The look Josh shot over Gia’s head told him he sensed Luke’s relief.
Gia didn’t notice though. She was too busy blushing. “Running errands.”
Luke stared at her. “What kind of errands?” He wouldn’t have asked, but she was fidgety as hell, which always meant she was hiding something.
Or trying to.
Gia was not the world’s best liar. How she’d managed to keep her writing career secret still amazed him. In fact, he couldn’t get his head around it. Gia was as bad as Lexi at telling lies.
“What have you done? Apart from taking our daughter out of her school without discussing it with me first.”
“I did mention it last night,” she mumbled. “And don’t fib. Josh must have told you that she only expelled her because he made her cry.”
Luke gawked at Josh. “You made the principal cry?”
“Oh. He didn’t mention it.” She bit her lip, then peeked up at Josh, who only grunted.
“No, it wasn’t exactly my proudest moment.”
“What happened?”
“She kept on making excuses for the bullying, and I lost it.”
“He went all brigadier general on her ass. Started spouting his constitutional rights, declaring the reasons he’d fought and was still fighting for his country.” Her lips quirked up. “It was quite amusing, actually.”
Luke shook his head. “I knew I should have gone.”
Josh studied him. “You’d have been there if you could.” He tugged Gia tighter against him. When she was folded in his embrace, he murmured, “Luke got his briefing today, Gia.”
She froze a second in Josh's arms, her tension clearly visible from across the desk, and then, with a faint tremor to her movements, she climbed off Josh’s knee and slipped her arms around Luke’s waist. Standing there, connected, she burrowed her face into his shirt and took a deep breath. The gust of air seeped into his clothes, and he knew he’d miss these moments the most. When she just held him, touched him, loved him.
“If I didn’t know you two had just been fucking, without me, I could smell it. You have Josh all over you.”
Josh snorted. “Technically, I have him over me.”
She peered up at him, a question in her eyes. “That bad, huh?”
Luke frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You never take Josh, ever. Not unless something bad’s going on.”
“I can’t talk about it, Gia.”
“I’m not asking you to, dammit. I know you well enough to read between the lines.” She tightened her grip around his waist. “I wish you didn’t have to go, honey.”
“Me too,” he told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“There’s my confirmation,” she whispered. “I know how bad it is growlnow and you don’t have to say a word. You’re no coward, sweetheart. You’re the best, bravest, most decent man I know. Whatever goes on over there, I’m proud of you. Do you understand me?”
Throat tight, he whispered, “Yeah. I get you. Thank you, love.”
“Now, how bad, Luke? No details, just roughly.”
“Bad.”
She gulped. “Oh.”
His sigh said it all, but he replied, “What errands?”
She tensed at his question, but, with hesitance in her tone, murmured, “I spoke with your father. I wanted to confront him. I needed to. Lexi’s my baby, and I’m not having him hurt her. And now, well, your mom’s furious at him too.”
He blinked. “She is?”
“You didn’t think she would be?”
“M-my dad…he’s vocal,” Luke admitted, grimacing at the thought of just how vocal Robert could be.
“Well, I don't care what he says. Lou has our backs.”
His astonishment twisted into a relief so pure he felt like crying. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“Oh, love, why would I? I told them I’m not taking Lexi there again. Louise is welcome here, but…” Nervously, she licked her lips. “Robert isn’t. H-he said that we’re to blame. We shouldn’t be living like this and that we should have expected Lexi to be bullied over it.”
“That’s way too close to what you were saying yesterday, Luke.” Josh growled. “Have you been listening to him again? His bullshit?”
“He’s my dad, Josh. Of course I have.” Luke scowled. “What would you have me do? Blank him completely? I don’t want him to be right, but I know what we have together will always affect our daughter.”
Josh’s grunt said he wouldn’t mind the option of blanking Luke's father. “The man barely accepted me, Luke, and let’s not mention his reaction to Gia. I’ve no idea why it comes as such a surprise to us all that he hasn’t accepted Lexi.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, looking more tired than Luke had seen him for a while.
He tried not to feel guilty about that, but it was a war he’d never win. Luke would always feel split by what his father expected of him and what he wanted out of his relationship with Josh and Gia. He was used to the tug-of-war on his emotions, and it was only the added stress of the upcoming deployment that had fucked with his mind.
