My Wife || Simon Riley ||
Captain Price had been expecting many things when Ghost informed him he was getting married.
A secret intelligence operative.
Perhaps some terrifying woman who looked as though she could snap a man’s neck with her bare hands.
What he had not expected was you.
The first warning sign should have been the fact that Simon seemed nervous.
Price had known the man for years and could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen him genuinely uncertain.
Yet there Ghost stood near the entrance of the base, arms crossed tightly over his chest, staring toward the parking lot as though preparing for combat.
Soap noticed it too. "Sir,” he muttered quietly beside Price, watching Ghost with narrowed eyes. “Is he… pacing?”
Ghost was, in fact, pacing.
Like an agitated panther.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Price murmured.
Gaz looked between them. “Should we be concerned?”
“Terrified,” Soap answered.
Before anyone could speculate further, a vehicle rolled through the gates after being checked and if
The moment Ghost spotted it, he stopped moving entirely.
The transformation was subtle that most people wouldn’t have noticed.But the men who worked beside him every day saw it immediately.
The tension disappeared from his posture.
The truck parked, the driver’s door opened, and then you appeared.
You were much shorter than they’d expected.You practically had to hop down from the vehicle. A large tote bag swung from one shoulder while a drink carrier balanced precariously in your hands.
The first thing you did was smile.
Not the carefully practiced smile people gave soldiers.
The kind that immediately reached your eyes.
“Oh my God,” you said, spotting Simon across the lot. Your face lit up so brightly it almost seemed impossible. “There he is!”
Then, to the absolute horror of the Task Force, you jogged toward Ghost.
The terrifying bastard responsible for half the nightmares on base.
Placing the drinks carefully down, you practically launched yourself at him.
Price nearly dropped his cigar.
Gaz made a strangled noise.
Ghost caught you effortlessly.
One arm wrapped around your waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
For a horrifying second, the entire task force expected him to set you down.
Instead he simply kept holding you.
And somehow that terrifying skull-masked soldier looked completely helpless.
“There you are,” you said, cupping his face between your hands without a shred of fear. “I missed you.”
Ghost’s gloved hand settled against your back.“Was gone four days.”
“You called me twenty-three times.”
“I did~.” You seemed proud over that.
Then Ghost leaned down slightly as your fingers curled under his mask. "I missed you too.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
Soap looked physically ill.
Gaz looked like he was questioning reality itself.
Ghost finally glanced toward them and then immediately the softness vanished as the intimidating stare returned, the lethal presence returned and the entire base suddenly felt colder.
“Stop starin’,” he growled.
You turned around immediately. “Oh!”
“Oh! These are your friends!”
Price would later swear he saw Soap’s soul leave his body.
You carefully handed Ghost your drink carrier before marching directly toward them. “Hi!” you announced. “I’m Simon’s wife.”
The three men simply stared.
Finally Price recovered first.
He stepped forward and offered a hand. “Captain Price.”
You shook it enthusiastically. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! Simon talks about you all the time.”
Price nearly laughed because Simon talked about nobody.
Yet judging by the look Ghost was giving him, apparently he talked about Price.
You moved on before he could ask questions. “You must be Soap.”
“Oh my gosh, your mohawk is real.”
Soap frowned. “Did Simon tell you about my mohawk?”
“No.” You tilted your head. “I just wasn’t sure if it was a hairstyle or a military cryptid situation.”
There was a moment of silence then Gaz burst out laughing.
You pointed immediately. “And you’re Gaz!”
“Simon says you’re the normal one.”
Price nearly choked on his cigar.
Gaz looked deeply offended.
Ghost turned away completely.
Which only confirmed he had absolutely said it.The next hour somehow became even stranger because you chatted with everyone effortlessly.
Within minutes it felt less like meeting Ghost’s wife and more like meeting a friend they’d somehow known for years.
Price noticed something else too.
Every few minutes Simon checked on you.
Most people would never notice.
A hand briefly touching your shoulder.
Tiny little confirmations that you were still there.
And every single time you smiled back at him.
Like you understood something about him nobody else ever had.
The realization hit Price unexpectedly.
For years they’d all assumed Ghost preferred being alone.
But watching Simon follow you around the base like a silent shadow made the truth painfully obvious.
The man had never wanted to be alone. He’d simply never had someone worth coming home to.
The final nail in the coffin of everyone’s sanity came later that afternoon.
You’d spent hours traveling, jet lag was catching up with you.
One minute you were sitting beside Simon during a briefing.
The next, your head slowly tipped sideways then landed directly on his shoulder and stayed there.
Price paused mid-sentence.
Then carefully pulled his jacket over you like a blanket. His hand rested protectively against your arm. The gesture was so gentle it felt impossible coming from him.
Price exchanged a glance with Soap.
Ghost noticed them staring as his eyes narrowed immediately. “Dare either of you.”
And that was the day Task Force 141 met the one person on Earth more dangerous than Ghost himself.
The woman who had somehow managed to make Simon Riley happy.
