After the betrayal he always wondered what had happened to him, and if he recovered and bounced back. The past didn’t defeat his brother at all. Now he had a gorgeous home, nice cars, and a beautiful wife that you could tell loved him more than anything. It gave him reassurance that he hadn’t destroyed both of their lives and his only. No one deserved it all more than his brother.
Ethan Blackhawk watched his brother pull in and park behind his car, and he couldn’t help but feel wary. It just kept plaguing him, if letting this part of his past back into his life was a good idea or a bad one. His brother had hurt him once, and he hoped that he wouldn’t fall into that trap again. Now there was more to lose, and he wasn’t willing to risk it.
There was something in him that made him look over at his wife. She was walking around their kitchen, barefoot, in jeans, and a tank top, and he had to wonder if his brother would ever try to take her away. Just then she looked up at him, giving him a reassuring smile, as if she just knew he was worried.
“You're doing the right thing, Ethan. He just needs a second chance like we did.”
He nodded, needing to believe she would see what he didn’t and give him good advice. There was no doubt he was too emotionally tied to the decision. As he stood on his porch he welcomed his brother into his home, and back into his life. This felt like a big moment for him. Since forcing his family out years ago, swearing they would never be part of him again, he was filled with nervous anticipation. Now both his brother and grandfather were back, and everything was off-balance.
“Welcome, Callen,” he said, holding the door open to his brother.
“Nice house, Ethan. I never expected you to live in the suburbs,” he said grinning. It was the same grin his brother had inherited at birth too, both gifts from their father and grandfather.
“Me either,” he laughed, following his brother, carrying the beer he had handed him. “I used to live in Georgetown in a brownstone. That was more FBI until our boss showed me the error of my way.”
Elizabeth watched both men and now saw more of a family resemblance. At first they looked completely different, but it was the subtle things. It wasn’t their physical characteristics, but their actions and mannerisms. They both were very much alike. “Welcome to our home, Callen,” she said, walking around the counter and hugging her husband’s brother warmly. “Sometimes it’s nice to be able to get to know people outside of standing over dead bodies.”
Whitefox nodded; He was surprised his sister-in-law had hugged him. Callen Whitefox was pretty sure his brother was going to make sure they stayed far apart. He knew if the tables were turned there would be no way his woman would be anywhere near the man who betrayed him. Not that he’d ever cross that line again, but still, it was just unexpected. His brother had become a different man, and he suspected Elizabeth had a great deal to do with it.
“Thank you for inviting me. I’m assuming you are the reason I’m here. Ethan used to hold a wicked grudge. Not that I can blame him, but now he’s mellowed.”
Elizabeth pulled down plates and grabbed silverware, staring over at her husband as if considering his brother’s words. “Nope, he’s the same as he was, and this was all his idea. Too many people assume they know Ethan, but he’s very different than they expect once you get past the tough exterior and through the multi-faceted layers.”
Blackhawk handed his brother a beer. “I’m standing right here. You both know that right?” he laughed as he twisted off the top. “I know I’m the oldest one in the room, but my hearing is still pretty good.”
Elizabeth snorted, opening a bottle of water and taping it against her husband’s beer, in salute. “Truth old man.”
Blackhawk tried to grab her, but she managed to elude him.
“Elizabeth, don’t you like beer? I could have brought you wine instead,” Whitefox said, feeling like he failed as a guest.
Elizabeth looked over at her husband ready to make an excuse. She waited for a sign from her husband, since she wasn’t sure how he wanted her to answer that question.
“We’re having a baby.” Blackhawk answered for her, softly. “Elizabeth is pregnant with our first child.”
Callen Whitefox stood and went to his brother first. “I’m incredibly happy for you,” he grinned and took the chance, hugging him. “Congrats Ethan!” He stepped back unsure if the contact would be welcomed. When it was reciprocated, he smiled in relief.
“Thank you,” he replied, warily. “But please we want to keep it quiet, especially in light of the assignment. I’m still a nervous wreck. You and granddad are the only ones that know.”
