Brighter Than the Sun
Page 32
He opened the door and was surprised when he saw Shea standing there, his twin, Nathan, pressed in close behind her.
Shea smiled up at him and he couldn’t help but smile back. He adored his sister-in-law.
“Hi, Joe. I hope you don’t mind that we popped over.”
Joe pulled her into a hug and then picked her up and swung her around to the inside, depositing her in the entryway. He dropped a kiss on her cheek and then ruffled her hair as he drew away.
“Of course not, sweetheart. I’m always glad to see my favorite sister-in-law and her pain-in-the-ass husband.”
Nathan snorted, and as soon as Joe turned to greet his twin, Nathan slugged him in the shoulder with his fist.
“Knock off the flirting. Or find someone else’s woman to flirt with. She’s taken.”
Joe rolled his eyes. “As if everyone in the world doesn’t know that. In case it’s escaped your notice, the poor misguided woman only has eyes for you, though it makes me question her judgment in men. Clearly I would have been the better choice.”
Shea laughed and slipped one slender arm around Joe’s waist, squeezing him affectionately. Nathan scowled and gently pried his wife’s arm free of Joe and then proceeded to wrap both arms around her, holding her so she couldn’t escape.
“Y’all come on in,” Joe said as he ambled toward the living room. “Can I get y’all anything?”
“Shea wanted to come visit,” Nathan said.
Over Shea’s head, his gaze connected with Joe’s, sending a silent signal to have a care. Joe rolled his eyes again. As if he wouldn’t handle Shea with the greatest of care. He would always share a special bond with his twin’s wife, and he was grateful for it, as inexplicable as it was.
Shea was gifted with extraordinary talents. Abilities that had made it possible for her to connect telepathically with Nathan when he was imprisoned in the Afghani mountains undergoing horrific torture. Not only had she kept him sane, refusing to let him give up hope, but she’d also taken his pain and torture as her own. She had siphoned it from him and, as a result, had suffered it for him, a fact that still caused Nathan to nearly lose his mind when he thought back on it.
She was one of the strongest women Joe had ever met in his life, and that was saying a lot given the strength of all his brothers’ wives. And his teammates’ wives. The men of KGI had been blessed beyond measure to find women every bit as fierce as themselves, all possessing wills of steel and a fierce refusal to ever stay down or quit. He had no doubt that these women had saved his brothers and teammates every bit as much as they asserted that their husbands had saved them.
Without Shea, Nathan would be lost to them. As would Swanny, who had been imprisoned with him and who had suffered every bit as much as he had. Joe would never be able to repay her for the gift of his brother. Back home where he belonged. He thanked God every day for her and he prayed that the woman he one day settled down with and married would possess even a fraction of her spirit, fierceness and generosity.
“I knew you couldn’t stay away,” Joe teased. “Has my brother been an overbearing grump ass lately? Want me to rough him up for you?”
Shea rolled her eyes and laughed. Then she dropped her gaze and twisted her hands nervously in front of her. He immediately picked up on her unease and he lifted his gaze in quick concern to Nathan, asking without words what the fuck was going on.
Nathan’s lips compressed into a grim line and he shook his head, nodding toward Shea, and then he simply shrugged, telling him that whatever it was that was bothering his wife, she hadn’t told Nathan yet. The fact that she’d asked to come here, to talk to Joe, worried the fuck out of him because Nathan and Shea were tight. Two halves of a whole. True soul mates, and Joe had never believed in that concept before her, even having already witnessed Ethan, Sam and Garrett fall hard for their wives.
Joe went to Shea, taking her hand and uncurling her fingers before wrapping his hand around them. He guided her toward the couch and sat her down beside him. Nathan settled on the other side of her, his hand going immediately to her shoulder.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I know you took Zoe around today,” she said hesitantly.
Joe’s brow furrowed and he once again looked at his brother in question. Why on earth would his taking Zoe anywhere cause Shea so much distress?
“It’s none of my business what’s between the two of you,” she rushed to say before Joe could interject his questions. “That’s not why I’m here and I don’t want you to think I’m butting in or being nosy. I wouldn’t do that to you. I may tease you about your eventual downfall but I know how much you value your privacy and how much it bothers you when everyone starts harping on you about finding the one, and that’s why that’s all I’ll ever do is just tease you in passing.”
He was growing more confused by the minute, and Nathan didn’t look any more enlightened than he did.
“Honey, I know you wouldn’t pry and I know you’re just teasing me when you nag me about finding a wife and settling down,” Joe said in his most gentle tone. “Besides, of anyone, you know I feel closest to you and Nathan. How could I not? And for that reason, I would never mind you or Nathan butting in, nor would I mind you knowing about any relationship I may one day be in. Now what’s going on here, sweetheart? You’re worrying me, and if you keep on this way, Nathan is going to come unglued over there. As it is, he looks like he’s about to rearrange my living room because he’s worried to death about what’s bothering you right now. And so am I,” he added softly.
