when she does, you’re gonna have to admit I was right.”
“Babe, that day’s never gonna come.”
“Bet,” Liberty pushed.
“I wouldn’t take that bet. Liberty is the worst winner out of all of us,” Hadley piped up.
“Agreed. One time I let her win a shooting competition and she gloated for an hour,” I warned Trey.
“You are full of shit,” Liberty snapped.
She was right, but also wrong. I had absolutely let her win that day and I’d done it so she’d have something to smile about. Back then, Liberty’s good days were coming more and more but there had still been an underlying fear. She’d gone through hell and had survived a traumatic event that very well could’ve broken her.
She hadn’t actually gloated about her win for an hour. But that was only because ten minutes later, she was confronted by the man who’d taken her hostage. Then she’d been forced to kill that man while he pressed a gun against Drake’s temple.
“Who’s full of shit?” Carter asked as he walked in.
“Brady. He’s still saying he let me win,” Liberty griped to her cousin.
Carter said not a word but his chuckle spoke volumes.
“Rematch,” Liberty snapped.
“Here we go,” Delaney said from beside Carter. “It’s a toss-up who’s more competitive, Liberty or Carter. They’re both sore losers and pouters so I think we should squash this now.”
Good advice.
“Yeah, let’s do that,” I encouraged, then added, “How about we get to work? That way we can all get on with our afternoon.”
“I invited Quinn and Addy over since I knew Liberty was gonna be here. Mom and Dad have Emma for the rest of the day so I thought we could hang out.” Delaney smiled and I held back a groan.
All four Walker girls together meant it was going to be a long day.
“Awesome,” Hadley chirped and made her way to me. “Raincheck?”
“Delayed,” I corrected.
“Delayed,” she agreed and smiled. “I better figure out something more than snacks to feed everyone.”
One arm went around her waist and the other moved to cup her jaw. When I had her close I muttered, “We’ll order in. I don’t want you in the kitchen making a bunch of food for thirteen people.”
“Thirteen?”
“If Quinn’s coming, Brice will be here. And if there’s food, the guys are staying. So that’s thirteen at the minimum, assuming Jackson and Tuesday, and your brother and Mercy haven’t heard. Not to mention Nick and Meadow, and Ethan and Honor. We can go from thirteen to thirty and have to move to a bigger house or rent a reception hall in the blink of an eye. So we’re ordering food, yeah?”
Hadley stared up at me, her eyes sweet with the soft look she gave me when I said or did something she liked. A look I loved, though I didn’t understand what I’d done to deserve it.
“I love that you know that,” she whispered.
“Know what?”
“Know my family. Know that one or all of them can stop by at any time. Know that an afternoon that was supposed to be just ours can and sometimes will turn into a family blowout. But mostly, I love that you don’t mind.”
I felt my chest start to get tight and I dipped down and pressed my lips to hers. When I straightened, she was smiling. That tightness turned into a burn.
“Family’s everything, baby, and you got a good one.”
“My eyes are bleeding,” Carter complained.
“Even if they’re nosy,” I added, and Hadley smiled bigger.
“You’re making out with my cousin. That’s not nosy, that’s just plain cruel.”
“And they’re annoying,” Hadley mused.
“Can we please get to work?” Carter huffed.
“Jeez, Carter, keep your panties on,” Hadley shot back, then rolled up on her toes and pressed her mouth to mine. “Thank you.” She kissed the side of my jaw and rolled back down and stepped away. “He’s all yours,” she proclaimed and strode back to Delaney and Liberty.
She did that with my eyes glued to the sway of her hips while I ignored the guys’ comments. I gave zero fucks they were giving me a hard time about watching my woman—the show was spectacular.
Trey, Luke, Matt, Logan, Drake, Carter, and I were sitting at Hadley’s eight-person dining room table. A table you gather around over Thanksgiving dinner. A big family table. There were papers spread across it but I wasn’t seeing the bank statements, the background checks, the service records of the men Liberty both served with, and those higher up than her.
I wasn’t seeing anything. My vision was blurred and my heart pounded in