A SEALed Fate (6 page)

“Auntie Z!”

A slow grin tipped up the edges of her lips as she pulled into the driveway of the modest two-story home Fitz’s parents had owned for the last twenty years or so. Just a few feet away Gabriela and Riley’s youngest girl stood bouncing around, brown eyes huge in her small, heart-shaped face.

Zuly climbed out of her SUV and stooped, waiting for Maria to charge her like she always did. The scent of baby powder teased her nostrils as she spun the three-year-old around, while laughing. “Ah, there’s my big girl.”

Maria nodded, hair flying everywhere. “Yup...where’s my stuff?”

Hands suddenly plucked the little girl from Zuly. “How many times do we have to go over this, child? You greet first, ask for presents later,” Gabriela chastised. “You soften them up
then
go for the kill. Jesus...”

“Why are you teaching this child your satanic ways?” Zuly questioned, grabbing three different containers from the back seat.

“Because if you teach them young, you can get rich later.”

“I’m telling Riley you said that.”

Gabriela shrugged as they walked up the front steps and through the open door. “Go ahead. It was his idea to begin with. He already has a ten-year plan laid out for the boys.”

“Lord on high...”

“I smell more food!” one voice yelled from just beyond the hallway before three sets of
ungodly
sized feet came running.

“Stop running in the house!” Miriam Carrigan shouted after her sons as they all came to a stop in front of Zuly.

“Z.” Cael pressed a hand to his own chest. “My heart, the light of my life, the one I breathe for–”

“The smell of bull is starting to choke us all,” Sullivan stated, shoving Cael away and into the sofa. “Shaddup and sit down.” A face that was so similar to Fitz’s they could’ve been twins turned to Zuly and grinned. “Now that the ugly one is out of the way–”

“You mother–”

“Not in my house, Cael!” Miriam cut her third-youngest son off, shouting from the kitchen.

Cael sat back, rubbing between his brows with his middle finger.

“–you can give all your attention to
me,”
Sullivan finally finished, grinning from ear to ear.

“You only want me for my food,” Zuly pointed out, holding up the containers of red velvet whoopie pies, homemade mac and cheese and green bean casserole.

“But I want you, and that’s all that matters here.”

One huge hand came down on Sullivan’s head before it abruptly moved him and the rest of his oversized body into the same place Cael was–on the couch and out of view.

“Rude!” he bellowed from beside his brother.

Riley stood there, brow quirked. “I could give you the pleasantries, I could ask for the containers or I could make you want to
give
me
the containers. Which shall it be?”

“Now I remember why I’m pregnant again,” Gabriela murmured before heading for the kitchen, Maria still firmly tucked away in her arms. “Sounds exactly like what he said four months ago.”

Disturbed now from
that
particular imagery, Zuly simply handed the containers over.

“Thank you so very much.” Riley beamed before walking after his wife.

Feeling eyes staring at her, Zuly turned her head to find Cael and Sullivan glaring. “What?” She shrugged. “He’s enigmatic.”

“He’s an asshole,” Cael replied.

“A
huge
asshole,” Sullivan added.

“Stop pouting and come eat.”

Both got to their gigantic booted feet.

“No Fitz tonight, eh?” Cael questioned.

Zuly sucked in a deep breath before letting it out on a sigh. “‘Fraid not, boys.”

Sullivan nodded. “Didn’t think so. Seems we’re gonna have to go for plan B here, Cael.”

“Right you are, Sully.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Zuly tugged on each of their arms as they started past her. “What’s plan B?”

“Beating the shit out of him ‘til he sees reason–” Cael started.

“–and comes to understand that we’re not tolerating the
Deliverance
act anymore,” Sullivan finished

Zuly’s lips quirked as she recalled her words to Fitz just half an hour ago. “You two do realize he’s a SEAL, right? Injured or no, he’ll fuck you both up beyond recognition.”

Sullivan snorted. “Plan B involves a Taser, some duct tape and Justin Bieber. Trust me—we’ll win this battle.”

She was still laughing as she reached the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to watch Miriam bustle around, directing her grandsons on the right way to roll croissants while her husband sat in his favorite corner, eyes glued to the small TV she’d allowed him to have.

Miriam pulled up short, disappointment briefly flashing across her green eyes as she looked over Zuly’s shoulder and came away wanting. Rather than complain, she kissed Zuly’s cheek.

“I told you not to bring anything.”

