“You performed night after night because you loved your family that much, Briony, why would you think you’d do any less for your children?”
She couldn’t pull her gaze from his. He was so certain, not in the least ruffled by the news. She was impacting his life in ways she hadn’t expected, and he was the one handling it, not her. “Okay. You’re right. We’ll just do whatever has to be done-one day at a time.”
Jack’s fingers circled the nape of her neck. “We can do this.” He flashed a small grin. It faded quickly, but fascinated Briony all the same. There was no softening of his hard, weathered features; rather, his eyes went from dark to light. Her stomach somersaulted in response, proving she was still way too susceptible to him. “And we always have Ken to do diaper duty.”
“Aren’t you worried about Whitney’s men finding us?”
“They’ll either come for you or they won’t, baby. We can’t stop living our lives because Whitney may find out where you are.”
Jack didn’t leave the room as she got back into her jeans; in fact he didn’t even avert his eyes. “You’re incredibly beautiful, you know that?”
“No, I’m not, but it’s nice of you to say so.” She tried not to blush as she zipped up her jeans. It seemed natural to have Jack in the room with her, and it added another layer of intimacy between them.
“You are, and I have good taste in women and underwear.” He bent to brush a kiss against the corner of her mouth. “Ken’s on the roof of the building next door. Maybe we should sneak out back and make our getaway.”
She laughed and took his outstretched hand. “I still can’t believe we’re going to have twins. Do you have any idea how large I’m going to get? You won’t be able to push me through the door.”
It took a few minutes to get out of the doctor’s office. Jack made certain they had another appointment and that he picked up the tip sheet on nutrition. Briony was fairly sure she was going to be sorry she allowed him to get his hands on it.
Ken joined them at the Jeep. “Congratulations, you two. When you decide to do something, you really go all the way, don’t you?” He stowed his innocent-looking case containing the sniper rifle in a well under the seat floor before locking the vehicle.
“Keep it up and I’m going to kick you in the shins,” Briony warned.
“Stay between us, Briony,” Jack cautioned as they started down the street to the restaurant Ken insisted had the best food.
The twins walked with easy, fluid strides, eyes restless, gaze constantly moving-up over the buildings, examining the shrubbery, watching the people. Briony should have been nervous, but she was too excited. She didn’t walk down streets in the middle of a town, have dinner in a restaurant, or go listen to music in a bar in the evening. This was a luxury-a gift from Jack. She felt no pain at all, just a wonderful sense of freedom. She smiled at a couple walking toward them, and joy blossomed when they smiled back. She didn’t read anything terrible, such as that the man was having an affair, or the wife wanted out of the marriage, or that they’d just lost a child. She could take them at face value-a happy couple walking on the same sidewalk.
Jack glanced down at her face. Briony was beaming, and he could feel the change in her with every step they took. The air was cool and crisp, a light breeze with night beginning to fall. She was nearly dancing, the elation coming off her in waves.
“Don’t you love this?” She looked up at him, flashing a smile. “I love this.”
“What?” He tried not to be distracted by her excitement, but something about her jubilation was catching. He was happy just walking down the damn street with her. She fit right beneath his shoulder, her head brushing against his arm as he walked with her and he felt-whole.
He glanced at Ken. Why the hell does a woman complete a family?
Ken shrugged and exchanged a small smile with him. I don’t know, but let’s keep her. She’s mellowed you out, and I didn’t think that was possible.
I’ve always been mellow.
Ken snorted aloud, drawing Briony’s attention. He reached past her head and opened the door of the restaurant. “My brother is living a life of total illusion. He thinks he’s mellow.”
“He does?” Briony’s eyebrow shot up as she tilted her head to look up at Jack. “You do?”
“We want that table,” Ken indicated a table near the exit door, up against the wall facing the front.
“We have a nicer table over here,” the hostess said, “in the section that’s open.” She stared at the scars on Ken’s face and neck and glanced briefly at Jack, then quickly averted her eyes.
Briony took a step to place herself between Ken and the hostess, bristling with indignation that the woman would stare with such na**d horror at Ken’s wounds. Jack’s fingers settled around her arm-gently, but firmly-preventing her from moving out from between them.
“That table,” Ken said with another engaging smile, stepping in front of Jack, who didn’t move, didn’t speak, but suddenly appeared menacing.
The hostess took the bill Ken slipped her and led them to the table without further complaint. Ken waited until they were seated and had water and fresh baked bread before he pinned his brother with a steely gaze. “There’s no need to intimidate anyone, Jack. You be nice.”
“You have to bribe them to get your way,” Jack pointed out. “I’m never out any money.”
Ken shook his head. “Cretin.”
Briony rolled her eyes. “Are you two like this all the time?”
“Yes,” Ken confirmed. “I’m trying to integrate him into society, but he’s resistant. Without me, Jack would be some old mountain man with a bad attitude, chasing people around with his bowie knife.”
“I don’t much care for society-and I’d use a gun.”
“Were you always in the military-I mean, before Whitney?” Briony asked.
“Went in as soon as we were old enough,” Ken replied. “It got us off the streets and we had a knack for it. Pain didn’t mean much to either of us, and we’re both right at home behind a weapon.”
“How did Whitney find you?”
Ken sprawled his legs out under the table, forcing Jack to turn sideways. Both watched the doors and windows and people, rather than looking directly at Briony. “We’ve always been telepathic; used it to communicate when we were kids. In fact, we were pretty damned strong and had never met anyone else like us. We trained in the SEALs program and served a few years, then we were asked to take a test for psychic abilities.” He flashed her a brief grin. “We scored very high, and Whitney was drooling over us.”