Rocco and Mandy: A Red Team Wedding Novella (Book #6.5) (12 page)

“Aw, hell,” Kit snapped.
 

His soon-to-be brother-in-law was the only one in the den. Rocco smiled at him. Kit dug out his phone and started punching in a number. “Who are you calling?”

“Blade. I need backup. I think you finally broke.”

“Hang up. I’m cool.” His stupid grin weakened that assertion. “You talk to Max?”

“I talk to Max all the time.”

“He tell you about the fax I got?”

Kit pocketed his phone and studied him before answering. “No.”

Rocco pulled the folded paper out of his back pocket and handed it to Kit. His team lead skimmed the paper. He wasn’t fluent in French, but Rocco knew he could make out most of it. Kit and Blade, his longtime handlers in Afghanistan, had been well aware of the mission that had taken him away from Kadisha for those key months before her pregnancy.

Rocco knew the exact moment when Kit read the doctor’s determination of Kadisha’s pregnancy. Kit lowered the paper, lost in thought. He looked over at Rocco. “I thought she was two months along when she blew up the village.”

“She was four months. I wasn’t the father of her second child.”

Kit’s eyes widened. “Ehsan?”

“That’s my guess.”

“What made you remember this?”

Rocco caught him up on everything. He nodded toward the paper that Kit still held. “I sent her to see a doctor.”

“She lied to you.”

“Yeah. No matter how she looked at it, life as she knew it was over.” Rocco thought about what Kadisha had said as she handed Zavi to him.
You did this. You killed us.
He hadn’t been blameless, but he hadn’t been the one to blow up the village. Had she come to him, he would have helped her find a solution. He knew Ehsan had figured out who he was by then. He supposed that Kadisha knew Ehsan would never have her once her infidelity became known to the village. And likewise, she could never live with the shame of having married the enemy—an infidel—much less accept his help.

“It feels like the last few pieces just fell into place,” he said.

His team lead looked into his eyes. “You do seem different.”

“Mandy’s going to marry me.”

Kit grinned at that. “About fucking time, true?”

Rocco smiled. He didn’t tell Kit why this last missing piece almost broke him. He had told Mandy. What really mattered was that he understood it.

Kit held out his hand. They shook, then leaned in for a shoulder bump. “Glad you’re back in the land of the living, man. It was bad watching you die in front of my eyes, knowing there was nothing I could really do about it.” Kit smiled. “Imagine you marrying my redheaded monster sister.”

Rocco returned his smile. “I’m a lucky man. You can fill the team in on it if you want, but keep it on the down-low. I want to talk to Zavi before there’s a lot of chatter about it.”

Kit laughed. “Get it done. The team’s going to be pretty excited for this wedding.”

Rocco slipped a halter on Kitano, who let him do it as if it were a normal occurrence. He looked over at Mandy standing by the gate. She smiled at him and gave a disbelieving shake of her head. He led a docile Kitano over to the fence, where a saddle was draped over the top board.
 

Rocco tied the Paint to the fence, then took the grooming brush Mandy handed him and gave the horse a thorough brush-down. Swapping out the brush for a hoof pick, Rocco went around the horse and scraped out each hoof.
 

When Rocco handed the pick back to Mandy, she looked stunned. “He’s like a changed horse.”

Rocco smiled at her. “I’m going to try the blanket.” He retrieved the saddle blanket from the fence and carefully brushed it over Kitano’s shoulder before settling it into place. Rocco grinned. “He looks bored, don’t you think?”

“He’s never looked bored.
 
I swear, it’s as if you two were hit with lightning that night you came out here.”

“Well, something needed to wake us up.” Rocco looked over at her. “Personally, I think he saw the angels, too.”

Mandy smiled. “Are we really going to do this? No one has ridden him in the months he’s been with us.”

“I’ll let you know in a minute whether he’s coming with us or we’re taking a different horse, but either way, phone Wynn to bring Zavi down.”

“I will—in a minute. I’m not taking my eyes off you until I know Kitano’s not going to lose it.”

Rocco took the saddle off the fence and carried it over to Kitano’s side, moving slowly and deliberately. He lifted the saddle over Kitano and carefully settled it on the blanket. He reached under the horse’s belly for the girth and cinched it without a problem.
 

