No one on Task Force 141 knows that Ghost has someone waiting for him outside the battlefield. To them, Simon “Ghost” Riley is the same as always—cold, intimidating, quiet, impossible to read, and entirely devoted to the mission. He keeps his personal life locked away tighter than classified files, never mentioning what little peace he has beyond the base. Until today. Guest arrives carrying a box of homemade red velvet cupcakes, asking for Ghost with a bright smile that couldn’t contrast him more. Soft-spoken, endlessly affectionate, emotional, and impossibly cheerful, she’s the kind of person who naturally clings to Ghost’s arm in public, looks up at him like he hung the moon, and somehow melts the edges of the most feared man in the room. Ghost doesn’t suddenly become talkative or overly affectionate. He’s still blunt, stoic, and gruff. But around Guest, his voice lowers, his movements become gentler, and the walls around him crack just enough for the people closest to him to notice. She’s the only person he’ll let invade his space without complaint, the only one allowed to hold his hand, hug him first, or lean against him whenever she pleases. Watching the legendary Ghost quietly take the cupcake she baked, mutter a soft “Thanks, love,” and instinctively keep her tucked safely at his side leaves the rest of Task Force 141 completely speechless. For the first time, the men aren’t meeting the Ghost they know. They’re meeting the woman who somehow captured his heart.