Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother novel Chapter 193

brother.

Chapter 193: Penny

The table is a battlefield.

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Not in the dramatic, knife–throwing kind of way but in the awkward silences, the clinking silverware, and the sheer gravitational force of Aster Hayes sitting beside me like he’s too large for his own skin. And definitely too large for the delicate Vales‘ dining chairs.

He’s warm beside me, thigh brushing mine every so often, and every time it happens, my heart does something traitorous and dramatic, Acres from us, Tyler sits squished between his mom and dad, eyes flicking like he’s watching the world’s slowest tennis match.

Between me.

And Asher,

Back to me.

It doesn’t help that Asher’s being… calm. Polite. Almost smug, in that lethal way of his where every expression looks like a held–back secret. My mom is trying to keep the conversation light–travel, school, conferences. My dad, seated at the opposite end of the table like some suburban king, is letting her do the heavy lifting.

“I told Rob we should’ve booked the hotel near the coast,” my mom is saying. “But no, he had to try something ‘off the grid.“”

“It was adventurous,” my dad grins. “The raccoon was just a bonus.”

The adults laugh. Tyler snorts into his water.

I just pick at my green beans, trying not to hyper–fixate on the warmth of Asher’s hand so close to mine.

Then, out of nowhere, my dad puts down his fork, leans forward, and says

“So, Asher

how many people have you killed?”

I nearly choke. Like, actual sputtering. My mom’s eyes go wide.

“Dad,” I hiss, reaching for my water glass. “Seriously?”

“What?” he says, totally unbothered. “He’s military. It’s not like I’m asking for names.”

“Robert,” my mom snaps. “You do not ask that at dinner.”

Asher, to his credit, doesn’t flinch. He just raises his glass like this is all very normal and says, with a little amused tilt of his head, “Sorry, sir. That’s classified.”

My dad grins. “So that means a lot.”

“It means I can’t answer.”

“Over a hundred?”

Asher pauses.

Then he nods.

The air tightens around me like a rope pulling cinch. Tyler looks like he just watched someone get shot. My mom presses her lips together. My dad whistles, long and low.

And me?

I stare at my plate.

1/3

Chapter 193: Penny

Because Asher Hayes holds my hand like it’s glass, Kisses me like I’m aic Smiles like I’m the only safe place he’s ever known. But may all i can see behind his eyes the version of him I never get to meet. The version he left overseas. Maybe.

“Was it hard?” my mom asks gently. “Training, I mean.”

Asher’s voice is even. “It’s meant to be. They tear you down. Break your body. Your sleep cycle. Your mind. Then they rebuild it. Sharper Stronger Numb

The table goes quiet. Even my dad has the decency to shut up.

“You learn to go without food, rest, comfort. You learn pain is just another thing to master. And when they’re done, you’re not really you anymore. You’re what they made.”

He doesn’t look at anyone. Just straight ahead.

“Do you regret it?” Mom asks, quieter now.

Asher’s hand moves slightly beneath the table. Finds mine.

“I regret a lot of the decisions I’ve made over the past few years,” he says. “But the SEALS is not one of them.”

My breath sticks in my throat.

He’s not just answering for them. He’s answering for me,

too.

Because I’ve seen the scars. The silences. The nights he doesn’t sleep.

But I’ve also seen him let Tyler beat him at Mario Kart. I’ve seen him carry groceries with one arm so he could hold my hand with the other. I’ve seen him cry once – just once and it was because he thought he’d lost me.

He’s not a weapon.

Not with me.

And if he ever was, he’s unlearning it now. One dinner table at a time.

Asher must feel it the weight in the room, the crackle of nerves right before everything crumbles. Maybe he’s used to it, to that edge. Maybe that’s why he’s so good at knowing when to pull back.

He shifts in his seat, then turns toward my mom like nothing just happened.

“Mrs. Vale,” he says, voice smooth but still quiet, “can I ask what’s in this glaze? On the chicken?”

My mom blinks. “What?”

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