He's the Man (The Alexanders 3)

“We’ve been talking to him. We just haven’t been listening.” He’d been completely wrapped up in his own problems between convincing Raina to marry him and worrying about her pregnancy. He hadn’t given his friend’s strange behavior a second thought. Nick clenched his fists at his sides. When Matt had needed him, he’d been too busy.

“He’s right,” Jackson added. “After Divine’s first album came out, that’s all I’ve been thinking about. We’ve all been so wrapped up in our own worlds that we couldn’t see he’s self-destructing right in front of us.”

“He joined the Reserves in college, but last year was his first year being on active duty. He’s up for reenrollment this year. I’ve tried talking to him about it but I just don’t know what to say.” Mara’s voice broke and she turned and rested her head against Trent’s chest. “He knows I want him to get out, but I don’t know if that’s what he really wants. Plus, if he does get out, what would he do? I’m sure just the thought of it is overwhelming.”

Elliott had been quiet up until now. “I have a lot of ex-military guys on my team. If Matt’s interested, he could always come work for me. With all the extra work Raina has thrown my way to protect her when her normal guy is off duty combined with guarding Ridley and the Divine girls, my team is about stretched to capacity. I’ll need to hire more local guys soon, anyway.”

“Wait, guarding me?” Ridley sat up and glared at Eli. “Since when have you been guarding me?”

“Um.” Eli looked over at Jackson and shrugged. His brother shook his head slightly, then smiled sheepishly when Ridley turned and caught him.

Ridley crossed her arms. “I knew it couldn’t be coincidence seeing you at the grocery store that many times!”

Elliott looked like he was trying to smother a laugh. “Right. Anyway, I’m sure between my team and Raina’s we can find a job for Matt if he wants it. Right, Raina?” He looked around the room and then looked behind him.

“Where’s Raina?”

Nick glanced behind him where he’d last seen his wife. It was as natural as breathing for him to be around the people who loved him; however, Raina still wasn’t completely comfortable at family gatherings. She had a habit of sneaking off in the middle and then suddenly reappearing when it was time to leave. For someone who’d grown up mainly on her own, it was overwhelming to be in the midst of so much chaos. He understood and respected that.

“I’m sure she’s around. Probably looking for something else to eat since we ran out of oranges.”

Eli looked confused. “We ran out of oranges? I thought there was a whole bowl in the kitchen.”

“Well, there was a whole bowl when we arrived. Not anymore.” Nick walked down the hall and peeked in his old bedroom to see if she was hiding out in there. Nothing.

As he turned to leave, he heard muffled voices outside the window. He crossed the room and pulled back the curtain slightly. The second story had been added years after the house was built, so it sat at a slight angle to the back porch. He could see Matt standing at the railing. Raina stood next to him. Raina wasn’t usually the social sort, but apparently she’d found a way to get through to his friend.

Matt looked tense, but he was listening.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE SUN HUNG low in the sky, bathing the barren landscape with a golden haze. There was no furniture on the porch since it was too cold to sit out, so Matt leaned his hip against the railing. He could see the barn in the distance, the faded red like a beacon amongst the icy gray landscape. It was so calm out here. The perfect stillness curled through him until the ball of tension in the middle of his chest began to loosen up.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there before he realized he wasn’t alone. Raina stood at the railing next to him, looking out to the distance. She wore a long tunic sweater and leggings, a little bump at her waist the only evidence of her pregnancy.

She’d lost her summer tan, so her skin was a very light brown and her long curly hair swirled around her face in the cold wind. He looked down at his own skin, which was also considerably lighter than it had been in the summer. Mara always joked that he’d sucked up all of their mother’s Columbian heritage in the womb since he tanned so well and she didn’t. At the thought of his sister, he glanced behind him at the house. He’d have to go back inside eventually. The thought of it, of all the pitying looks, was exhausting.

“I don’t mean to bother you,” Raina stated. She exhaled, her breath forming an icy cloud in front of her face. “We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”

He marveled, as he did every time he saw her, at not only how beautiful she was but also at how different she seemed from when he’d first met her. Gone were the designer clothes and the heavy makeup. She looked like a person now instead of a fashion icon. She looked real.

“You know, you and I have never actually been introduced.”

If she was perplexed by that sudden strange statement, she didn’t show it. She stuck out her arm and he saw she held his leather jacket. He accepted it gratefully and pulled it on. She still carried a long black cape that she now swung over her shoulders.

“No, I suppose we haven’t. But then again, we didn’t need to be. Some things don’t need to be stated to be understood. You’re one of my husband’s best friends. I don’t need an introduction to know you, Matt.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he just tucked his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry about—”

“Don’t apologize. You don’t have to apologize to me for anything.” Tears sprang to her eyes and she shook her head hard.

“Christ, I made you cry.”

“It’s not you. It’s these damn pregnancy hormones. I’m either starving, throwing up, or sniffling at some sappy commercial on TV.” She swiped her hand under her eye quickly, almost as if pissed off at the inconvenience.

“So, did you draw the short straw to see who’d come check on me?”

“Hell, no. Do I look like the intervention type?”