Skylar was more bubbly and outgoing than P.J., and she had an infectious smile that immediately put people at ease. Edge was her polar opposite. Big—like whoa big—and stony looking. Quiet and definitely reserved. He wasn’t bad looking at all. If you went for the strong, silent type, then this guy would be right up your alley.
He was dark. Dark eyes, dark hair, dark expression. Very somber. While Skylar was a lot lighter. Blond-haired, blue-eyed with paler skin that looked only barely kissed by the sun. And she had a lot of blond hair. It looked to be naturally curly but not too kinky. It fell in soft waves and layers over her shoulders and down her back.
The two introduced themselves and informed Maren that they’d heard a lot about her. She was immediately at ease with Skylar but wasn’t sure about Edge until he very gently took her hand and then leaned in to kiss one cheek and then the other in greeting. For some reason, the gesture moved her and emotion knotted her throat.
Rio and Grace were the last to offer their congratulations and hugs, and by the time they made it to where Maren and Steele stood, she was sagging from standing so long and smiling and talking to people.
“Thanks again for facilitating my return to civilization, Rio,” Maren said after he and Grace had given her hugs.
Rio smiled, his arm looped around Grace’s waist. “You’re welcome, Doc. Anytime. You’ve saved our asses enough times.”
“Maren, you haven’t met Elizabeth yet.” Grace turned and motioned to the girl who was now sitting next to Rusty, staring down and smiling at one of the babies. “Elizabeth, I want you to meet Dr. Scofield, honey. Come see.”
“I’ve heard so much about her,” Maren said softly. “I hope she’s doing okay now.”
Rio’s gaze followed his adopted daughter all the way over, and Maren could see the fierce protective light in his eyes as well as the warmth and love for both his daughter and his wife.
Soon this would all be hers too. She’d watched Sam and Sophie with Charlotte. Now Ethan and Rachel with the babies. And finally Rio and Grace with Elizabeth. It was beautiful to see the love that shone like a beacon in their every look and touch. She craved the same.
Her hand went to her belly and then Steele’s hand crept over hers, giving it a little squeeze as if to tell her he understood the direction of her thoughts.
“She’s doing wonderfully,” Grace said, a note of pride in her voice. “She’s had some bad days, don’t get me wrong. But Rio and I love her and she loves us. Honey, this is Dr. Scofield, a very good friend of ours.”
Elizabeth smiled shyly at Maren and extended her hand. Maren took it, smiling back at the girl.
“I’m very happy to meet you, Elizabeth.”
“Thank you. I’m pleased to meet you too.”
“Congratulations, man,” Rio said in a sincere voice. “Maren is a terrific woman. You’re lucky to have her.”
Maren’s face immediately flamed at the assumption Rio had made. He acted as though Maren and Steele were a slam-dunk. A thing. An item. Practically married.
She sneaked a peek up at Steele to gauge his reaction, but all he did was tighten his grasp around her waist, anchoring her more firmly underneath his shoulder, and then he said, “I am very lucky. I was afraid I’d never get her back. You can be certain I’m not letting her out of my sight again.”
She had no doubt he did it for her. He didn’t at all look comfortable with saying what he’d said. But he also sounded sincere. Uncomfortable but sincere. Her heart melted a little more over the idea that he gave her what he thought she needed when he’d rather cut out his tongue than talk about anything remotely personal in front of others.
Sophie leaned in, putting her hand on Maren’s arm. “We women are going to steal Maren for a bit, Steele. I’ll have her back before we eat.”
Steele reluctantly lowered his arm, freeing her from his hold. He let his hand slide down her arm until it got to her hand. He caught it and squeezed a moment before letting her completely loose.
She sent him a smile she hoped contained all the love that she’d witnessed in his gaze earlier. And judging by the way he looked at her now, she must have been successful.
CHAPTER 31
“WHAT’S between you and Maren?” Sam asked bluntly.
Steele turned toward Sam’s voice, his brows furrowed at the forcefulness of Sam’s question. Then he gazed around to see if others were close enough to hear. He and Sam were off the deck, down the steps and on the lesser patio that was between the dock and the main deck, where the others were still eating and talking.
“I think it’s obvious what’s between us,” Steele said in a dry voice.
Sam pursed his lips and glanced up to where Maren was surrounded by the Kelly women, laughing and having a good time.
“Maren is a very good friend of mine. I cherish her friendship a lot. She’s one of the dearest friends I have. It goes way beyond a professional relationship. She’s like a sister to me without all the pesky qualities of a real sister.”
The corner of Steele’s mouth quirked up. “You warning me off your ‘sister’?”
Sam shook his head. “No, but I don’t want her hurt either. She’s a good woman, Steele. The best. She’s helped a lot of people.”
“What exactly is it you think I’m going to do to her?” Steele asked in exasperation.
He didn’t want to be having this conversation. Period. Maren was his business. His relationship with Maren was his business. Their child was definitely his business. And none of those were anyone else’s concern but his. He didn’t give a damn what Sam considered her. She was his. Whatever Sam had felt like doing for her in the past, he could just drop it now, because Steele was taking over.
“Look, you’re a hard-ass. Everyone knows that. You know what the others call you. While I don’t agree that you’re some emotionless machine, you’re a nightmare to most women because you’re so tight-lipped all the time and women like men to talk to them.”
Steele nearly laughed at the visible shudder that rolled over Sam’s shoulders.
“Maren is . . . special. I just hope you realize what you’ve got, Steele. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, make sure you do before it’s too late. Take it from someone who damn near waited too long.”
