Stitch by Jaime Lewis

Chapter Three

“Stitch!”

Stitch looked up from where he was standing with his hip leaning against the pool table. Ace and Potter stared at him. “Are you going to play or what?”

Damn, he hadn’t realized he had zoned out. Ever since Alex and Tenley had shown him Mia’s picture, he couldn’t get the image of her in that fucking dress out of his head. She looked like she had just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine, and knowing she’d be in a room filled with wealthy businessmen who probably used their manipulative boardroom ways to get a woman into bed had his head spinning. If she was going to sleep in anyone’s bed, he wanted it to be his.

Before his dick got any harder and made a fool of himself, he stood and pointed to the corner, right pocket, and lined up the easy shot.  He cursed when the ball went wide to the left. Christ, he was definitely off his game.

“Dude, what is with you tonight?” Ace snickered, then grabbed another handful of peanuts and shoved them into his mouth.

“He needs to get laid,” Potter said, leaning on his pool stick. “Oh, but she isn’t around, is she?”

Stitch shot Potter a look that told him to shut the fuck up. When Potter grinned, Stitch knew the giant got what he intended. And that got him riled up.

“What? Are you dating someone?” Ace questioned, looking confused.  The team shared pretty much everything with one another. But he couldn’t very well tell Ace that the woman Potter was referring to was Ace’s baby sister. Stitch was pretty confident that wouldn’t bode well for him. And it was a huge problem because he not only was interested in Mia, but he was already in love with her. Ever since Christmas of last year, the two of them started talking more and really got to know each other. Even when she was back up in New York, they kept in contact. They both knew they were walking a slippery slope keeping their “friendship” a secret from Ace.

Stitch glanced back at Potter, who suddenly found something to entertain himself with so he wouldn’t have to endure Stitch’s death stare.  Looking back at Ace, he waved him off.

“No. Potter’s just messing around.”

Just then, Alex made her entrance bouncing her way over to Ace. He opened his arms, and she walked right into them. That right there was what Stitch wanted. He wanted a woman who knew they were loved by their man, just like Alex knew that Ace would move heaven on earth for her.

“You okay?” Ace asked her. Stitch grinned, knowing Alex had a little too much to drink and was currently in her happy place, as she called it.

She scrunched her nose up at Ace. “Yeah, but you need to convince your sister to find a job here in Virginia Beach or close by.”

Ace chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. The man was so pussy whipped it was hilarious, but equally humbling to watch a man like Ace, who was fierce and commanding, not to mention so set in his ways as a SEAL, fall so hard for a woman. He couldn’t be any happier for his team leader and his best friend.

“Why’s that? She seems happy in New York.” Ace replied.

Oh, big brother. You are clearly mistaken, Stitch thought to himself. If Ace had been within an earshot of Mia during her last visit, he would have heard the somberness when she spoke about New York. Just because she didn’t come right out and say she was unhappy, didn’t mean she wasn’t. A person’s body language could give away many clues.

Alex wrinkled her nose up again and Ace’s intense expression softened a smidge, and Stitch thought it was hilarious.

“She would be happier here with all of us,” she said, pinning her gaze on Stitch, and Stitch squinted his eyes at her. He just shook his head when she grinned. He got her message loud and clear.

“You think so?” Ace asked, seeming utterly oblivious to Stitch and Alex's silent conversation, which was a good thing for Stitch.

“I know so because Tenley and I just talked to her.”

Ace furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought she was at that fancy event.”

“She is, but Tenley and I were bored since y’all wouldn’t let us watch our movie, so we called her to see how things were going.”

“And…?”  Ace asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alex shrugged her shoulders. “She said it was okay, but that she had met a lot of people.”

“Yeah? What kind of people?” Ace asked with a questionable look. Stitch, from conversations with Ace, knew Ace worried about Mia living in New York by herself.

Stitch was curious too and stepped closer to hear.

“You know the types of people that hang out at those types of functions.  Rich, some famous people, guys just looking for a good screw.”

Stitch felt his eyes widen, hearing the last part of Alex’s statement.  Oh, she was so going to get an earful from him when he got her alone. She was intentionally baiting him into saying something in front of Ace. Well, she had another thing coming.

“Sweetheart…Are you trying to piss me off intentionally?” Ace asked and, thank god that Stitch wasn’t the only one feeling the urge to possibly take a trip to New York City and save Mia from the throng of men wanting to take her to their bed.

“No, I’m just giving you examples of why you should talk to her and convince her to move. Or maybe we all should,”  She said with a smile, then snuggled against Ace’s chest. She turned her head in Stitch’s direction and winked. Potter saw her and chuckled. Stitch was glad that his predicament with Mia was this evening’s entertainment for some. While he had plans in place to talk to Mia this weekend, if Alex didn’t put a cork in her large mouth, he was going to have to have a discussion with Ace before Mia even arrived.

Potter changed the conversation putting the talk of Mia to rest.

“Alex, where is my wife?”

Stitch thought it was funny because it wasn’t like Tenley was hard to miss considering she was carrying around twins and looked ready to give birth any day. Not to mention the whining the woman did. Granted, Stitch never carried around a baby in his stomach, but Tenley took it to the extreme sometimes, and Stitch knew it was just to get Potter to do something.

Alex giggled, and it made Stitch snicker. At least she was a happy little drunk.

“She said she was tired, so I rolled her into a chair in the living room, and she fell asleep. She said for you to wake her up when you were ready to leave.”

“Great…that woman is impossible to wake up.”

“Oh, just wave one of those cinnamon rolls I made in front of her nose.  I guarantee she’ll wake up.” Everyone laughed. Tenley had a bit of a sweet tooth lately. Her doctor had even told her she needed to watch her diet, which pissed her off because now, when Potter was home, he monitored everything she ate. Well, most of the time, that is. When she thought nobody was looking, she would sneak a few treats here and there, like the entire bag of jellybeans Stitch saw her take out of the room with her, but he wasn’t going to squeal on his friend.

While Potter went to fetch Tenley, Stitch thought it was a good time for him to call it a night as well. Especially the way Alex’s mouth had been running tonight. It was better to quit while he was still ahead.

He pulled Alex into a big hug and whispered in her ear. “You are such a little shit.”

She giggled and pulled back. “But you love me.” She kissed his cheek.

He did love Alex like a sister, and always would. Stitch, Alex, Frost, and Tenley had been the best of friends since they all met in the first grade. After high school, they had all gone their separate ways, and now, years later, they were back together. In a way, it was just like old times, except they were all wiser and more responsible.

He reached over and shook Ace’s hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Ace nodded. “Remember, if we get through our training simulation tomorrow and Wednesday with no hiccups, we won’t have to report in on Thursday unless we’re needed.”

“Yes, sir.” As he walked out to his Jeep, he pulled up the picture of Mia that Alex had texted him. She took his breath away with her beauty. He shot a quick text off her.

“You looked beautiful tonight. Be safe, Mia.”