Men of The First Brigade

If Tyler doesn't shut up about the stunning woman who made a wrong turn and found herself at the NSA guard booth this morning, I just might tie him up and leave him on I-95.Since my wife walked out, Tyler's been playing matchmaker and somehow he's gotten it in his head that the tiny thing in the huge truck is the one for me. He's clearly engineering something, because when she joins our group for Boys' Night Out again and again, I can't keep enough distance between myself and the woman who's enchanting. Wonderful. The last words I'll ever say out loud.Daphne is better than me when it comes to...well, everything. She's made a name for herself professionally, in addition to marrying a congressman. She's got a better aim, drives a bigger truck, is weirdly knowledgeable about football, and the guys worship her.I don't have time for the trouble she'll bring to my life: expectations, manipulation, guilt trips...vulnerability. I'm not here for any of it. But Daphne is relentless, insidious, and I crave what the woman has to offer as I struggle to provide proper care for my ailing father. The last thing I want is her help.I'm known for being pig-headed and stubborn and even though Daphne sees me through a crisis, I'm too caught up in my own issues to help her through the one I've caused. For the first time, something really good has happened to me and I've never worked so hard to lose it.

My days in the Army are over and now, with child support payments and a mortgage, I'm dumping all my spare time, money and effort into getting my security company off the ground. It gives me focus and continuity in a life that's otherwise unfulfilling and frankly pretty empty.The last thing I need to do is bring more drama home, because already I'm often in a courtroom battling my bitter, angry ex for the custody of my teenage children. Since I have a past she preys upon, it's allowed her to control my interactions with my children for years.When my daughter shows up on my doorstep, I'm overseas for work. I've just begun seeing someone and Mia's involvement with my kids is both heartwarming and terrifying, as I begin to understand that she is the caring figure we've never had.It's obvious we have to admit to ourselves we both have demons: mine are dead, but hers are living, and they threaten to steal away from us what might be our only chance to make something good.

After facing the wrong end of an IED, the Army decides they're done with me when I fail a mental eval. Like that, twenty-five years of my life go down the drain.While growing up in Syracuse, I promised myself that if I ever got out I'd never come back. New York has nothing for me but bitter memories and regret and, as it turns out, a career with the FBI and something else completely unexpected: the stunning, relentless Giulia.When Giulia's job and her idiot boss put her in danger, I make a stupid move: I blur the lines further to get personally involved. The last thing I'm ready for is the wild woman who swept into my life like a tsunami. But she's more than meets the eye, devoted and courageous, and when I need someone to hold me up, she's there without questions or recriminations. She accepts my ugly past even as she slowly discloses secrets of her own.She's a miracle, one I don't deserve, and one I stand to lose.