Payton’s knee bounced uncontrollably as the plane descended, taking them closer to her hometown with each passing second. Beside her, Luke and Ricky were peering out the window, taking in the view that was Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were both thrilled to be arriving finally, but she was sick to her stomach with nerves. Her family meant everything to her. If her brothers didn’t approve of Luke…

“I can’t believe the dirt is really red,” Ricky exclaimed as the plane jolted to the ground.

“It has to do with the mineral content, I think,” Luke told him before looking her way and realizing she wasn’t okay. He reached out to take her hand, bringing it to his lips. “It’s going to be just fine, baby, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that. You don’t know them,” she protested. “I haven’t been back home in almost two years. I don’t know what’s changed.”

“Nothing’s changed but you. You’ve grown as a person, and your brothers will see that and love it just as much as I do,” Luke told her.

The plane rolled to a stop, and the seatbelt light dinged, giving Payton the freedom to stand up, finally. She leaned on the chair next to her while the flight attendant retrieved her cane from a cubby near the door. Being disabled had very few privileges, but one was being the first to get on and the first to get off any plane.

Her leg wasn’t bothering her today, but the cane was her safety net, just in case she grew weary. The physical therapy had helped enough that she walked most days with only a limp to show for the injuries that nearly killed her in Afghanistan.

“Can we get food before we go to your house, Payton?” Ricky asked, looking around the airport longingly. “I’m starving.”

“You’re fifteen. You’re always hungry,” Luke told him.

Payton just laughed, “Of course, but first, we have to get the rental car.”

She headed that way when suddenly, someone was calling her name. Spinning in that direction, she saw her brothers Micah and Jaden waiting with a tiny handmade sign that said “Pissant”—her childhood nickname.

“Storm 2! Storm 3! Oh, my God, it’s good to see you guys.” She embraced them both, accepting their firm hugs with tears in her eyes.

“Are you crying? What the hell? Are we that ugly?” Jaden joked as he pulled back.

“Dust in my eye. It’s all this damn red dust in the air. I’d forgotten how it felt to wipe my eyes all the time,” she responded playfully, rubbing her eyes. “What are you doing here? I told you we were getting a rental car.”

“Yeah, but we couldn’t let you get here and have no welcome committee,” Micah told her before turning to Luke. His demeanor changed, tensing a little as he held out his hand. “Micah Storm, I’m brother number three.”

“Luke Gillian, fiancé number one.”

Micah and Jaden both turned to face Payton with surprised looks. “Fiancé?”

“He asked, but I haven’t answered, just yet. I had to put him through his paces with the Storm Corps just to make sure he’s up to it,” she explained. The Storm Corps was the nickname friends had given her family when they were young. With their father being a Marine Colonel, and all of them in ROTC, it had fit and stuck.

“Well played,” Jaden said, before holding his hand out. “Jaden, I’m brother two, and I’m glad to meet you. I can’t believe she found someone who could tolerate her whiny ass.”

Payton rolled her eyes at her brother, but Luke just laughed. “Not only tolerate but fully appreciate it. I love her and every bit of her whiny ass.”

“Hey!” she protested, slapping Luke’s shoulder.

He just laughed and pulled her in for a hug. “This is Ricky, my son.”

“Hey, Rick,” Jaden said, shaking the boy's hand, “How old are you?”

“Just turned fifteen last month,” Ricky told him. “How old are you?”

Jaden laughed at Ricky’s throwback. “I was thirty-five on my last birthday, and since I have twenty years on you, I’ll let that slide.”

Micah greeted Ricky and asked, “You guys hungry? I was thinking we could slide into El Rancho Grande and grab tacos.”

“Oh my God, yes! I’ve missed El Rancho Grande. We just have to get the car, then we can meet you there,” Payton told him, pointing at the rental desk. “Give us twenty minutes and we’ll head out.”

“Sounds good, we’ll see you over there,” Micah told her, hugging her again. “It’s good to have you back, Pissant.”

“Love you too, Three,” she responded warmly. She watched them walk away with a sense of pride. Women and men moved out of their way and cast an envious eye on the pair. Her brothers were good-looking men, and they drew attention everywhere they went.

“Well, let’s get this done, so we can go have food, already,” Ricky said, dragging her back to the present. “Otherwise, I’m going to starve to death.”

“Wouldn’t want that,” she joked, stepping up to the rental desk to collect their wheels.

The first meeting was the easy one. Payton wasn’t surprised Micah and Jaden had accepted Luke and Ricky immediately, but she was nervous about her father and Asher meeting them. Driving up to the house she’d lived in since high-school, butterflies spun in her belly, making her queasy and shaky. Home meant something different to everyone, but to her, it meant rules and regulations. It meant everyone and everything had its place, so there was order in the chaos. It meant family dinners that dissolved into laughter, only to be cut short by a curt request for more maturity from her father.

While she loved him, she still struggled with exactly what that love was based in. Colonel Grant Storm wasn’t affectionate or particularly loving as a father, but she’d always know he had her back all the same. He may not have been at school musical performances or parent/teacher conferences, but his high expectations of his children had meant there was never any concern for the outcome of either. He held them to the same high standard he held his men to, even as children.