Elizabeth smiled at her husband and his brother. “Hey, I don’t get congratulations? I’m the one doing all the work and growing the next Blackhawk child. Really, he had the easy job!”
Whitefox laughed and hugged her. “You certainly do, and since I know what he was like as a kid, you also get my condolences.” Whitefox tried to not breathe in the scent of her hair, but it was so damn hard. His heart thundered in his chest.
Elizabeth laughed at that, suspecting as much. “Well, I don’t mind a little chaos now and then,” she answered, trying to picture her husband as a child, and it warmed her heart.
Whitefox got serious after he thought about it. “Today had to be pretty rough on you, Elizabeth.”
Blackhawk felt the same as he watched her work earlier, knowing it was hard, and believing she was the strongest woman in the world.
“It was a lot harder for the victims. I got through it, and I’ll get them justice,” she smiled at both men, changing the subject. “Ethan, how about you and your brother go out to the patio and start a fire in the bowl outside? I feel like eating in the fresh air tonight. Then we can work inside for a while. For now I just want to pretend it’s just a normal night, and we’re boring, normal people.”
“Yes baby,” he said, kissing his wife on the top of her head as he walked past. “So damn bossy,” he laughed, slapping her on her ass on his way past.
She just shook her head as she watched them leave; Elizabeth knew they needed a few minutes alone to get readjusted to being a family and put it all out there in the open.
Outside, Whitefox watched his brother light the fire in the copper fire bowl. He was completely different than he used to be.
“Something you want to say, Callen?” He could feel his brother staring at the back of him, as if nervous.
It caught him off guard. His big brother always had that ability. “You’re just a different man than when you left.”
“Yeah I am, and I think that’s best for everyone involved.”
“I’m glad you are, Ethan. I’m pleased you found happiness.”
“Were you worried that you and Kaya destroyed me?” he asked, grinning up at his brother. “Were you afraid that I had become a shell of a man, because I lost the only woman that I would ever love in the entire world?”
“In a way, I think I was.”
“You can thank, Lyzee. I was all about the job. For a long time I didn’t have a personal life, and then she came stomping into mine and rearranged everything. It’s hard to stop her once she plows into you. I told you that I had dreams about her, and then there she was knocking me over. After four days I proposed to her and asked her to marry me. I couldn’t imagine my life without her at that point. She was the center and it all revolved around her and still does.”
“She’s tough,” he said laughing.
Something inside of him clenched. Blackhawk remembered having the same conversation with his boss at one time, and now he was living the life he thought just out of his reach.
“We had a bad end to the assignment in Salem. We both almost didn’t make it out that day. Elizabeth was in worse shape, and that changed my perspective a great deal. As we both healed from our injuries. We both had to decide what to do professionally. Elizabeth was offered the position of mayor in her town, and she offered me the job as sheriff. In the end we just didn’t think we could make small town work
. Gabe called and offered us the joint job of director for the new FBI West office. It would mean we both got to work together and be safe. Granted, we shouldn’t be out in the field,” he paused. “This will be our last assignment, if I have anything to say about it. Her last one anyway.”
Somehow Whitefox doubted that he had that kind of power over his wife. “I have to say, I like her. She’s tough, ballsy and completely charming. She has granddad wrapped around her finger. I didn’t think any woman could pull that off, and especially an outsider, Ethan. He was so hell bent on both of us marrying nice little Native women. Someone has obviously abducted the old man and replaced him with a clone.”
Ethan Blackhawk laughed. “Hearing about it is one thing, but you should have seen her do it. I couldn’t help but stare. It was pure magic. She got out of the car and he didn’t stand a chance. Maybe she has that effect on all men in the Blackhawk family. Who knows, but he genuinely liked her. You could see it on his face. It was like the last twenty years didn’t happen and nothing had destroyed our family,” he laughed, taking a seat beside his brother.
“You should bottle that charm. I’d buy some just to get the old man to let me find a woman off the Rez.”
