“Cash, do you know Mackenzie?” Annabelle asked, gesturing to the woman at her side. “She’s married to Will.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” As he shook Mackenzie’s hand, he couldn’t help but notice what a knockout she was. Tall and willowy, with long black hair and blue eyes that sparkled when she smiled at him.
“Will told me about you,” Mackenzie said warmly. “He said you were one of the most determined men he’s ever met and that you kicked ass during BUD/S training.”
Cash hid his surprise. Will had actually said that? Receiving a compliment from the former SEAL, who was now an instructor on the base, occurred about as often as a solar eclipse. It surprised him that Lieutenant Will Charleston had mentioned Cash to his wife at all.
“I had no choice,” Cash replied ruefully. “He was too damn intimidating. Every time I got tempted to quit, I pictured myself ringing that bell while the LT stood there glaring at me and I knew I couldn’t live with that kind of embarrassment. Is he here today?”
Mackenzie pointed to the pool deck. “Over there.”
He followed her gaze, instantly spotting Will. The mirrored Aviators and unruly black hair were a giveaway, but the menacing air the man had exuded during Cash’s training was missing. Probably because Will held a wiggling dark-haired toddler in his arms: his son, Lucas.
John Garrett stood next to Will, also with his hands full; his two-year-old daughter Penny kept grabbing at the beer bottle in her father’s hand, which he kept moving out of her grasp.
Garrett’s wife, Shelby, giggled when she saw what her daughter was up to. “She’s got a fascination with bottles of all things,” the blonde revealed. “She tries jamming all her fingers into the bottle like she’s digging for treasure.”
Jen smiled, then searched the yard again. “Hey, are my brother and Holly here?”
“They were,” Annabelle replied. “I don’t know where they disappeared to.”
From the refreshment table, Jane suddenly caught Cash’s eye and flashed him a delighted smile.
“We should say hi to the birthday girl,” Cash said as he waved hello to Jane.
He and Jen drifted away from the women, passing several men Cash knew from the base. He said a few hellos, then caught sight of Dylan and Jackson near the swing set, holding paper plates and munching on appetizers. Ryan and Matt stood a few feet away, beers in their hands, heads bent in deep conversation. He looked around in search of Seth, but their resident badass was MIA. No surprise there—Seth’s dislike of kids was no secret. No doubt he’d already come by to drop off a gift, said a quick hello and hightailed it home.
“I’m so glad you could make it,” Jane said when they approached.
Baby Sadie made a delighted gurgling sound as her big blue eyes focused on the new arrivals.
“Hey there,” Jen crooned, leaning in to kiss Sadie’s forehead. “Happy birthday, cutie.”
“Gah!”
Jane grinned. “That means thank-you.” She shifted Sadie to her other hip and gestured to the food table behind her. “We decided not to barbeque—” she rolled her eyes, “—because Becker is scared the smoke from the grill will give our daughter cancer. But Holly prepared a whole bunch of yummy dishes—there’s like five different kinds of salad, mini sandwiches, appetizers and a bunch of other finger foods. So help yourself, okay?”
“Everything looks delicious,” Jen said, reaching for two plates. “Where is Holly, by the way?”
Jane wrinkled her brow. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since she set up the tables.”
Carson was noticeably absent too. Cash wasn’t sure if that was a good sign, or a bad one. As much as he didn’t want to imagine his lieutenant screwing around, he hoped Carson and Holly were inside getting it on somewhere. At least that would mean they were on their way to fixing the problems between them.
“I’m sure they’ll turn up soon,” Cash said, catching Jen’s frown. “Come on, let’s have something to eat.”
They spent the next twenty minutes chatting with Jane while they scarfed down some food. People drifted over to say hello, including Dylan and Jackson, the latter of whom Jen had yet to meet.
“So you’re the Texan,” she said, giving Jackson a thorough once-over.
Cash knew she liked what she saw. Women went wild for the smooth-talking Texan, with his wavy brown hair, whiskey-colored eyes and tall muscular frame. The guy lived in faded blue jeans, plaid shirts and combat boots, which made him appear laidback but at the same time tough.
Jackson winked. “And you are even more beautiful than everyone described, sugar.”
“What the hell, Texas?” Jane grumbled. “Why don’t you ever call me sugar?”
“Why don’t I call you sugar?” Jackson hooked a thumb behind her. “That’s why.”
Next thing Cash knew, Becker was barreling toward them, a surprising spring to his step. “There’s my little angel,” he said happily, in no way resembling the man who’d picked them up at the police station the other night. This Becker was relaxed and overjoyed, smiling broadly as he greeted his daughter.
Sadie wiggled in her mother’s arms and stuck out her chubby fists in Becker’s direction. “Gah!” she cried.
Becker gave everyone a brisk nod. “That means dad.” He promptly scooped Sadie out of Jane’s arms and tucked her against his powerful chest.