If Josh knew the things his father had said over the years, Luke had no doubt he’d go apeshit. Luke was a mediator through and through, which was why he’d always kept quiet, burying the hurtful things Robert said rather than discussing them. And regardless of the painful things he was capable of saying, Luke loved his dad.
He knew he’d disappointed him by coming out, and it was one of the reasons he was still in the service. Reaching lieutenant colonel, being the best at what he did, was his way of soothing troubled waters with his father.
Robert couldn’t be proud of Luke’s choices, but he could beam with pride at Luke’s career path.
Fucked-up didn’t begin to describe it, but Luke couldn’t give up on him. He simply couldn’t. And despite himself, while he still felt enraged at how Robert had divorced himself from Lexi, he hoped things would change. That his dad would come to see how beautiful their baby girl was, and that, with time, he’d accept her.
It was a long shot, but Luke was hopeful Lexi’s nature would shine through and help his dad see the light. It was too much to put on little shoulders—that he knew—but he had to keep on hoping.
“What did he say when you said you weren’t going to bring her to see them anymore?”
“Not a lot.” She peered up at him. “Your mom says that we’re not to worry about your inheritance. It’ll go to Lexi.”
He frowned. “It will?”
“She says the money comes from her trust fund. She’s in control of it, not your dad.”
“Holy shit. I never knew that.” He blew out a breath. “Although, I guess that meant dad was lying. If it's mom's trust fund, then he has no say in it. Huh, I bet that freakin' kills him. Not that it matters. It was the principle of the thing.”
“I know. That’s why I had to go and see them. I had to get it out; otherwise, it would have only made me madder.”
At her earnestness, he sighed. “I guess you were trying to protect me and Lexi in your own way.”
“Just call me soldier, soldier.”
His lips twitched. “Leave the protecting to Josh and me.”
She scowled at him. “Hey, you’re my guys. And she’s my baby. I can protect too, you know. I’m not completely useless. I wasn’t going to let him get away with making you feel shitty about what we have here. Especially not with you leaving soon. I guess if you got your briefing, you’ll be leaving real soon.”
He nodded, then brushed his thumb over the still-quivering morsel. “Don’t be upset, honey.”
“But I am. How am I going to cope without you for nine months?”
“You’ll be all right, baby. Josh is going to step up, aren’t you?”
She nestled her forehead against the thick blend of his cotton tee. But Josh surprised her with some bluntness of his own.
“Of course I am.” When they stared at him, Gia pulling away from Luke to gawk, shocked at
his ready answer, he grumbled, “You’d think I was a goddamn monster.”
“No, just busy,” she corrected. “You’re always…well, you’re always at the base.”
“I’ll have to make sure I’m home from now on for you and Lexi.”
She blinked, then smiled softly. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. It’s my pleasure.”
Gia gazed at him with such warmth that Josh started to fidget. Hell, when a woman looked at you like you’d set the moon and the stars for her and her alone, it was a powerful moment. Luke didn’t blame him for squirming.
“You didn’t ask me what my other errands were,” she whispered breathily.
Josh cocked a brow at the change of topic. “What were they?”
“I went shopping for clothes Luke would drool over and that would make you come by ripping them off.”
He leaned forward, a hungry cast to his features. “Show me.”
“No way. They’re your wedding present.”
His eyes narrowed into shimmery slits. “They better be worth the wait.”
“Oh, they are; I promise you that. The number of holes in them, they should have been on discount.”
He growled, and Luke chuckled. “Stop teasing him.”
“She teases me by breathing.”
Gia winked. “That’s good to know.”
Chapter Eight
“As a justice of the peace for the state of Nevada, I am pleased to pronounce you are now married!”
Gia blinked back tears as she watched Luke lean forward and press his mouth to Josh’s.
At her side, Lexi quivered with excitement. In the frothy, bubble-gum-pink frock she’d somehow managed to cover in pollen from the flowers she’d tossed earlier as Gia walked Luke down the aisle, a moonbeam smile crossed her jaw. She was vibrating with the fervor of the moment, and Gia didn’t blame her.
