With Me In Seattle: Bundle Two (2 page)

“We’ll be here, Bryn. Call me every day to let me know where you are. I’m going to talk to Matt.”

“I’m going to need to talk to Matt as soon as I get there, Isaac. And a detective from Chicago should be calling him any time.”

“Are you in trouble?” Isaac’s voice is calm and cold, and I know he’s thinking the worst.

“Not like you’re thinking, but it’s bad.”

“Drive safely. Keep me informed.”

“Okay,” I agree, hang up and pull into a Walmart parking lot. “Come on, girls, we need to grab a few things.”

“Are we going to see Grandma and Grandpa in Seattle?” Josie asks.

They’re so damn smart.

“Yes, sweetie, so we need to get some things to take with us.”

“Yay, we get to see Grandma and Grandpa!” Maddie dances beside me as we walk into the store to buy necessities such as toothbrushes and underwear.

The girls have a few days’ worth of clothes packed with us, but all I have is my purse.

Maybe some hair dye for me.

I also pull my cell phone apart and throw it in the trash, adding a new cell to my list of things to buy.

I guess we’re going back to Seattle sooner than I expected.

Chapter One

Bang! Bang! Bang!

My alarm shouldn’t be going off yet.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I wake with a start to the sound of someone trying to beat my door down, and my heart slams into overdrive.

I jump from the bed, not bothering to throw anything on over my skimpy tank and panties and search madly for a weapon of any kind.

“Mommy?” Maddie asks sleepily from her bedroom doorway.

“Go back to bed, Mads.” I usher her back into the bedroom and give her my best smile, which feels more like a grimace.

“Someone’s at the door,” Josie informs me and pulls her baby doll into her small arms.

“I know. I’m going to go answer it. Stay in your room.” My voice is stern as I shut their door behind me and race down the stairs to the living room.

All of the blinds are still closed, so I can’t see outside.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I grab the screwdriver I was using yesterday to put a set of shelves together and open the door just a crack.

“Who is it?” I ask warily.

“Bryn, it’s just Caleb and me,” Matt Montgomery answers, his handsome face grim.

I step back and open the door wide, sighing in relief.

“You scared the hell out of me!”

“What are you doing with the screwdriver?” Matt asks and props his hands on his hips just as his younger brother, Caleb, scowls at me.

“It’s my weapon,” I tell them both and raise my chin stubbornly.

“Right.” Caleb steps forward and plucks the screwdriver out of my hand. “It’s very effective.”

“I could have stabbed you if you were a bad guy.” I step back and push my hair off my face. “Why are you here at six in the damn morning?”

“Maybe you should put some clothes on,” Matt suggests, and I squeal as I realize that I’m practically naked.

“Shit!”

“Mommy, you’re not supposed to say that,” Josie speaks up from the bottom steps of the staircase. “Maddie! Matt and Caleb are here!”

“Go put something on, sweetheart. We’ll get the girls breakfast.” Matt smiles at my girls and hugs them both, but Caleb is still quiet, watching me with sober blue eyes.

“Why are you here?” I ask them both again.

“We’ll talk about that, too,” Caleb assures me, and finally offers me a half smile, showing off the dimples in both of his cheeks as he lets his eyes wander down my half-naked body.

This man makes me quiver inside. Since I came home more than a year ago and got caught up in this big, loving family, Caleb has given me a permanent case of wet panties. Having him carry my drunk ass into the house after Jules’ bachelorette party last year sealed the deal.

Even in my inebriated state, my body was on full hum while in his arms.

“I’ll be right back,” I murmur and run up the stairs, around the girls, trying not to think about the fact that both hot-as-hell Montgomery men just got a prime view of my mostly naked ass. This is the most skin any man has seen of mine in close to five years.

Pathetic.

I can hear the girls loudly talking to the guys as I rush to pull on a hoodie and yoga pants, pull my hair up in a haphazard bun, and saunter back down the stairs.

“We are having Cocoa Puffs for breakfast,” Maddie informs me.

“Okay, but have a banana with that.”

“Oh man!” Josie complains.

“You know the rule. You can have sugar cereal if you have fruit, too.” I kiss both of their heads as I walk past them to fill the coffeemaker with water.

