Chapter 12

* * *

GIDEON

Sitting there on the table in the doctor's office, he couldn't stop staring at his leg which was now free of the cast. It was funny to notice that there was a slight bit of atrophy when compared to his other thigh from lack of use. It felt so good to be free of it, to be able to scratch behind his knee. He couldn't wait to put on a normal pair of jeans that hadn't been cut away to allow room for the bulky cast.

They shared a smile over the doctor's frown when part of the cotton within the cast near the middle of his foot was wet. Sure, it was weird feeling a cold, wet spot consistently in his shoe but did he mind? Heck no – best night ever, he smiled, glancing at Christina, who was watching him and holding their coats.

"No more jumping out of planes, Mr. Beck," the doctor teased quietly, yanking off his gloves and tossing them in the receptacle before leaving the room.

Gideon gave a chuckle easily, realizing he sure didn't mind as much as he once did. When everything had happened, and he woke up in the hospital, he'd been devastated. Now, it felt almost like a gift that he didn't know he wanted. He was alive, living a life he had never dreamed of, with a wife he possibly wouldn't have met if it hadn't been for his faulty parachute.

"How does it feel?" Christina asked quietly.

"Great," he admitted, smiling at her. "I can finally scratch that spot behind my knee that's been driving me nuts… or maybe I should pretend that I can't, so I can get you to scratch it for me."

She rolled her eyes dramatically before smiling at him and handing him his bag that had his pants in it.

"This is going to feel so good to be able to move around, bend my knee, and not have to worry about hitting my cast on everything. That thing was seriously a pain – in more ways than one."

"Remember that if you get the urge to do some death-defying thing for the thrill of it."

"My thrills," he began, hooking the heel of his now-freed limb around her leg and pulling her close. "My thrills are much closer to home."

"Are they now…"

Gideon shared a look with her before reaching up to cradle her cheek in his palm. He knew this wasn't the time or place to start things between them, but it was moments like this that stayed with him. He loved the way she flirted with him, the sassy way she would make a comment or clap back in a saucy manner. Her eyes seemed to say so much sometimes whereas in other moments, he felt like he was ready to drown in them happily.

"I love you," he breathed tenderly, brushing his lips against hers. "My life started the moment I hit the ground and got some sense knocked into me… I may not say it all the time or be the ideal guy for you, but I will always love you with every fiber of my being."

"Gideon," she murmured thickly, touching his cheek in response to his words. "I love you more than I dreamed – and you are exactly the right guy for me."

"No regrets?"

"Nary a one, knucklehead."

"Sweetheart, I love your pillow talk," he chuckled, treasuring the way she seemed to make his soul feel lighter than air.

"No pillows here, soldier."

"I'm not a soldier anymore…"

"Then let's go home where we do have pillows, husband…"

"To talk?"

"I was thinking more about that infamous Becking and Necking…"

"Dannnng, you are smart," he smiled, kissing her gently once more. "I love you."

"Get your clothes on," she laughed softly. "They are going to wonder what is taking so long."

"Sweetheart, there are stirrups on this table. Are you interested?"

"Oh my gosh…"

"What?" he whispered innocently. "I mean, we're here, and my pants are already off. You know I make this paper gown look sexy."

"Gideon," she chuckled. "Get dressed."

"Well, you're no fun."

"I'm no fun here…" she said deftly, stepping back and smiling at him. "But home is a different matter."

He hopped off the table in a split second, wincing as he felt his knee give slightly on his now-healed leg that was weaker than the other one. He held out his hand for his pants and looked at her, twirling his hand before him.

"Turn around. I'm shy," he smirked.

"Whatever," she retorted – and turned around as he jerked on his jeans quickly, before wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her neck. "What are you doing?"

"Misbehaving…" he whispered against her throat, reaching for the button of her jeans – only to have her pry his hands away, laughing nervously. She turned and looked at him, her eyes dancing merrily at his antics.

"Don't make me go wait in the waiting room," she threatened softly – only to hear a knock on the examination room door.

"Mr. Beck, is everything all right?"

Christina arched an eyebrow at him pointedly as if to say silently, ‘See?'.

"Yup. I'm coming out now," he replied loudly and leaned forward to kiss his beloved wife once more. "You win this time, but we are both getting out of our britches when we get home."