Steele glanced up the walkway to see Garrett and Donovan approaching. He hadn’t planned to get into this with them today, but the opportunity had presented itself and it would save him a trip back over.
As soon as Garrett and Donovan got close enough, Steele took a step back so they could take part in the conversation.
“I’m off the books for a while,” Steele said.
Sam didn’t react. He didn’t seem surprised. “Okay. How long are we talking about here?”
There was caution in his tone, and maybe he worried that Steele would go completely off his rails and walk away now that he had Maren and a child on the way.
“I can’t answer that,” Steele said honestly. “My first priority has to be Maren’s and my child’s safety.”
Garrett nodded. “I get that.”
Donovan nodded too.
“Not fair to my team to take the downtime with me,” Steele said. “They need the action. The longer we’re down, the rustier and more complacent we get. Plus they don’t get paid when we’re not in action.”
Sam lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “You telling us to take your team? That’s not something I ever expected from you.”
Steele ran a hand through his hair. “Look. For a long time my team has been my life. KGI has been my life. They’ve gotten a hundred and ten percent of my loyalty. Maren gets that from me now. She deserves it. Our child deserves it. Not saying I won’t be back. But we have a lot to work out. And that’s why I want to talk to you all. First, I need to be out of action for a while. I don’t trust Caldwell not to make a grab for her.”
“I hear you,” Garrett muttered.
“Second thing is, we have a hell of a lot to figure out. Maren had a practice in Costa Rica. No way in hell I want her going back there or anywhere for a long damn time. But that’s not fair to her. I can’t make that decision for her, no matter how much I’d like to.”
“Smart man,” Sam said, amusement sparking in his eyes.
“I’d like to get her something here so she can stay with me and I can keep an eye on her and our child. KGI could use a doctor, no doubt. But she could also open a practice in this area, at least until our child is old enough for it to be a consideration to go back into the field if that’s what will make Maren happy.”
Donovan cupped his chin and rubbed thoughtfully. “It’s not a bad idea. Doc Campbell has been making noises about retiring. I think he would have done it already if he had a replacement lined up. Maren is a hands-on doctor and Doc Campbell still makes house calls, which is unheard of in this day and age. He’d want someone like him because it worries him what his patients will do when he retires. He’d like Maren a lot and she’d be perfect to replace him.”
Excitement simmered in Steele’s mind. He didn’t want to seem too eager, but he’d do damn near anything to make Maren happy here. With him. Not thousands of miles away.
He never wanted to hold her back, but he was scared shitless over the idea of her being someplace like where she’d been, alone and defenseless. Their child just as vulnerable. Not that she’d be alone. Because if she did insist on going off, he’d damn well pack up and go with her. But it wasn’t his first choice. Not yet.
There’d be plenty of time down the road for them to go wherever the hell she wanted. He didn’t have roots in any one place. He’d made Tennessee his home out of necessity, not because he had ties here.
“It’s worth it to see if she’d think about it,” Steele said. “I’ll bring it up when I get a chance.”
Then he glanced at Sam. “You okay with me taking leave? I can’t even tell you how long. Definitely until the baby is born. Maybe longer if Caldwell is still a threat. If you can’t hold my job that long, I understand.”
Sam held up his hand, his brows drawn together and his lips flat with annoyance. “Your job will be here when you get back. For now, Donovan can take over your team. He’s worked with them more than Garrett or I, so he’d be the logical choice to assume the team leadership role. Van? You got a problem with that?”
“Guess not, since you just volunteered me,” Donovan said dryly.
“They won’t like it,” Garrett interjected. “They aren’t used to following anyone’s orders except yours.”
“They’ll understand,” Steele said. “They’ll do it for me.”
Sam nodded. “You going to tell them?”
“Tomorrow. I invited them to my place. After that, they’re yours, Van.”
“Okay. I’ll give them a shout-out and do a meet-up here at the compound in a few days. They need the time off for now.”
“Yeah, they do,” Steele said. “We all do.”
“The baby,” Sam began. Then he broke off and said, “I shouldn’t ask. It’s none of my business. I just . . .”
“It’s mine,” Steele said in a low voice, correctly guessing where Sam was going with his question.
Garrett and Donovan both looked relieved.
“We thought maybe you stepped up to save Maren from going through everyone knowing Caldwell abused her and got her pregnant,” Donovan said.
“The baby is mine. She was pregnant before Caldwell kidnapped her.”
Sam wasn’t able to hide his surprise at that revelation, but Garrett and Donovan didn’t react.
“Congratulations then,” Sam finally said, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “I guess we’ll get to give you shit for the next while. I figured you’d be the last to fall of any of us. And here Van is going to outlast us all.”
“Footloose and fancy free,” Donovan said smugly. “The rest of you are pussy whipped.”
“And proud of it,” Garrett cut in before Donovan could continue.
“Besides, you all got all the good ones,” Donovan said with a dramatic sigh.
“This is true,” Sam agreed.
“Although if Maren is the highly intelligent woman I know her to be, she’d do a lot better with me,” Donovan said. “We have a lot in common. We could play doctor together.”
“Only if you want your balls removed without the benefit of anesthesia,” Steele growled.
Sam and Garrett burst into laughter.
“Man, when he falls, he falls hard,” Sam said shaking his head. “I thought Rio was bad, but Steele makes him look like a guppy swimming around in the ocean.”
“Can we dispense with discussing my personal life and get back to the pertinent matter here? Such as my leave of absence and my team being headed by nerd boy now?”