Matt grabs bananas and peels them for the kids. “You didn’t tell me about this rule,” he informs them with a mock glare.

“We didn’t know about it,” Maddie lies, trying to hold in a laugh.

“You know, I can take you to jail for lying to a police officer,” Matt informs them with a grin.

“Nuh uh!” Josie exclaims and giggles.

“Yep.” He nods.

“We’ll eat the banana,” Maddie concedes and takes a big bite out of hers.

“That’s better.” Matt slides his hand down her ponytail from across the breakfast bar. “No jail for you today.”

He’s so good with kids.

All of the Montgomerys are.

Caleb is leaning against my kitchen counter, watching me carefully, his arms crossed over his chest. His hair has grown out a bit from his usual supershort military cut, and his chin is covered in light strawberry-blond stubble.

Those trademark Montgomery blue eyes follow me as I move about the kitchen, setting up the coffee and making sure the girls are set.

Just like every time I see him, electricity shoots down my spine and out my limbs, and I just want to attach myself to him and devour him.

But, instead, I just smile and rub his bicep as I walk past.

“Coffee?” I ask him. His muscles flex at my touch, and my stomach clenches. Jesus, his arms are the size of my thigh.

“Please.” He nods.

“Me, too,” Matt agrees and steals a bite of Maddie’s banana, making her laugh.

“So, what’s up, guys?” I ask as I hand them their mugs of fresh coffee.

“Girls, you finish breakfast, and we’re gonna take your mom into the living room to talk, okay?” Caleb grins at the girls and kisses their cheeks. “Just yell if you need us.”

“Okay!” Josie agrees and slurps up some Cocoa Puffs, dribbling now-chocolate milk all over the breakfast bar.

Maddie nods and takes another bite of banana.

I follow the guys into the living room, enjoying the view of their rear ends as I follow.

“Have a seat.” Matt gestures to one of the chairs, but I just cross my arms over my chest and stay standing.

Have a seat, my ass.

“Just tell me what this is about.”

“Brynna, please sit down,” Caleb murmurs softly and sits on the couch next to the chair they want me to occupy.

I look back and forth between them, and realizing this is a losing battle, I sink down and sit on the edge of the chair.

“Okay, I’m sitting. Why are you both at my house at barely six in the morning, scaring the crap out of me?”

“I got a call yesterday at work,” Matt begins and sighs deeply.

“At the precinct?” I ask.

“Yeah. It was a PI, and he asked a bunch of questions about the family.” He looks up at me, his eyes sober. “The whole family.”

“Meaning, he asked questions about me,” I murmur and feel a light sweat break out on my skin. “And if they’ve linked me to your family, I have to go—”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Caleb interrupts and takes my hand in his, holding it tightly.

“The investigator didn’t specifically ask about you, but it raised some flags for me. I didn’t like it.” Matt shakes his head and stands to pace around the living room.

“It’s been more than a year, Matt. Why now?” I try to keep my voice low so the girls can’t hear me.

“I don’t know.” He turns back to us. “It might not have anything to do with what happened in Chicago.”

“I don’t think anyone can find me here,” I tell them. “I don’t own this house. I work for Isaac under the table. I haven’t even switched my driver’s license to Washington from Illinois. There’s no reason for any flags to have gone up.”

“I agree, and we’ll continue to be careful, but we think it’s in your best interests, and the girls’, to move in with either me or Caleb.”

“Absolutely not.” I pull my hand out of Caleb’s and pace the living room.

“Why?” Caleb asks, his voice calm and low.

“Because. The girls have school. I have a job. We have a routine. I’m not disrupting that. They’ve been through enough.” I continue to keep my voice low, but my entire body is taut, and I want to scream. “We’re finally at a place that we don’t jump every time we hear a strange noise.”

“Which is why you answered the door with a fucking screwdriver as a weapon?” Caleb asks with a cocked brow.

“I don’t typically get visitors this early in the morning.”

“We need to know you’re safe,” Matt insists and props his hands on his hips, staring at me.

“We are not moving out of this house.” I cross my arms over my chest and stare Matt down.

“Fine, I’m moving in.” Caleb stands and takes my shoulders in his big hands, his face fierce. “If you’re going to be stubborn, fine, you and the girls will stay here, but I’m moving in.”

