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“Yeah,” I answer. “It’s time.”
My dad studies Aaron and me for a moment and nods. “Hosfeld, you saved my daughter’s life more than once. It’d be a damned shame if I had to kill you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dad walks over and wraps his big arms around me. “I love you, Sadie.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
He waltzes off, whistling as he goes. Once he’s gone, Aaron places our bags in the back seat of his truck and then reaches for my hand. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
After spending the weekend at Aaron’s place, he delivers me to my apartment Sunday night, so I can drive to Birdie’s house to pick up Gunny. She must have been waiting by the door because the door swings open before I can ring the bell. Birdie drags me inside, shoves me toward the sofa, and places a full wine glass in my hand. “So, talk.”
“I don’t want to talk about Brock or Maxen.”
Birdie’s face softens, and she places a hand on mine. “I know, but I wasn’t asking about them. I want to know what’s going on with Aaron. I know he went to Tennessee after his big announcement.”
I can’t stop the flush that heats my face and colors my cheeks. Damned redhead genes. Birdie grins. “So, the bastard finally went for it.”
“Went for what?”
Now, Birdie rolls her eyes. “Please. Everyone on this hemisphere knows that Aaron has been in love with you for, like, forever.”
“You’re shitting me.”
The tech genius shrugs her shoulders and grimaces. “Sorry, but you were the only one in the dark.”
I shake my head, polish off the rest of my wine, and stand, reaching for Gunny’s bowl.
Finally, back in my own apartment, I set the fishbowl down and plug in the heater. Bending to glare at Gunny, I say, “Go ahead. Let me have it.”
He flashes his tail at me as if to say congratulations. You stopped being an idiot.
Warm fingers sneak beneath my shirt, pulling me back toward a solid body. I never heard him, but I wouldn’t unless Aaron wanted me to. Gunny turns back around, suddenly interested and rather animated. “You dick. You knew all along, didn’t you?”
Aaron laughs and presses a wet kiss to my neck. “Of course, he knew. We men have to stick together. Don’t we, Gunny?”
The damn fish burps a bubble in agreement.
Sadie
It’s still dark on a chilly Monday morning.
I pull into the Knot Corporation parking lot early, even for me. My plan is to spend some time with a gun in my hand, but I end up punching a bag in the gym. It hurts like hell, so I focus more on form than power. About ten minutes in, the gym door opens, and Dillan Knot walks in dressed in workout gear.
He’s changed over the years, especially since being shot during that SEAL rescue mission in Estonia. It’s nice to see him getting back to the gym again.
Knot drops his bag onto a nearby bench and detours to the boxing gear. He pulls on two target gloves and gestures for me to join him. He ducks into a fighting stance and holds out the targets. “How’s the shoulder?”
I send a quick jab into his left. “Not as stiff as it was ten minutes ago.”
“What about the rest of you?”
Involuntarily, my eyes drop to my hip, where part of Maxen’s blade is still embedded. Knot smacks my head with a target, and I get set again. “I want this thing out of me.”
“I understand that.”
I guess so. The man lived with a bullet in him for three months until it could be safely removed. “How did it go with Aaron?”