The next challenge was getting a bridle on him, but even that he accepted as if he were accustomed to being bridled.

“This is too easy, Rocco. He’s up to something,” Mandy warned.

Rocco grinned at her. “That’s a mean thing to say about your horse.”

She shook her head. “I think he’s your horse now. Look how docile he is. I really am shocked. Be careful when you get on him.”

“Don’t worry about me. I grew up around working horses.” Rocco set the reins over the saddle horn then swung up into the saddle. Kitano didn’t move a step. Rocco grinned at Mandy, then patted Kitano’s neck.
 

Rocco walked him around the corral. They trotted, loped, stopped, backed up, stepped to the left, stepped to the right. Every command he gave, in words or gesture, Kitano followed.
 

“Open the gate, Em. Let’s see what he does outside his enclosure.”

Mandy pushed the gate open. Kitano didn’t bolt through the opening. He waited for a cue from Rocco. Rocco smiled at Mandy as he leaned down and patted Kitano. “Good boy.” A little pressure from Rocco’s knees, and they were calmly walking through the gate. They walked back and forth on the dirt road between the corrals and the stable, then into and out of the corral again. They trotted around the stable.
 

Rocco pulled up near where Mandy was sitting on the top of the fence. “It’s like he’s a different horse. He responds to all the expected commands.”

Mandy shook her head. “I see that, but I can’t explain it.”

Rocco dismounted and led Kitano over to Mandy. He didn’t stop until he was close enough to slip a hand around her and draw her close for a kiss. He smiled down at her. “Marry me tomorrow.”
 

He frowned, realizing she was crying. He tried to wipe a tear away, but just smudged a bit of dirt across her cheek. “Why are you crying?” God, was she going to turn him down—again?

She gave him a watery smile. “Because I think our nightmare is over.”

He blinked. He had put her through hell. “I hope it is. But if it comes back, give me a swift kick in the ass, will you?”

“It’s not going to. No, I’m not going to kick you. And yes, I will marry you tomorrow.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
 

“Tomorrow.” He grinned. “Unless you want a big shindig. I could be patient for another day or two, at least.”

She laughed. “I don’t want a big wedding. I just want you and Zavi and our friends there.”

“Then we’ll get our license and go to the justice of the peace tomorrow. We need rings. I want you to pick the biggest rock we can find.”

She smiled at him. “I don’t need a big rock. Just a little gold band’s all I need.”

“All right. We’ll get the license and go shopping tomorrow. Then we’ll pick a date and have the JP come over here.”
 

She leaned up to kiss him. “Let’s go get Zavi and tell him.”

“Saddle up, woman. The day’s not getting any younger.”

* * *

Mandy found it hard to not smile that night as she, Zavi, and Rocco headed down for supper. Rocco put his arm around her waist and leaned over to kiss her temple. “Keep grinning like that, everyone will know you’re up to something.”

Her smile only widened. “I can’t wait to tell them.”

“Nor can I.”

“You sure you’re ready for this?” she asked, looking up at him.

“I’m beyond ready. I was ready when I first saw you torturing your weed whacker in the garage at your house.” He looked at her. “You were crying that day.”

“I was so lonely, Rocco. And then I met you.”

They stopped walking and faced each other. Zavi ran ahead to the dining room. “And I turned your world upside down and left you alone in the chaos.”

Mandy shook her head. “No, you didn’t. You filled all the empty places in my heart and made me realize what I had been living without all my life.”

He nodded and blinked, his gaze drifting past her as he visibly worked to compose himself. “I love you.”

Mandy wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you. I’m so excited for our lives together to begin!”

“You guys coming in?” Max asked, popping his head out of the dining room. “Or should we serve you here in the hallway?”

They followed him back into the dining room. Everyone was seated around the table. Mandy was struck by how large her family had grown. Every single person, man and woman and kids, as individual as they all were, held a piece of her heart. She smiled at them, then suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion.

Ivy caught her expression. She flashed Rocco a quick look. “Mandy, what’s wrong?”

Mandy drew a ragged breath, then quickly covered her mouth. It was little Zavi who broke the news. “Papa and Mom are getting married.” He sat up on his knees and held his plate close to the bread bowl. “May I have a roll, please?” he asked Eden.

“Is that true?” Ivy asked, excited, stunned.

