before I could respond, Mia spoke her first words of that whole day. “Why are you crying? Better yet, why thefuckare you here? He didn’t even like you.” Andrea tensed, not expecting someone to call her so openly on her bullshit. “No one here does. We tolerated you because of Danny and Sofia; even that was much more than you deserved.”

Andrea dramatically threw her veil over her hair, but her composure was gone. “You were always a little shit, weren’t you? What? Are you jealous I got to sleep with Daniel? Or are you envious of the attention Zach got over you?

“That’s enough, Andrea,” I intervened. “You don’t get to—”

“Get out,” Mia snapped. “Get the fuck out of here. You were never welcome in this place, and you sure as hell aren’t wanted.”

A small crowd surrounded us as Mia stood up in pain, leaning against the wall for support. I sought Ben around the living room, not knowing what to do, but he seemed just as lost.

“You can’t kick me—”

“I can and I will, with a smile on my face. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to do so. You’re selfish, destructive, a self-centered, high-maintenance diva who never cared about her husband and daughter.”

“Destructive? I thought that was you. Isn’t it why Zach died?” Mia’s wince was a kick in my gut.

I grabbed Andrea by the arm and pulled her to the front door. “You shut your trap,” I said between my teeth. “Get out of here, or so help me God, you won’t see Sofia not even once a month as you’re allowed to do now.”

Once she was out the door—which I might have slammed in her face—I looked back to see Mia’s pained face. I was going back to her when she announced, “Everybody, out.”

Rosie tried to reason with her daughter, but Andrea had managed to push her over the edge.

“Everybody.Out! You’ve paid your respects, now respect us again by not prolonging this nightmare. The show is over.”

“Honey,” Jackson approached and touched her face, unsure how to deal with his daughter, for it was such an unusual reaction for her. “They’re here because they care. And we still have the eulogy. Don’t you want to say something about your brother?”

Her snappy reaction was gone, leaving only her pain, as she said with a broken voice, “I can’t.” She shook her head. Her eyes and the tip of her nose turned red as she whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything, and also this, but Ican’t.” She thrust her free hand into her hair, a wounded, desperate look on her face. “I’m...I have to...I have to breathe.”

She turned on her heels and limped away, the bullet wound on her leg still not healed. Ben was frozen in place as his woman tried to comfort him—he also carried his share of misplaced guilt over what happened. The trio once inseparable—Zach, Ben, and Mia—was one person shorter. Two, if you considered Mia might never be the same. Understandably.

I followed her outside, giving her sufficient distance to go wherever she wanted, but close enough that I could help her if needed. She limped until she tripped on the uneven ground and fell on her knees.

“Mia! Mia, are you okay?” I ran to her, kneeling so I could hug her too small a frame for my big one. Her shoulders shook as she bawled, the first real reaction since she learned about her brother. “Cariño, what can I do for you? Tell me what you need.”

Between broken sobs, she pained us both. “I need for him to not be gone.”

CHAPTER TWO

Whoever said time heals must’ve been talking about a hell of a long time, because even after countless weeks since that fateful day, we were far from being healed.

Against all good sense and medical recommendations, Mia came back to work, albeit not on-site at first. We had several reasons to tell her to wait; we had even more reasons to have her back.

Ben and I were spread thin, yet we needed to keep Bryants & Walker running.

Years ago, I joined the Navy, then I joined the SEAL program after my medical training. That was when I met Ben and Zach. Our connection was instant, and fighting side by side only made it stronger.

During those years, I met Andrea. It was supposed to be a fling, just a fun time until I was assigned to a new mission. We ended up lasting longer than I expected. When she said she was pregnant, I was excited about becoming a father. I wasn’t thrilled when she forced my hand into leaving the Navy, though.

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