Forged in Steele (KGI #7)(21)

“You don’t think I can hack it,” Rusty said coolly.

“I’m not picking a fight with you, Rusty. So chill. I just think you’re making a mistake. If I’d given you my stamp of approval, you would have chosen something else. From now on I’ll support all your bad ideas just so you’ll ditch them out of spite.”

Hurt flickered in Rusty’s eyes and she glanced downward to hide her reaction. Steele hadn’t missed it, but he didn’t imagine anyone else saw it or was paying as close attention as he’d been.

“Everything isn’t about you, Sean,” she said in a low voice. “What I do with my life has nothing to do with you. I don’t make choices based on what I think you’ll like or not like. You give yourself way too much credit. I’m going to choose what makes me happy and I’m going to choose a job that I can be proud of. I’m going to make Marlene and Frank proud. The rest of you would have written me off long ago, but they didn’t. They’re the only people I give a damn about. Theirs is the only opinion that matters to me.”

She turned swiftly and walked away. At the doorway, she smiled unconvincingly at Marlene and told her she was taking a bathroom break.

“Well, hell,” Sean muttered.

“Lay off her,” Steele said bluntly. “She’s a good kid. Has her head on straight.”

Anger glinted in Sean’s eyes. “I know that. But come on. A police officer? Would you want your wife or sister or female cousin working in law enforcement? Especially someone as emotionally fragile as Rusty is?”

“You don’t give her enough credit,” Steele said. “She may very well surprise you if you give her half a chance.”

Sean’s lips tightened and he glanced in the direction Rusty had gone. “She thinks I’m on her case. And maybe in the beginning I was. But I’m not and I haven’t been. She only sees the way things were when she first came into Frank and Marlene’s life. You say I don’t give her enough credit, but she doesn’t give me that same credit. She’s too busy wrestling with that chip on her shoulder to see that there are people who genuinely care about her and don’t want to see her hurt or killed in her choice of professions.”

Steele nodded. “That may be so. But if that’s what she really wants to do . . .”

“Maybe she’ll change her mind,” Sean murmured.

“Is it because she’s a woman?” Steele asked curiously. “I imagine P.J. and Skylar would have a few choice words for you if that’s the case.”

Sean frowned. “It has nothing to do with her sex. It has to do with her. She’s had a tough time. She had a hard life before Marlene and Frank entered the picture. I don’t see her thriving in a job that will only remind her on a daily basis where she came from.”

Steele didn’t let his surprise show, but he was beginning to get a clearer picture of the situation. Sean cared about her and he wanted to protect her. Wrap her up in a bubble and shield her from everyday life. If it were only that easy.

The entire room went silent when Ethan burst through the door, a cheek-splitting grin plastered all over his face.

“Boys! Healthy twin boys!”

The room erupted in whistles, cheers, laughter and a few sobs.

“Grandsons,” Frank said in wonder as he hugged Marlene to him. “I’ll be damned. Twins. Just like Nathan and Joe.”

Joe grinned across the room. “Hope they’re prettier than me and Nathan!”

“On their worst day they’d have that covered,” Garrett muttered.

Nathan flipped Garrett the bird, which elicited a reprimand from Mama Kelly.

“You guys have to come see!” Ethan exclaimed. “They’re cleaning them up in the nursery now.”

The waiting room emptied as they all clambered down the hall to the nursery. Steele was swept along with the others amid a chorus of excited chatter, backslaps and hugs. It was a regular gush fest. He’d never seen so much smiling and happiness in one place. Not since . . .

He slammed the door shut on old memories, forced his mind to go blank and the icy shield to descend. When he felt better in control, he drew in a breath and allowed himself to be propelled toward the nursery window.

“Oh my gosh, look how beautiful they are!” Shea exclaimed.

“So cute!” Sarah gushed.

“I wanna see,” Charlotte said plaintively from her position on the floor, her head barely scraping the bottom of her father’s knee.

Sam reached down and boosted her up into his arms. She clung to his neck and then squealed in excitement when she laid eyes on the two bundles the smiling nurses were holding up for everyone to see.

“I want babies,” Charlotte announced, clapping her hands together.

Sam chuckled. “Better talk to your mama about that, little one. I’m thinking you could use a little sister to boss around.”

“Oh Sam, really?” Sophie said in exasperation. “She’ll never leave me alone now!”

Sam grinned and leaned down to kiss his wife. “Then I guess you better give us what we both want. Another baby!”

“We should leave now, Nathan,” Shea muttered. “It’s contagious!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“You can all come into Rachel’s room as soon as she’s out of recovery,” Ethan announced. “They’ll bring the babies in as soon as they finish cleaning them up.”