Chapter 17

Harry hadn’t felt this good in years. They had a few things to work through, but it could all eventually be settled. Something good would come from this. There was little doubt in his mind that Rory was meant to be in his life.

Monday at work, he was slammed, and by the time he left the base, he thought it was too late to call Rory. There was a chance they would be called out on a mission. The area they were watching was still simmering, but it could erupt into a situation that had to be dealt with.

He texted Rory on Tuesday morning, but because of the troubles around the globe, he had to leave his phone outside of the room they were working in. When they finally left the conference room, he was surprised she hadn’t texted back.

“Hey, Harry, do you want to stop by the house tonight for dinner? Maybe Rory can come,” Wild asked as they left the building and headed out to their cars.

“Um, sure. I’ll text and ask. ”

Wild put his hand on Harry’s arm. He stopped and turned to face his friend. Wild’s eyes narrowed, and his lips thinned.

“What’s wrong?”

Harry shook his head. “I’m sure I’m overreacting.”

“Possibly. I doubt it. Tell me, and I’ll be the judge about how you’re reacting.”

Harry blew out a frustrated breath. He didn’t want to be the overly annoying type who had to check in all the time, but Rory not texting him back at all, especially since he hadn’t heard from her since Sunday when she left his place, worried him.

“I’m probably being too sensitive. I saw her on Sunday. She didn’t text or call yesterday, but then again, neither did I. I texted her this morning before we went in for the conference. We’re late getting out because of stuff running long, and I haven’t heard back from her.”

Wild’s lips twisted up to one side. “So you haven’t heard from her at all since she left your place on Sunday?”

“Not at all. And I wouldn’t normally be worried, but…” he trailed off, not wanting to discuss this here on base. No one else needed to know they’d had sex.

“Just follow me home. Ava would love to see you, and so would the kids. We can sit outside and talk while Ava gets the girls in bed.”

Harry nodded. “Sure. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Good.”

All the way to Wild’s place, Harry worried about Rory. When he pulled up at Wild’s house, Bear stopped, too.

“Hey, everything okay?” Bear asked.

Harry checked his phone, making sure he didn’t get a text while he was driving. There was nothing from Rory. “It’s nothing. ”

“Rory hasn’t contacted him since Sunday,” Wild said from behind him.

“Sunday?” Bear rubbed his hand over his face. “Were you expecting her to call or text?”

Harry shrugged. “We’ve been texting back and forth. She usually texts me when she gets off work if I’ve sent her anything. I’m just surprised. I’m probably making too much of it. I mean, it’s not like she has to stay in contact with me.”

“Maybe start worrying tomorrow. Like go by her place,” Bear said.

Harry nodded. “I don’t know exactly where she lives, but I know which area she’s in.”

Bear gave a sharp nod. “I’ll go by with you tomorrow after we get off work.”

Harry appreciated Bear’s willingness to check up on Rory. “Thanks, man.”

Bear pulled him into a hug and slapped him on the back twice. “Anything for a brother. I’ve got to get home, but I’ll see you all in the morning. If she contacts you, just shoot me a text. I’d like to know.”

“Sure. And thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

Bear took off as Emma and Lila came racing out. They both were talking so fast and clinging to Wild like he was a jungle gym that it was hard to keep up with what they were saying. He wondered if Rory would want kids. She was a little older than he was, and from what he knew, she didn’t have any kids. Maybe she didn’t want to reproduce, which was a valid thing. He wouldn’t mind it either way.

There was so much they needed to discuss and find out about each other. When he’d first seen her, he’d been attracted to her for so many reasons, from the way she looked to what he’d seen in her eyes. After talking to her for a while, he realized he wanted more. Maybe he was short-sighted by not asking questions and figuring it all out before he fell for her.

“Harry, how are you doing?” Ava asked as he stepped into the kitchen. Wild had lucked out big time with Ava. When she’d moved in to help with the kids, Harry had wondered if anything would happen with them. They’d just seemed so well matched. He’d been thrilled when Ava and Wild finally got together. He knew Wild would treat Ava right because the man was just that sort of guy. He hoped to be as good for Rory as Wild was with Ava.