Zuly locked fingers with the woman who’d been like a second mother to her. “Do I ever listen?” She paused. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t bring the one thing you wanted.”

Miriam’s lips lifted in a sad smile. “He’ll come around.”

“Sure will.” A very familiar rumble came from the doorway. “Might even be sooner than you think.”

Both women pulled up short, Miriam gasping as she turned to find Fitz, cane in hand, standing a few feet away.

He gave a shy grin. “Hiya, Ma.”

***

“Ma, seriously. I had enough to...please stop adding stuff to my plate,” Fitz groaned, sitting back in his chair. He’d debated with himself for only God knew how long about coming before he fired up his truck and made his way to his parents’ home. The look of disappointment in Zuly’s eyes had been enough to haunt him into doing so, and the look of joy in his Mother’s eyes had been enough to make him believe he’d done the right thing. He was home and it felt good.

“You’re too thin.” She cupped his face and looked to Fitz’s dad. “Is he not too thin, Dolan?”

Before his father could even respond, Miriam was piling more food onto Fitz’s plate. “Way too thin...”

“Doesn’t look thin to me,” Cael said, grinning.

Fitz shot him a grateful look. “Thank you.”

“Just funny-looking...period,” his older brother finished.

Sullivan snorted. “Be nice, Cael. You know we were taught to be kind to those less fortunate. Just because he’s ugly doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve some respect.”

“I hate you both,” Fitz murmured.

Cael
tsk
ed. “Ungrateful. We’re not rubbing our stunning beauty in your face, and yet you can’t find it in your heart to say thank you?”

“If you fell off the top of Carrigan Mountain I could say thank you.”

“Boys,” Miriam admonished. “This is the first time my baby has been at this table in months. Leave him be.”

Riley, who’d been quiet up until now, leaned forward and simply asked in a low tone, “And whose fault was that?”

Gabriela reached for her husband’s hand. “Riley...”

Fitz’s eyes met his brother’s, and tension thick enough to cut with a knife seemed to seize the movements of everyone at the dining room table. Zuly stopped talking to the boys about Little League. Maria stopped coloring. Cael and Sullivan stopped piling food. Everything just stopped.

The pure resentment staring back at Fitz caused his breath to leave in a shallow puff of air. He’d felt this before. With Donelly. Across enemy lines. The slow rise of contempt.

The longer they stared at one another, the thicker the tension became. Zuly reached for Fitz’s hand. “Hey...how about you and I go take a walk? Work off some of that food so–”

“No,” Fitz interrupted, moving forward until his elbows were on the table. “You have something you want to say to me, Riley?”

His brother mirrored his moves. “Yes. You’re selfish.”

“Riley–” Miriam started but her oldest boy held up a hand.

“We worried about you. We prayed for you. We sat and we waited for a phone call or for someone to come knocking on that door—” Riley jabbed a finger toward their parents’ front door. “—to tell us you’d been blown to hell, and yet the first thing you do when you’re finally home,
finally free,
is hole up like you don’t give a damn about what Mom and Dad went through while you were gone—what
we all
went through?”

Fitz rubbed his temples. “You don’t understand.”

“Explain it to me, then.” Riley slapped a hand to his own chest. “Explain to me how I’m supposed to feel when the kid who I taught how to ride a
bike,
how to swim, how to fish, how to
fight,
won’t even answer one goddamned phone call.”

“Riley, that’s enough,” Dolan snapped. “He’s here now. That’s what matters.”

“Is it, Dad?” Riley looked from Fitz to his father. “Is that all that matters? That the precious baby boy is appeased? Tended to? His boo-boos patched up while the rest of us are left to feel like we don’t mean shit?”

“You don’t know nearly as much as you think you do,” Fitz retorted softly, as calm as possible.

“I know you’re an inconsiderate prick,” Riley replied.

Tucking in his lips, Fitz nodded as he got to his feet. “And I’ll be that.” He looked to his mother, whose eyes were wide and watery and to his father who looked at a loss for what to say. “I’ll call you later.” He started from the dining room. When he heard a chair scraping backwards he thought it might be Zuly coming to stop him.

“No,” Riley snarled from just behind him. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to stroll in an out of our lives when we sat around crying for your sorry ass.”

Fitz sucked in a huge breath. “I’m leaving. Let it go, Ry.”

“Fuck that. Stop running and face me like a goddamned man. Own up to the fact that you’ve been a coward!”

