Page 11 of Sworn to Defend

“To be perfect. A porcelain doll to be paraded about. A pretty little chess piece with the main purpose of marrying well and strengthening our family’s contacts.”

“Jealousy isn’t a becoming trait.” There was a new level of coldness to Agatha’s words. It stung. Pretending her mother’s words didn’t hurt would be a waste of time. Better to accept and move on.

“I suppose happiness isn’t, either,” she said, discarding the dirty water in the bucket.

“Just because Vivienne took advantage of all we could offer doesn’t mean she isn’t happy. Can you truly say you’re happy? A single mom who’s twenty-eight with no attachments or social life. Who takes on the responsibility of chores because of having a son with—”

“Don’t. Collin is not and has never been a burden, so don’t you dare refer to him as a responsibility again. I have things to do. All you need to know is Hunter is kind. Has a beautiful bond with my son. Is a fierce protector. That’s not what you want to know, though, is it? I don’t know what’s in his bank account, who his family is, or anything about their connections. What I do know is that Hunter is brave and selfless. He’s a member of the Navy. He was the first in line to help me prepare to uproot everyone to go to Texas for a week. Wants to protect me and Collin.”

There was a long pause. The only sound was a few ragged breaths. She couldn’t remember a time when her mother showed any emotion that wasn’t poise. “Mother—”

“Why would you ever dream you’d need protection from your own blood?” Her tone wasn’t one of a concerned mother. It was cold and tinged with righteous indignation.

“I need to go. Our flight leaves next Thursday. We’ll be there for the rehearsal.”

“Hannah Elizabeth. The treatments I booked for you begin on Monday. They can’t be missed. I won’t have every other bridesmaid polished up, and you, a member of the Day family, not looking the part.”

“Cancel them, or you’re going to lose your deposit. I’m not getting fillers, laser treatments, or anything else you have planned. I’ll be there Thursday night.” She drew the phone away from her ear and flicked her thumb to the red circle to hang up. A chill swept through her. One that remained through her morning chores and getting Collin off of the bus. Even on the sun-drenched baseball field surrounded by jovial cheers and kids’ loud whoops, she held her breath. Even situated on the burning metal bleachers, the prickle of cold wouldn’t subside.

Why would you ever dream you’d need protection from your own blood?

Chapter Six

Branch spotted Hannah perched on the bleachers. Her hair was braided back into two sections, and a baseball cap with the team’s insignia shaded her face. Her white tank top left her shoulders bare, showing more of those freckles that left him nearly dizzy with desire. He’d imagined kissing each and every one more times than was healthy. He rounded the bleachers and started up the steps. The metal creaked beneath his weight. Hannah’s head lifted, finding him quickly. When she smiled, his cock twitched in his jeans. Not exactly the place for ardent thoughts, but Hannah simply ignited something inside him.

“Thanks for the invite.” He smiled and slid onto the bleacher beside her. The metal had heated under the sun’s molten gaze, and he was thankful his bare skin wasn’t touching it. Hannah, on the other hand, was wearing shorts… Jesus, those shorts. For a moment, he could only focus on the sight of her toned, bare legs brushed with sprinkles of gold and brown.

“From what I’ve heard, Hunter Green cares little about party crashing.” A wry smile bloomed over her face. It was an expression he hadn’t seen before, and it was fucking gorgeous. Her gaze was trained on the field to where Collin tossed a ball with one of the coaches. The grin on his face was so carefree there was a prickle behind his eyelids before he could stop it.

“When it comes to the people I care about, there’s not many rules I wouldn’t break.” He held her gaze for a moment before glancing down again. “The bleachers are pretty hot. Let me grab a towel from my truck so you don’t fry.”

