Page 8 of Protecting Addison
“Good. I respect you, Addy. So damn much. You’ve stepped into this role without any hesitation. Taken on me and the kids as if you were born to it. I couldn’t do this without you. Most of the time I feel completely out of my element. I can shoot my way out of a dangerous situation, MacGyver my way out if I’m trapped, and basically kick ass when it comes to anything related to the military or electronics. But three kids? I don’t know what I was thinking. Am I doing the right thing? Would they be better off in their own country, surrounded by their own culture?”
Addison reacted without thinking. She stepped toward Ricky and put her hand on his arm. “You’re an amazing father. Artem looks up to you so much. I don’t know if you realize it, but his eyes are always on you. He watches you, and whatever you do,hedoes. This morning, you told Borysko not to talk with his mouth full, and Artem, who’d been doing the same thing all morning, immediately chewed and swallowed before he spoke.
“And Borysko, he’s blossoming under your care. When I first met him, he was shy and looked to his brother for reassurance. Now he’s gaining confidence and actually making some decisions on his own. And Yana has you wrapped around her little finger.” She smiled. “She’s also so darn smart. And I can’t even begin to express everything you’ve done for Ellory. You’re doing the right thing, Ricky. I promise.”
His shoulders relaxed, as if he’d needed to hear her words. Addison wanted to kiss him so badly, but she refrained…barely.
“And you?” Ricky said with a grin. “Do you regret marrying me?”
That was an easy question. “No.”
“Good. You ready to be seen with me in public?”
“What?”
“Public. You know, outside this house? Since we got married, we haven’t done anything together. Some SEAL friends of mine are having a get-together. I thought we could go.”
Addison licked her lips nervously. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be seen with Ricky in public. It was more a self-preservation thing on her part. The more she integrated into his life, the more it would hurt when he got permanent custody of the kids and decided he didn’t need her anymore. She was aware those kinds of thoughts didn’t paint Ricky in a very flattering light, but she didn’t think he’d want to be with her if and when he no longer had to.
He took her silence for a refusal and hurried to continue speaking, to try to convince her. “It’s an informal thing. Wolf and Caroline never had children, but they love their friends’ kids as if they were their own. They have these get-togethers all the time so they can get their kid fix. It’ll be crazy. The kids are older now but they still run around like hooligans. The grownups sit around and drink beer or sodas and catch up with everyone’s lives. It’s laid-back and a chance for everyone to talk about stuff other than work.”
“Of course I’ll go,” Addison told him, reluctantly giving in.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Everyone’s gonna love you.”
“Youhavetold them that we’re married, right?” she asked a little hesitantly.
He looked confused. “Of course I have.”
“Oh.” For some reason, Addison thought he was keeping their marriage a secret.
“My team knew the day after it happened. They weren’t thrilled with me for not inviting them, but they also understood that it could be overwhelming for you and Ellory. They’ve been bugging me to introduce them ever since. And of course, the ones with girlfriends have let them know about us, and now I’m also being badgered by Remi, Wren, Josie, and Maggie too.”
Addison knew all about his SEAL teammates. Ricky had no problem talking about them. It was obvious he respected and liked them a hell of a lot. Which wasn’t exactly a surprise, since they went into life-or-death situations together. She’d heard all about how he’d come to meet Artem, Borysko, and Yana in Ukraine, how scary their situation in the war-torn country had been, and how they’d come to be in the States because Borysko was shot when Ricky and his teammate and Maggie were rescued. The story was frightening. Hearing about what Maggie had been through was equally terrifying.
Addison wasn’t anything like what she imagined Maggie to be, and the thought of having to figure out what to talk about when she met the woman scared the crap out of her. But she was Ricky’s wife, and she knew that came with certain obligations. So she’d go to this get-together, do her duty, then hopefully not have to do it again for a long while.
“Anyway, it’ll be great. It’s a potluck, so we’ll have to come up with something to bring, but we can worry about that later.”
Addison smiled. Nowthatwas something she could take care of without any issues. “I can make something,” she told him.
“Are you sure? I figured you bake so much for work that you wouldn’t want to do it for this. We can stop at the grocery store on the way and grab some cookies or something from the deli.”
Addison widened her eyes and gasped in mock outrage. “Store-bought cookies? Over my dead body!” she exclaimed dramatically.
Ricky chuckled, and the smile on his face transformed him from handsome to drop-dead gorgeous. “Right.”
“When is the thing?”
“This weekend.”
Addison nodded. “Okay.”
“Are you saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear, or are you really okay with going?” Ricky asked.