So, walking up to that front door today was impossibly hard. When Luke took her hand and laced his fingers with hers, she looked up at him to find all the strength she needed in his smile. Everything she had that was good was based around the relationship they’d built, and there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d let anyone muck it up. Not even her father.

Asher came in later while they were cooking dinner and stopped short, just inside the kitchen door.

“Payton, you look like hell. Didn’t they feed you in North Dakota?” he asked gruffly, not even looking at Luke or Ricky. He didn’t offer her a hug, and she didn’t ask for one. Instead, she just rolled her eyes.

“Hello to you too, One. This is Luke and Ricky.”

Finally, Asher’s eyes went to Luke and a dark brooding glare covered his face. “She doesn’t have any money. The VA doesn’t pay out for injuries like an insurance company.”

Luke’s mouth fell open in shock, and Payton nearly launched herself across the room to get in Asher’s face.

“What the hell? Where did that come from? Luke isn’t after me for money. He has his own money, from his own business, that he runs, alone.”

Asher’s eyes flicked from her to Luke, but he didn’t react to Payton’s fury, otherwise. He just crossed his arms and stared down at her from his six-foot-four-inch height.

“I don’t care what he does for a living. Real men don’t pick up and move on a whim with their kid. Now, if you had a job or a reason for leaving—”

“Asher, cut the shit,” Jaden said firmly.

“Fuck you,” Payton told him simultaneously. “You don’t know Luke or me, I guess. I would have thought you would have a little faith in my ability to pick a good man.”

“Oh, yeah, because you have so much experience with it,” Asher snapped back. “Admit it, you haven’t had any sort of relationship in years. How the hell do you know what his motives are?”

Before Payton could lash back, Luke interrupted, coming to her, putting his hands on her shoulders to hold her back.

“If you want to know my intentions, you should ask me. I plan to marry your sister the moment she says the word.”

“Marry her? Why? You’re already fucking her. What do you need a wedding for?” Asher asked arrogantly, shrugging his shoulders.

“Watch your mouth,” Luke snarled. “I have more respect for her than you do, clearly. Anyone who knows Payton knows she’s not a whore. And she’s the woman I love and plan to plant roots with, so the wedding is inevitable. You can get on board or go to hell.”

Asher suddenly burst into laughter. “I have to admit, your man’s got balls, Pissant. At least, he doesn’t take my shit.”

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief when they realized the battle of wills was over. Asher had started the pissing match, but Luke had well and truly ended it.

Payton only had one more person to face tonight. The front door opened in the other room, and her stomach dropped. After everything with Asher, she wasn’t sure she could handle another third degree.

Grant’s intimidating presence filled the room as his body filled the door, and everyone seemed to tense up. He scanned the people standing around, his gaze pausing on Luke, then Ricky before it landed on Payton, and a small smile lifted his cheeks.

“Six, I see you finally returned.”

“Hi, Dad.” She went to him out of obligation, holding her hand out for a shake rather than the hug she truly wanted. Colonel Grant Storm didn’t do hugs.

He took her hand and cupped it with both of his, making a move to spin her so he could look her over. “And sans wheelchair or cane?”

“Mostly. I still use the cane when I’m tired,” she admitted. Chinook had followed her over and had promptly insinuated himself between them as if creating a protective barrier around his mistress.

“Who is this?” Grant asked, reaching down to pat the dog. To Payton’s surprise, Chinook actually flinched away from her father before letting him touch him. The dog seemed to sense the tenseness between her and Grant.

“My service dog, Chinook. He’s been a godsend when it comes to my episodes.”

“What episodes?” Grant asked, standing up with a surprisingly concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just have the occasional flashback, now. Luke has done wonders for that, but Chinook is my shadow. He helps pull me back from the brink of crazy when I need it,” she said with a small laugh. She felt Luke step up behind her, and she held her breath as her father met his eyes over her shoulder. “Dad, this is Luke, my… fiancé.”

Her dad stared her man down, looking for all intents and purposes like he was planning his death, and then, just as suddenly, that small smile was back, and he held out his hand. “Colonel Grant Storm.”

“Luke Gillian, and that’s my son Ricky.” Luke shook hands and then said, “It’s great to finally meet all of you.”

“Not quite all of us,” Micah said from the sink. “Cooper is in Korea and Roan is in Syria, but he comes back in a few days.”

Payton spun around and stared at Micah, “He does? Did he get his orders yet?”

Grant spoke from behind her, “Bristol plans on picking him up on Monday when he gets back stateside.”

“How is Bristol?” Payton asked, going to assist her brothers in food prep. She still felt like things were unresolved with her father, but if he was willing to leave it, so was she. The Storm family were experts in avoidance. As she got the low down on her future nephew, Bristol kept a close eye on Luke and Ricky who had found friends in Micah and Jaden. Even Asher entered the conversation here and there as if he’d never been a dick. She didn’t get it, but she truly loved her crazy ass family. Every last one of them.