“I’m okay. The heat feels good.” The sharp clang of a metal bat against a tee brought their attention back to the practice. A volunteer had helped Jacob hit the ball and had taken off at a sprint, pushing his honorary nephew’s wheelchair around the field. He spotted Brynn and Ransom behind home plate and waved. Mere hours ago, he’d been modeling suits and tuxes. At the same time, Jacob made sarcastic quips on his AAC device, and the women in his life argued over the best looks for a formal Texas wedding. A whisper of a breeze skirted through the thick heat, stirring the air. Hannah’s sweet scent, like the orange Creamsicles he’d enjoyed as a kid, tickled his nose. He couldn’t help but drag the citrus and vanilla into his lungs and scoot closer on the bench so their knees were almost touching. The anticipation of such an innocent brush of skin was nearly laughable, but hell, he couldn’t wait for her to shift to feel that soft, sun-warmed skin against his.

Hannah cleared her throat. “They don’t go away.”

“What doesn’t?” He rested his elbows on his knees and turned all of his attention on Hannah.

“The freckles.” She frowned. “You’ve been staring.” In his peripheral vision, he saw another school bus pulling into the lot. The kids started cheering and clapping, excited for the opposing team to arrive. He kept his eyes trained on Hannah, though, because her tone told him whatever was going on in her head right now held weight.

He glanced down at her legs. Damn straight, he’d been staring. An ache had started within him when he laid eyes on her bare skin and then imagining those legs wrapped around his waist? He shook his head. “Those shorts are lethal, Han.” His voice was all grit. No way to hide the desire there. Not that he wanted to—he wasn’t going to hide anything from this woman, least of all how badly he wanted her. “Hard not to stare, baby.” Her cheeks flushed at the endearment. That his words could have that kind of impact on this badass flight medic did nothing to ease the tightness between his hips.

“Some people have freckles that fade with less exposure to sun. Mine are genetic. When I was younger, my parents were relentless in their pursuit of a dermatologist who could fix them.”

Something ugly burned in his chest. “Not a damn thing about you that needs fixing.”

“Glad you think so because they’re part of me. Permanent. My mother cried when the doctor said lasers and chemical peels wouldn’t lessen the appearance.” She rolled her eyes, but her mother’s lack of acceptance had to have stung. “Neither would the absence of exposure to sunlight, so the days of going to the beach or country club wrapped up like an haute couture mummy were over.”

Despite his growing dislike of her family, a bark of laughter left his lips. “See, those freckles are magic. I hate the idea of you covering them up. Ever. Someday soon, when you’re ready, I’m going to take my time kissing each one.”

“Well, that’s impossible because they cover my entire—Oh.” The peach tinge on her cheeks intensified.

Fuck, but he loved this shy side of her just as much as the take-charge woman. The air of innocence combined with deft competence was lethal. “That’s right, Han. I’m going to discover each and every one.” More people had started to arrive now that it was almost game time, erasing their earlier privacy.

“The game’s about to start.” She looked straight ahead, ignoring his comment, but if he wasn’t mistaken, her voice was breathless.

Ransom and Brynn were walking toward the bleachers, hand in hand. Behind them, Joker and Sam approached with Axe and his girlfriend, who was also Jacob’s friend Cora’s grandmother. He had noticed Cora and her parents standing by the dugout earlier. Cora and Jacob had a teenage romance happening, so she must’ve wanted to watch the game. They’d all come into their SEAL family in different ways, but that was precisely what this was. A family.

His other teammate, the oldest of their crew, Silver, volunteered on the team, as did Iron, a well-known Navy vet. Iron had been Ransom’s former teammate on an op that went sideways. A young SEAL had sacrificed himself for the rest of the team, and Iron had lost a leg trying to save him. Now, the auto body shop he owned sponsored the inclusive baseball team. Iron Auto Collision Center provided all the uniforms and equipment. Sponsoring the team wasn’t the only outreach program the tough SEAL had going. He partnered with the local vocational school to pair students with internships. Joker’s twin sister, Addison, was the only person missing in their tight-knit group. She was an anthropologist, and despite reducing her workload, a colleague had reached out with an emergency assignment. Their friends squeezed into the stands, surrounding them with chatter and laughter—effectively dissolving his earlier intimacy with Hannah.

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