“ ’Night, ma’am.” I can’t help it. It’s a habit I fully embrace when I’m in Jacksonville.

“I have to admit, it’s going to be weird not seeing your ugly mug every day. Who else will I have to talk about the shittastic orders we get?”

I hit my chest with my fist. “Love you, too, man. Let’s get matching bracelets to remember our time together.”

“Fuck you.”

“Jill wouldn’t like it if you cheated on her,” I say. “But I am a great catch. Remember that girl in Alaska?”

Brian laughs. “The one who proposed to you during sex?”

“Yeah, that one.” I had to sneak out of her hotel room the next morning and book an early flight back to the States. Not my finest moment. But when she mentioned marriage—all I saw was Rowan.

“Thanks for cutting our man vacation two days short.”

“Dude, she was picking out rings on the Internet. And in my defense, I wasn’t myself that night.” Actually, I had done the most incredibly stupid thing before we left for our fishing trip, and Facebook-stalked Rowan. Her status update had been In a relationship. Not Single, not It’s complicated. But In a relationship.

“You, married.” Brian shakes his head. “I’d like to see that.”

“You don’t think I will?” I tip up my beer, finishing it off. I put all thoughts of my time with Rowan out of my mind.

“Based on the number of women you’ve not stayed with for any length of time, no.”

“Would you be my best man if I do decide to blow your mind?”

“I’d pay for the honeymoon.”

Based on the fact that I know how much Brian makes, that they just bought a new house, and that Jill plans on staying home with the baby after it’s born, he has to be pretty damn sure I won’t be marrying anyone to make that promise.

“But you can’t go anywhere but Sunset Beach,” he adds. “Jill’s parents have a place down there you can stay. For free—as long as you clean up after yourself. I’ll kick in for groceries and gas.”

“Big spender,” I joke.

“What’s on your mind? Besides looking ravishing on your wedding day?” He flips his nonexistent hair over his shoulder.

“Old girlfriend.”

“She have something to do with the ink on your back?”

“Maybe.”

“And those letters?” Brian and I bunked together in boot camp and during each deployment to Afghanistan. “You made love to those more often than—”

“Fuck off, O’Dwyer.” I flip him off and chow down on the rest of the nachos. I guzzle down a glass of water because I’m half-hoping Rowan will change her mind and call me, and there’s no way I’ll drive the least bit intoxicated—especially on base. The MPs would throw my ass in the brig faster than I can blink.

“This is me you’re talking to. Cut the bullshit.”

“Rowan has everything to do with…well, everything.”

“She’s not a fan of the Marines?” he asks.

I shake my head. “More like she’s not a fan of me.”

“And she’s tearing you up inside because of it,” he mused.

It’s hard to get anything past the man who covered you while the enemy fired on your ass. “Yes.”

“Is she worth it?”

Before I can answer, my phone buzzes with her message tone. “Motherfucker.” Grabbing it, I read the one line of text and start grabbing my shit.

“What the hell was that?” he asks.

I toss him the phone. “See for yourself.”

“Hell just froze over,” he reads out loud and then turns to me. “I don’t get it.”

“Oorah, buddy.”

With understanding dawning on his face, Brian throws my packet of papers at me. I shove them into my coat pocket.

“Go get her, O’Connor, and that’s a fucking order.”

Chapter 13

Rowan

I snatch the phone back from Piper, but my hands are covered in grease and it goes flying across the concrete floor. It hits the tire of the car next to us with a dull thud.

“Why in the hell did you text him?” I shout. “This is supposed to be my time to relax.” And work through what’s going on with Seth and me while I get this engine purring once more.

“Because you’re grouchy as hell,” she says. “I think you need to get laid.”

“And Seth is the only one who can take care of that?” I grumble. “Hand me the torque wrench.”

She hands me a screwdriver. “Here you go.”

Closing my eyes, I try to keep my temper intact because, while I’m pissed at her for texting Seth, I am not irritated that she doesn’t know a torque wrench from a hole in the ground.

“Try again, honey. It has its own box, right beside you.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I like the company.”

Piper moves to retrieve the phone, holding it with the least amount of fingers possible as she attempts to clean it. Luckily, the protector on it is waterproof. She sighs when oil drips onto her flats.

Only she would volunteer to help fix a car while wearing a designer skirt and sweater with a string of pearls around her neck. She’s even wearing her hair in a fancy updo that I can never remember how to pronounce correctly. That’s her, though.

“You’d like Seth’s even better. I bet he knows the difference between all the tools,” she says pointedly and grins. “Guess who’s coming to see you tonight?”

“It better not be Seth.” I grab the torque wrench and go back to work under the hood, working the wrench hard.

“Oh, it’s not. It’s a hot Marine whose latest mission is to win you back,” she says.

“Stop watching The Bachelor,” I grumble, but inside I’m panicking and celebrating. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m terrified and excited. Seth is coming back and all it took was an invitation from me. And not even a real invitation at that. “How did you know what I said to him?” I ask, standing up.

“Because, despite what you think about me being so prim and proper, I am the world’s best eavesdropper.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, really.” She crosses her arms to mimic me, except her boobs are way bigger.

“Did you happen to overhear what I do to nosy bitches like yourself?”

“Buy them a drink at King’s?”

I roll my eyes at her mention of a bar that I can afford to go to only about once a month. “More like perform your last rites.”

“Only works if I’m dying, and you would never kill me.”

“Stupid morals,” I mutter.

“Rowan,” she says with a sigh. “I didn’t mean to upset you, but I didn’t know any other way to get you back together.”

“We don’t belong together.” I grab a rag and wipe off my hands and then walk to the sink. I pump the soap container a couple of times and work the lather over my hands. I might be a grease monkey, but this stuff sure as hell keeps my skin smooth. It’s like a secret beauty regimen no one knows about but me.

“I think you do.”

“You can think whatever you want.” I dry my hands and unzip my coveralls, then hang them up beside Boyd’s. Those will need to be cleaned soon. I make a mental note to let Linda know.

“How would you feel if Seth went out with someone else?” Piper asks. “Be truthful.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or I will be forced to give away the second pair of shoes I bought for you.”

“I wouldn’t like it,” I say tightly. I hate admitting that Seth is my Achilles’ heel. Always has been, always will be.

“Aha!”

“But that means nothing, Piper.” I blow out a breath. “You want the truth. Here’s some for you. My brother loathes the thought of you with another guy, but that’s not going to stop him from hooking up with Giselle or any other chick. Guys don’t sit and wait with their legs closed like some damn prude with a special vagina only for the one. Why should we?”