Still walking, Fitz found himself just a few feet away from the door.
Just a few more steps. One, two, three...

A hand came crashing down on his shoulder. “I said turn around!”

Instinct propelled Fitz into action. He let go of his cane and grabbed that same hand, twisting it. His body readjusted as he spun on his good leg and flipped the owner of that hand over his shoulder, sending him through the coffee table in the living room. The crash that sounded snapped him out of his haze of rage, and he froze as his family came rushing into the doorway. Riley lay dazed on the floor, pieces of wood and glass everywhere.

Heart in his throat, Fitz looked to the people who were silently staring in abject horror. “I...I didn’t mean to... I’m so sorry...” Shame made his steps out of the house and down the porch quicker. He could hear voices calling his name but he refused to answer. Just kept walking. Past the driveway. Past his truck. He just kept walking.

***

“Fitz!” Zuly’s throat was raw from calling his name, windows and sunroof down so her voice would carry farther than the confines of her SUV.

She’d been searching for him for more than twenty minutes now, eyes scanning the surrounding woods and roads as she pulled away from the Carrigan household, flashes of the look in Fitz’s eyes causing her vision to blur.

Zuly sped up once she saw a dark figure up ahead, moving down the graveled pathway at a steady but awkward pace. Coming to a stop, she barely put the car in park before she hopped out and shot toward him.

“Fitz!”

Despite the darkness, she could see him when he turned toward her. “Go back, Zuly.”

Catching up with him, she halted directly in front of him. “No.
You
need to go back and–”

“Don’t,” he barked. “Don’t tell me what I need to do. Everyone is always telling me what I fucking need to do! Just stop!”

“It’s
my
fault that you won’t open your goddamn mouth and ask for the help you so obviously need?” She stood toe to toe with him, gesturing back toward the house. “What was that shit? Since when can’t you face your brothers?”

“I
told
you this shit was a bad idea. I
told
you.”

“No, you gave me a bunch of excuses as to why you shouldn’t go sit down with your own family like an adult and have dinner.”

“Because I knew
this
would happen.” His arms went up. “Did you not sit and witness that? My own brother
hates
me.”

Zuly shoved him. “You’re so stupid! You think Riley would be that goddamn angry if he hated you? No, Fitz. He loves your pigheaded ass. He’s hurt because you’re hiding from him. From
all of us.”

“Don’t do that,” Fitz said softly. “Don’t push me.”

She shoved him again, hands pressing into his chest with enough force to send him stumbling back a step this time. “Or what? You gonna flip me too?” She pushed him again. “Or are you gonna keep walking away from me like you don’t give a damn about me?”

He caught her by the shoulders, shaking her a bit. “Do not
ever
fucking tell me I don’t care about you.”

Zuly hit him in the chest. “Then act like it!” Fisting his T-shirt, she tried to keep tears from clogging her throat. “Fucking act like it and stop shutting me out.”

Fitz let her go, shaking his head. “I’m not doing this with you.” He picked up his cane and started around her.

“Yeah, that’s right,” she mocked with a glibness she didn’t really feel. “Walk right past Zuly because she’s your favorite toy. Because she’ll always be there for you to fall back on. Because you don’t really give a fuck how she feels. Because you’ll never love her the way she loves you...”

Zuly could sense the moment it happened; the moment she pushed too far.

He stopped in his tracks, shoulders tense as his cane once again hit the ground, fists clenching at his sides. Fitz turned slowly and grabbed her to him with a quickness that took the breath from her lungs. She had a second to search his face. “Fitz?”

Staring down at her, shadows playing against his features, Fitzgerald Donahue Carrigan leaned in and kissed her. It wasn’t light. It wasn’t sweet. It wasn’t romantic. There was a deliberate roughness in the way he pressed his mouth to her own; in the way he pried her lips apart with his tongue and swept it inside.

Zuly’s hands fisted in his shirt once again then went lax as she melted against him, his arms caging around her as he pulled her body just that much closer. One huge hand let go of her biceps to reach up and run through her hair, gripping the strands firmly and pulling her head back for his assault as he nipped her lips, sucking the bottom rim into his mouth then releasing it with a wet pop. The slight sting at her scalp failed to even register as he licked and nibbled his way up the side of her neck, gently gripped where her pulse hammered between his teeth. His other hand swept down her back and to her ass, squeezing in a firm caress that had Zuly panting with the exertion it took not to fall at his feet.