“I want to go back one day if I’m able. I want to see the sites again.”
“Maybe that’s where we go for our honeymoon,” she smiled.
“Baby, no one goes to the Sudan for their honeymoon,” he laughed. “No, you deserve to go to Hawaii or Bali or Paris.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere like that, Ham. I just want us to be together, in our home. Making our life together with our family around us. Maybe your father could come and visit?”
“I know he’d love that,” he smiled. “He doesn’t get out much, but we miss one another. I know a little about your childhood, but tell me what it was like growing up with triplet brothers.”
“Hell,” she laughed. “Wonderful. Crazy. All the adjectives you can think of. Dad and Grandpa told them they had to watch out for me, take care of me, which meant I never got a moment alone. They were always sitting right beside me. They even petitioned the principal to put their lockers next to mine.”
“They love you and want you to be happy,” smiled Hamish. “I’m grateful for them.”
“I am, too. Now. But as a teenage girl, I didn’t exactly get a lot of dates. Now those two had more girls than you can shake a stick at, but I didn’t have one high school boyfriend.”
“No dances? No homecomings? Proms?”
“I went to homecoming with JB, Joseph and Julia’s son. Then I figured out that my brothers paid him to take me so the other boys wouldn’t ask me. After that, I refused to go to any dances.”
“Well,” chuckled Ham, “I don’t agree with your brother’s tactics, but I do thank them for keeping you all for me.”
“I remember this one time,” she smiled, sitting up straighter, “I was playing in the state finals for volleyball. I was always taller than the other girls, so I was easy to pick out in a crowd, and the coach saw me walking down the hallway. He said I should be on the basketball or volleyball team, and I’d get to travel. I was sold.
“We had to travel to Baton Rouge, and my mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, almost everyone came up to see the game.
“Patrick and Christopher were playing basketball, and I was somewhat relieved because if they weren’t there, I might actually get to have some fun. We were way up in our last match, and suddenly, I heard all these giggles. I looked up, and there they were. They’d gotten Luke to drive them to the match to watch me play, and all the girls were distracted. I was angry at them, but then realized I had a chance to win this. They never saw my spike coming. I kind of felt bad about it but then didn’t,” she smirked.
“Later, I learned that some of the boys from the other team were planning on coming after a few of the girls after the game. They’d been known to be aggressive with the girls. It could have been me. But it wasn’t because my brothers were standing beside me as we left. I have a chance now to thank them for watching out for me, even when I didn’t want it. I should have known they were doing what they thought was right.”
“It sounds like maybe you watched out for them as well,” smiled Ham.
“Oh, I definitely did,” she laughed. “Patrick was always the one willing to let any girl do what she wanted to his body. Not in high school, thank goodness, but when he joined the Navy. I was attending the University of Virginia and drove down to Norfolk one weekend to spend some time with them. There was this girl that lived across the street from them, and she was definitely hot for both of them.
“Christopher was smart. He knew something was up with her and just ignored her, but Patrick couldn’t seem to attach his brain and dick together.” Ham laughed, nodding his head. “Anyway, I had run to the grocery store to get something to cook for dinner and came back. There he was, lying on the sofa while she was working her magic on him. She had one hand on his, well, you know, and the other was beside her on the floor.”
“On the floor?”
“Yes. She had a stack of condoms and was poking holes in them with a dental instrument. I was so mad. I completely lost my cool. I screamed at Patrick, then gripped the girl’s hair, yelling at her for trying to get pregnant by my brother. Poor Patrick, he was shocked. He was so gullible and thought the girl was just interested in him and wanted some fun.”
“I’ve encountered a few women like that,” said Ham. “It’s very hard when you’re Special Forces, Sadie. Women want to be with you, and sometimes, they’ll do anything to be beside you. My high school sweetheart and I got married right out of school. She was okay with being an Army wife for a while, but when I decided to head to Ranger school, she couldn’t handle it. She’d been taken care of by her parents, had a good life, anything she wanted. Living on a soldier’s pay wasn’t in her five-year plan. She left me a note, just saying, ‘I’m sorry.’”
“Ham, I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“Don’t be. It led me here,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I was engaged again, but we both knew we’d made a mistake. I swore I’d never marry after that. Then I met this fire-breathing dragon with blonde hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”
“Ham,” she sniffed.
“I’m serious. Did you know that the red in your hair comes out when you’re angry?” Sadie laughed, shaking her head. “It’s true. Even with that, I wouldn’t leave you for all the gold in ten kingdoms, Sadie. You’re my forever. We’re going to find Myer, get back those artifacts, put him in jail, and then start our life back at Belle Fleur.”
“Nothing sounds more perfect to me,” said Sadie, kissing him again. She yawned, and Ham settled them lower on the mattress.
“Sleep, baby. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The team filtered into the restaurant the next morning, looking ready but already damp from the morning rain. Most had slept well despite the humidity, somewhat used to it from their time on the bayou.
The display for breakfast was similar to that of dinner. Fresh fruit and fish, along with homemade bread that reminded Ham of Indian fry bread. When their guides walked in, they were smiling and cheerful, ready for the long walk.
