Authors: S. M. Butler
Killing Honor (20 page)
“Brody’s father is ex-Navy.”
“Oh.” This was the first I’d heard of this. It made Brody’s navy career choice make more sense. Of course, I’d never really asked about his father.
“He retired a year before Brody was born. He was always on the ship. Six months in port, ten months traveling aboard the ship. The main reason we waited so long for children was because he was never there. And you have it worse, because you have two beautiful girls who need their father.” She cleared her throat and walked toward the door. “But I really should go. I’ll call you later, sweetie.”
With a whirlwind of movement, she left the house. I didn’t know what to think over her words. I didn’t understand what she was trying to tell me. I glanced at the girls playing on the floor and relief swam through my body. They were safe. I was safe. And Brody was safe.
I sat down on the floor with Jackie and Riley. They were playing with blocks, so I helped them build up a tower, and then Jackie knocked it down with a laugh. We repeated that a few more times, taking turns with who would knock down the tower.
I didn’t even notice when the door opened and closed behind me. Or when Brody walked across the living room. It wasn’t until he sat down on the floor beside me that I registered his presence.
“Hey,” I said, smiling. It was still a forced smile, because as soon as I had seen him, the memory of the blood spreading on Jane’s shirt flew back into my head. The look of surprise on her face played center stage in my nightmares this week.
“How are you feeling?” He asked.
“Good now. Your mother made sugar cookies.”
“Oh, I love those!” Brody started to hop up, but Jackie gripped his thumb and pulled his hand toward the blocks. “Dada, tow’r.”
Brody looked at her perplexed.
I chuckled.
“You think this is funny? What is she saying?”
“She wants you to knock the tower over. It’s our game.”
“Oh!” The smile brightened on his face as Jackie took his thumb and hit the middle of the blocks with his hand. The blocks tumbled down and both girls giggled and squealed like it was the best thing ever.
But it wasn’t long before he turned quiet and withdrawn. I put my hand on his leg to catch his attention while Jackie and Riley built the tower back up. “Something wrong?”
“Jackie’s never called me Dada before.” His eyes watered, the sharp amber color of his eyes darkening. In that instant, all the bad things that had happened vanished because this big, burly SEAL was damn near tears because a toddler called him Dada. It made everything worthwhile.
“They are your children,” I whispered. “They should call you Dad.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat. “Can we talk a minute? In the kitchen.”
“Okay,” I replied. He stood up and held his hand to me, so I let him pull me to my feet. I glanced at the girls. “Not too far. They’re troublemakers if we leave them on their own.”
“Just over here.” He pulled me to the kitchen and continued in a low voice. “I asked to leave the team.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. Um… I can’t take the idea that you or they might be hurt because of me.”
“What did they say?”
“I’m in a permanent billet. I can’t be reassigned because of my security clearance. It’s too high, so now I’d be a risk if I left.”
“Oh.” I tried to contain my disappointment. The idea of Brody being home more appealed to me. Actually, him leaving again would break my heart. But I’d accepted that this was the nature of his job. He saved lives. I couldn’t fault him for wanting to do it.
“But… I was able to get reassigned to the auxiliary team. I’m a… handler for undercover assets.”
“Like for spies?”
“Kind of. I’m still military. I’m still a SEAL, and I will get called to deploy on occasion. But Thirteen isn’t part of the SEAL command structure anymore. So the rules have changed. I’m not completely sure how yet… but I’m not on the field team.”
“What does that mean?” I whispered, afraid to think of what it could mean.
“It means… I’m going to home more. I’m still a SEAL. I can’t change that, and honestly, it’s part of who I am. But… this could mean that I get to here for you and the girls more.”
My throat closed up and tears sprung from my eyes. “Really?”
“I’ll still have to leave sometimes, but no more two year deployments for now.”
I threw my arms around him, overjoyed. “Oh, my god! I can’t believe it!”
His arms were warm around my waist, squeezing me as tightly as I was him. “I love you, Devyn. I know it’s been rough with me gone so much. I missed everything and you’re so strong. I never realized just how strong you were until I put you in danger.”
Everything came crashing down. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Relief poured from my body. The tension I didn’t even know I was feeling melted away. I pulled back and stared at him. “You didn’t put me in danger. Marie did. But that’s over now. She can’t hurt us anymore.”
I surprised myself saying that. I’d spent the better part of the last week struggling with nightmares where I saw her face all the time. The same look of shock she’d given when I shot her. But it was true. With Brody, all my worries over killing another person vanished while I was in his arms. He could make everything in my world better. All I needed was him to be there.
“You know, I’m proud of you, right? I know I haven’t said it. You are part of something big. You keep the world safe for me and for Riley and Jackie.”
“I didn’t protect you well enough.”
I hadn’t realized he was carrying so much guilt around with him. I cupped his face so he had to look at me. “You couldn’t know about Marie… She was good. She fooled us all.” I lifted up on my toes, and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. “You do what you need to do to accomplish your job. I’ll handle the house and we’ll meet in the middle to be a family.”
“What about the girls?”
“I’ll have you know, they’re accomplished bull dozers.” As if on command, Riley shrieked and knocked the newly built tower down. Giggles ensued between the girls.
Brody smiled. “I love you.”
“And I love you, sir.”
“I’m not a sir,” he replied. “I work for a living.” He wrapped his arms back around me, this time so I faced the girls on the floor. He laid his chin on my shoulder and together we watched the girls play until they were bored of the blocks and went in search of more trouble to get into.
*~The End~*
Did you enjoy Devyn and Brody’s story?
The next two books in the Lucky Thirteen series are now available for pre-order at your favorite retailers!
Wounded Courage (Lucky Thirteen #2)
Dying Commitment (Lucky Thirteen #3)
About the Author
S.M. Butler is a new adult romantic suspense and military romance author with a penchant for Dr. Pepper, ice hockey, and world domination, but not necessarily in that order. She lives in Texas under a not-so-secret identity (Suzan Butler, who writes adult romance) with two monsters, writing books and planning the next step in her evil plans into the twilight hours of the night because that’s when it’s quiet in the house. She loves to hear from readers.
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Other Books
Books under S.M. Butler
Standalone Novels
The Lucky Thirteen Series
Wounded Courage (coming June 2014)
Dying Commitment (coming August 2014)
Books under Suzan Butler
The Texas Highlanders Ice Hockey
KILLING HONOR
A Soaring Phoenix Press Publication, March 2014
Soaring Phoenix Press
Fort Worth, TX 76161
E-ISBN: 978-1-938927-12-6
Print ISBN: 978-1-938927-13-3
KILLING HONOR © 2014 S.M. Butler
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors' imagination and used fictitiously.
Cover art by Shield Creative Designs.
All images are used with permission from the creator.