Blackhawk knew how tough it had to be for his brother, and he wanted to cut him a break. “All seriousness, I need to say something to you, and then we need to move forward.”
“Okay, say it,” he answered, already knowing what was coming. This was where his brother asked him why he did it.
“I forgive you, Callen,” he said, suddenly. “I’d like to have my brother back. We can’t live this close and pretend we both don’t exist. I’m starting a family of my own, and I’d like for my child to have more than just a mother and father. I want the next generation to have a full family. I want what we once had back. I find that I want the raven and fox to be together again.”
“I don’t deserve it. I screwed up royally that night, Ethan, and I can’t say I’m sorry enough. I was drunk and stupid.”
“How’d it happen, Callen?” He never asked before, but he needed to heal the entire wound and that meant knowing.
“I was home alone that night. I don’t know where you were, but granddad was at council. Kaya came to the door, and I told her you weren’t around. She asked if she could wait for you, and I said sure. We started drinking and laughing and before I knew it, she was all over me.”
Blackhawk thought it would hurt to hear it, but it didn’t. In his mind, he couldn’t picture any other woman climbing all over him but his wife.
“I told her we shouldn’t be doing it. She was your girlfriend, but Kaya just didn’t care. I was young, stupid, and had sex with her. One time and that was it.”
“Then she claimed she was pregnant.”
“Yeah, and then she tried to pin the kid on you. I don’t know why she didn’t just blame me from the start. I guess it had to do with the fact that you’re the Blackhawk, and I’m the bastard. I guess I was the backup plan from the start.”
“Cal, trust me. Being the Blackhawk isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. She was pretty stupid to try and pin it on me. I never had sex with anyone without protection. I carried that rule on through my life until I met Elizabeth. I’ve always had a firm and fast rule about having a family and kids. Before my wife I never wanted either. FBI and family just never seemed synonymous, and that was my other sign Elizabeth was meant to be.” Then he thought back to Kaya Cheek with disgust. “I don’t like to be lied to, and I knew it wasn’t mine from the start,” he said, sitting forward. “When she came and told me, I nearly lost it. When she tried to insist it was mine and then yours, it pissed me off and made me livid.”
“Well, imagine how angry granddad was when he heard. You had just left, packed everything up and took off. He was furious. Then Kaya’s father came to the house, telling him he demanded a wedding, and one of the Blackhawk boys were going to do the right thing by his girl.”
Blackhawk wanted to laugh, but he managed to keep it in for his brother’s sake.
“I had told granddad the entire story, and once he knew she had first accused you and then me, he took her before the council.”
Now he did laugh. “I bet that was fun.”
“For me I was scared shitless and so was she. She lied to both of us. The baby was some outsider’s kid. Apparently, she slept around a lot.”
“Kaya Cheek was easy, and that was the allure as a boy.”
“Apparently she was.”
“So you were in the clear.”
“By being in the clear, do you mean how I lost my brother and nearly got forced into a marriage with a woman that I didn’t really want to be with all in two days? Talk about huge lesson from the powers that be. That day I learned to be a bit more cautious and that actions have consequences.”
“I bet.”
“I’ve adopted your rule on protection. Kaya was my lesson learned.”
“Is she still around?” he asked, because he didn’t like nasty surprises and Kaya Cheek popping up would be a very nasty one indeed.
“Yep, she works at the town bar and is pretty much the same. Now she’s just older, but still trying to find a man to marry her.”
“Great. Remind me to stay far away from there and keep my wife out of there too.”
“Will she really kill her?” he asked, eyebrow lifted.
Blackhawk laughed. “I don’t think she’d kill her, but I don’t doubt she would beat the hell out of her bare fisted.”
“Damn straight I would, Ethan.” Elizabeth joined them carrying the pizza boxes and the plates, and began setting up the table for them to have dinner. She had heard the entire conversation, and she hoped she did see Kaya Cheek. She was going to have a little discussion with her about coming near her husband. Oh there would be a beat down of epic proportions to go with it.
