Page 130 of Nails
“You guys are pregnant?Like for real?”Clover asked, looking shocked.
Nails grinned.“For real.I just found out.”
Amira’s jaw dropped.“WHOA!You guys really don’t waste time.”
“Amira!”Jocelyn called out again, looking half-horrified and half-laughing.
“What?”Amira shrugged.“I’m just saying, they work fast.”
Nails and Riley both started laughing.Then Nails bent down and picked up Amira, hugging her.“Kid, you’re something else.”
“I know,” she said proudly.
Clover stepped forward and hugged Riley.“Congratulations!Welcome to the madhouse.You’re officially one of us now.”
“More than one of us,” Jay Bird said quietly.“You’re family.”
Nails looked around at the team, their wives, and their kids.These were the people who had his back both on and off the battlefield.Now he had Riley standing beside him, carrying his child and holding his heart.
Yeah.This was it.This was everything.
After giving Amira another hug, he set her down, and she skipped off to announce to the entire restaurant that she was going to be a flower girl.
The team closed in around them.
Aussie handed Nails a drink.“Congrats, man.You’re getting the dream.”
Riley sat nestled between Nails and Amira in the private back section of the restaurant, surrounded by the most unpredictable mix of lethal Navy SEALs, smart-mouthed women, and children with no volume control—and yet somehow, she’d never felt more at ease.Laughter bounced off the walls, forks clinked against plates, and the scent of grilled seafood and fried food filled the air.
The girls had welcomed her in like she’d been part of the crew for years.Clover, who was as hilarious as she was sharp, had instantly made Riley feel like a best friend from high school.Jocelyn, Bear’s wife, was sweet and grounding, offering up gentle advice and unsolicited stories about the team.
For once, the chaos didn’t make her want to run.It made her feel at home.
“Okay, I have a very important announcement,” Amira declared, standing on her chair like a tiny dictator, a fork in one hand and a French fry in the other.“I am going to be the flower girl and also the boss of cake flavors.”
Jocelyn raised her glass.“Finally, a real leader in the group.”
Playboy grinned.“I vote Amira for team leader.She’s got better strategic thinking than her dad.”
“Hey,” Bear muttered, looking insulted.
Riley went to say something, but before she could, Bear stood up and tapped his water glass with a butter knife, instantly commanding the room’s attention.Even Amira sat back down.
Riley sat up straighter.
Bear looked around at the crew, then settled his gaze on her.“I don’t usually do speeches.That’s Jocelyn’s job,” he teased, giving Jocelyn a wink.
“But tonight’s a big deal, because one of our own just did the impossible.He convinced a smart, beautiful, badass woman to say yes.”
The table erupted in laughter and playful cheers.Nails grinned, his hand finding Riley’s under the table and squeezing it gently.
“But seriously,” Bear said, his voice deepening, growing quieter.“We’ve been through a lot as a team.We’ve lost people.We’ve seen the worst of the world.So, when something good comes into our circle, something real, something lasting, we don’t take it for granted.”
His eyes met Riley’s again.
“You didn’t just say yes to him.You said yes to all of us.Whether you knew it or not, you’re one of us now.You’re family.And we’ve got your back.Always.”
Riley felt her throat tighten, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.She blinked quickly, looking down for a moment as warmth filled her chest.
