Stitch by Jaime Lewis (ebook reader online .txt) 📗

there was Bailey. Sweet Bailey, Irish’s new wife. She put herself in harm’s way after she too was kidnapped by a greedy guy who was after her money. Her parents were in on the set-up as well.  When the asshole tried to shoot at the team, Bailey had wrestled him for the gun and ended up being shot. Her situation had been touch and go for a while, but as the weeks went by, she recovered.  Except for the fact that she may never be able to carry a child. Now, here they sat, trying to figure out what type of mess Mia had found herself in.

“Did Derek get a hold of the Colonel?”

“Yeah, and according to him, my mother is a basket case right now and is demanding to see Mia.”

“Shit…”

“Yep, my thoughts exactly. You know my mom, there is no stopping her when she puts her mind to something, and I know she’ll find a way to manipulate the Colonel. Then before you know it, she’ll have him driving her up here.” He took a drink of his beer and grinned. “You think I’m joking?”

Stitch didn’t doubt that at all.  Charlotte Chambers was a force to be reckoned with. A few years ago, having lost her husband, the spunky and determined woman took on the task of running a ranch and succeeded. That woman could bust balls like there was no tomorrow.

“Maybe if Mia’s feeling up to it tomorrow or the next day, we could arrange a Skype or Facetime call between the two of them.”

“That might work.”

For the next couple of minutes, they both sat there staring at the fire as it crackled and flickered in the darkness. They both were trying to process the situation. Now would be a perfect time for Stitch to speak with Ace about Mia and the feelings he had for her. After today’s drama, there was no way in hell he was taking a backseat. Either Ace accepted it, or he didn’t.  If he didn’t, Stitch would deal with it, even if it meant parting ways with the team he trusted and loved, but he would to avoid any conflict with Ace.

Just as he sat up straighter and was ready to talk, Ace cleared his throat.

“So, you and my sister, huh?”

Okay, apparently, Ace was thinking along the same lines. Since Ace was allowing him to come clean, he needed to not fuck it up.  Ace was a straight-forward guy. No bullshit, just the god’s honest truth was what he wanted and expected, and Stitch respected him for that. Both as a friend and his team leader.

He looked Ace in the eye from across the fire pit. “I’m not gonna lie, man. I’m in love with Mia, and I have been for a while. Before you ask, no, there has been nothing between us. But I can’t hold back any longer. Though she and I never talked about it, I tried keeping my distance out of respect for you.  And yes, she and I have been in contact a lot over the last year, but that was the extent of it. Do I wish I had acted on my feelings before now? Abso-fucking-lutely, because if I had, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now while the woman that we both love is lying upstairs beaten to hell.” His nostrils flared.  He was fired up, and holy shit, did it feel good to say all of that out loud finally.

Ace stared at him, and Stitch wasn’t sure if Ace had heard him or if he was silently plotting his death.

After a few eerily silent moments, Ace said, “I appreciate your honesty.  It is quite obvious you care for her a lot.  From the way she latched herself onto you earlier, I can see she reciprocates the same feelings for you.” Ace took a moment as if gathering his thoughts. Stitch knew this had to be challenging for him. Hell, if he himself had a sister and one of the guys made a move on her, he’d probably feel the same way. Then Ace pulled a total one-eighty and grinned as he leaned forward, perching his elbows on his knees.  He clasped his fingers together and rested his chin on his fists.  “This is probably going to shock you, but I am happy as fuck to hear that.”

Stitch’s eyes widened with that shared information. And, definitely not what he was expecting.  From the conversations that Stitch had with Mia, Mia and Ace were very close, not to mention how protective Ace was of her, especially when it came to men.  She had told Stitch that when Ace first joined the teams, he had given her a lecture about not getting close to any of his teammates because he knew firsthand how most of the guys operated around women.

“But, since you’re being honest, I feel I should do the same. I think I’ve known for a while. The signs were there, people talked, but I chose to ignore it.  Looking back, her face always lit up when you walked into the room or whenever your name came up in conversation; there was more excitement to her voice.”

“I don’t know when it happened, and I am sorry for not coming to you sooner. All that I can say is that she makes me happy.”

“All I want is for her to be happy, and I can tell that you do that. Just promise me you will love and treat her with respect. As I know, she will do the same for you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. She is my number one priority. I’m just glad I gave her that key when I last saw her or god knows what we would be dealing with.”

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering how in the hell she got a key to this place.”  Stitch explained how that came about, and Ace closed his eyes. “Damn, I feel like I’ve failed her. I’ve tried to watch out for her since she