Chapter 29

Danika felt like living with James had allowed her to reach some level of peace she'd never experienced before. He was good for her because he really seemed to want her to be happy. Her job was enjoyable. The customers weren't jerks, and her coworkers were nice. It was a huge bonus that she usually arrived home about twenty minutes before James, which allowed her to shower and get the smell of food off her before he showed up.

Waiting tables wasn't a dream job for her, but it also wasn't a nightmare. She was able to think some during the day, but she wasn't so bored that her day dragged on. Going back to school was a possibility, but she didn't know what she wanted to study. Maybe working at a restaurant like this would be satisfying enough for her.

One thing she knew for sure was that James had a positive effect on her life. He'd held her when she woke from a nightmare. He was proud of her accomplishments at work when she'd had a tough day but was able to keep up. He genuinely seemed interested in her life.

Being with James was how she thought being in a relationship would be and nothing like anything she'd ever experienced before. James treated her like an equal and respected her.

James came home from work on Thursday and pulled her into a spicy kiss. When he stepped back, her head swam.

"Hey, so a bunch of the guys and their women are getting together this weekend at a pool. I think it would be fun."

She bit her lower lip and shrugged. "Sure. It would be nice to see your friends again."

"Cool. It's Wild's team and mine. I don't think you know the guys on Wild's team."

She shook her head. "I don't think I do." Worry surfaced. Eventually, these people would find out everything about her, and they wouldn't like it. She didn't like it, and she'd been the one who had made the decision to move to England with Ezra.

"Don't worry, they'll like you."

She tried for a smile and hoped it was believable. "I hope so."

On Friday, work was busy, so she didn't have time to worry too much about the weekend pool party. On Saturday morning, she woke up late and had to shower quickly. Her brain hadn't really caught up to reality until they were almost at the pool. That's when she realized she'd only shaved one of her legs.

James pulled into the lot and parked, the smile on his face huge. "Are you ready?"

He seemed so excited, and she didn't want to disappoint him again. She could keep a towel draped over her legs. Why couldn't she take care of herself like a regular human?

"Yeah, I'm excited. Let's go." She hoped her voice didn't show her worry and fear. History told her that women were usually very judgmental. If they noticed she had only shaved one leg, she knew she would never hear the end of it.

They entered the pool area, and she recognized the guys from James's team, but none of the other guys seemed familiar. And she hadn't ever met any of the women. Jay came over and took the food from James.

"Hey, Danika, it's good to see you again."

A child—maybe seven or eight, or the child could've been six—ran up to her, her eyes wide. "Do you like ducks?"

She nodded. "I do."

"The ducks in the pond had babies."

The child darted away like she was on a mission. A woman came over, laughter spilling from her mouth.

"That's Emma. She's into ducks right now. I'm Ava. It's nice to meet you. Come with me, and I'll introduce you to the other women. There are five of us, but six guys on the team. Peach isn't dating anyone that we know of. Have you met any of the guys?"

She shook her head. "I don't know who any of them are, so no." She paused, glancing around for James before swinging her gaze back to Ava. "Oh, um, my name is Danika. I should have said that first."

Ava smiled. "I like that name. Danika. Is it a family name?"

She shrugged. "I don't think so. I think my mom just thought it was a pretty name."

"It is. I like it." The group of women were slicing fruit and laughing about something.

"Ava, settle this for us. Which one of us was able to take the shots of tequila the other night?"

Ava shook her head. "None of you. You all sipped it. Now behave. We don't want Danika to think all we do is drink and gossip. Let me introduce you. Like I said, this is Danika. We have Jessica, Ingrid, Mel, and Rory."

She smiled, trying not to appear too awkward. "It's nice meeting you all."

"Sit," Rory said. "We really don't drink that much. Last week, we were letting off steam."

Ingrid nodded. "It happens from time to time. These guys keep us on our toes. They were away on a mission, and we celebrated when they came back."

"A mission?" Danika asked.

"Sometimes their jobs take them away. It's not always a long time. Things just pop up that they have to take care of," Ava said.

"I like training missions better," Jessica said.

