Conception (The Wellingtons #4) - Tessa Teevan Page 0,140
it the first day I got to Afghanistan.”
She playfully pushes my shoulder then gazes up at me. “I’m glad it brought us together, but can you not put those images in my mind? If anything ever happened to you…” she trails off.
“Don’t think about that. Five years and I’m out. And things have died down over there, so I’ll probably be spending these five years training here. Hell, now that I’ve ranked up, I’m buried under paperwork anyway. I haven’t seen the field in months.”
“And it’s killing you.”
I contemplate it for a moment. “No, sweetheart. There was a time when I thought I’d never want to sit behind a desk. I wanted action, a fast pace, the danger. But that was before I had something to live for. Now I have you, the twins, and my family. If doing paperwork all day brings me home to you every night, then it’s the perfect job for me.”
Charlie uses a finger to wipe the corner of her eyes. “You are the best man I’ve ever known.”
I grin down at my gorgeous wife. “Pretty sure Wade might have something to say about that.”
She loops her arms around my neck, her whisky eyes staring up at me. “Dad knows when he gave you my hand, he was also giving up that first-place position. But he’s a really, really close second.”
It’s been two months since Dad came home from the hospital. Mom’s driving him crazy with healthy meals, ensuring he goes on walks every day and is getting the proper amount of sleep—according to her. She hasn’t let him step foot in the office. According to Branson, he’s fielding about twelve calls a day. Dad’s even set up a Skype account to try to catch Bran while at the office. Knowing Dad’s going stir-crazy and driving Branson up a wall, Ariana talked Mom into having a party at the house now that Dad’s been given the all-clear by his doctor to get back to regularly scheduled activity. Of course, Mom had to consult Cohen, who insisted it’s exactly what Dad needs right now. What better medicine than celebrating life with family and friends?
I get Mom’s hesitation. Her husband collapsed at the last family celebration. She’s afraid of history repeating itself. Hell, if the same thing had happened with me and Charlie, my woman wouldn’t be leaving the house for the better part of a year. Then again, knowing Charlie, she’d just sneak out when I wasn’t looking. And then I’d have to spank her.
Hmm. There’s a thought.
Bran nudges my shoulder, bringing me back to the present. “I know that look, bro. You just got here. There’s no way Mom’s letting you haul your wife out of this party so soon after you’ve arrived. Might as well get your mind out of the gutter.”
I turn to him. “How can you tell what I’m thinking?”
“I’m your older brother. I probably have the same thoughts.” He hands me a scotch.
I take a sip before replying. “Spanking.”
“Yeah. We both fall from the same tree. That’s for sure.”
“What about me?” Cohen asks as he comes up behind us.
Bran and I share a grin before I tuck Cohen into a playful headlock. “I have a feeling Andi’s the one who does the spanking.”
Cohen wrestles out from under my arm. He straightens his jacket, his eyes full of mischief. “It’s an equal opportunity marriage. What’s good for me is good for her.”
Branson nearly chokes on his whisky. “I really didn’t need to know that.”
“Come on, guys. Be progressive. Plus, give a woman some power in the bedroom and she turns into a friggin’ tiger. When Andi—”
“When Andi what?”
Cohen’s fiery redhead of a wife with a personality to match just so happens to catch him before he sticks his foot in his mouth.
My little bro looks back and forth between us and his wife. “Uh…” He recovers, slipping an arm around her waist, “I was just saying that when you get back from the tour with Chris and Second Star, I’m going to try to get some time off from the hospital so we can finally take our long-overdue honeymoon.”
Andi’s cheeks curl up even as she rolls her eyes. “It’s only been three years since we got married.”
Cohen leans back and gives us a thumbs-up from behind Andi’s back. Bran and I struggle to keep it together. When Charlie calls Andi over, Cohen sighs with relief.
“Nice save, Coh,” Branson says with a laugh.
“Actually, yeah, quick thinking on your feet,” I add.