They made it to the bathroom door, and Mav backed away, but Nick stayed at his side as he stepped through.
“I’ve got it. I don’t need you to hold anything for me,” Ace told him.
“That’s good,” Nick said with a laugh. “I think that’s going above and beyond for brotherly love.”
Ace showed his first real smile in a long time. He stepped forward on his own and let out a sigh of relief when Nick shut the door, leaving him alone in the bathroom. It took a lot of effort to make it to the wall and grab ahold of the bar before he sat down and looked longingly at the shower.
He might hate weakness, but he knew he was in no shape to step in there yet. Instead, he sat on the toilet and laid his head in his hands as he let the reality of his situation settle in on him.
He was back home again. His family was on the other side of the wooden door, and he didn’t have to hide from them anymore. He was taking too long and Nick knocked on the door, but Ace assured him he was still fine. He just needed a few moments to compose himself. Ace was truly home—where he had belonged all along.
What scared the hell out of him was he could hear his uncle and brothers whispering—which they obviously didn’t do too well—while he sat there fighting a breakdown.
“What do you think he will do now?” Maverick asked, that note of suspicion clear in his voice.
Sherman was the first to speak to that question. “Don’t any of you worry. I have the situation all taken care of for Ace.” The grin Ace was sure his uncle was wearing couldn’t be masked by a closed bathroom door. Ace was almost sure his life was going to get a hell of a lot harder than it had been in the CIA.
His throat seemed to close as he tried to swallow. What new fire had he just been pushed into? And how quickly could he escape?
CHAPTER FOUR
Ace adjusted the ridiculous bow tie that was trying to strangle him as he looked around the crowded ballroom. Only for his brother would he be willing to slip into a monkey suit and dance for the masses.
He’d been in the field for so long pretending to be someone else that he wasn’t quite sure who he was anymore. It wasn’t a feeling he liked at all. On top of all that, to be thrust into a regular life with the force of a hurricane wasn’t helping.
He was on leave from the CIA, had managed to find a tiny apartment in the city of Seattle, and was finding it more difficult to reintegrate into normal society than to dodge a bullet. Why was it so much easier to live a lie than real life? He wasn’t sure.
He leaned against the wall, desperately wanting to sneak out of the room and smoke a fine cigar. But he’d promised Nick he’d stay for the entire wedding and at least part of the reception. He wasn’t sure how long he’d actually last, though.
“Ace, time to take a walk down the aisle,” Mav said, stepping up to him and slapping him hard on the back. Ace had a feeling Mav
really enjoyed getting a slap in, even if it was under the ruse of brotherly camaraderie. The two of them were eventually going to have to talk about things.
Even with that thought, Mav’s words sent a shiver of fear straight down Ace’s spine. He felt a shudder rip through him. Walking down any aisle might just be worse than a death sentence.
“I’m not the one taking the walk. I’m only here for moral support,” Ace said through clenched teeth.
“Don’t worry, brother. When you see who you get to walk next to, you’ll be more than willing to take that plunge,” Maverick told him with a wicked laugh.
“I don’t think so,” Ace grumbled.
But he followed Mav through the crowd, letting out a sigh of relief when the doors closed and they were in the back hallway of the massive hotel where the wedding was taking place.
Mav cracked a few more wedded-bliss jokes as the two of them took a left and then went through another set of doors to where the rest of the wedding party waited—minus Nick, who must be at the head of the aisle. Standing there in a fitted suit surrounded by his family while they analyzed him must be punishment for what Mav would deem as Ace abandoning his family. Of course, he had left them. In all honesty, he probably deserved the discomfort he felt.
“They just sent everyone in to take their seats,” Cooper said. It had been a long time since Ace had seen his brothers so dressed up. He wouldn’t go so far as to say they looked good, but Nick certainly had gone all out with his wedding. Okay, maybe they did look pretty damn good. Ace wasn’t exactly known for being humble.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Ace. Nick has been very worried about you,” Chloe said as she moved through the throng of people and came right up to Ace, throwing her arms around him and squeezing.
“Don’t mess up your dress,” Ace told her, but he surprised himself when he hugged her back and actually felt a slight tug to his heart.
“You skipped out on dinner last night, so I have to hug you when I can,” Chloe insisted, squeezing a little harder before she let him go. She stepped back with tears in her eyes. “I’m just so happy you’re here.” A tear slipped from her eye, and he reached for her cheek to help before stopping himself.
“We better get you down the aisle before my brother comes out here and kicks my ass for holding you up,” Ace said, having to clear his throat.
“Okay, I’ll quit trying to make you feel uncomfortable, but get used to me, ’cause I’m a sorta in-your-face kind of girl,” she warned.
Ace was grateful when she turned her attention to her bridesmaids. He looked over at the smirk on Maverick’s face and sent a glare his brother’s way as he adjusted his tie for the millionth time.