Page 34 of Let It Burn (The Barrington Billionaires 4)
Andrew rose to his feet and sighed. An older man wearing a World War II veteran baseball cap came to stand beside him. “I come here once a year and it never gets easier, but I don’t think it’s supposed to.” He referenced a woman standing outside a car parked behind Andrew’s. “That’s my daughter. She comes with me now that my wife passed. She doesn’t understand what I do here, but you do. When I saw you I remembered my first time. I don’t know what you saw or what happened to your friends, but I hope this helps you. What does a Marine do when he comes across a fallen comrade? He picks him up. He carries him if need be. That kind of brotherhood doesn’t bow to death. These men are strong enough to carry whatever weight you bear. Give it to them, then honor them by being a good man, husband, and father. A good friend to those who need it. And when you see a man down on his knees never be too busy to stop and help him.”
Blinking back emotion, Andrew shook the man’s hand and promised to do just that. When he left the cemetery a while later, he drove back to the airport but didn’t call Helene. If Ahearn didn’t resign, the following day would start an ugly battle that would play out in the courts and probably the media. He wanted to spare her from that.
He made one call home and without bothering with niceties, said, “I need your help.”
Dax Marshall answered forcefully, “Whatever you need.”
“Your friend, Clay Landon, can he be discrete?”
“If I threaten his life, yes.”
“He runs a foundation for Veterans, right?”
“Yes.”
“I have three families I want taken care of, but I don’t want them to know I’m doing it. Could he do that for me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thanks. I’ll send you the information.”
“Andrew?”
“Yes.”
“There are a lot of people here who care about you.”
“I know.”
“Helene is running a relationship-building boot camp to prepare them for your return. You’d better marry that girl. She’s something else.”
Andrew shook his head in bewilderment. “She’s what?”
“You’ll see when you get back. When will that be?”
“I don’t know. There’s something I need to handle first.”
“You don’t have to handle it alone.”
“For now I do, but I know you have my back if I need you. I’ll try not to get you shot at this time.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“I never thanked you for sending Emmitt.”
“Not necessary. You’re family.”
It was an interesting comment from someone who had recently joined the Barringtons, but it rang true. For a long time Andrew had considered his true family to be the men and women he served beside. He was beginning to see that it didn’t have to be like that. Like his mother, he had closed himself off. He hadn’t been whole even before losing Lofton and the others.
Dax made family sound like a treasured commitment. There was something inspiring about seeing a man who, if his reputation were to be believed, had lived a hard and solitary life until he met Kenzi.
Relationship-building boot camp? I could use it, too.
After hanging up with Dax, Andrew decided to make one more call. “It’s Andrew,” he said.
“It’s Andrew,” Helene’s mother echoed.
“You can put me on speakerphone.”
“Where are you? Are you with Helene?” her father asked.
“No, I haven’t spoken to her since this morning after I left her in Boston.” He braced himself for a possibly emotional reaction.
“We know,” her mother said calmly.
Of course they do. Helene didn’t hide things from her family. Wonderful. Ugly. She brought it all to them. Had she told them his secret? Without asking, he knew she hadn’t. She was loyal and believed in promises. Although he’d arranged for a plane to take her home, a part of him had known she wouldn’t go. “How is she?”
“Confused,” Art said in a stern tone. “And she’s not alone.”
“There’s something I need to do before I can be with her.”
“Does it involve another woman?” Art asked.
Rose chastised him quickly, “Of course it doesn’t. He wouldn’t do that.”
Art countered, “Rose, let the boy answer.”
“No, sir, it doesn’t.” He took a leap of faith then and told them exactly what it did involve.
Both of her parents were quiet for several minutes after he finished. In a sympathetic tone Art asked, “Does Helene know this?”
“I told her last night.”
Rose asked, “What are you going to do?”
“It depends on what Ahearn does. If he resigns, it’s over.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Art asked.
“I’ll expose him and the cover-up. I don’t have proof, so it won’t be easy, but it’s the right thing to do. I can’t let him send anyone else to their deaths.”
“You didn’t want Helene at your side for this?” Rose asked.
Andrew didn’t answer at first because he didn’t think they’d understand. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Helene to take his side. She would, but this was his fight. He couldn’t bear for another person to be hurt by it.
“You love her,” Art said simply.
“Yes, sir,” Andrew said. “More than I know how to express in words. She’s the piece of me I didn’t even know was missing. When I’m with her, life makes sense. I want you to know that I will dedicate my life to keeping her safe, to finding ways to make her smile, and the causes that are important to her will always be important to me. When this is over, I plan to ask her to marry me, and I’m asking for your blessing.”
Art cleared his throat. “We could use a sharpshooter around here.”
Andrew chuckled.
Her mother said, “I’ve always wanted a son, but once you two start having babies you have to get your own place.”
Andrew laughed again. There was a simplicity to her parents that lightened the weight he’d carried for so long. They didn’t ask him a hundred questions about what he’d been through. They didn’t need him to change who he was to be with them. “Will do.”
Art interjected, “If you need us, son, we’ll fly up to be with you.”
He loved that Helene’s father not only made that offer, but meant it. No wonder Helene is so fiercely loyal. Family. They know how to do it right. “No, but I’ll call you tomorrow and update you.”
“We would love that,” her father said.
“You should call Helene, too,” her mother said.
“He will,” her father added.
“I know, but she’s waiting and all worried,” her mother continued.
“Let the boy figure it out himself. He’ll do the right thing.”
“Ask him what you asked me.”
“I’ll ask him later.”
“You said you really wanted to know so you might as well ask while you have him on the phone.”
Andrew broke in, “What do you want to know, Art?”
Her father asked slowly, “Are those guys still watching us from the trees?”
