Holden's Resurrection (Gemini Group #6) - Riley Edwards Page 0,67

indecision before she stood tall, and Holden held his breath, not liking the look on his friend’s face.

“Okay, I’m just gonna address the elephant in the room—”

“Genevieve,” Chasin warned.

“Please, none of you men give Charleigh enough credit. She’s not some wilting flower with no backbone.”

Fuck.

Charlotte Axelson was the exact opposite of a wilting flower. That was the problem. When Charleigh got mad, the shit that flew out of her mouth was enough to cut a man down at his knees. Holden didn’t want to witness two women he cared about—one he loved more than anything—go toe-to-toe, and by the expression on Charleigh’s face, she was ready for battle.

“Leigh-Leigh, baby—”

“What?” she snapped. “She’s right. If she’s got something to say, I’m all for it.”

“Fuck,” Jameson muttered, knowing exactly what Charleigh’s tone meant.

Genevieve sighed and looked at Charleigh.

“What I meant was, they all want to cushion this conversation for you, but they don’t need to because you don’t need them to. Besides, all the conversation is going to consist of is me apologizing for being a bitch to you and poking my nose into something that’s not my business. But I hope you can understand that I was being a friend to Holden when he was in a great deal of pain. That, I won’t apologize for, but I never should’ve turned into the Queen Bitch and froze you out. I didn’t like doing that, but I didn’t want to take the chance that if I was around you, that I’d like you. Then that would really suck, because I love Holden, and I wanted to be on his side. Clearly, things have changed, and now that they have, I was hoping we could start over. I really love your daughter—she’s a great kid and I’d like to be allowed to come over and see her.”

Jameson had visibly relaxed now that a Charleigh-Evie-Smackdown was obviously not going to happen. Chasin was smiling. Nixon, Weston, and Alec were staring at Charleigh expectantly. And Holden was ready for just about anything. It was a crapshoot what his woman would say.

But he shouldn’t have worried.

“Faith would love that.”

“Would tonight be all right? And can Bobby come? She’s been asking, too.”

Charleigh looked at Holden and his heart swelled. “We’ll be home, right?”

Christ.

Square to his solar plexus, the softest blow he’d ever felt. Silky smooth but so damn painful—the most exquisite pain warmed his being.

“Yeah, baby, we’ll be home.”

“It’s kind of strange, me telling you that you can visit your uncle’s house.” Charleigh sheepishly grinned. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

“We’d like that.”

“If Chasin, Evie, and Bobby are going over for dinner, you know McKenna’s gonna horn in on that. And there’s not a chance Kennedy’s gonna stay away. If four out of the six girl posse’s getting together, then Macy and Silver will not be left out,” Nixon stated. “Why don’t we order in? It’ll be easier to feed the horde and less clean-up.”

Holden stopped paying attention to the others around him as they planned dinner. He only had eyes for the woman standing a few feet away with a broad, beaming, beautiful smile on her gorgeous face.

That was his Leigh-Leigh.

Top-to-toe stunning. Easy-going, stubborn, sweet, spitfire, wild and gentle. A mash-up of traits that made her perfect.

23

“Leigh-Leigh?”

“Huh?”

My eyes focused on Holden’s happy, smiling face and I couldn’t hold back my sigh. He’d had that look for the last two hours and it made him insanely good-looking. I hadn’t seen him look so carefree in…well…since the night before he left me. We’d been at a get-together at one of our friend’s houses. All of the guys were there and more from another SEAL platoon. Holden had always been happy back then.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You look a little overwhelmed.”

My gaze went across the room to Faith, who was standing in front of Jameson and Weston animatedly telling them a story. She, too, had had a smile on her face for the last two hours. This was what I’d always wanted for my daughter. A room full of honorary uncles who she could entertain. Men who would protect and guide her. Women who could be examples of strength.

“I suppose I am, a little.”

Holden frowned and stepped closer. “Say the word and I’ll tell them to leave.”

“No.”

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I’m not,” I told him, then decided since he’d shown me honesty, I owed it to him. “We haven’t had this.”

“Had what?”

“This.” I motioned around the room. “Since…it doesn’t matter.”

I stopped myself from explaining, which would surely put