Happiness filtered through her at the look of peace on Luke’s face, at the bone-deep relief on Josh’s. As their lips joined, the contentedness settled in her soul, bringing Gia her own version of serenity.
They’d been in Sin City a day, had whittled down the more upper-class wedding establishments, and had wasted no time in booking their slot. With only three days free, one in which to get married and another two to enjoy each other as a family, time was a precious commodity. As she stood here, reveling in the moment, she felt the tick-tock of the second hand passing. Luke’s leaving hung heavy on her heart, and she dreaded the day they’d have to say good-bye to him, knowing she…they were going to lead nine months of their lives without him.
He’d told her he’d be in touch with her as often as he could, but they were going in so covertly, communication wasn’t a priority. That meant it could be months before she heard his voice over the Internet. The idea made her want to weep, and she had to shake off her funk, knowing this wasn’t the time or the place for it.
They had three more days together. Nothing to disturb them. There was no way the military could contact them—Josh and Luke had left their cell phones at home. This was for them, a time to connect. To enjoy one another.
The ceremony wasn’t as romantic as she’d have liked. And she wished they could have had family there to act as witnesses. Instead, it was only her and the justice of the peace’s husband.
She knew why Josh and Luke had kept it like this, and it upset her. At their level in the army, if they didn't keep the ceremony as private as possible, then they’d be made an example of.
It all depended on the PR department as to the slant.
Positive or negative.
This, however, had nothing to do with the army, had nothing to do with anything but the three of them, so privacy was imperative. They’d keep it quiet until retirement beckoned for both men, and in truth, it didn’t matter. This was happening for Luke and Josh. It wasn’t about declaring their love to the world but about declaring it to each other.
Making it official in the eyes of the law.
She determined the instant they were both out, she’d plan them a huge vow renewal ceremony. With all their family, friends, and loved ones to watch this epic moment.
In a way, the secrecy of it made it more personal. She wasn’t up there, she wasn’t murmuring the vows, but this was for her too. This was further sealing their bond, tightening it for all of them.
It was that that counted.
Dressed in their pressed suits—one navy, the other black—their throats gleaming against the white shirts with open collars they both wore, they were as beautiful as they’d been to her six years ago. When she’d dreamed of having more with them, when she’d dreamed of being theirs, of them being hers.
Now she had them both and a daughter, and was an integral part of a family. Something she’d never had before.
Truthfully, she felt no desire to be at the altar, dressed in white, having a ring slid onto her finger. She was here, in the circle of their love by extension of the strength of the feelings they had for one another. That didn’t make her the odd one out or a weaker member of their triad. Their love for her was a precious gift, made possible because of the depth of their love for one another.
It was only right that they do this, that they take each other and become husbands.
She felt that belief right down to her very soul.
At the justice of the peace’s words, their kiss had been gentle but long. And when they pulled away, the haze in their regard warm and loving, as one, they turned to her, arms stretched out for her and Lexi.
She hadn’t expected them to do that, would never have asked it of them, but she stepped forward, placing a hand in each of theirs, and let them pull her forward into the strongest bond in the world.
Their little circle.
As they nuzzled close to her, pressing their cheeks to hers, kissing her jaw, she felt Lexi burrowing against her side and knew that in the months ahead, when a part of her was dying at being away from Luke, she’d remember this moment.
When a quartet merged into a lawful little family, and they became as one.
Loose Id Titles by Serena Akeroyd
The Luck of Love
* * * *
THE FOURWINDS Series
The Angel’s Kiss
Serena Akeroyd
Serena Akeroyd is a romanceaholic. She won’t touch a book unless she knows there’s a happy ever after at the end of it. Pathetic as it may be, because of this addiction, Serena decided to craft her own tales, stories that suit her voracious need for sexy romance. After all, a love story ain’t a lurve story without a bit of naughty!
A citizen of the world, Serena is a nomad at heart, and her novels enable her to travel the globe and all behind her computer desk. Naturally, she’d prefer the option of a private jet, but still, if wishes were horses, eh?
Always feel free to connect with Serena; she’d love to chat with her readers, as well as fellow romance addicts! Start at http://www.serenaakeroyd.com/ to find out more about her works, her blog, and how to connect with her.
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