Attached (Coronado Series Book 3) (21 page)

The crowd quieted as she started singing. Her voice floated over the music, and people started clapping and whistling. Cat looked over at Frank and winked at him. He shook his head in disbelief. Why wasn’t this woman singing professionally? Her voice was beautiful, and she was singing the hell out of the song as she held the audience in the palm of her hand. She stood on the stage, leaned into the song, and belted out line after line. Cary owned the audience as her voice filled the room. It seemed to end too quickly, and the crowd was on its feet, clapping and cheering. Frank and Catalina got up and joined everyone in applauding the performance. Frank put his arm around Cat and spoke into her ear. “Does Travis know about this?”

“He heard her sing when they first met, but I don’t think he understands how good she is.”

Cary made her way back to the table and sat down. “That was fun. I always like singing that song.”

Frank stared at her. “Why don’t you sing professionally?”

“I’m not that good. I just do it for fun.”

“You’re better than you think.”

Cat put her hand on his arm. “Leave it. We’ve been trying for years to tell her, and she doesn’t want to believe us.”

Cary smiled and looked for the waitress. One of the guys who had been hanging around caught her eye and came over. “What can I get you, darling?”

Frank answered for her. “I got it, man. Don’t worry about it.”

“I think we should let her answer.”

David and Chris came up to the table at that moment. David put his hand on the guy’s shoulder in a firm grip and smiled at the guy as he turned around. “Like Frank said…we got it.”

The guy looked at the three large men with easy smiles on their faces and decided it wasn’t worth it. He smiled at Cary and walked away, shaking his head. Cary stood up and stared the three of them down. “I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself. I could’ve taken care of it by myself.”

David sat down and signaled to the waitress. “I know you can handle it, but where’s the fun in that?”

She shook her head as the waitress came up to the table, and ordered a margarita. “I could’ve handled it.”

Frank leaned forward and spoke across the table. “I don’t want Travis to give me a hard time when he gets home. I told him I would keep an eye out, and that’s what I’m doing.” He held up his phone and showed her the texts he was receiving from Travis. “By the way, he says you shouldn’t have more than three margaritas, because you got really sick the last time you had tequila.” He looked down at his phone as another text came in. “He also says you look really pretty and did an amazing job with the song.”

She leaned across the table and gave Frank a death glare that he totally ignored. “I do not need a babysitter.”

David leaned over and put his arm around her shoulders. “We’re not babysitters. We’re brothers watching out for you. Just because Travis isn’t here doesn’t mean that he’s not here.”

Cary was touched and frustrated and confused about how she’d ended up with a boyfriend and family all in one fell swoop. “I’m not sure how I feel about this, but I should thank you for coming out tonight and keeping us company. Since you’re here, one of you gets to sing with me.”

Chris shook his head hard. “I don’t sing. David and Travis are swim buddies and best friends. He’s going to sing with you.”

“I can’t sing, either. No one wants to hear me.”

Catalina spoke up quickly. “Everyone wants to hear Cary sing, so all you have to do is get up there and sing softly.” She pushed the notebook in his direction. “Pick a song.”

David shoved the book toward Cary, “You pick. Just make sure I don’t have to sing too much.”

Cary smiled at him as she patted his arm. “Make sure that someone records this. I want everyone to be able to see this.” She heard David groan next to her and Chris laugh.
This is going to be fun.

Cary chose Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now.” “This shouldn’t be too hard. You just sing as much as you want.”

“Fine.”

Cary got up and went to sign them in. As she walked back to the table, she felt a wave of longing. She missed Travis and wished he were here.
Darn, that man has worked his way into my heart without me even knowing.
 

She sat down and listened to the conversation as she drank her margarita. She picked up her purse to get her lipstick out and noticed that Travis had blown up her phone with texts again.
 

“
Congratulations. I loved the song you sang. I was blown away by your beauty and talent, just like I am every day. I wish I was there to cheer you on. I hope having the guys there lets you know that I support you even when I’m not there. Have fun tonight and let David drive you home. I’ll call you tomorrow when I land. Can’t wait to get home and wrap you up in my arms and kiss you. Xoxox”

She finally decided to text him back.
 

“
Be safe and come home without any bullet holes. See you on Saturday
.”

It wasn’t very much, but it was something. She didn’t want to confess her feelings in a text. She wanted to tell him in person. She heard her and David’s names and pulled herself out of her funk. “Come on, David, let’s do this.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the stage. Before they walked on, she leaned over and reminded him that it would last only three minutes. “You can survive anything for three minutes.”

He looked at her and gave her a doubtful look. “I would rather be in a firefight.”

“I know, but this will be more fun.”

“No, the firefight would be more fun.” The music started, and Cary looked over at him and smiled as she sang the first verse of the song. She pointed to the monitor and signaled that it was almost his turn. He took a deep breath and decided to go for it. What the hell? His dignity was already in shreds. He might as well make a good show of it. He leaned into the microphone, sang his part and looked over at Cary as she gave him a big smile. She sang over him and under him and somehow managed to make his voice sound OK. She also belted out a couple of lines, and the crowd went crazy. They mercifully made it to the end of the song, and people were actually clapping and not booing. He swung Cary up and gave her a hug. “Next time, Travis gets to come up here and do this.”

