“Yep.” A self-deprecating smile lifted his mouth. “Fetus-me was gonna be aborted, even though my parents constantly assure me that they loved me and were devastated that they couldn’t keep me.”
“Why couldn’t they?”
“Mom was sixteen, Dad was two years older. They both came from bad homes, ran away together, and were living in a rundown trailer outside of Phoenix when my mother got pregnant. They had about ten dollars in the bank, Dad just lost his job flipping burgers at some fast food place, and Mom dropped out of high school to help pay the bills.”
“Sounds tough,” Jen said sympathetically.
“They were in no position to have a kid. Even carrying the baby and giving it up for adoption would’ve been hard. They had no money to pay for food, let alone doctor bills. So yeah, they decided on abortion.”
She studied his chiseled profile, but he didn’t look upset about the decision his parents had made, and his tone of voice didn’t convey bitterness either.
“Anyway, once my dad turned eighteen, he started buying lottery tickets. He figured their situation couldn’t get any worse than it already was, so he shelled out two bucks a week, and every week, they didn’t win a damn thing.” He grinned. “So they’re sitting there in the waiting room of the abortion clinic and the TV’s on. The news is replaying the winning numbers from the night before, and Dad realizes he forgot to check his ticket. So he pulls it out and what do you know—he’s won the jackpot.”
She stared at him in amazement. “You’re joking.”
“Dead serious. They won ten million dollars.”
“Holy shit.”
“Mom decided it was a sign from God telling them to keep me. She says God knew they needed cash and so he graciously gave them some. That’s why they named me Cash.”
“Wow. I can’t believe that’s a true story. It sounds like the plot of one of those feel-good movies.”
He rolled his eyes. “Your turn. Why’d your parents name you Jennifer?”
“It’s my mom’s middle name.”
“That’s it? That’s the story?”
“Gee, Cash, I’m sorry the origins of my name aren’t to your liking.”
A familiar female voice interrupted before he could respond. “Jen!”
Squinting, Jen looked up and spotted Annabelle Holmes waving at her from a third-floor balcony.
“Stay there. We’re coming down,” Annabelle called before disappearing from view.
Cash looked surprised for a moment. “You know Annabelle?” He quickly answered his own question. “Wait, of course you do. You probably know her better than I do, huh? Evans, too.”
She nodded. “Annabelle’s awesome. But I don’t know Ryan as well as some of the others. I’m probably closest with Garrett and Will since they’re my brother’s BFFs. Do you know them? Neither of them is active duty anymore, but I’m sure you’ve at least heard of them.”
“Will was one of my instructors during BUD/S training,” he answered. “And Garrett hosts poker night every now and then, but we’re not close.”
“You’re missing out. He’s hot.”
Cash snorted. “How am I missing out?”
She pictured John Garrett’s soulful brown eyes and ripped body, and a little shiver danced up her spine. “Because he’s…well, hot,” she said again. “I had the biggest crush on Garrett when I was a teenager. He was eight years older and completely unattainable. He treated me like a pesky little sister, and then by the time I was old enough to catch his eye, he’d turned into a manwhore and had enough threesomes with my brother that hooking up with him would’ve felt like hooking up with Carson.”
She suddenly noticed that Cash’s expression had hardened. A glint of displeasure lit his blue eyes, almost as if he was…jealous? Because she’d admitted to having a crush on someone else when she was younger?
Before she could ask, the back door of the building swung open and Annabelle emerged, looking gorgeous and relaxed in a cotton print sundress and sandals. Ryan Evans tailed his girlfriend, his tall, muscular frame clad in bright blue surf shorts and a black wife beater.
“Hey,” Annabelle said happily as Jen stood up to greet her. The two women hugged, while Ryan reached out to tap fists with Cash. “Carson said you were moving in today. He ordered us to make you feel welcome.”
Jen frowned. “He specifically called you to tell you that?”
The brunette snickered. “He called everyone.”
“Conferenced us all in this morning,” Ryan piped up.
“He held a conference call?” Jen said in disbelief.
“Everyone was on the line,” Annabelle explained with a grin. “Even Garrett and Will.”
Ryan laughed. “It was like a high school reunion over the phone.”
Wow. Her brother was really taking this Brendan thing seriously, wasn’t he? Sweet as it was, she couldn’t fight the urge to strangle him.
“Anyway, we wanted to have you over for dinner this week,” Annabelle said. She glanced at Cash. “You too, Cash.”
“We’ll be there,” he answered. “Thanks for the invite.”