Mel's eyes went wide. "Oh, that would be better."

Rory nodded. "Totally. I mean, I was a Marine, and danger is a part of the job, but I don't like waiting at home when they're off doing dangerous stuff."

Shock pulsed through Danika. "Oh, you were a Marine?"

Rory smiled. "It feels like a different lifetime. I'm no longer in the military."

"So what about you?" Ingrid asked. "Are you dating one of the guys on the other team? We don't really know them that well since they formed not too long ago."

Danika glanced over at the guys who were all playing with and watching the kids. It was amazing to see them be so gentle though she knew they were all tough military men.

She nodded. "Um, I guess I'm dating James."

"Have you known him long?" Ava asked.

She turned back to the women, feeling a little trapped. " Uh, wow. It's weird talking about this. We went to high school together."

"Have you been together the whole time?" Jessica asked.

She shook her head, weirdness filling her. Would they judge her for her bad decisions? "No. I met him again a few months ago. And now…"

Rory reached out and squeezed her hand. "You don't have to tell us."

She blew out a breath and shook her head. "It's nothing, really. I shouldn't be embarrassed, but I, oh gosh, it's so bad."

Ingrid placed a lid on the bowl of fruit they'd cut. "How about we get in the pool?"

Danika froze, and she knew shock must have filled her face because all the women stared at her like they knew something was wrong.

Mel glanced over at the men and then back to Danika. "Are you okay?"

Ava leaned in close. "Is something wrong?"

She was making too much out of this, and now she was embarrassed. Her cheeks were flaming hot, and she wished she could disappear.

"No, I just—ugh, this is so embarrassing. I forgot to shave one of my legs, so I have a prickly leg and one smooth. It's just embarrassing."

The women all laughed, and Ava reached over and hugged her. "Honey, if that's all that's the matter, you're good."

Rory patted her arm. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, hair is natural. I'm not growing mine out, but it's nothing to be ashamed of."

Mel patted her on her arm. "I forgot to shave my underarms last month for the whole month. It happens. "

Ingrid was laughing so hard that her face was red. "One time, out at the beach, I took off my shirt but had forgotten to put on my swimsuit. Luckily, Ava acted fast and covered me with a towel before anyone saw me. I also didn't have on underwear. If I'd dropped my shorts—" Ingrid threw back her head as laughter spilled out.

Ava shook her head. "And there were police not too far away. Just imagine the trouble we would have been in."

Danika couldn't help but laugh. "Oh gosh, that's horrible that I'm laughing. That would have been awful."

Ava squeezed her hand. "We've all been through stuff. You not shaving a leg may be embarrassing to you, but really, it's nothing. None of us will hold it against you. You're human. It's really okay."

She blew out a breath of relief, and suddenly, her eyes were prickling like she was going to cry. The last thing she wanted was to blubber on about how Ezra had been so horrible, but she felt real relief talking to these women.

Jessica gave her a quick hug. "We've all been through enough stuff that we don't need to drag others down. I mean, before these women, I didn't really think friendship like this was a thing. I was friendly with other women, but these women are pure gold."

Danika wiped her eyes. "Thank you all. It has been a rough couple of months. I really didn't think I would survive."

Rory handed Danika a napkin. "The weird thing is we've all been there. Thank goodness my man was stable and patient. He really did save me from certain destruction. I know that sounds dramatic."

"Well, your situation was a little dramatic," Ava said.

Jessica nodded. "Yeah, I remember being scared for you when I found out what was going on."

Ingrid shrugged. "I didn't know as much about the situation, but I knew you were having issues. We've all had issues. Now we're with great guys."

"Thank you for being so nice," Danika said.

Rory squeezed her shoulder. "Well, if other people weren't this nice to you, they don't deserve to know you. Now then, how about we get into the water for a bit? I'm sure the guys need a break from the kids."

Danika felt better. None of the women were catty about her one hairy leg. No one cared if she'd forgotten to shave. She hadn't realized how much she needed this. Having James in her life took the pressure of her past off. Maybe they wouldn't last, but she really wanted them to.