“My husband and father-in-law have a way of making things happen,” Ember explains to Presley.
“Good to know.”
“Little Star, as much as I love it when you’re on top of me, I have to go back to work. You’ve got me pinned down in the grass.”
Ember scrambles up, and her face is a soft shade of red. “I can’t believe you said that,” she mumbles.
“Not like it’s a secret.” I push to embarrass her further because it’s so easy to get under her skin.
“Stop. Presley’s going to think we’re nuts.”
“Not at all. Remember, I grew up in a house of men.” Presley picks up the Frisbee and motions for Blade. “Besides, I think showing affection and love is beautiful.”
I don’t miss the sadness in her voice.
“So, we’ll see you at the office this afternoon to finish the paperwork?”
“We’ll be there. Then we’re going to order a fence for Robbie, Finn, and any other volunteers to put up immediately. I want Blade to have the whole backyard to roam and play without worrying about him.”
“What?!?” Robbie and I choke out at the same time, snapping our heads to her.
“I want a fence,” she states matter-of-factly.
“Babe, I’d do almost anything in the world for you, but putting up a fence in June is even testing my limits,” I tell her.
She narrows her eyes at me then whispers something in Robbie’s ear. His mouth splits into a wide grin, and when he looks at me, I sigh loudly.
“Shit.” Looks like I’ll be sweating my ass off installing a fence.
“Ember’s going to take me back to the office. You want a ride?” Robbie asks me.
“I’ll walk.”
They say goodbye to Blade, with Ember kissing all over him until Robbie forces her back. She hugs Presley and promises to see her later, and they
walk off hand in hand, pressed close.
“They’re a cute couple,” Presley observes.
“You have no idea. They’re perfect for each other.”
“You all seem close.”
“We are. There’s a few of us that grew up together. Robbie, Max, and I enlisted in the Marines together. All in all, our group is pretty big, but everyone’s lives have started to settle down.”
“Really? How so?” She throws the Frisbee, and Blade races to catch it then trots back to us.
“Few guys have gotten married or engaged. Robbie’s sister had twins earlier in the year, which now adds babies to the mix.”
“Wow! Twins? That’s got to be a lot of work.”
“They’ve got a big family, lots of siblings.”
“I remember Winnie being an infant. It’s a ton of responsibility.”
“Yeah, but they can handle it.” I don’t tell her that Raven, Robbie’s sister, is also married to a rock and roll superstar with more money than they can ever spend, and he’ll make sure she has whatever she needs to be happy and take care of those babies.
Slowly, we migrate back to the populated area where the dogs play. The conversation is light as she asks about me. I briefly explain my relationship with the Hayes family and that I work as a Security Specialist while in school. I don’t miss the relief on her face when I mention I’m no longer an active Marine. It’s on the tip of my tongue to question it, but I hold back.