Chapter 34

Harry stepped into Bear’s house, hoping his worry for Rory didn’t come out as anger. He needed his buddies now more than ever.

“Harry,” Wild said as he pulled him into a hug. “Everything okay?” he whispered.

He nodded. “It’s good. She was happy to see them.”

“Good.” Wild stepped back and squeezed his shoulder. “We’ve got hotdogs and burgers for the grill, and the kids are in the back playing ball. They’ve requested you head back there and play with them.

This was what he needed. Not time away from Rory, but time with kids to get his head on right. They were so innocent and fun. All the kids laughed easily and had him laughing, too. He wanted to tell them they made him happy, but he knew they wouldn’t understand. Instead, he played with them for a long time, running around the yard, kicking or catching the ball while they made up new rules for their silly game that included not using his right hand and having him hop three times before going after the ball.

After about an hour, Wild and Bear had the kids wash up so they could eat. He grabbed a hotdog and burger, then sat in a lawn chair next to Andy.

“You’re a hero for those kids,” Andy said.

Harry blew out a breath. “They have a lot of energy.”

“They do,” Bear said. “I swear they can totally wear me out. I come home, and they are so full of energy. I love it, but damn, they are busy little bodies.”

Harry chuckled as he lifted his burger. He liked how the group had changed over the years. When he’d first joined the Navy, he’d been young and stupid. He had been smart enough to wrap up his dick when he fucked, but other than that, he’d made mistakes. When he’d become a SEAL, he’d gained a measure of maturity they all had. Then, as he’d gone from being backup on teams to being a main team member, more maturity had come. Now, they were moving from a group of single guys to most of them having someone special in their lives. Andy and Peach were still single, but both of them were different about it. He was a little surprised Andy didn’t have a special woman in his life. Peach would be hard for any one woman to tie down. A laugh escaped his lips at the thought of someone laying claim to Peach.

“What are you laughing at?” Andy asked.

“Just the thought of someone finally getting Peach to settle down.”

“Boom,” Jax said.

Peach glared at Jax. “What does that mean?”

“When you fall, you’re going to fall hard.”

“That’s stupid. I’m not ever falling for someone,” Peach said.

Wild laughed, then shook his head. “Peach, one day, you’ll find someone who twists you up.”

“Doubtful.” Peach took a sip of his beer and then ate some more of his burger .

Harry thought he saw a weird look cross over Peach’s face, but he wasn’t sure. Peach was a tough one to crack. He always seemed happy and not caring about things, but Harry knew from being on missions with him he cared too much about some things. Whenever they found hurt kids, Peach always turned into a beast. The idea of someone doing wrong to a kid made them all angry, but Peach took it to another level. He may not say anything, but he took his anger out on the enemy and made them pay when kids were involved.

If Harry placed bets, he would gamble that Peach would find some woman with kids and become her champion. Then again, Peach might stay single. It wouldn’t surprise Harry if Peach never settled down. Out of all of them, Peach seemed to be the most aloof.

A round of sadness hit Harry, and he covered it by eating more. He didn’t want the guys worried about him because there was nothing any of them could do. He wouldn’t push Rory, but he wanted a relationship with her. She may never heal enough to be with him, but he hoped she would find something good in her life to grasp onto and get the recovery she deserved. He wanted her to be happy, but sometimes, happiness was just too far of a stretch to hope for.