Page 23 of Corey
“No. I moved here after separating from the Navy.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she decided not to pry. It was none of her business and, from the way his body tensed, she could tell he didn’t want to talk about it.
“We’re here,” he announced, pulling into a freshly-plowed parking lot.
Sera looked out the windshield at the bar. A circular sign with “Old Glory” written in Old English font and surrounded by red and blue stars hung in the window and probably lit up at night. It looked like every other hole-in-the-wall bar she’d ever seen. Small and unobtrusive. Definitely unpretentious, unlike some of the trendy bars in Cali that tried far too hard to be hip.
She slid out of the truck, not sure what to expect.
Though Old Glory looked unremarkable from the outside, Sera immediately liked the atmosphere the moment she stepped inside. Other than a large, worn-looking flag hanging over the back of the bar, decor was minimal. A large stone fireplace sat in the corner, giving the place a cozy ambience. The flames crackled, quickly warming her up, and she unzipped the coat Corey let her borrow.
A group of people sat at the large table beside the fireplace, and Corey led her over. A man with soft brown eyes stood up right away and bumped knuckles with Corey. She glanced down,noticing his prosthetic limb, but it didn’t seem to hold him back because he moved with practiced ease.
“I’m Weston Murphy, but you can call me Wes,” he said. “Cor and I were on the same SEAL team back in the day. And this is my wife, Ellie.” Sera couldn’t miss the adoration she saw when Wes looked at Ellie. She had no idea how long they’d been together, but they appeared very much in love. A twinge of yearning shot through her. What would it be like to have a man look at her that way? As though he cherished her above all else.
“Nice to meet you,” Sera replied.
“Everyone, this is Sera…” Corey’s voice faltered. “I don’t know your last name.”
“It’s Darling. Sera Darling.”
“Oh, I love that!” a woman with bouncy, blonde curls exclaimed. She exuded a bubbly charm that immediately put Sera at ease. “It sounds like a Disney character, doesn’t it?”
The big man beside her smirked. “If anyone around here is a Disney Princess, it’s you, Sunshine.”
“That’s Chaz Madden and his wife, Lottie. She works here,” Corey said, pulling out a chair for her. Sera gave him a shy smile before sitting down. Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed as she looked around the table. She’d never considered herself much of a social butterfly and, instead, she much preferred to observe than participate. But she had a feeling all these alpha-looking men possessed larger than life personalities, and their women were no wallflowers.
“Speaking of which…” Lottie murmured, rounding a hand over her protruding belly, and eyeing the rugged-looking manacross from her. “We need to find someone to cover for me when I go on maternity leave.”
“I know, and as happy as I am for you two, I’m dreading you leaving.” He turned his attention to Sera. “I’m Brandon Ward. This is my fiancée, Julia Evans.”
Julia had dark red hair and a friendly smile. She and Ellie appeared to be in their forties, around her own age maybe. Lottie seemed younger with fewer smile lines and, of course, a baby on the way.
“And that’s Jayson Knight, Lex Battle and Xander Hawke,” Corey said, finishing introductions.
Lex leaned across the table and scooped her hand up, cradling it in his much larger one. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Darling. I hear you need some help. I volunteer as tribute.”
Sera felt herself flush because the man was obviously an outrageous flirt. When he continued holding her hand longer than necessary, she noticed Corey frown.
“Don’t molest her, Battle,” Corey growled, and Sera pulled her hand free. “She’s been through enough.”
“Yeah, no need to scare the poor woman further,” Jayson added, hazel eyes dancing. The men all chuckled. Well, everyone except for the one with the dark hair, Caribbean blue eyes and the moody look on his handsome face. Xander Hawke.What a name,she thought, noticing the cross hanging around his neck and the slight scowl flattening his lips.
She’d had no idea what to expect when she walked through the door, but it wasn’t the immediate warm welcome she received—well, other than from Xander, who hadn’t said a word. He’d just given her a slight head tilt. Everyone else’s smilesand greetings seemed genuine, and she began to relax. Despite knowing barely anything about him, having Corey beside her helped, too. He comforted her in a way she couldn’t quite explain.
“So, Sera, can you walk us through what happened?” Brandon began, focusing his attention on her. Beside him, Julia gave a nod of encouragement.
Clasping her hands together, Sera took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and launched into her story starting with what had happened the night she fled San Diego and how she’d wound up in Montana at the rest stop. She shared her intense encounter in the bathroom, how she’d pepper sprayed the man, then ran.
“Oh, my gosh, that must’ve been so scary,” Lottie interjected. “I had someone run me off the road before, and my heart almost burst from my chest.”
Chaz twined his fingers through hers, pulling her closer. “Let’s not talk about that,” he murmured.
“I’m fine,” she said softly.
“Thank Christ,” he grunted.
“How did you and Corey meet?” Ellie asked, her sea-colored eyes bright and inquisitive.
