Page 93 of Seal of Honor
“I know that now. I was an idiot.”
She sniffled and wiped at her eyes with her free hand. “I thought I did something wrong, something to make you want to push me away. I tried so hard to change, to be the person I thought you wanted me to be, but I just... I couldn’t. I’m just me. I’m brash and impulsive and I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I know that sometimes I can be too much but?—”
He swore softly. “I’m so sorry, Audrey.” His grip on her hand tightened momentarily before loosening again. “You were never too much. You were never not enough. I was just blind and too caught up in my own shit to see that, to see you.”
It struck her that, although Bryson had been a young adult when their parents died, he’d been just as devastated and scared by the abrupt loss. While she’d tried to get his attention by spiraling out of control, he’d been trying to cope by controlling everything around him, including her. They had both been dealing with their grief in their own flawed ways.
“I’m sorry, too,” Audrey whispered. “I should have tried to understand what you were going through.”
“You were young.”
“I could have been more sensitive, though. I could have?—”
He lifted a hand to quiet her. “None of that matters now. We both made mistakes. Let’s just... let’s just mend things from here on.”
“Yes, let’s do that.” Audrey stroked her brother’s hand, her heart feeling heavy yet oddly lighter at the same time. It wasn’t a full solution, but it was a start. They still had a long way to go—a lifetime of misunderstanding wouldn’t be mended overnight—but for perhaps the first time, Audrey felt hope for their strained relationship.
“Are you happy?” Bryson asked suddenly. “That’s all I need to know.”
“I am.” She thought of Gabe and smiled. “And, Brys, I’ve met someone. One of the men that rescued you. He’s—well, I love him.”
“The big guy out in the hall?”
She sat up, but the hallway was still empty.
Bryson made a sound that might have been a laugh. “He’s not there now. He left, but he stood there for a long time just staring at you.”
“He… left?” She shook her head, eschewing the doubts before they entered her mind. Gabe probably just went to help his men do whatever they did after a mission. Debriefing or whatever. He’d be back. He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
“Does he love you, too?” Bryson asked.
She smiled. “I think so, but he’s being stubborn about it.”
“Hm.” He closed his eye and was silent for a long time. She almost thought he was asleep, but then he asked softly, “Want me to kick his ass for you?”
Audrey laughed at the absurdity of that mental image. “How about you relax and work on healing first? The doctors say you’ll be okay enough to travel to a hospital in the States tomorrow. Chloe and the boys will be waiting there.”
“My boys.” A tear trickled from his good eye. “My God, I’ve been such a fool. I was doing the same thing to them as I did to you. I kept thinking I’d never see them again and they wouldn’t even remember me as anything but—but an ATM. Do you think they’ll forgive me? I’ve missed so much.”
“That’s the great thing about kids.” She tucked the sheet around her brother’s shoulders and leaned over to kiss his bruised forehead. “They’re remarkably better at forgiving and forgetting than adults.”
* * *
Bone-deep tired, his side aching from the hole in it, heart aching because, God, he really did not want to leave Audrey, Gabe hobbled aboard the plane with Quinn to find his team already there. He’d expected a rowdy celebration with lots of noise and possibly alcohol, but the whole lot sat quiet as churchgoers. They must all be as exhausted as he was. He nodded at them and took his seat, leaned his head back, and shut his eyes.
“Bristow,” Ian said in his usual caustic tone. “There’s something I need to say to you. Sir.”
He groaned. “Save it. I’m not in the mood, Reinhardt.”
Clothing rustled behind him, a lot of moving and shifting of bodies. Jesus, what was the guy doing now?
Gabe glanced over his shoulder. Ian stood in the center of the aisle, one arm in a sling, the other raised, his hand forming a blade across his forehead.
As one, the rest of the men stood and saluted.
Gabe looked at Quinn in surprise, but he was also standing.
“Sir,” Ian said without the slightest hint of mockery. And was that respect in his dark eyes? “We’re glad to have you back.”
