No Quick Fix (Torus Intercession 1)

“Besides, Dad,” April soothed him, giving him a look of sympathy, “Brann is a retired Navy SEAL. Now, I don’t know if you know what that is, but I’ll go get my laptop and show you.”

I lost it, because she was so very serious.

Olivia trailed after her sister, spouting question after question at her about what a SEAL actually was, and what had she missed, and how come nobody ever told her anything!

Emery went after the girls, promising me he’d be right back. The soft knock on the door stopped me from following him.

Answering it, I was only a bit surprised to find Huck Riley.

“Holy crap,” I said, so happy he was there, lifting my arms in welcome. “Good to see you, brother.”

He didn’t say anything, just walked up to me, into the waiting hug, and wrapped his arms around me tighter than he had in a while. Instantly I was worried. When he leaned and gave me his weight, I was terrified about what he could have done.

“Did you use?” I asked quickly, hoping to God the answer would be no. In the past, when he’d said yes, it was the start of the rehab process that I would be there to see him through, again. This time, it would be different, because this time, now, if the answer came back in the affirmative, I’d have to send him back to Phoenix. I couldn’t have a drug user near my kids.

“No,” he said, his voice ragged. “I got on a plane to come see you instead.”

“Oh thank God.” I almost whimpered with relief, tightening my hold, willing some of my strength into him, so pleased with the choice he’d made.

“Brann?” Emery said hesitantly.

We both turned to him, and I saw Emery deflate when he got a look at Huck. If I were him, if the roles were reversed, I’d feel the same, so I understood. He was basically gazing at a perfect specimen of the male form, and seeing Huck all over me probably wasn’t making him happy. Our thing was a minute old, and here was Huck in all his disheveled glory.

“Hey, Em,” I greeted him softly. “Come meet my buddy.”

His head lifted, and he went from looking dejected to looking more like himself—confident, charismatic—as he rushed across the room to take the hand Huck held out for him.

What was even more interesting was that the moment Emery was close enough to see Huck’s face and eyes, his own brows furrowed with concern.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Dodd,” Huck said, his voice a husky rasp. “Brann speaks so highly of you and your girls, and I don’t mean to intrude, but Brann invited me out, so—”

“Oh, no, I’m so pleased you decided to visit, and hopefully it can be quite an extended one. We have a very comfortable guest room that has just become vacant.”

“Really?” Huck asked hopefully, glancing from Emery to me and back.

“Absolutely,” Emery said, squeezing Huck’s shoulder as he held on to his hand.

“That sounds great.”

An hour later, Huck was sitting on the floor in the living room, Olivia on one side, April on the other, and the three of them were playing what looked like a cooking game, where they had to work together. Emery and I were in the kitchen.

“How come they never had me play that with them?” I asked Emery.

“Are you jealous?”

“What?”

“Oh God, I love that your voice went up about three octaves there. Poor baby.”

“I’m sorry?”

“That’s what happens, love,” he teased me, slipping his hand around the side of my neck and easing me close for a kiss. “Once you become a parent, you slip in the hierarchy. I had to take a back seat to you; now you have to step aside for Huck.”

“No,” I groused at him, shooting him a glare as he chuckled and kissed along my jawline. “They don’t like him better.”

Apparently I was very amusing, and the kisses grew languorous as I watched my friend in the living room, watched Olivia touch his mane of hair, saw April put on his hoodie that he had taken off and then feed him popcorn that she had made for all three of them. They could tell he was delicate, that he needed care and nurturing, and they were ready to treat him like the brother they never had. And for Huck’s part, he didn’t want to think about himself or be in his own head, so video games after walking the dog, snacks, and sitting in front of the fire were likely his idea of heaven.

Emery and I had quickly moved all my stuff into his room, and I stripped the bed we’d wrecked earlier, and he made it up fresh and put new towels in the bathroom. It was strange, but it looked like I’d never been in there.