“How is that possible?” I ask incredulously. “You get called out on a mission at a moment’s notice. How is that going to help?”

Matt clears his throat, and Caleb clenches his eyes shut for a moment and then pins me in his blue gaze once more. “Not anymore. My last mission was my final one.”

“What?” I ask, my eyes wide, searching his handsome face. “Why?”

“It was time.” He shakes his head and looks down before backing away from me and looking at Matt. “I’ll stay with her.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“What am I supposed to tell the girls?” I ask, still trying to wrap my head around all of this. Caleb is out of the Navy?

“Are you not listening, Brynna?” Caleb asks. “You could be in danger. I’m not willing to take that chance. Until we know for sure what’s going on, I’ll be here. Starting today.”

“Today’s not good for me…” I begin.

“Starting today.” Caleb’s voice is very controlled and very low as he pushes his face close to mine. “This is what we do in this family, Brynna. We protect our own.”

“I’m not…”

“Yes, you are,” Matt responds before I can finish my sentence. “Stop being stubborn and make the best of it.”

I look back and forth between the two formidable men looming over me, and I know I’ve lost this battle. I feel my shoulders droop and my lower lip quiver before I firm my jaw and blink quickly.

“What, you don’t want me to cramp your style?” Caleb asks sarcastically, but his face is soft and his eyes are kind as he watches me carefully.

“No, I just want our lives to go back to normal, and it feels like that’s never going to happen.”

Before I know what’s happening, Caleb has pulled me into his strong embrace. His hands sweep up and down my back, and he murmurs into my ear, “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”

“You’re sleeping on the couch, sailor,” I mumble into his soft gray T-shirt, earning a chuckle from him.

“Deal.”

***

“So what did you learn today?” I ask the girls as I set the table and walk back to the stove to check on the spaghetti sauce.

“I learned that Nelson eats his own boogers,” Josie replies with a grimace. “Boys are gross.”

“Who is Nelson?” I ask with a laugh and empty a package of angel hair pasta into a pot of boiling water.

“He’s in her class,” Maddie answers as she butters the garlic bread.

The front door opens and closes, and seconds later, Caleb walks into the kitchen with a scowl on his face.

“Why was the front door unlocked?”

“Caleb.” I sigh and shake my head, returning to the boiling pasta. “We’re fine.”

“Lock the damn door, Brynna.”

“Caleb! You’re not s’posed to swear.” Josie frowns up at him.

“Why do you have a bag? Are you spending the night?” Maddie asks, looking at the green duffle bag in Caleb’s hand.

“I’m going to stay with you guys for a while,” he responds, and I clench my eyes shut.

Crap, I haven’t talked to the girls yet!

 
“Why?” Josie asks.

“Because Caleb has some work being done on his place,” I hurry to answer before Caleb can and earn a look of surprise from him. “So he’s going to stay here for a while.”

“Okay.” Maddie shrugs and grins widely at the tall man in my kitchen. “Can you sleep in my room?”

“No, I think I’ll sack out on the couch.”

“Will you read me bedtime stories?” she asks.

“I can do that,” he confirms and grins down at her.

“Cool!”

“Mom usually reads to us,” Josie cuts in with a scowl on her pretty little face.

Josie has always been the more guarded of the girls. She’s not quick to trust, even with the Montgomerys, who have been a part of her life for over a year now.

She’s also the moodier of the two.

“If you’d rather she do it, that’s fine, too.” Caleb shrugs and sets his bag down in the hallway.

“I want Caleb!” Maddie yells.

“I want Mommy!” Josie yells back.

“Enough!” I yell. “This is not a big deal, girls. Stop arguing and go wash your hands. Dinner is ready.”

Both girls pout, their bottom lips sticking out and faces long, as they file out of the kitchen and into the small half bath in the hallway to wash their hands.

“If you keep your face like that for too long, it’ll stick that way!” I call out to them and smile when I hear them giggle.

Caleb smiles as he approaches me, pulls the lid on the sauce off so he can smell the aromas of tomato and thyme, and then replaces it.

“Looks like I’m right on time.”

“If you like spaghetti, yes, you are.” I pour the pasta into a colander and pull the garlic toast out of the oven. “I already set you a place at the table.”

“Thank you.”

I nod and turn away, but he grips my arm and pulls me back around to face him.