Page 83 of Fatal Intent

“Grant and I are getting married.”

Her friend squealed, then clamped a hand over her mouth to keep her excitement quiet.

Rayne laughed. “Shh. I want to wait to share the news until Violet and Noah are back from their honeymoon.”

“Sorry. I’m so happy for you and Grant.” Riley hugged her. “This is the best news I’ve had in ages.”

“Really? What about that sweet kiss from Andre earlier in the day? That looked like good news to me, my friend.”

A shrug despite the flush on Riley’s cheeks. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

She sobered. “You’re afraid to trust him.”

“You know my history. Trust doesn’t come easy for me.”

“Give him a chance, Riley. Take it as slow as you need for your comfort.”

A knock sounded on the door. Andre called out, “Everything all right, Riley?”

“Come on. We’d better go before Andre decides he needs to kick down the door to rescue you.” Rayne motioned for her friend to walk out ahead of her. No matter how much Riley claimed she didn’t trust Andre, her face lit up when he walked into a room, and she was attuned to him.

When Riley opened the door, Andre studied her face for a moment, then relaxed his stance. “You’re happy about something.”

“Definitely.”

“Care to share?”

“Nope. The team will hear the good news later.”

“As long as you’re okay, I’ll wait.” He held out his hand for hers. When Riley placed her hand in his, Andre gently tugged her into the living room and toward the door.

Grant watched their friends leave, amusement glittering in the depths of his eyes. “What was that about?”

“I might have told Riley about us.”

“Really? I thought we agreed to wait until Noah and Violet were back.”

“I couldn’t resist. You can trust Riley. She won’t tell a soul.”

He pressed a quick kiss to her mouth, then nudged her toward the hallway. They followed Andre and Riley to the underground garage where the rest of their team waited. Grantslid behind the wheel of the SUV and led the way to his parents’ home.

He parked on the sweeping driveway near the front door. Seth pulled in behind him.

Rayne squeezed his forearm. “We have your back, Grant.”

“Let’s do this,” Andre murmured. He opened the door and reached back to assist Riley from the vehicle.

Grant came around the hood to open Rayne’s door, and they met the rest of the team on the walkway leading to the front door. He pressed the doorbell and waited.

A long minute later, someone unlocked the door. When it opened, an older woman stared at Grant for a moment before her gaze drifted over the rest of them. “You’re prompt, I’ll give you that,” she said.

Grant stiffened.

Rayne squeezed his hand, reminding him of her support. No question but that this woman was Grant’s mother.

“Good to see you, Mom.”

Her gaze returned to him. “Bring your friends to the backyard. With so many people joining us at the last minute, we decided grilling out would be easiest.” She hurried toward the back of the house, leaving the door wide open.