Getting out of the service was a big change, and now he had to grapple with even bigger changes in his life. Changes that he found himself excited about. A son and a woman he loved. He was still worried about the threats to Carolyn’s store and her insistence on investigating them, though.
He pulled up in front of Nick’s house, realizing how much the shoe was on the other foot. Carolyn broke it off with him because of her fear for him. Now he was concerned about her, the danger she might be facing. Her problems had become his—as they always should have been.
His brother Colin parked behind him and flashed his lights. Being with his brothers again was another reason Zach was happy to be home, even if they were only on leave. They stayed in contact as much as possible, connecting in between missions over the years—but it wasn’t the same as getting to see each other any time they wanted. As Colin stepped from the driver’s side, their younger brother Alex got out of the passenger’s. The three met in the street, taking a few minutes to talk before going inside.
“How’s Austin?” Colin asked.
“He’s great,” Zach replied. A couple of days earlier, both his brothers had gotten the chance to meet Austin at Carolyn’s house.
“Can’t believe you produced such a cute kid,” Alex teased him. “Must all be from Carolyn.”
“She’s a good mom,” Zach said sincerely. She was a good woman and the one he wanted in his life permanently. He’d made that decision once before about her, but he wondered now if he’d really been willing to commit to her. He’d thought other things were more important. Now he could see that nothing was. He just had to play it right with her and Austin.
“You’ll make a good father,” Colin said, realizing Zach’s worry, “even if you’re coming to it a little late.”
“I appreciate that,” Zach replied. “Carolyn’s made it easy for me.”
“You’re still in love with her,” Alex observed with a grin.
Zach kept his face carefully neutral, as if he had four aces in his hand and didn’t want anyone to know. He wasn’t going to let his little brother goad him into admitting what he was just figuring out himself.
“Ignore him.” Colin gave Alex a shove back. “How is Carolyn holding up after the robbery? Is her store open again?”
“Soon, but there’s a problem I might need your help to deal with.” He explained Carolyn’s suspicions to his brothers. Different perspectives might give him some guidance, since he wasn’t sure what lead to follow next after the dead end at the rival jeweler’s.
“Could be nothing,” Alex said when Zach had rundown the incidents.
“Is that what you’d say if it was your girlfriend at risk?” Zach countered. It felt off to him, and he’d learned to trust his gut.
“What’s the IT company say?” Colin prompted.
“Still waiting to hear back on that one.” Information from the tech people might give them a direction.
“Guess you’re stuck waiting then,” Alex concluded.
“Not happy about that, since it puts me in the position of being reactive and not proactive.” Sometimes their missions in special forces were cleanups from someone else’s mess. Those were the nasty ones. Anticipating a problem and eliminating it in advance was much more effective. “I want to keep Carolyn and Austin safe.”
“Still spending your nights over there?” Colin asked.
“Outside in my car,” he confirmed.
“Can’t get an invite in?” Alex goaded him again. His younger brother could be a smart-ass, but there was no one he trusted more than these two guys.
“Haven’t tried.” After tonight’s kiss, he didn’t think it would be long before she let him back into her house as more than a presence in Austin’s life.
“You want one of us to take a night?” Colin offered. “You could do with some real sleep.”
“No, they’re mine to keep safe.”
Identical stubborn looks appeared on his brothers’ faces. None of them had to say it. They’d survived their childhood because of the tight bond between them. Zach and Colin had protected Alex at first. By the time Alex was eight, he was as tough as his brothers and never let them forget it. They’d needed each other to survive their dad’s abuse. Even after the Admiral took them in and life was so much better, they continued to stick together.
“Not how it works,” Colin said.
“I’m okay for now.” And Zach was. He could operate on very little sleep, and his day job wasn’t nearly as demanding as being a SEAL had been.
“The Admiral would have been one hell of a grandpa,” Alex commented suddenly, showing a streak of sentimentality.
“He was a hell of a father,” Colin agreed.
When Admiral Peter Anderson took them in, he had no experience as a father. What he had was years of Navy life. He instilled discipline in the brothers, brought order to their chaotic existence, and taught them that they were worth something. It hadn’t been easy. By the time they were placed with him through a program for at-risk teens, they’d committed misdemeanors, skipped school, and honed their skills at writing off anyone who told them what to do. Through a combination of tough love and a rigid schedule, the Admiral had gotten them back on track. They owed him their lives, and they all knew it.
“Still miss the old cuss,” Alex admitted.
The Admiral had passed away four years earlier.
“We all do,” Colin declared, “but he’d be proud of us.”
“I stopped down at the center,” Zach said, not having to clarify what he meant. The organization that had saved them still existed. They all donated money to it in the hopes that other kids would find someone like the Admiral.
“Yeah?” Alex asked.
“I plan to volunteer my time if I can, maybe mentor some kids. You guys want to join me?”
He got nods from each as headlights cut across them. More of their buddies had arrived for the game, and they went inside Nick’s house. His wife greeted them and pointed toward the basement stairs.
“Good to see you.” Nick came up to them and shook hands. “Food over there. Drinks in the cooler. Let’s play.”
A couple hours later, Zach was the first to toss his cards down. He’d broken even on the night, and that was always a good time to quit. Besides, he needed to get back to Carolyn’s. He’d had one beer early in the night before switching to soda, so he’d be alert enough to keep his watch.
“It’s early,” Nick complained. “Not even midnight.”
“He’s got places to be,” Alex said.
“Something to do with your son?” Nick eyed him.
“In a way,” Zach answered. “I’ll see you guys next week.”
Zach returned to Carolyn’s street, taking up his usual position. He’d only been there a few minutes when her front porch light flicked on and the door opened. Carolyn stood in the glow, looking straight toward him. He jumped from the car and jogged to her.
“Something wrong? Is Austin sick?” His imagination conjured up twenty possible problems.
“All’s well,” she assured him, “except you’ve been sleeping in your car for how many nights now?”