Page 40 of Anything for You (Veterans of Silver Ridge #7)

CHAPTER FORTY

Dorian

K enny was, as usual, beaming with a toothy white grin as we left the Saint building.

“I love all of this. Every bit of what’s happening is just good. ” He patted Cookie on the back.

Beast grumbled his assent. “You’re doing good things.”

“They’re right. Proud of you,” I said, hoping my sour mood wouldn’t bleed through. I’d been joyful for the surprise engagement he’d ambushed his now-fiancée with, but this morning had knocked some of that from me.

“I’m excited. Happy everyone else is happy,” Cookie said, accepting another rough thwack from Beast as we descended into the parking lot.

Prepared to slip into my truck and stew while I booked it back to Bear and my house and eventually Dove, three shadows stretched across the vehicle.

“We going to pretend there’s nothing going on here?” Beast said, crossing his arms and settling into a wide-legged stance.

Cookie raised his brows, and Kenny leaned against the hood, face expectant.

“What’s going on?” I asked, well aware they could read me enough to know I was irritable.

Beast blinked back, clearly unimpressed with my feint of confusion. Cookie waited silently.

Barbie broke out into a wild grin. “You’re dating Dove Jensen!?”

My heart kicked at the sound of her name, and every anxiety-riddled thought grinding me down in the wake of the day and the close-out meeting evaporated as an image of her face came blazing into my mind.

Beast and Cookie chuckled.

“I love that you didn’t say a word but now you’re blushing. Your whole angsty energy just changed,” Barbie declared.

“Angsty?” Why I asked, I’d never know.

Barbie sauntered toward me and winked. “We’ll come back around to the blushing, but yeah.

Angsty. Because you feel guilty for not working more, and knowing you, you feel guilty for not having some major Saint expansion project you want to do now that we have our very own resident moneybags,” he said, winking at Cookie.

“I’m that easy to read?” I asked, a touch embarrassed I was so transparent.

“Yes,” they all said in unison.

More than a little horror struck me. “Do you think Bruce and Wilder know?”

“Yes.” Perfectly in sync yet again.

I turned to face the truck, and my head fell against the cool metal of the door frame. How could I explain how terrible that realization felt, or the tiniest flutter of relief that came, too?

“We do need to talk about that, but we’ve touched on it. I assume you’re discussing it with the doc?” He meant my therapist.

“Yes.”

I had a little. And after today, I would more. I’d convinced myself it wasn’t a pervasive issue, this sense of guilt and obligation, and way down at the heart of it, fear, but clearly, I’d lied to myself.

“Great. Then tell us every little thing about you and Dove,” Barbie said, clapping his hands together in front of him.

Beast instantly spoke up. “No. Not every little thing.” He sent Barbie a glare.

“Maybe tell us what you want to tell us,” Cookie suggested in his reasonable way.

However edgy I felt after the day, these three pestering me about Dove and having every faith I’d handle those challenging feelings about Saint buoyed my mood.

It reminded me yet again that I wasn’t alone and I didn’t need to sink into the disappointment with myself over not having been honest about all of this.

“I’ll tell you I’m…” A slow smile spread across my face as I thought about her, the way she’d urged me to share what I’d experienced but didn’t push. She hadn’t asked for every gory detail, and of course, my tenderhearted love, she’d cried. “I’m really happy.”

Barbie burst out laughing, so instantly elated on my behalf, it only made me love him more. Cookie and Beast were grinning like fools, too.

“Now I literally couldn’t be happier. I love this for you and her and all of us. Is she coming to the festival at all? ”

The Silver Ridge film fest started tomorrow. It’d be a busy time, and I’d agreed to work several days, mostly in the CP. There’d be a flood of tourists, celebrities, and press.

“We haven’t talked about it.”

Barbie gave me a perturbed look. “Time to get on that. And, if I may very gently suggest, perhaps some tidying up?” He stroked along his clean-shaven face.

Beast chuckled.

“You could use a trim, too, fella,” he snapped back. “Everyone with a beard needs to take notes from Cookie because he always looks like a snack.”

I chuckled despite myself, and Beast grumbled while Cookie just shook his head.

“Not all of us can look like models,” Beast said, then pulled his keys from his pocket. “Gotta get home to the family, but I’ll see you tomorrow. Talk to your woman.” He pointed at me like I’d have to answer to him if I didn’t.

The others followed suit, and I took the chance to go before anyone else popped up ready to chat. It was unlikely, but I wanted to ride this good feeling for a minute and not sink back down into the concerns that’d been tightening around my ribs before we started talking about Dove.

After a stop to pick up some groceries and my holds from the library, I made it home right as Dove was pulling in. Seeing her car was exhilarating in a way that hardly made sense, except that I was in love with her so of course it did.

I… I mean, obviously, I was in love with her.

I could’ve laughed just from thinking it.

Anything having to do with the woman gave me a burst of happiness.

“Hey there, Dorian Q. How was your day?” she asked, smiling so brightly she practically glowed. She didn’t stop coming until her arms were wrapped around me and mine her.

Holding her was heaven. After the riot of feelings, then the swing of joy telling my friends about where we stood, then holding those nagging worries at bay, breathing in her warm, soft scent and feeling her in my arms was like taking my first breath of air after being under water as I kicked to reach the surface.

“I’m glad to see you.” The words were so feeble, they sounded ridiculous to my ears. But it was too soon to tell her just how much this moment meant to me.

She pulled back, examining my face. The sun had started setting as I’d left work and now the dusky light made it hard to see her quite as vividly as I’d like.

“Are you okay?” Her hands rose to cup my face, nails scratching against the thick, too-long hairs of my beard.

“I am now.” I sighed, loosening a bit more by the second. “But I have to get a haircut for tomorrow.”

Her hands stilled. “You do? Why?”

What did it say about me that I liked her response? That instead of, “yeah, you’re overdue,” she seemed almost dismayed.

“I’m working the film fest. I’m unlikely to do anything public-facing, but it’s time. I could look a little more put together.” No doubt my cheeks were burning with a blush, but she wouldn’t see that very well between the aforementioned beard and the dimming daylight.

“I’m not just saying this because you’re my boyfriend. I’m—” She tucked her lips between her teeth and her lashes fluttered.

My grin exploded across my face. “I’m your boyfriend, huh?”

Her hands dropped to my shoulders and she shoved me away a little. Only enough to rock me back, and I caught her hands and pressed her palms to my heart. “Does that mean you’re my girlfriend?”

Her gaze dropped down to her toes, and she kicked at nothing. “Well, I’m not anyone else’s, that’s for sure.”

Gathering her to me, I tilted her chin up, relishing the slightly anxious and yet playful gleam in her eye.

“I’m yours, that’s for sure. And as long as you’re good with it, you’re mine.”

“I’m good with it,” she whispered, then leaned into me as she rose on her toes and pressed her lips to mine.

I could get lost in her kiss, in the supple feel of her body against mine and the way the ends of her hair brushed my bare wrists where they wrapped around her. I would’ve lost all sense of time if she hadn’t ended the kiss by pulling back and laughing.

“Alright then, that’s settled.”

I nodded.

“And now, let’s eat some dinner and, if you trust me, I can help you with that haircut.”

Nuzzling into her neck, a mixture of relief, desire, and something unidentifiable and bittersweet crept into my chest. We’d spend time together—relief. I wanted her as much as I wanted my next breath—desire. And whatever else it was, I didn’t want it right now.

“I trust you,” I whispered into her skin, amazed and delighted to mean it.