Page 66 of Scarred Sunrise

Epilogue

“Smithy!”Liz turned from where she was sitting with her feet on Ty’s lap to the angry bellowing sound of Kanan’s voice. He was striding towards where they were sitting around the firepit at Zack and Ava’s home.

Her husband cocked his head leisurely towards the angry call of his name and raised an eyebrow in question. “What’s up?”

Kanan came to stand beside them and looked down furiously as everyone waited to hear what he was so het up about. “What’s up is I just caught your son with his tongue down my daughter’s throat.”

Roz was marching up behind him with an exasperated look on her face. “Calm down, K. It was only a kiss.”

Kanan whipped his head around to his wife, hands on his hips. “Just a kiss? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“They’re two consenting adults, what’s the problem?” Smithy said.

Liz loved how calm he was but wondered if he’d be the same if it were Grace or Olivia. When it came to his daughters, he was very different. At fifteen and fourteen, they were becoming women, and her husband was in complete denial about it. Olivia—especially as the youngest and a surprise baby less than a year after Grace was born—could wrap her daddy around her little finger.

“We both know it’s more than that.”

Smithy stood then, and she could see Lucy and Jace snickering across from her. Her husband faced K, hands on his hips, two protective fathers about to go to war for their kids, and she groaned.

“What if it is more? What the fuck is wrong with my son? He not good enough for your girl?”

K went red. “I’m not saying that.”

“Then what the fuck are you saying?”

Roz pulled her husband to sit beside her and Celeste, who was sitting in Zin’s lap. “What my husbutt is saying is that nobody on the planet is good enough for his girls. He doesn’t mean anything by it.”

Kanan frowned but sat down quietly as he accepted the truth of the statement. Smithy lifted her legs and sat, rubbing his hand up her calves.

“Roz, were you the one that actually ended a fight?” Zin asked with a chuckle.

“I can be diplomatic when I want to.”

“Of course you can, sis.”

“So, Zack, when does Riley get back from Iran?” Daniel asked as he kept one eye on the pool where their teens were lounging, far too cool to be sitting with the oldies.

“Next week. I can’t wait to see him.”

“You think he’ll go for selection at some point?” Dane asked.

“Not sure but I expect so.”

“When does Paige get back from Cyprus?” Will asked Daniel

“You tell me, brother.”

“She still dark?”

Daniel nodded. “Yup, still on some secret mission she can’t or won’t talk about.”

Paige had shocked them all when she joined the Army and said she was going for SAS selection when she’d done enough time in. Daniel, she knew from her sister, was worried sick over it but tried to be supportive of their daughter. She and Ty had discussed it and he’d agreed he’d be a wreck if one of their girls joined the military. Liz also knew her brother was relieved that Riley and Aaron were in the same regiment and wished Paige was too, but she’d deliberately joined a different unit because she didn’t want her cousins and friends protecting her.

“You must be proud of her, though?” Mara asked.

“Incredibly proud, but it doesn’t stop me worrying sick over her. The military is hard, and even harder for women.”

“She’s strong. She’ll be fine.”