He only grunted, but Thor and Aiden laughed uproariously at her comment.
“I know, it’s hard to believe,” Thor said. “But Emery is gone over her strong, silent cowboy. Thankfully, the rest of the Delta men look like me, not Aiden.” Thor’s voice was teasing, but his eyes glinted happily. He was obviously thrilled his brother had found the right woman for him.
“That’s wonderful. I’m sure she’s amazing,” Melene said.
“She’s an angel,” Greer said.
Her eyebrows went up and she couldn’t resist exchanging a look with Aiden. He grinned conspiratorially at her, then reached over and took her hand. She relished the warm pressure of his hand, feeling settled and at home. She hoped the simple move meant he wouldn’t keep his distance from her now his brothers were here. He’d definitely get teased for anything he did, at least from Thor.
“Word is the beautiful Emery has Greer chattering like a monkey,” Aiden confided to Melene.
“Yep,” Greer drawled, focusing on the road as they turned up a steeper but still paved road with thick trees encroaching on the sport utility.
Thor glanced back at them to say something, but he noticed their joined hands and his eyebrows popped up. “Well … okay, then. Isthathow it’s going to be?” His gaze darted between them with a challenge and a mischievous glint.
“Yep,” Melene drawled out, trying to imitate Greer and squeezing Aiden’s hand.
Thor busted up at that. “Well, all right. We’ll take over this security detail and try to give you two some space, then.” He winked.
Melene flushed. She glanced at Aiden. He was giving her a warm look, and hope fluttered in her chest. Would they have more time to talk and kiss at this new sanctuary with his brothers watching over them? She should worry about the future and them going their separate ways, but at this point she doubted General Phillip was going to give up on his quest to flush her out with bribes and pictures or whatever he was doing. She wanted to enjoy Aiden. How long would these men sacrifice their time to keep her safe? Also, why did it seem like Thor and Greer had military training? They’d come out of that helicopter with huge weapons as if they were Rambo reincarnated. She didn’t know how to ask that without offending them. All the Deltas were tough, and she imagined being ranchers, they had to know how to handle a gun to protect their livestock.
“What about your wedding?” she asked Thor. “Will you need to postpone it because you’re helping me?”
Thor gave her a charming grin, his blue eyes twinkling. It was hilarious how he and Aiden teased each other about being ugly when they were both off-the-charts handsome. Especially Aiden.
“That’s mighty kind of you to worry, Melene, but are you even looking at all of this?” He gestured to himself. “Shelly would ‘wait at the altar for years for her handsome, charming, irresistible cowboy’. That’s a direct quote.”
Aiden burst out in laughter, Melene joined him, and even Greer guffawed.
“Don’t believe him,” Aiden told her. “He exaggerates everything. Thor worked for years, groveling and acting like a simp lord to convince Shelly to marry him. He’d never stop crying if the wedding didn’t happen.”
“Not true,” Thor protested. “First of all, you call me a simp again and you’ll find yourself outside this Land Rover, running to catch up. Second of all, she was pining over me for all those years.”
“First of all, you’d be the one eating dust, but I’d love to see you attempt it for the thousandth time,” Aiden shot back. “And second of all … Greer, tell Melene the truth about Shelly and Thor,” Aiden appealed to his quiet brother.
“Aiden’s right,” Greer reaffirmed. “Thor’s a simp.”
Aiden crowed in victory while Thor slugged Greer hard in the shoulder. Greer didn’t even react, and the vehicle didn’t so much as swerve.
Melene laughed at their nonstop banter. She suddenly missed her two younger sisters fiercely. They teased differently than boys, and were much nicer, but the underlying love and connection were the same.
They turned off the road into a steep driveway. Seconds later, Greer pulled to a stop, jumped out, hurried to a garage door, and flipped up a keypad. A pair of two-car garage doors seemed to comprise the basement level of a towering, four-story house. Melene looked up at the glistening white stucco and glass house. It was massive, and it looked light and airy like it was floating into the greenery and part of the clouds. She could hardly wait to explore it and hoped she wasn’t putting a huge dent in the Delta family finances. How could she bring that up again?
Glancing around, she could only see thick trees and towering mountain slopes. She prayed no one would see them or find them here.
The garage door slid up and Greer returned, drove the vehicle in, and parked it. Melene opened her door and climbed out, stretching.
“Greer, your big brothers trained you better than that,” Thor called. “Why didn’t you open the lady’s door?”
Greer hadn’t left the driver’s seat. He slid out and held up his phone by way of explanation to why he hadn’t moved quick enough to avoid Thor calling him out because Melene was seated right behind him. Melene could see the name Emery at the top and a picture of a gorgeous, smiling lady with long, dark curly hair.
“Sorry,” Greer grunted.
“I can open my own door,” Melene told him. She leaned closer. “May I?”
Greer gave her the biggest smile she’d ever seen on his face, clicked on the picture, and zoomed in. Melene could see the happy radiance in the woman’s smile and dark eyes.
“Wow, she is a beautiful angel,” she told Greer.