"You promise?" she whispered huskily – and he nearly shouted with joy.

"Heck yeah, I promise. We're going straight to the cabin, wife."

"Yeah, we are, husband."

The look Christina gave him was hotter than the surface of the sun. Sometimes, he felt like the words ‘I love you' didn't convey the amount of emotions within him, but it was all he had to offer. Words failed him when she gave him this look, pulled this sort of response from his very soul, and she'd had this ability since the first time he laid eyes on her – without even knowing what it was. This woman was his life, his joy, his world, and his dreams for the future.

"Christina…" he choked out in a whisper, needing to tell her something, anything, because she meant that much to him – only to have her touch his cheek and look in his eyes, soft and full of warmth.

"I know – and me too."

He grabbed her wrist and kissed her palm, closing his eyes and nodding silently.

Things were falling into place for them. Christina had submitted her thesis paper online with the approval from her instructor, allowing them to stay there in Wyoming, but that brought up other questions in his own mind. He knew she wanted her doctorate but had no clue where she wanted to practice. His mother had texted and called a couple of times just to ‘check' on them – which was an unspoken hint that she wanted him to visit.

Anything Christina asked, he would give without hesitation – and suddenly understood so much more about his parents' and siblings' own relationships. He knew why his mother wanted him to find someone, so he had these moments to experience on his own, and he wanted to show off Christina more than ever to his family. As they got to the truck to head back to the ranch, he paused and looked at her, hesitating because he didn't want to make her nervous or pressure her.

"Hey," he began and took her hand in his. "Would you want to meet my parents and family? I know your graduation is pending, and I can imagine that you would probably rather go back to Maryland for the ceremony, but I just really want my parents to see that I found someone special— my soulmate," he swallowed and saw her expression soften.

"Oh, Gideon," she whispered.

"I can't help it, and I know it's so cheesy but…"

"I would love to meet your family," she interrupted softly. "I just want the degree so I can get my licensing and hang it in a frame. All that pomp and circumstance is a big pat on the back for those who need it," she chuckled softly. "Just gimme my paper, my sweet little cows, and my man – and I'm a happy girl."

"Really?" he smiled nervously, wondering if she would end up regretting it someday. He wanted to support her in everything but was also exceedingly close to his family – a ‘Mama's boy.'

"Maybe we can take our time getting there so we can meet everyone. I don't know how far or spread out your siblings are, but I do imagine they have jobs or families."

"Both. Yes. All… and I'll make the call to Mom from the truck if you want?"

"That sounds perfect."

* * *

That evening, dinner was an event.

To call it anything less seemed almost criminal.

Gideon was sitting beside Christina, unsure when to broach the subject when Houghton's cell phone went off. The man frowned and then his mouth dropped open a second later as he shot to his feet.

"Babe?" Jill began nervously as he held up a finger, speaking.

"Griffin? To what do I owe the honor? I figured you lost my number, and between you and Logan, I didn't really… oh," Houghton paused and then headed out of the dining room. All of them at the table shared a curious look, listening to the man in the distance.

"Oh, I see. Um, well, I need to figure out a few things, but you know I'm here for you, brother, but I just have to ask – will Jill be safe if that girl comes here? Let me tell you that if you hesitate at all, my doors are closed to you."

"What did he just say?" Christina whispered warily.

"What are we, chopped liver?" Daphne mumbled, and Lena nodded before speaking.

"I'd prefer to be safe, too."

"Lumberjack, ain't nobody touching you," Ortega said bluntly, leaning back in his chair and looking toward where Houghton walked off before looking at Max. The man looked extremely grim; his lips were pressed together tightly as he gave Daphne a pointed look.

"You know who he's talking to?"

"He was leaving as I arrived in Ghazni."

"Same," Ortega volunteered quietly, not looking away. "The man doesn't ask favors. He gives orders and seems to be darn good at it. We were both newbies on his team a week or so before he left."

"Shhh…" Jill ordered just a moment before Houghton walked back into the room, looking stressed out. "Is everything okay?"

"No. Griffin has a slight problem he is trying to keep from getting much worse."

"Worse?"

"Oh yeah," he grumbled and looked at Jill. "We might need a fourth cabin."

And you could have heard a pin drop.

"Actually," Max began and looked at Daphne, who nodded. "You might not need that fourth cabin." The silence echoed loudly until Ortega sat back, chuckling and pointed at his friend.

