Page 102 of Protecting Bree
“I just think that he deserves a face-lift,” Bree went on. “You both went through some tough times, but those are over now. You’re both free of all that.”
She could be talking about herself…or him. And she was right. It would be cathartic to restore Beary. To see him shine again. “Okay,” Smiley said.
“Really?” Bree asked with excitement.
“Really,” Smiley said.
“Yay!”
His girlfriend was a goof…and he wouldn’t change one damn thing about her. “Can we sleep now?” he asked, pretending to be grumpy.
She sighed with contentment and snuggled into him. “Yeah.”
It was amazing how fast Bree fell asleep. He would’ve accused her of faking it, except he knew firsthand how she could be awake one second and snoring the next. He wouldn’t have it any other way though. It meant she wasn’t kept awake thinking about the awful things that had happened to her in the recent past.
Knowing that she could let down her guard, and that she trusted him when she was at her most vulnerable, when she was sleeping, made Smiley grin up at the ceiling.
He fell asleep with that smile on his face and woke up the same way. Because he held in his arms the one person who made him put aside the guilt he’d carried all his lifeabout his parents. Who loved him for who he was, warts and all.
This was what life was about…not how much money you could amass, how big your car or house, or even how many friends you had—although friends were super important. It was about finding someone who could overlook your faults and love you anyway. Bree was that person for him…and he’d remind her every single day how important she was to him, and how much she was loved.
EPILOGUE
Ten years later
“Are you nervous about next week?” Bree asked Addison, as they stood at the edge of the trampolines and did their best to keep an eye on all the kids leaping from one platform to the next.
“No,” Addison said firmly. “It’s way past time.”
“MacGyver’s been super-reluctant, hasn’t he?”
Addison chuckled. “That’s putting it mildly. But Artem has been wanting to do this for years. It’s the only thing he asked for as a graduation present. He knows once he starts college, he’s going to be too busy to go.”
“How overboard has Tex gone with the tracker thing?” Bree asked with a huge grin.
Addison rolled her eyes. “Good Lord. I love the man, but I’m thinking four trackers for each of us is a bit much.”
“You can’t blame him. Things in the Ukraine have been calm for years, but there will always be that small chance something could happen while you’re there.”
“I understand that. But MacGyver has everything under control. Kevlar is coming with us, as is Dude. Did you know my husband also hired a security guard to come with us too? I guess the man in charge of the tour group is a former Marine and fluent in Ukrainian.”
Bree smiled at her friend, then swung her head around when she heard someone scream from nearby. She saw Violet sitting on one of the trampolines, holding her leg, but she already had five kids around her, plus Preacher and Safe heading her way. She didn’t look hurt, but she was clearly soaking up the attention from her best friends.
“That girl is so spoiled,” Addison said with a chuckle.
“She’s used to all the boys’ attention.”
“I know you aren’t badmouthing my baby,” Maggie joked, as she and Josie joined Addison and Bree where they were watching the craziness from the trampoline platform.
“Your baby is spoiled rotten,” Bree told her.
“Yup,” Maggie said, not sounding the least bit bothered.
“Where’s Amelia?” Addison asked Josie.
“With her dad. She got tired,” Josie said, pointing to where Blink was sitting at a table with their two-year-old daughter in his arms.
“How’re you holding up? Having triplets in the terrible twos isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world,” Addison said.
