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Brooks put his hand up. “It’s okay. It’s fine. Let’s not make this about Banks. I just thought I’d give you all the information.” His lips pursed into a straight line. “And don’t worry: I’m not giving him a year off, so there’s that.”
Marshall barked a laugh. “Oh, heck no.”
Trey grimaced, then nodded like he approved.
Hunter only shook his head.
As if she could sense his release of angst, Kensi moved toward him and took his hand. “Whatever you need, we want to help.” Her eyelashes fluttered. “All of us miss him, and …”
Hunter pulled her into his arms. “I know.”
“We love you,” Kensi whispered.
“Group hug,” Marshall called out.
They all hugged.
Hunter let himself absorb their strength for as long as he could stand it. Then he shrugged them off. “Okay, that’s enough.”
Trey moved to the doorway. “Ava will have dinner ready in about twenty minutes.”
All of them had tears on their faces as they filed out of the room.
Hunter shouldn’t be taking this out on them. They were hurting, too. “Thank you.” He jerked his thumb to the bathroom. “I’m going to shower.”
“Hey, bro,” Marshall said, pausing in the doorway.
Hunter looked back at him. “Yeah?”
A huge smile filled Marshall’s face. It was mischievous and rowdy, and Marshall usually wore it right before he did something that may or may not cause physical harm to Trent or Hunter. “I was just thinking that if Roger thinks he owes you, you can just tell him … you’ll take Cheryse.”
For a second, Hunter was stunned. Then he laughed. “That’s good.”
Marshall chuckled and slapped his knee. “See you at dinner.”
Chapter 6
Cheryse had almost refrained from coming to the Stone Family Inn at eight o’clock. She’d almost texted Hunter that she couldn’t. But that wouldn’t have been true, and she wouldn’t do that to Hunter. Now, as she waited for Hunter in the library on the third floor, she stood next to the window overlooking the ocean. People lingered on the beach, and it felt strange that life was moving forward.
After Hunter left, Roger had asked her twenty questions about the funeral and Hunter and the Stone family in general. She wasn’t mad at Roger for that. He knew the Stones were a big part of her life, but he hadn’t known how much Trent and Hunter meant to her or their relationship growing up. She’d told him they were friends, close friends. He knew the surface things, like how they were both SEALs, how their father had died during his time as a SEAL, and how their mother had recently passed away from cancer. But that didn’t even scratch the surface of their shared past.
For most of their lives, they’d been tightly interlinked until ten years ago, when she’d gotten married and they’d gone into the Navy to become SEALs. Even then, she’d known that if something happened and she needed them, they would be there for her. In so many ways, they were like brothers to her. And in so many ways, they werenothinglike brothers to her.
She’d changed out of her salon outfit of black dress pants, a black shirt, and black heels in favor of a casual yellow sundress and flip-flops. Her hair was in a ponytail. Even though she wanted to be more relaxed, she felt on edge. She glanced at the box on the coffee table; it was branded with an official military label. Her heart raced. What was in it?
As her gaze drifted back to the ocean view, she couldn’t help but dwell on last night. What would Trent have thought of those kisses between her and Hunter?
“Let’s get to it,” Hunter said, breaking into her thoughts.
She jolted and turned to face him. He was already opening the box with a pocketknife. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“No, you didn’t.” He wouldn’t look up at her.
This was not Hunter. Normally, he took his time with her, especially at a time like this. But things had gone wrong this morning with Roger there.
She moved to his side and sat on the couch.
He bristled and met her eyes briefly, then busied himself with pulling everything out and laying it on the coffee table. There was a phone, followed by a couple of T-shirts, and Hunter hesitated as he picked up a gun. Trent’s gun. Then he put it down.
