Aspen Falls

ACE -- December 21st

      "Jesus guys!  It took you long enough!!"  Wyatt.  Baylee wasn't with him so clearly he needed a dance partner.

     "Yeah!   Did you forget how to get here Brighton?"  Jase.

      "Or....were you guys just out there in the truck gettin it on...FINALLY?!"  Leave it to Kodie to follow up on Jason's theories from this morning.

      Beau laughed, sat down on a stool and pulled me intween his legs.  "Guys..."  His warning went unheard.

      "All of you guys behave please! You know Aspen doesn't like being here..."  Baylee pouted.  "I for one don't want her to leave."  Because when she didn't dance with Wyatt, I would be his next target.  "She looks hott tonight."

      "Hell yeah she does!"  We all turned around real quick.  There was only one guy who was stupid enough, with a death wish big enough, to say things like that with or without Beau being around.  Clearly tensions shot to hell in an instant.  Clay Walker. 

       Beau's grip on my waist eased slightly when we saw who the addition was.

      "REAGAN!!!"  Everybody hollered from somewhere or another.  My heart instantly felt lighter.

       "Bro!  What are you doing here?!  Figured we wouldn't see you unless we did something."  Trenton handed him a beer.

      Chris Reagan had grown up with Hunter and Beau.  After getting out of the military he was now the team leader for his SWAT unit...did boxing in his 'spare' time.  His schedule honestly was just as packed as the rest of the guys who were either on deployments or gone with their football games.   His girlfriend was the one who was still in the military.  If there was anything the Ellington 'family' knew how to do...it was military.  Leah was trying to get stationed back here when she was off deployment with the Air Force.

      "Well.  I heard you ugly sonsofbitches were back for a little and then...when I didn't believe that intel.  Somebody else told me this douchebag actually remembered his hometown."  He hitched his thumb over at me and Beau...mainly Beau.  "So clearly I had to check that for myself.  Turns out I had pretty reliable sources."  He leaned down to hug me...kissed my cheek then twirled me.  "Nobody told me tho just how good all you ladies were going to look."

      "Easy asshole."  I couldn't tell if Beau was joking or not with his warning.  Chris passed me back and held his hands up in mock surrender.  Him and I had a different kind of bond that Beau didn't know about.  Chris and Weston both...they took on duties that they never should have had to after I left the hospital.

       I leaned into Beau and tiptoed up to his ear.  "He has a girl in the Air Force, B."  She was a newer addition to the Unblood and he hadn't met her.  I turned back to Chris and the rest of everyone.  "How is our Leah Belle?"

      "Yeah!  We miss her!!"  Jolene.

      "She's much better company than you fucker."  Hunter

      "I can't believe I came to hang out with you guys.  Jesus."  Everybody laughed at him.  "She's doing well Aspen.  Thank you for caring."

      I smiled at him and unwound my fingers from Beau's.  "If you're coming off shift and still have some shit left in you to give...he's all yours."  I kissed Chris's chin because that was all I could reach, and inched my way from Beau then darted off before he could grab me back.

      Everybody had gone to either dancing or hung out in the corner booths with their beers.  I wasn't sure what was going on with the VIP area on the top floor, but we always could just spread out and make a space ours.  Usually had that many people in our groups.

      I went over to where Bristol and Jolene were whispering and looked rather serious.  "What's going on with you two?  Huddled over here by yourselves.  I swear...if you're telling her the nasty details between you and my brother before you tell me, I'm bout to throw punches Bristol Jane."  They both looked up at me and then around me.  "Okay...seriously.  What's up?"

       Jolene shook her head.  "Nothing much.  Just creep watching."

      "Okay..."  I looked over my shoulder to where their eyes seemed to be glued.

       "We were just saying that guy at the end of the bar is taking a serious risk with his life, if Beau realizes he hasn't taken his eyes off you since you've walked in the door."  Bristol grinned a little but still had an uneasy look about her.

      I went to look again and was blindsided by Beau coming into my view.  "I heard my name."  He grinned and pulled me into him.  This time I just looked at him, confused why he was being all touchy feely.  This wasn't 'us'.  "You told me outside to keep my hands on you all night."

      "I feel like those were not words that I actually spoke at all."

      He grinned down at me.  "I heard what I heard."  Clearly.   "So what's being talked about over here with the OG sisters?"

      "There's just some guy over there that's being a creep and hasn't took his eyes of your girl since you walked in the door."  Jolene just spit it out there.