His voice was subdued.“I had a great dad.Truly great.He coached my baseball team and my soccer team, he would have coached my swim team, but he could barely tread water.I didn’t have any siblings.My mom had an emergency hysterectomy after I was born.He was my best friend until I was twelve.”
His shoulders lifted and fell with his deep inhale.
I sat quietly, my hands gentle in his hair, my chest tight as I waited for the rest.
“Then one day, I got called down to the office at school.He’d been in a car accident.”
A shudder wracked his body, his fingers clamped down on my hips.
“I was told to wait in the office for someone to pick me up.Before our neighbor could get there, the entire school was put on lockdown.There was an active shooter in the neighborhood.When my ride arrived, they wouldn’t open the doors.Threatened her with trespassing if she didn’t leave school property.”
He began to shake.
I shifted closer, wrapped my arms around his neck, and aligned my chest with his.
My breath came as unevenly as his own.
His hands slowly swept toward my lower back then crossed each other to hold me tight.
“I told myself he’d be okay.People got in fender-benders all the time and walked away.The police picked up the shooter an hour later.The office called my neighbor.She’d been waiting on a side street.Got to me within two minutes.But by the time I got to the hospital, he was gone.”
“My God,” I breathed, rocking against him.“Daire…”
“And then afterwards, seeing my mother…I’ve never felt so helpless in my life.”
“Old enough to see she was falling apart, young enough that there was nothing you could do about it,” I murmured, stroking my fingers through his hair.
Dipping his head, he gently pressed his cheek to mine.“Don’t try to make me feel better.”
“I promise,” I whispered.“I won’t.”
27
The Wish
“Howarethingsgoingwith Daire?”
Noelle sat across from me in my office with Hunter at her breast.
It was rare that she dropped in to see me at work.Was this a fact-finding mission?Did my brother put her up to this?
“Tell me you miss your job so much you’re coming back early,” I demanded.
“Oh, come on,” she snorted.“It’s not even the busy wedding season.”
“I will never recover from this past summer’s bridezillas.”
“Are you avoiding my question?”she retorted softly.
I looked at her directly.“No.I’m not.But you and Hawk are not the best at hiding your feelings.”I shrugged.“I understand why you’re weird with him.”
Her eyes bugged out.“You do?”
“Of course.You’re standing by your man, but what’s Hawk’s problem?”
Noelle shifted Hunter to her other breast and grimaced.“He just doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
“Why would he think that I’m going to get hurt?Max has vouched for him over and over, hasn’t he?”I asked, completely exasperated.
