Only Her (A K2 Team Novel)(100)

“Merry Christmas,” she said.

“How?”

She sat on the sofa, pulling a handful of tissues out of her pocket. “I knew I’d need these.”

“I don’t even know what to say. You have . . . you have no idea what this means to me.” He stood with Layla in his arms and sat next to Riley. “How did you do it?” His other two dogs, knowing they weren’t allowed on the furniture, crowded against his legs. As for the cats, Pelli had gone to the top of the tree when the strange dog had entered, Merlin had perched himself on a bookshelf, and Arthur was cat-creeping toward the newcomer.

“It’s Logan and your team you really need to thank. From what I understand, Jake was talking to someone named Wizard, or maybe Lizard . . . you people and your names.”

“Wizard.” He buried his nose in Layla’s fur, breathing her in. She’d obviously been bathed and groomed since leaving Afghanistan, because she hadn’t smelled this good even when he’d been there with her.

“Right, Wizard. So, Wizard happened to mention during the conversation with Jake that he was as certain as he could be that he’d found Layla. Coincidentally, Logan was in Jake’s office at the time, and it was Logan’s idea to bring her here without telling you. According to Maria, who I got the story from, Logan wanted to be certain it really was Layla before getting your hopes up. Since the team knew Layla while you were in Afghanistan with them, they figured they’d be able to recognize her.”

“Why didn’t any of them tell me after she’d arrived?”

Riley shrugged one shoulder. “Because I asked them not to, thinking she would be the best possible Christmas present ever for you. Also, I wanted a few days with her at the clinic to check for the kind of problems a dog coming from a third-world country might have. She’s been wormed, had her shots, and been defleaed. She’s underweight, which isn’t surprising, but she’s in good health considering.” Riley scratched Layla’s chin. “Remarkably, she seemed to love getting bathed, like she knew she had to get all pretty for you.”

And dammit, he fucking cried.



Riley peered out the window of the limo that Logan had hired to drive past the best Christmas lights in Pensacola. Obviously, the driver knew where all the coolest lit houses were. Although it was a little crowded with five of the biggest men she’d ever known, along with their significant others, she had never had a better Christmas. Cody had his arm around her and she lifted her hand, curling her fingers around his. On New Year’s Day, she and Cody would attend Ryan and Charlie’s wedding. Ryan and Charlie had picked that particular day because, as they said, “It was a day for new beginnings.”

She and Cody had decided on a spring wedding, when life sprang anew. In the last few days, as she’d gotten to know the K2 team, she’d learned that each of them had a story, one that had a happily ever after, but didn’t have an end. That was her fantasy, anyway, that there was no end to true love, even into eternity.





EPILOGUE




Riley huddled with the women who’d become as dear to her as blood sisters. Their men were coming home today after a successful mission to get a group of doctors out of Syria. It was Cody’s third mission since coming to work at K2. The first one that Logan Kincaid had been concerned about Cody being involved in had gone off without a hitch. According to Maria—who knew everything there was to know about secret K2 stuff—Cody had performed to Logan’s expectations. Riley had never thought otherwise.

In four days, she would be married to the man coming toward her, and her heart turned over at the sight of him walking down the concourse with his teammates. He was laughing, they all were, actually, and she guessed either Jake or Ryan had cracked a joke. There was nothing better than seeing Cody Roberts happy, and her breath hitched when he caught her gaze and held it, hunger shining in his eyes. Oh yeah, she knew what they’d be doing the minute they were alone, and she couldn’t wait. It had been a long week of missing him.

Baby Griffin let out a wail. “Ah, sweetie,” Sugar cooed, rocking her son in her arms. “I know you’re hungry, but Daddy’s here.” She held him up. “See. There he is. Soon as we get in the car, you can chow down.”

Jamie jogged to his wife and son and wrapped his arms around them. “Missed you both so much.”

Sugar laughed. “We need to get gone before people start throwing tomatoes at us,” she said, speaking over Griffin’s wails. She looked over her shoulder as she and Jamie walked away. “See y’all at the wedding.”