She nodded and smiled as they made their way off the stage.
I hope he feels like being with me after I tell him.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Cary stood outside her pod as Chad let the doors swing open, she looked at all her stuff and felt a wave of relief. She finally was moving into her home. She looked forward to never moving again, and this was the first step. “Don’t touch anything,” Chad said. “The guys are on their way over, and they’re going to put everything in the house.”

“How did they know I was going to be ready to move in today?”

“Because I told Adam and Adam told David. Travis told Adam to let him know. Apparently he didn’t trust you to wait until he got home. He wanted the guys to help if he wasn’t here.”

“I’ve liked you up until this point, Chad.”

“You still like me, because I did a great job on your house.”

“I like you a little bit less after this.”

“I can live with that. I like Travis, and I don’t need him up my ass because I didn’t let Adam know. You have free movers and should be thanking me.”

“I feel bad the guys are doing this. I’m sure that they have other things to be doing.”

“You don’t get it, do you?”

“I guess not. Why don’t you fill me in?”

“They would be pissed if you let strangers come over and move you in. You’re now part of the family, and there’s no way they would allow you to pay for it.”

“I’m not married to Travis. We’re just dating.” She watched Chad start to laugh and shake his head at her. “I’m glad you find this so funny.”

“I’ve never seen one of these guys
just date
once they fall for a girl. It’s just a matter of time before he hustles you down the aisle to get married.”
 

“I’m going to tell him I love him as soon as he gets home, so he may end up running away from me.”

“He’s not going to run away from you. He’s going to run at you hard and fast. Congratulations.”

“Let’s save that until we see how he feels.”

“I know how he feels. He’s checked in with me every week since I started this job and came out with a bunch of guys to install a state-of-the-art security system. He made sure that we made a dog door because he wants you to have a dog. This man is planning a life with you.”

“I hope you’re right, but I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. Go look at your new house and tell me what you think.”

Cary walked up the front steps of her home and admired the wide plank flooring that was now painted white. She opened the front door and stepped in and let out a big breath. It was perfect. The pale yellow walls looked beautiful against the dark wood floors. Chad and the guys had done an amazing job with all of the built-ins and restored them beautifully. She looked into the kitchen and admired the countertops and all of the fixtures that she’d chosen. This was going to be the center of the home, and she couldn’t wait to have a house-warming party. She heard Chad come in and turned to smile at him. “Thank you for making me a beautiful home.” She stepped toward him, wrapped her arms around his big frame and gave him a hug. She looked up at him and felt tears start to fall down her face. “This is my first home and I can’t thank you enough.”

She squeezed him again, heard the front door open, looked up and saw Travis walk through the front door.

“Is this what happens when I leave for a week? Did you find another man already?”

Chad released Cary and she flew toward Travis and jumped into his arms. “You made it home.”

“It looks like a good thing, too. I knew you had a thing for Chad, so I had to come home and remind you why you like me better.”

Chad cleared his throat. “I’m heading out. Call me if you need anything after you do the final walk-through. You have about an hour before the guys start showing up to move you in.”

Travis held on to Cary and proceeded to kiss the hell out of her. It felt like he’d been gone for a month instead of a week. He lifted his mouth, rested his head against hers and let out a big breath. “I missed you, baby.”
 

“I missed you more because I seem to have fallen in love with you.” Looking up into his eyes, she held her breath and waited for him to respond.

He tightened his hold and spun her around and let out a loud
hooyah
. “Damn, I love you, too! I’m in love with you, and I can’t wait to marry you.” He ran his tongue against her mouth and released all the desire that he’d banked for the last week.
 

She lifter her head. “I missed your face.”

“I missed your face more.” He ran his hand up her leg. “Do you really love me?”

“More than you will ever know. I’m not sure when it happened, but I am. Completely and madly.”

“Finally!”

“Travis, it’s only been two months. That’s not long at all.”

“I’ve felt this way for a long time, so it seems a like a long time to me. I’m going to ask you to marry me, so get yourself ready.”

“OK.”

“OK.”

They heard cars pull up and doors slam, and that was the end of the conversation for now.
 

********

Travis stood on the front steps, watched everyone pull up and appreciated that everyone had shown up. It was one of the many benefits of being in the brotherhood. You always had a group of guys who would show up without hesitation. He now understood that it included the women, as well, as he saw Birdie and Mark drive up.
 

As everyone started pouring out of cars and trucks, he felt Cary walk up behind him. He wrapped his arm around her. “Are they all here for us?” she asked.

“Yes, baby. This is what we do on moving day. We all show up and move stuff in.”

“I don’t know what to say. I’ve been alone for so long and doing everything on my own. This is a little overwhelming.”

“You’re getting not only a husband but also, a family to go with it. We always help each other out. No questions asked.”

She watched as Birdie directed her husband toward the cooler in the back of her car. “She looked up at Cary and waved, “I brought water, soda and beer.”
 

“Thank you, Birdie.”

Cary moved down the path and gave her a big hug. “Wow, this is so nice of everyone.”

“My pleasure. Now show me your house because I’m dying to see it.”

“Shouldn’t I be out here, helping them move stuff in?”

“They’re not going to let you do anything. Just stand inside and direct them where everything goes.”

“OK…I guess.”
 

Travis kissed her cheek as he went out to the storage pod and started directing the guys as they pulled furniture out.
 

Max and Mark walked up to him and clapped him on the back. “Did you get the ring?” Mark asked.

Travis looked around to make sure that Cary was nowhere near them. “I did! I found what I was looking for when I was in the UAE. I just have to figure out where I’m going to ask her.”