Page 28 of Stolen Hearts

“I couldn’t do my job the way I used to. It became apparent to my teammates too…” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple a jagged lump bobbing up his throat before dropping low again. “I was medically discharged. Got a signature and a pat on the back for years of service. They just hand you a folder and tell you to find a way back to the world of the living.”

He bowed his head, struggling to speak, and Rhae’s vision blurred with tears for what he had been through. Was still going through.

He reached out and took Navy’s little hand. The sight of him squeezing it lightly made Rhae’s heart squeeze too.

“The worst part,” he continued, “was leaving them behind. My brothers.”

Long seconds ticked by in silence. Rhae fought to control the tears that threatened to flood out of the dam Denver broke.

“We were in the middle of tracking a real bad guy. Someone who does things that keep you up at night. I had to leave them to face the threat without me. I can’t have their six anymore.”

Rhae brought a shaking hand to her lips, pressing down hard to trap in any sound of despair. Denver had to keep talking. He needed this.

“They don’t talk to me anymore. Probably can’t. Operational silence, maybe. Or maybe they blame me for getting that last head injury. I could have stayed back behind the line, let somebody else lead and I wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” He let out a low sigh. “It’s…hard. I gave everything to that life.”

He looked up at her then, and Rhae saw it—the ache, the guilt, the isolation he never let anyone see but she always sensed in him.

A heartbeat ticked by, then he ruffled the light hair on the back of Navy’s head. “But I have new jobs to do. A job that matters more than I ever thought possible.”

Rhae opened her mouth to tell him that he hadn’t let down anyone. But at that moment, the baby lurched across the floor on hands and knees.

She grabbed on to a side table. Chubby fists gripped the wooden bar between the legs, and she pulled herself to a standing position.

A grin stretched over Denver’s face. “Look at you,” he said quietly.

Navy’s legs stiffened, holding herself upright for one beat, two…then she let go.

Rhae’s heart shot into her throat as she wobbled for a moment then started to pitch sideways.

Denver reached out, catching her in his strong, sure hands. He pulled the baby into his arms and grazed the top of her head with his lips. “I got you,” he whispered.

Rhae exhaled a shaky breath. “Your job of protecting the world isn’t over, you know.”

He looked over, understanding dawning in his eyes.

She smiled a small, teary smile. “It just looks different now.”

He nodded slowly, cradling Navy against his chest. She rested there like she always knew where she belonged.

“Want to grab that lunch now?” He sounded lighter after purging.

Rhae nodded and set aside her notebook. She locked the papers away in her desk drawer and hooked the diaper bag over her shoulder. Denver reached the door with Navy in his arms, holding it open for Rhae.

They walked out of the office together and navigated the corridors slowly as a unit. Dare she think of them as a family?

She didn’t speak her thoughts but let them roll around in her mind as they reached the cafeteria. As soon as the guys eating lunch saw her and Navy, they threw her hesitant waves. She smiled back and grabbed a tray.

Denver shifted the baby to one arm and took a tray too, while Navy latched on to his dog tags. They moved slowly down the small lunch buffet. He grabbed the chili and a few packs of crackers, along with a sandwich, and Rhae chose the chili as well.

Rhae threw him a look. “You know, I’m jealous of your coordination. It took me weeks to figure out how to hold a baby and fill a tray with food.”

He smiled, but his eyes were sad. “I missed so much.”

She hesitated, gaze steady on him. “But you’re here now.”

They set their trays down, and she took the baby while he fetched the high chair against the wall that was here for Navy and any other child who came to visit the patients on the Black Heart Ranch.

Navy smacked her hands on the tray with a demand that made them both laugh.

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