“She was the biggest mistake of my life, and I regret it daily.”
“Lyzee and I discussed this yesterday, and I want to move past this. You sleeping with my girlfriend was a catalyst, Callen. You and that simple act of betrayal made my life what it is today. I left the reservation, got a college education, joined the FBI, became a workaholic, and then crashed into the love of my life. At the time, it hurt and I’m not talking about losing Kaya Cheek. Cheap women are a dime a dozen. I wasn’t in love, and she was just,” he paused to look at his wife, “an easy distraction to a young boy that hadn’t a clue. I didn’t know what love was then, and now I do. So, I forgive you. If possible, I’d like to try and fix us, and get back some of what we once had, not only for me, but for my family.”
Callen Whitefox didn’t know what to say. This was more of a chance than he believed he deserved.
“I was given a second chance when I met my wife, and I want to give you one too.”
Elizabeth came and stood beside her husband and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Let me just throw this out there,” she said, smiling sweetly at her brother-in-law. “I know I may be pregnant, and you may think I’m not dangerous, but if you hurt him again you won’t have to worry about Ethan. I will be the one you need to worry about. Scalping isn't just for Natives.”
Blackhawk laughed and pulled her down into his lap. “I’d listen to her, I’ve seen her do some violent things to people that bully her husband.” He kissed her on the lips and grinned at his brother. “Just a warning Callen, Elizabeth Blackhawk fights dirty.”
Callen Whitefox laughed. “We’ll I’m fond of my hair and scalp, so I’ll be on my best behavior, Elizabeth.”
“You can call me Lyzee. Family automatically gets to use my nickname.”
He was touched at how easily she accepted him. “Thank you, Lyzee.”
“Shall we eat, boys?” she drawled, climbing out of her husband’s lap and patting her brother-in-law on the shoulder as she passed him. It did her heart good to see the calm that her husband had finally found coming home.
Ethan Blackhawk realized coming home to the Rez wasn’t as bad as he anticipated. T
here was hope that by coming home the scars would heal, and he could start to repair the part of his life that he had written off a long time ago.
Dinner was very enjoyable. Elizabeth served the pizza and skipped the beer. Although after the day she had, she could have used a few, but it was okay. She was growing a Blackhawk. Watching the brothers, she wondered if her child would be just like them. Both men may have had different mothers, and slightly different appearances, but still both believing in justice like herself. She wondered if her son or daughter would find the value and need to restore law and order for those that couldn’t speak for themselves.
Elizabeth placed her hand protectively over her stomach and continued to observe her husband and brother-in-law. It was easy for Elizabeth to see that the men had at one time been very close. The easy banter was back, and it was as if nothing had ever divided the brothers. Pride swelled in her for her husband. As promised he had kept his word and repaired his past with his brother. It was a good night despite the horrors of the day.
“Granddad called me yesterday after he met your wife,” said Whitefox, grinning at Elizabeth. “He told me that his Ethan had picked the perfect woman. So, my question is how did you charm the old man? He’s eighty-eight, tough and any woman we ever brought home or around wasn’t even close to his standard.”
Elizabeth shrugged, “I didn’t do anything, but be honest with him. Maybe he can smell bullshit a mile away, or maybe he just recognized the right woman for Ethan and that’s why he didn’t put up a fight.”
“He told me you admired his totem, and that’s the pride of his life next to his boys. Did you warn her?” he asked his brother.
“I didn’t tell her anything. How do you warn someone about the shaman?” he laughed. “Elizabeth charmed him on her own.”
“I love the totem. It’s truly gorgeous. The carving and the staining of the wood is beautiful,” she sipped her iced tea. “It looks almost real.”
“Wyler did it,” answered Whitefox, looking over at his brother. Both men felt the same about him. Nothing needed to be said between them. They both had anger towards the man that gave them life, and turned his back on them as young boys.
Sacred Burial Grounds (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 2)) Page 15
