Page 77 of Her Tempting Protector

“Dad, can we go to the continental of Africa? Can I have my hair braided, Mom?”

“It’s the continent of Africa, not continental, Honey,” David corrected. “And we’re visiting your grandparents first.” David turned to his wife and tugged on her hair. “You’re up, champ.”

“I’ll braid your hair tomorrow,” she promised her daughter.

“Coolness. Aunt Carys, can I draw a picture for Leila?”

“You sure can,” she said. “Now, where are those brownies you helped bake?”

“I’ll get ‘em,” Tonya said with a huge grin that was missing some teeth.

“How about I help?” David stood up and followed his daughter into the kitchen.

“Your kid is a doll,” Cullen said as he leaned in to hand his phone to Sarah who’d been motioning for it.

Carys sat back in her chair and let everything after that just wash over her. She’d been here with Sarah, David, and Tonya for five weeks and it had really helped. Sarah was her best friend and she’d let her cry and scream when needed as she dealt with the agony of losing so many of her team members. She’d been the same woman who had helped put her partially back together after Santa Flores.

David and Tonya made a flourish out of the ice cream that went with the brownies, and Cullen and David bonded over shared military experiences. The way that David ended up braiding Tonya’s hair while he talked to Cullen melted Carys’ heart. When she tried to help with the clean-up, Sarah gently shoved her back into the seat next to Cullen.

Is this how my life could be? Isn’t it about time I took the risk?

“Are you sure your guy really works for the Army?” Cullen asked David. “He’s sounding like the same guy named Kevin we have working for us at Little Creek. Mouth-breather, right? Can’t follow an order to save his life?”

“That’s the guy. But he’s ours—I know it because I’m the one who filled out his last fitness report. You know, the one that got him demoted,” David laughed as he sat back and parted out his daughter’s hair.

“Don’t lie to me, you didn’t demote him, you transferred him to us,” Cullen laughed.

He has a great laugh.

Sarah winked at her.

Carys wasn’t all that surprised when the little Sloane family went to bed and left her to wave Cullen on his way. Heck, if she knew her friend Sarah, she was hoping the man would spend the night.

They sat on the couch in the living room drinking milk and indulging in another brownie.

“Did you think about my great idea?” Cullen asked.

“Great, huh?”

“Grand? Stupendous? Fan-tab-u-lous?”

She sat close with his arm around her. It felt so good, and so right. The idea of having this while staying at his house in Virginia was seductive.

She heard the sound of Frère Jacques, and realized her phone was ringing. It was the ring tone she rarely heard. It was Marie-Clare.

“What is it?” Cullen asked when Carys got up from the couch to go to the kitchen where her phone was charging.

“It’s Marie-Clair Peirot. She’s the psychologist I worked with at the refugee camp in Greece.” She quirked an eyebrow at Cullen when he took the moment to snag two more brownies as she answered her phone.

“Hello,” she said in French.

“Hello,” Marie-Clair responded in kind. “I have bad news. I hate having to deliver it over the phone but I’m in Lebanon and I have no way of getting to you in person.”

“Slow down, Marie-Claire, you know my French isn’t that good,” Carys said, concerned. “Are you all right?”

“Me, I am fine.”

Carys breathed a sigh of relief. “Is it any of our former teammates?” She didn’t think she could take it if more doctors and nurses had been killed.