Cade Conner was here too. The music superstar had been a huge financial part of Linear Tactical at its onset. His money hadn’t been needed to fund this latest addition to the facility, but he’d still been here in support.
His wife Peyton, and daughters Jess and newborn Ella had been touring with him the past two months. Jess was currently glued to Ethan’s side, where she’d been since the minute she got home, the two of them inseparable as always, even as they got older.
Zac had laughed watching Finn nearly kill his pre-teen this summer. Ethan had never been one for moping, but had seemed a little lost without Jess. Charlie had put him to work babysitting his younger siblings Thomas, a toddler into everything, and Derek almost six months old and just starting to scoot around. That had kept the kid busy.
Boy and Girl Riley were both here, although neither of them really had a stake in or use for this new facility. Phoenix was surprisingly terrible with tools, given his talents at so many other physical endeavors. But he’d still been there, lending support.
And been by Girl Riley’s side for every step in her MS journey. It had been a learning process for her as an individual, them as a couple, and all of them as extended family who’d wanted to help however they could.
Riley had learned to prevent her MS flare-ups as much as possible by figuring out her triggers and avoiding them when she could. An ever-changing blend of the correct amount of exercise, diet, rest, and medicine.
She’d gotten herself a t-shirt they all loved: Multiple sclerosis…an autoimmune disease. Because the only thing strong enough to kick my ass is me.
Girl Riley had taken an extended leave of absence from her job as an ER nurse last year so she could travel around with Phoenix while he filmed the first season of Phoenix Rises. She’d gotten quite a bit of screen time too. The Adventure Channel had expanded the program to include her MS struggles. She’d become a voice for millions of people suffering with similar autoimmune diseases: lupus, celiac, rheumatoid arthritis, and the many, many others that afflicted so many.
Phoenix had had to share the spotlight with another Phoenix rising.
Which he’d obviously been more than happy to do. Those Rileys were going to be just fine.
“There’s really only one word for this piece of beauty: strategery.” Baby flipped a wrench around in his hand—catching it in a way that spoke of years of familiarity. He also wouldn’t be affected much by this newest Linear Tactical facility, but he’d not only helped build it, he and Kendrick had designed the damned thing.
Finn rolled his eyes. “I know your Ivy League wife doesn’t let you get away with those sort of made-up words.”
Baby grinned. “My gorgeous bride has no problem with whatever words I use as long as when we’re in bed I—”
Finn popped a hand over his brother’s mouth. “Please. I do not want to hear about your sex life.”
Baby chuckled behind his brother’s hand.
Gavin crossed his arms over his chest, just as proud as Zac. “Think of the skills that will be learned here. Leadership. Situational awareness. Agility. Downright survival.”
Dorian reached down at his feet and grabbed a water bottle. “I never would’ve believed Linear would expand to include something like this.”
Zac clapped his friend on the shoulder. “And here you are about to be the one to get the most use of it, Ghost.”
“I thought I’d gotten my miracle the day I discovered Ray was alive.” Dorian glanced over his shoulder at where Ray was over talking to the other wives. Their thirteen-year-old son and eleven-year-old daughter were with her, running around with Ethan and Jess. “But those two…they completed me in a way I didn’t even know was missing.”
“Your family’s story is not a traditional one, that’s for sure.” Gavin rubbed some grease off his hands. “But it’s damned beautiful.”
Dorian grinned and bumped fists with Kendrick who was standing next to him. The most dire of circumstances had caused the two of them to become even closer friends in the last year. “You got that right.”
Considering three out of the four of Dorian’s family were legally dead in the eyes of the government, it was definitely untraditional.
But the unadulterated love shining out of Dorian’s eyes? Beautiful.
“Be a while before you’ll be using this, Zac,” Gavin said. “Me too, I guess.”
Zac looked over at his own bride, holding their six-month old daughter in a sling against her slender frame, talking to some of the other women.
Annie had known terror. First, when they’d gotten together four years ago, and then again with the almost-tragedy on their wedding day eighteen months ago. It was still hard for Zac to let her out of his sight.
But through it all, Annie had never lost the quiet, gentle smile everyone loved about her.
Zac glanced over at Noah Dempsey, also former-military and Gavin’s cousin, and gave the man a nod. If it wasn’t for him and his wife Marilyn, Zac’s world might’ve been crushed on his wedding day. Noah may be Gavin’s family by blood, but he was Zac’s family in every other way possible.
Zac was glad he and Marilyn and their two kids were here today. Glad all his extended family were here today for this important event.
“Alright, guys, I think this is as complete as it’s ever going to be,” Zac announced. “It’s time we opened this thing for business. I’m ready to see if it can live up to the hype.”
“Hear, hear,” Finn said. “Let a new generation of tactical awareness training begin.”
“Look at our big alpha men over there.” Charlie laughed from where she was getting out food at the picnic tables with the wives and girlfriends.
The women all knew the men didn’t expect them to just stay over here for “women’s work.” But none of them were dumb enough to get in the guys’ way when they were in full tactical mode. All the women had known they were falling in love with warriors from the beginning.
Not that they could’ve stopped themselves from falling even if they’d wanted to.
Violet reached over and grabbed baby Derek so Charlie could move more easily. “I know. Standing around congratulating themselves like they just created some sort of huge training facility rather than a playground.”
Ray began opening bags of chips and laying them on the table. “You know they’ve been planning that thing down to the last detail. It’s all Dorian has been talking about for weeks. He and Theo met with Baby about the design more than once.”
Ray was glowing.
Annie was honestly thrilled to have her here talking—to just have her here at all interacting with people would’ve been enough. But Ray was so much more than talking. She was smiling and laughing. She’d come so far from those heartbreaking, noise-reducing headphones she’d worn over her ears for so long.
Ray’s life hadn’t been easy or traditional. No one should be surprised that her journey into motherhood had been unique too.
She’d been thrust into it—sink or swim.
She’d swum. Amazingly well, she’d swum.
Theo and Savannah were her children—it was obvious in every glance and touch. Maybe not by blood, but in every way that mattered. The kids adored her and Dorian also.