I wasn’t ready to meet the curious stares of the others. I walked around to the back of the house, and leaned against a beam of the back porch. Murmuring caught my attention, and I saw Ryan and Claire sitting on the porch swing, looking up at the sky.
She was giggling, and he nonchalantly rested his arm on the back of the swing behind her. She didn’t lean away, and I smiled at the scene.
“I had fun today,” Ryan said, watching for Claire’s reaction.
“I couldn’t tell.” She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her smile.
“My favorite part was when we traded places in the car.”
“I bet it was.”
They exchanged stories about the battle with the shells, and laughed as they teased each other. Every time Claire was in Ryan’s line of sight, his eyes lit up, and his grin was so innocent and animated, it was infectious.
Ryan pushed back against the swing, and again they sat quietly, with just a few residual giggles interrupting the still night. Claire held her feet out in front, her tan legs a perfect accessory to her cut off jean shorts and casual pink tank top. The black combat boots just made her outfit more ‘Claire’.
Ryan rubbed the back of his head, trying to seem casual. “I gotta tell ya. I’m a little nervous about the trip.”
Claire turned to him, squaring her shoulders. “Are you scared, little girl?”
Ryan huffed, playing off her taunt. “Scared. Psh. I can handle it. I’m nervous about how it’s going to turn out. What if something bad happens?”
Claire’s playful smile melted, and she faced forward. “It won’t.”
“But, what if it does?”
“Then I’ll fix it. I always do.”
“What if something happens and you can’t fix it?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “That’s only happened once.”
Ryan squared his shoulders, facing her completely. “You mean your dad?”
She only nodded.
“Have you ever been up against something like this?”
Claire paused for a long time. I wished that I could see her expression. I wasn’t sure if she was annoyed at his line of questioning, or she was afraid of the answer.
“Hey,” Ryan said. When Claire ignored him, he tapped her shoulder. “Hey.” She looked at him, then. “I’ll be right behind you. And I don’t mean that you can’t take care of yourself, because we all know you can. I just mean if something happens, I’m not going anywhere. Whatever you need.”
Claire took a breath. “I just assumed you already knew, but now I realize you don’t. Jared is the last line of defense, so if we lose them, we won’t know it. Do you understand?”
After a pause, Ryan nodded.
Claire continued, “The baby she is carrying is the most important thing. We have to protect it until we can’t.”
“The baby is important,” Ryan agreed. “But you are the most important thing to me.”
Claire watched him, and then her eyes fell to his lips. Ryan’s eyes turned soft, and then he leaned in.
Watching them suddenly felt wrong. I turned, trying to find the best way to escape. The way I came seemed to be the best exit, and I took a step back.
Claire smiled. “You’ve watched this long, you might as well stay and watch it play out.”
“I’m...I’m sorry,” I said. My face instantly flushed.
Jared appeared at the back door, holding it wide open. “Everything okay?”
Ryan laughed and shook his head. “It was.”
“Oh,” Jared said with an awkward look. He and I traded glances, and then he retreated into the house.
Claire giggled, and then punched Ryan in the thigh.
“Ow!”
“Wait up!” she said, following me to the front yard. She was at my side in less than a second, and hooked her elbow around mine. “I meant what I said you know.”
“Which part?”
Claire stopped, her face fell, and she lowered her chin so I could see directly into her eyes. “I don’t know how all this will play out. Knowing Jared, he has a plan B, C, and D, but if something goes wrong, we’ll just figure something else out. The only other option isn’t an option.” I shook my head, and Claire pulled me into her chest with a tight squeeze. “Piece of cake.”
Jared stood at the Escalade with keys in hand. “We should get going. We still have to stop by the warehouse.”
I nodded, and then waved to Claire. Ryan walked up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. It was so natural to see them standing next to each other, I couldn’t remember what it was like when Ryan didn’t know the Ryel secret, and he and Claire didn’t spend every waking moment together.
“See you on the plane,” Ryan said with a contrived smile.
I paused. “I’d understand if you didn’t want to go.”
Ryan shook his head. “I’m a marine, Nigh. I live for this shit.”
Jared tugged on my hand. When we reached the Escalade, he sighed.
“You’re worried for them.”
“No,” he said, starting the engine. “I’m worried for us, and what we’ll have to put up with when they don’t have an impending war to keep them entertained.”
Chapter Fifteen
Questioned