He leaned in and hugged Ava. “Hey, it’s good to see you. I’m good.”

“Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes.”

Wild came over and hugged Ava before giving her a sweet kiss. “Thank you, darling. You’re the best.”

Ava chuckled. “You keep saying that, and I might start believing it.”

“You should believe it. You’re amazing. Can I help you with anything?”

“Figure out what you want tomorrow night for dinner and get the meat out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator.”

“Sure,” Wild said as he opened the freezer, looking at what they had for meals. He closed the freezer and moved to the pantry. “Would you be willing to make shepherd’s pie?”

“Sure, babe.”

Harry liked how easy it was between them. Living together, they’d learned to share the load. After they’d gotten together, Wild had asked the group how they thought he should help share the mental load with Ava instead of pushing everything off on her. They tossed ideas around, and all of them agreed that deciding what to fix for dinner would be helpful because they all appreciated the times in training when making that decision was taken off their plate. Deciding what to cook and eat, especially for others, was taxing. He wondered how he and Rory would deal with that.

Of course, Wild did other stuff to make Ava’s life easier. Harry wanted to be like Wild. He wanted to respect anyone he was in a relationship with and make sure they never felt like he wasn’t a partner in their lives.

That’s what bugged him so much about Rory not contacting him. He felt like they were creating something beyond a normal relationship. Sure, they didn’t know each other very well, but they were trying. Now she’d gone no contact. It didn’t sit right with him. He felt like something else was going on.

He helped the girls set the table, enjoying hearing their stories about school and dogs, and the youngest made up a story about a horse who didn’t like peas. Harry couldn’t help but think the story was really about her not liking peas, but he didn’t say that.

Dinner was exceptional, like every other time he’d ever eaten food Ava cooked. She was happy, and it was obvious she and Wild got along well. After dinner, he and Wild played with the kids in the yard, doing some mixed-up game that was a combination of tossing a ball and pony rides. He was exhausted when Ava called the girls in for bath time.

“Dude,” Harry said as Wild handed him a beer. “Are they this active all the time?”

Wild shrugged. “Not every night. They were excited to see you. They will probably be totally chill tomorrow night, and we’ll play a board game. But pony rides on Uncle Harry are fun.”

Harry chuckled. “I like them. They’re good kids.”

“Do you want kids?” Wild asked.

He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know. It’s a tough decision. Because we’re military, whoever isn’t in the service ends up taking the brunt of the work when we are called out. And we don’t have normal military jobs either. It has to be tough on Ava and Ingrid.”

“True. Ava doesn’t mind, though. To make extra money in the summer and when they have school days off, she keeps six other kids. I told her she doesn’t have to keep up with that, but she wants money to spend, and I get it. She has plans to get a certificate or associate degree when the kids are older and find something else. But she’s happy to keep kids who are around Emma and Lila’s age for now.”

“She’s a good person.”

“She is.” Wild led him out to the backyard. “Tell me about Rory. What do you think is up?”

Harry shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because we had sex, and she doesn’t want anything to do with me now.”

“Dude. Do you really think she would blow you off?”

Harry took a swig of beer, trying to wrap his mind around what he knew and what he thought. “I don’t think she would. That’s why this is so disturbing. She doesn’t seem like the type to ghost me. Something happened, Wild. I just don’t know what.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll find her. We’ll figure out what’s going on and make sure you have the answers you need. And Harry, we’re all here for you. Don’t forget that.”

His team was his family. He might still have his parents, but they weren’t close like he and his buddies were. He said goodnight to Wild and Ava, then headed home. When he parked in the lot of his condo, he pulled out his phone and stared at it for a long time. Rory hadn’t called or texted. It didn’t seem right that she was ignoring him. Nothing he knew about her matched with her ignoring him. She wasn’t that way, yet it was beginning to look like she was.