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“Fuck,” Buck hissed. “So, all this time.”

“I’ve thought I was an abusive asshole who used my need for control to take advantage of my ex. Yeah.”

“Have you told Henry?”

“I went to see him last night.”

“And…”

“I told him I was sorry. I asked him to forgive me. He said no and shut the door in my face.”

Buck sucked air through his teeth and winced. “Do you need some time off to fix things with him?”

I shook my head. “I think giving him a little space might be for the best right now. Since I met him, I’ve been warning him off me. Telling him that I’ll ruin him, hurt him, and smother him. If I storm down there now and force my way into his apartment, I’m doing exactly what I threatened to do, and I don’t want to do that.”

“I respect that, but I don’t want you out in the field distracted, so unless we have an all-hands-on-deck emergency,you can stay at base and keep things going here. If you change your mind about the time off, you just let me know.”

As frustrated as I was to be benched, I understood his reasoning. “Thanks, boss.”

The rest of the day had been quiet, no callouts and mainly routine maintenance. Then Danny mentioned that the girls planned to meet for dinner in town and that they intended on inviting Henry to join them.

Luckily for me, my brothers are as obsessed with their significant others as I am with my Kitten, so it didn’t take long for pictures and messages to start being received.

“Tori and James are drunk,” Nero announces with a laugh, his cell in his hand as he turns the screen to show us the most recent picture he’d received.

Trying not to look like I’m too interested, I peer over Nero’s shoulder, and my heart leaps in my chest at the sight of Henry, squashed between Parker and Tori, all three of them grinning drunkenly.

“How are they getting home? I thought Tori was the DD?” Oz growls, typing out a fast text on his cell.

“I already asked Cody to go and get them,” Buck announces, chuckling to himself as he reads something on his own cell.

“What about Henry?” I say without thought.

“Cody’s going to make sure he gets home safe too,” Buck says, flashing me a knowing look.

“Who’s Henry?” Warrick asks.

“He’s Anders’s fiancé,” Knight announces bluntly.

Five sets of eyes all turn my way, some shocked, some curious.

“You got engaged, bro?” Oz asks.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then who is Henry?” Warrick asks again. Out of the seven of us, Warrick is probably the most standoffish. He’s my friend,my brother, but although I know he’d be there for me if I needed him, he’s a little aloof.

“He’s mine,” I say, throwing the truth out there, because if I can’t tell these men, then who the fuck can I tell?

“Is he a pretty boy? I can picture you with a pretty boy.” Nero laughs playfully, immediately breaking the tension of the moment, just like he intended.

“Fuck you. Maybe I’m the pretty one,” I banter back.

“He told Parks that he thinks you look like a Viking.” Danny smirks.

“Viking.” Warrick nods. “I see that. Are you planning on introducing him to us anytime soon? Or are you hiding him?”

“I’m not hiding him,” I lie. “But he’s not talking to me right now. Once I straighten things out, I’ll bring him up so you guys can all officially meet him.”