Stitch

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.”

Chapter Four
Mia stood off to the side in the room and tried to stifle a yawn as she looked around the decorated ballroom. It seemed that the later it got, the more the crowd grew. She was tired, and her feet were starting to ache.  Wearing four-inch heels for the last five hours would do that if the person wasn’t accustomed to wearing them. From her perspective, she had met everyone she had anticipated meeting, along with other prominent people.  She knew Elijah was well-liked, but she hadn’t realized exactly how popular of a man he was until she witnessed how everyone flocked to him, vying for his attention—especially the ladies. She had been on the receiving end of some harsh glares from some of the women. However, Elijah showed them no interest except for a polite hello as he escorted her around the room, making introductions. Women like them were the reason she avoided social gatherings like this. She wasn’t interested in competing for the prettiest gown or hairstyle or even the best looking man on her arm.
She had locked gazes with Terek a few more times throughout the evening, but she dismissed him. His attitude toward her still nagged her. His appearance made her question his relationship with Elijah, because Elijah didn’t seem like the type of person Terek would hang out with. The Terek she knew was more uptight, probably brought on by his military background. He was a skilled military operative, just like her brother. The only difference was that he served in the Army. She would never have imagined him attending a function like this.
Her phone vibrated again, and she shook her head, knowing it had to be Alex and Tenley again. She pulled the phone out of her clutch and