The moment I spotted her in the water, I cursed myself. I'd been gone too long.
The moment she dropped her towel and came sprinting, my breath froze. Was it possible she'd got even more beautiful?
The moment she was in my arms smothering me, I was done. Why had I stayed away?
I kissed her. I couldn't help it. The moment the sea and coconut smell hit me, everything stopped. It was just her and I. I didn't miss how her skin prickled with goosebumps the instant my lips touched it. I didn't miss how she ran her hands over my chest slowly. Damn my uniform. I wanted it gone.
I didn't miss her curves sliding thru my hands and down my body, so she could stand on the sand. Damn her wetsuit. I wanted that gone too.
I couldn't keep my eyes off her. I couldn't keep my hands to myself. She had changed. Her hair was longer. I imagined her tan had darkened. Her green eyes glittered. Her lips. I should not think about those in the presence of her brothers.
I barely recognized somebody clearing their throat. The girl in front of me had went from just that...'girl' to how had Trent said it to Kodie? Goddess. But Aspen Carlee was so much more than goddess. So much more that it hurt.
"And you? Brighton?" I had no idea what Jason had asked. He laughed. "You'll drive separate. Got it." Still laughing. He was the only one who knew my plan involving the Ellington baby. Okay. Not the full plan because some things a brother doesn't need to know when it comes to a man and his sister. Scratch that. Me and his sister.
She had one arm in her hoodie and sweeping her ass length hair over her shoulder when her left arm caught my attention.
She had a tattoo? Scratch that. She had ink. A full fucking sleeve. Oh god. This woman was gonna bring me to my knees before Christmas arrived. The sleeve on her was fucking sexy as hell.
I caught her pinky and raised her arm. "This is..."
That got me a full blown smile. "You like it? We just finished it a week ago."
How had I not seen this? Or pictures? Instagram. Facebook. Not that I stalked those.
"Little Ell has badass ink now!!" Trenton was examining his sister's arm. "Damn. Grant did a bombass job sis."
He had that right. I didn't know if she drew it up or whoever Grant was did, but damn...she had definitely jumped in the ring with her brothers and me. Her whole arm was an American flag. She had dog tags tangled and weaved thru it. There was a solid green stripe for the military, of course, and I had counted seven sets of tags.
I cocked my head slightly. She caught it knowing my question and pointed to each one. "Dad. Your dad. Hunter. Trenton. Jason. Arch." I caught the way her breath hitched. How Trenton squeezed her fingers and Hunter placed his hand on her shoulder. Archer. Her twin. Her dead twin who was literally the other half of her soul. I clenched my fists. His death had hit us all but I couldn't even imagine her level of hurt.
"That's only six." Thanks Jason.
Aspen moved her finger to the last set that was on the top side of her hand, ending a little above her ring finger. She caught my eye and held the stare. "Yours."
I'm sure she could see my Adam's apple gulp hard. Jason laughed. Clearly in on some secret only he knew about.
My heart almost cracked in two. Sure she included my dad. Mine and hers were on the same team when they were SEALs, but even after I ghosted her? I still held a little spot in her heart for my name to make it on her skin.
"As much as you two would love to be the only two in the room..." Trenton broke thru the haze. Aspen smiled shyly and I blinked myself back to reality. "Bris gave us an hour."
The brothers headed out the door to Hunter's truck. I couldn't help it, I didn't want to keep my hands to myself. I trailed my thumb down Aspen's cheek and intertwined our fingers, pulling her to the garage to her jeep.
I opened the backdoor and snapped for Blue to jump in. Aspen had took up shotgun and my hand was back in hers the minute I turned the ignition. I had missed my girl. Lord willing, she let me call her that still.
"I'm really glad you came." She whispered it. Now that we were alone, she was losing her courage and adrenaline from seeing us all home. It was fading into nervous shyness. Something I'd never seen from her but it was cute.
I ran my lips over her knuckles.
"Also....I can do math...February 1st?" She questioned me. There was her spunk. Maybe we did have hope. Maybe I had hope to fix all that I had wrecked.
I laughed and moved hair from her face to behind her ear. "Hadn't requested leave in a minute. I got greedy but it paid off." I shrugged.
"My parents don't know so I'm guessing your mom doesn't know?" I grinned. "Okay. I'll take care of that." She had her phone and dialed my mother. It went thru the whole jeep. She placed a finger to my mouth the minute my mom answered. I kissed it, throwing her whole game off for a second.
"Hi BabyGirl." My mom's voice made my chest tighten. I had been a shit son recently. Staying away from Aspen meant that I had also stayed away from Mom. If I had come to town to see her, then the minute I set foot in the house everybody would know. Aspen would have known.
"RosaMomma." Aspen laced her fingers thru mine this time.
"You holding up considering darling?"
"Considering." I was missing something between these two. "How are you? You have dinner plans tonight?"
"Probably just whatever you're going to tell me." My mom laughed.
Aspen smiled. "Cookout at our house? Mom and Dad just decided."
"That would be lovely BabyGirl. About an hour?"
"That'll work perfect. Love you."
"Love you most, my darling girl. I'll see you soon." Then she hung up.
My mom had always treated Aspen as her own. Always busted my balls about how I needed to be a man by giving Aspen what she truly deserved. Maybe I'd been gone too long, but definitely something had changed in their relationship. "She loves you."
Aspen nodded. "I love her. She's an amazing woman." Hell yeah she is.
"You two seem to have grown closer." I wasn't sure if that's what I should have called it. It messed with my heart a little more hearing the love between these two.
I put the jeep in park in front of her parents' garage but I still heard her over the sound of the door opening. "We had a hole in our hearts to bond over."
Gut. Shot.
I never got to say anything because she slipped out and her brothers were already rushing into the garage.
I broke her more than I'd thought. Fuck.
She let Blue into the house, "Go find Nana boy." He went on his mission. "HEY DAD!!!!" God I forgot just how loud she could be for her size. "I'M HERE WITH THE JEEP!!!" She closed the door, "For help with whatever it was I lied about."
Probably out of habit, she came back to my side. I wasn't about to complain about a habit she hadn't broke. I just ran my hand around her waist, slipping my thumb under her hoodie.
Her brothers were out of eyesight from the house door. Not holding their excitement well.
Blue came back, letting himself in the garage and stopped at Aspen's feet. We could hear footsteps.
Aspen couldn't stop smiling. Senior was the first to come in the garage. "What did you say was--" His eyes got really big realizing his baby lied.
"ASPEN CARLEE ELLINGTON!!" Aspen held her finger up to silence her dad to not ruin the surprise. "You send that dog to come get me. I swear I ought to...ohmygod." There it was. Mission accomplished. "OH MY GOD!!!" Teresa Ellington was in the doorway crying. She pointed a finger, "You..." She was still trying to scold her daughter.
Senior finally moved. I was first. He'd let his wife hug her blood sons. "What is this?" Ah hell. He had tears in his eyes too. That got me. This man took me on as his fifth son after Dad died.
"Christmas?" I couldn't say much more because Teresa had made her way to me.
"If I wasn't so happy I'd tan your hide Beau Remington." She swatted my ribs then pulled my head down. I leaned down more to help her out.
"Sorry Mom." I hugged her hard. God I'd missed her too.
Teresa stood back and looked at her 'boys'. She gestured toward the house, "Go on and get. I'm guessin the house will be full soon." She knew The Unblood too well.
We all tried to sneak past her to no avail. She smacked all of our asses hard.