"Maaaaan, shut your mouth, ya' twerp. Don't make jokes like that."

"I'm not joking, Jake," Max said quietly. "We want to travel, and the weather is going to be getting better soon, so we are starting to make plans."

"You're leaving?" Houghton said candidly, glancing at Jill and then looking back at Max. "How long? Are you coming back? What are we talking about?"

Before Max could answer or Gideon could speak up, Christina leaned forward and raised a hand, smiling. Daphne started chuckling, and Ortega groaned aloud, rolling his eyes. Lena smirked and laid her head on her husband's shoulder.

"We're going to Texas to visit Gideon's family but haven't set a date yet – nor do we know how long we'll be gone."

Houghton looked at all three couples, almost in a happy disbelief, like a proud papa watching the baby birds leave the nest.

"You're stuck with me, man," Ortega grinned, and before Houghton could say anything, his cell phone rang again. He pulled it back out of his pocket, rolled his eyes once more, and didn't bother leaving the table this time.

"Harley," Houghton began glibly. "Let me guess, Logan or Griffin called you first, and… wait… they didn't? What's going on?"

Gideon looked at Christina, who shrugged – followed by several other unknown shrugs. Jill was the only one who seemed wary… and Lena. The blonde woman's gaze was now looking up at Jake, her brown eyes huge in her pale face.

"What happened? Oh no… oh, I bet," and then Houghton laughed. "What's his call sign? Are you kidding me? That's like an alcoholic taking a call sign of Whiskey. I'll just bet he's in a royal ‘panic'… no, you're right. It's not funny. Yeah, just give me a heads-up and I'll make a place for him if I don't have a cabin yet."

That three-letter word hung in the air for all of them. It wasn't a threat, nor a promise, but rather an acknowledgment that some creative planning and moving the ‘chess pieces' might occur sooner rather than later for all of them.

"I'll help," Houghton said simply, nodding. "It's no problem."

Hanging up the phone, the man looked up at Jill and hesitated.

"Shall we step out, Babe?"

"No," he hesitated, looking at each of them. "They've become our family, so they might as well hear it from ‘big brother's' own mouth."

Gideon reached for Christina's hand – who had already moved toward him, reaching for his too. News was coming, and it didn't sound like it would be the greatest. He had been the object of a phone call himself and wondered if this discussion happened before he was brought here, too. Had his sister's husband, Austin, made the call – or was it Giselle? Had the news of each of their arrivals brought such strain, concern, or stress? If so, what made them open their homes to someone? There was so much to Houghton and Jill that they didn't know.

"The first phone call is a friend asking to hide someone here who is needed to testify on a case," Houghton began and everyone drew in a breath at the implications. He'd asked if Jill was safe – which meant this person was in danger. "The second call is a pilot who had a breakdown and is suffering from PTSD. I don't know the details yet. I don't know if it's loud noises, planes flying overhead, or what the triggers are, but I might need help building another cabin on the property."

"Houghton," Daphne said quietly, speaking up and looking down the table toward him. "We can be ready the moment my truck is, and you get word that they are headed this way."

"If things are bad…" Christina volunteered, looking at Gideon first for approval. "If you need another cabin, we can empty ours for a few weeks or longer."

"You're stuck with us," Ortega chuckled, winking at the man—the room filled with uncomfortable laughter at the bald statement. Neither was fit really to take off to another city and visit someone. He knew Ortega had no family here in the United States. Lena did have family, but it would expose her to her old friends who had put her on this path. She was not ready to be around anyone else for fear of a relapse into her drug abuse. Here, she was in a safe place and thriving. The two were comfortable, and it suited them – and the Houghtons.

"Good," Houghton said gruffly, smirking. "Nobody else would put up with your smart mouth."

"I know, right? I don't know how Lena does it…"

"I tune him out," Lena quipped, smiling up at her husband as everyone laughed again. "We'll help however we can."

"I really appreciate it, everyone, and I'll keep you posted."

"Y'all are becoming like our family," Jill said gently, touching Lena's hand and Christina's because they were closest. "And I don't ever want you to feel like you have to leave. This is a second home for you – and you'll always be welcome at our table."

"Amen," Houghton said softly. "Friendship, trust, and understanding… right, my love?"

"Exactly."