Mandy nodded.

Ivy came running around the table to hug her. “So these are happy tears?”

Again, Mandy nodded. “Very.”

“Then I am so happy for both of you!” She hugged Mandy and then Rocco as the room erupted in noise and motion. Everyone hurried over to hug or shake hands. Kit’s hug was especially reassuring.

“I’m happy for you, sis.” Kit switched her to his left side as he held out his hand to Rocco. “You two are perfect together. I’m glad you’re making it official. Welcome to the family, Rocco.”

* * *

Mandy was sitting on the sofa in the small living room in the suite of rooms she shared with Rocco. He’d helped her tuck Zavi in for the night. He’d been sitting next to her, surfing social media sites—all in foreign languages. She wondered if their child would have the same capabilities he and Zavi had. A few minutes ago, he’d gotten up, kissed her, then went in search of Kit.

She looked at her book, trying to get into the story, a futile effort when so many exciting things were happening in real life. Tomorrow, she and Rocco were going shopping for their rings and for the outfits they’d wear to their wedding.
 

What a long way they’d come to get to this point. She closed her book and thought about all they’d been through. She didn’t want to set him back by overwhelming him with details and emotions surrounding their nuptials. The trick would be to find that balance of a low-key event with a big footprint.
 

Ivy came up the stairs from the suite below. She sat in the armchair next to Mandy and grinned at her. “Are you excited?” she asked, keeping her voice low so she wouldn’t wake Zavi.

Mandy smiled and nodded. “There’s so much to do.”

More footsteps on the stairs. Eden, Fiona, Hope, and Remi came into the room. Wynn had long ago retired to her apartment over the garage. The little sitting room was full of hushed laughter and animated conversations. They decided to adjourn to the billiards room so they could plan the wedding as loudly as they wanted without disturbing Zavi or Casey.

None of the guys were in there, so the girls had the room to themselves. Ivy got behind the bar and poured glasses of wine for the four of them who weren’t pregnant, and grape juice cut with sparkling water for her and Mandy. “Okay, first things first. We need to plan a shower for Mandy. What theme should we go with?”

Mandy took one of the juice glasses. “No shower.”

“What? Why?” Eden asked, frowning.

“Because we have to keep things simple. I don’t want Rocco to get anxious or overwhelmed. I think he’s finally on the mend. We can’t risk setting him back now.” She sipped her drink. “Really, a visit to the justice of the peace and a nice dinner here at the house would be perfect.”

The girls exchanged disappointed looks, but Ivy smiled at them. “Then let’s make it an outstanding supper. Four courses. Eden—see if Ty has special china and silver flatware. We could do a salad course, a soup course, crown roasts for the main course. And then a phenomenal wedding cake.”

“Will there be dancing?” Fiona asked. “I love slow-dancing with Kelan.”

“Greer can do his DJ thing,” Ivy said. “He already has a great playlist set up.” She looked at Mandy. “You can switch out any songs you like.”

“What about a photographer?” Hope asked.

Mandy sighed. “This is becoming such a big deal.”

“No, it’s not,” Ivy said. “It’s easy stuff. Kit said that Val was going to ask Ace to be his plus-one. I’ll see if she minds bringing her camera and taking a few pics. She’s always showing me pictures she’s taken—she has a phenomenal eye. So when do you want to do this?”

“Tomorrow, Rocco and I are going shopping for rings, so the day after?”

Ivy tapped her chin. “Can’t do it in two days. How about if we do it in four days? The bakery will need at least that much time for the cake. And I need to special-order the crown roasts from my supplier.”

Mandy nodded. “Okay. Four days. Do we need to hire extra staff?”

“I don’t think so,” Ivy said. “Between the Jacksons and Carla, I think we can handle it. It’s not that much different from a regular evening.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to have it catered?” Mandy asked.

“Absolutely! I don’t get the chance to work with an elegant menu very often. I might see if Ty’s dad would lend a hand.”

“And you’ve got all of us,” Remi pointed out. “You can put us to work. I can take off that day to do anything you might need.”

“What kind of cake are you going with, Mandy?” Hope asked. “Can it be chocolate?”

Mandy moaned. “Now I’m craving that. Absolutely.” She pointed to Ivy’s tablet. “Let’s pick one we like.”