Forsaken Duty (Red Team #9)(12)
Outside, several round tables were being set with white linen tablecloths. The folding chairs were covered with natural linen covers. All of it put Owen in mind of a big wedding celebration.
“You comin’?” Jax asked.
“Yeah.” Owen followed him up the stairs. “I’m gonna marry your sister.”
“I figured.”
Owen grinned at Jax as they hit the landing and turned for the second half of the stairs to the second floor. “What, you’re not gonna beat me up for that announcement?”
“I will if you think to make it public this weekend.” They’d turned down a hallway that led to the guest rooms where they’d be staying. “This is Addy’s weekend. Let her have it unencumbered.”
Owen held up his right hand—the only hand that was free. “I will. She’s too young anyway. And she has no idea how I feel. I’m just telling you how it’s gonna go.”
“Right. She’s still a baby. You keep your dirty hands off her. Let her finish college before you make a move on her.”
“Not sure I can wait that long. But don’t worry; any moves I make this weekend will all be innocent. I just don’t want her to forget about me this summer.”
Jax leaned back, frowning as he looked at Owen. “Forget about you? Are you fucking with me? My sister worships you. If you told her to jump off a bridge, she would, just to make you happy.”
Owen chuckled. Jax sounded jealous of the friendship Owen had with Addy. He always had been. “That’s ridiculous. She’s stubborn and opinionated. She’s no pushover.”
“Well, I know just the bridge. Ask her to jump.”
The humor slowly slipped away from Owen. “Says the brother who claims to protect her.”
“I am protecting her.”
“From me? You really think you need to protect her from me?” He dropped his duffel bag and spread his hands.
“Look. Forget it. I hate these family things. We got a mission on Monday. We have to head out early Sunday. Let’s just drop it and enjoy the next day and a half.”
“Sounds good to me.” Owen rocked back on his heels. Family had always made Jax nervous. Owen had never understood why. Sure, Jax’s stepmom was a piece of work. Owen would have given everything to have his own family back. But they were gone. Long gone. The Jacobs and Val were all the family he had now. As far as he was concerned, no one was going to be jumping off bridges or burning bridges or fucking anything up during Addy’s graduation weekend.
Owen followed Jax down the hall to their assigned rooms. He hung up his clothes and got settled, then wandered downstairs toward the kitchen, hoping the staff had some food he could help himself to before everyone came back from the graduation ceremony.
He made it as far as the bar in the family room when the front door opened and noise filled the foyer, spilling outward to all the rooms connected to it. Giggling, happy girls and boys, chattering adults. Owen turned to see everyone, shocked how much of an outsider he felt like. No one had celebrated his graduations—from high school or West Point. He’d been homeschooled at Val’s. Even Val’s sisters had long since moved away. Well, that wasn’t entirely true about not celebrating his high school graduation. He and Val had had a long and decadent night with Val’s friend, Debbie.
“Owen!” A girl’s voice cut into his thoughts. Addy. She ran across the room, her arms open. He caught her, hugging her tightly as he lifted her up off her feet. She laughed in that way of hers that sounded like little bells. His arms tightened a little. How he’d missed her. She was as slight as ever, but curvy in all the right places. He eased her back to her feet and smiled down at her. She rubbed her hands over his upper arms.
“Laidy.” He smiled at her.
“I can’t believe you still call me that.”
He leaned close and whispered, “You ordered me to, remember? You wanted a nickname all your own, as I recall.” His gaze swept across her face, which was absolutely glowing. “You look beautiful.”
“How can you tell with me covered head to toe in this?” She quickly unzipped her graduation gown, peeling it off to reveal the white sundress she wore underneath.
It was just a nylon robe she’d removed, he told himself. And she was fully dressed underneath it, but he still felt himself hardening. He nodded. “Yeah. What I said.”
She laughed as she draped the black gown over the bar and looped her arm through his. “Come meet my friends.”
He stiffened, catching himself before telling her he didn’t want to meet them, that he wanted her to himself for the next twenty-four hours, but already she was drawing him out into the foyer, where her friends were gathered.
A pile of discarded graduation robes was mounded on the entrance table. Others were tossed over the sectional sofa in the living room. Caps were dumped everywhere. It looked like Addy’s entire class had come home with her for the party. They were laughing and talking in endless loops, rehashing memories from the day and from their years together in school. It was a mix of several different ages, younger than Addy, older than her, and far more boys than Owen would have liked.
Addy dragged him over to a group of girls. Their circle went silent when they saw him. He shook their hands as he read their faces, looking for micro-expressions that might indicate if they were friend or foe. Foolish thing to do with these kids, but he liked to practice his craft. He’d long ago learned there were plenty of the latter and too few of the former. He must have seemed like a growling dog to them, for they all stepped back after meeting him, giving him a wide berth.