Shea smiled up at him and he couldn’t help but smile back. He adored his sister-in-law.
“Hi, Joe. I hope you don’t mind that we popped over.”
Joe pulled her into a hug and then picked her up and swung her around to the inside, depositing her in the entryway. He dropped a kiss on her cheek and then ruffled her hair as he drew away.
“Of course not, sweetheart. I’m always glad to see my favorite sister-in-law and her pain-in-the-ass husband.”
Nathan snorted, and as soon as Joe turned to greet his twin, Nathan slugged him in the shoulder with his fist.
“Knock off the flirting. Or find someone else’s woman to flirt with. She’s taken.”
Joe rolled his eyes. “As if everyone in the world doesn’t know that. In case it’s escaped your notice, the poor misguided woman only has eyes for you, though it makes me question her judgment in men. Clearly I would have been the better choice.”
Shea laughed and slipped one slender arm around Joe’s waist, squeezing him affectionately. Nathan scowled and gently pried his wife’s arm free of Joe and then proceeded to wrap both arms around her, holding her so she couldn’t escape.
“Y’all come on in,” Joe said as he ambled toward the living room. “Can I get y’all anything?”
“Shea wanted to come visit,” Nathan said.
Over Shea’s head, his gaze connected with Joe’s, sending a silent signal to have a care. Joe rolled his eyes again. As if he wouldn’t handle Shea with the greatest of care. He would always share a special bond with his twin’s wife, and he was grateful for it, as inexplicable as it was.
Shea was gifted with extraordinary talents. Abilities that had made it possible for her to connect telepathically with Nathan when he was imprisoned in the Afghani mountains undergoing horrific torture. Not only had she kept him sane, refusing to let him give up hope, but she’d also taken his pain and torture as her own. She had siphoned it from him and, as a result, had suffered it for him, a fact that still caused Nathan to nearly lose his mind when he thought back on it.
She was one of the strongest women Joe had ever met in his life, and that was saying a lot given the strength of all his brothers’ wives. And his teammates’ wives. The men of KGI had been blessed beyond measure to find women every bit as fierce as themselves, all possessing wills of steel and a fierce refusal to ever stay down or quit. He had no doubt that these women had saved his brothers and teammates every bit as much as they asserted that their husbands had saved them.
Without Shea, Nathan would be lost to them. As would Swanny, who had been imprisoned with him and who had suffered every bit as much as he had. Joe would never be able to repay her for the gift of his brother. Back home where he belonged. He thanked God every day for her and he prayed that the woman he one day settled down with and married would possess even a fraction of her spirit, fierceness and generosity.
“I knew you couldn’t stay away,” Joe teased. “Has my brother been an overbearing grump ass lately? Want me to rough him up for you?”
Shea rolled her eyes and laughed. Then she dropped her gaze and twisted her hands nervously in front of her. He immediately picked up on her unease and he lifted his gaze in quick concern to Nathan, asking without words what the fuck was going on.
Nathan’s lips compressed into a grim line and he shook his head, nodding toward Shea, and then he simply shrugged, telling him that whatever it was that was bothering his wife, she hadn’t told Nathan yet. The fact that she’d asked to come here, to talk to Joe, worried the fuck out of him because Nathan and Shea were tight. Two halves of a whole. True soul mates, and Joe had never believed in that concept before her, even having already witnessed Ethan, Sam and Garrett fall hard for their wives.
Joe went to Shea, taking her hand and uncurling her fingers before wrapping his hand around them. He guided her toward the couch and sat her down beside him. Nathan settled on the other side of her, his hand going immediately to her shoulder.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I know you took Zoe around today,” she said hesitantly.
Joe’s brow furrowed and he once again looked at his brother in question. Why on earth would his taking Zoe anywhere cause Shea so much distress?
“It’s none of my business what’s between the two of you,” she rushed to say before Joe could interject his questions. “That’s not why I’m here and I don’t want you to think I’m butting in or being nosy. I wouldn’t do that to you. I may tease you about your eventual downfall but I know how much you value your privacy and how much it bothers you when everyone starts harping on you about finding the one, and that’s why that’s all I’ll ever do is just tease you in passing.”
He was growing more confused by the minute, and Nathan didn’t look any more enlightened than he did.
“Honey, I know you wouldn’t pry and I know you’re just teasing me when you nag me about finding a wife and settling down,” Joe said in his most gentle tone. “Besides, of anyone, you know I feel closest to you and Nathan. How could I not? And for that reason, I would never mind you or Nathan butting in, nor would I mind you knowing about any relationship I may one day be in. Now what’s going on here, sweetheart? You’re worrying me, and if you keep on this way, Nathan is going to come unglued over there. As it is, he looks like he’s about to rearrange my living room because he’s worried to death about what’s bothering you right now. And so am I,” he added softly.
