Gideon’s arm lay firmly around Rosie’s shoulders when they rang Evan’s doorbell. Jorge hung on Gideon’s hand, while Noah clung to Rosie’s. There could be no doubt in anyone’s mind about exactly where Gideon stood: smack dab in the middle of a family.
His family.
In all the months he’d spent watching Rosie from afar, Gideon’s feelings for her had always seemed like a betrayal of Karmen’s memory. His friend had been good and brave, but he’d never truly allowed his budding feelings for her to grow between them. Maybe it was the place, the war, the fighting, the fear. Maybe it was because he’d been afraid he’d lose her. And his nightmare had become a reality.
He could never make up for failing to keep her from harm, or for losing his men, or for all the pain their families had suffered. But he could keep Rosie and Jorge safe.
He knew in his heart that Karmen would approve.
The scent of freshly baked cookies wafted out as Evan opened the door. “Thanks for coming.” He tipped his head toward the kitchen, smiling. “Paige has been baking again.”
The Mavericks had put out the call for a meeting, and the men were assembled in Evan’s living room, demolishing a large plate of chocolate chip cookies. As Evan had already briefed Paige on the situation, she took the boys into the kitchen so the adults could talk openly without worrying about upsetting them.
Gideon sat with Rosie on the couch, his arm around her. He could see on the other Mavericks’ faces that they’d known all along what Rosie and Jorge meant to him.
They were absolutely everything.
Sebastian spoke first. “It didn’t take long to ferret out your ex’s dirty little secrets. Everything is in this manila folder.”
Rosie opened it, sliding it closer to Gideon so they could both review the information Rafe Sullivan had pulled together. Her eyes were wide, and she was shaking her head by the time they finished reading about the scumbag’s dirty dealings.
Gideon held her hand tightly, securely, lovingly in his, as she looked up at the other Mavericks. “Thank you so much for doing this, you guys.” A slight hitch in her voice betrayed her emotion.
“Rosie.” Will’s tone was gentle. “You’re Ari’s sister. You’re family. We take care of family.”
The Mavericks were foster brothers, just as Ari, Rosie, and Chi were foster sisters. They understood better than anybody that the bond wasn’t blood. The bond was love.
She blinked away tears. “I love you guys.”
Evan smiled. “Ditto. And we will take care of this problem.”
Daniel nodded. “Using this information, we can ream him a new—”
“No, wait.” Rosie leaned forward. “Of course I appreciate your offer to deal directly with Archie. I know all of you only have my best interests at heart. But I have to do this. I have to face him.” She gazed at each of them in turn, then came back to Gideon. “If I don’t do this myself, I’ll never feel truly free of him.”
Just the thought of Rosie meeting with Archie again was enough to nearly stop Gideon’s heart. He didn’t like it. No, he hated it. Hated the thought of her going anywhere near the guy.
But if he didn’t let her deal with Archie on her own terms, if he wrapped her in cotton wool and demanded she do things his way, she would hate him.
Though it took everything he had, he forced himself to nod. “You need to be free of him, Rosie.”
She pressed a soft kiss to his mouth, then pulled out her phone. “I’m going to call him right now and set up another meeting.”
* * *
It came as no surprise to anyone that Findley had been delighted at the prospect of seeing her again. Obviously, the guy thought his threats from their previous meeting had done the job and she was ready to cave to his demands. Her ex was so arrogant that he never even considered Rosie had something in store for him that would blow a mile-wide hole in his plans.
Paige was more than happy to take care of the boys for a while longer, and Rosie hugged Jorge fiercely before they left. He didn’t melt down like he had last night. It was as though he knew his mother had a very important thing to do that would make him secure for the rest of his life.
Findley had chosen another posh restaurant in another posh district, this time on Santana Row. Again, they could have valet parked, but Gideon wanted his keys in his own pocket for a quick getaway.
There was nothing he wanted to do more than pound the guy’s face into oblivion. Reading his mind, Rosie stopped him on the sidewalk with a hand on his cheek. “I’m not going to be alone in there, Gideon.” She went up on her toes to press her mouth to his, a kiss with so much sweetness, so much emotion. “Not when I know you’re going to be right here. The fact that you’ll be waiting for me makes it possible for me to accomplish absolutely anything I set my mind to.”
But you need me right there beside you.
His heart cried out to say the words aloud, to make her see that he needed to protect her and make absolutely certain she was safe.
Yet, he knew Rosie. There was no way he could stop her once she’d set her mind to something. He couldn’t tie her up or drag her off. He couldn’t order her to stay away from Findley. He couldn’t have the Mavericks, or Ari, command her not to go either.
The weight of all the things he couldn’t do crushed his chest. Suddenly, he could barely breathe.
The very same emotions had overwhelmed him the day Karmen died, the day the IED exploded and the sniper’s shot rang out. If only he’d been able step in, keep everyone from getting hurt—but his team, and Karmen, had been just as determined as Rosie. There was nothing he could have done differently. Nothing but support their decisions, their choices.
“Gideon.” She cupped her hands on either side of his face. “I can do this. I need to do this.”
He understood, he really did. Rosie needed to confront the monster in her life. She needed to protect her son.
Just the way Karmen needed to walk outside the wire, to do her job, to be a soldier, to help her team.
“Please trust me, Gideon.”
He wanted to trust her. Knew he needed to trust her.
But how could he let her walk into danger without him? What if something went wrong?
He would never, ever forgive himself.
“Gideon.” Rosie murmured his name again, this time against his cheek, and suddenly his heart pounded with the need to leave nothing unsaid. Not again. Never again.
He drew her close and held her tightly to him. “I’m terrified to let you go in there without me. But I also know that I have to trust you to do this your own way. On your own terms.” Gideon hated the idea of Rosie facing Archie again, of talking to him, listening to his lies, even breathing the same air. But he understood why she needed to. And he would stand behind her, backing her up every step of the way as she neutralized the bastard. He leaned his forehead against hers. He’d lost Karmen without ever having acknowledged, or told her, what was in his heart. He would not let Rosie go without expressing the depth of his feelings for her. “I love you. And I will be waiting for you right here, right outside the door. I will always be here for you. So do this. And then come back to me, safe and sound.”
“Oh, Gideon. I love you too.” Tears flooded her voice. “So, so much.”
Joy wrapped around his heart, around his entire being, around the parts that had been shrouded in darkness for so long.
Then Rosie pulled herself up, stronger and more committed now than she’d been even moments before. “Okay, it’s time to take him down.”
He gave her a thumbs-up. But though he trusted her to know the right thing to do, watching her walk away—and forcing himself to let her go without running after her to keep her safe at all costs—was the hardest battle he’d ever fought.