“No. I’m just nervous.”
“Of course you are. It’s been a rough month. You’re still healing, the sheriff’s department still doesn’t have any suspects in your shooting, and Dean’s suddenly back confessing his love for you.” She stopped walking, pulling me beneath the shade of an awning. Nobody else was around. “You’re worried about your mom and Stephie too.”
I’d texted with Brynn about the broken window at my house. The implicit threat against my family. She’d promised to arrange discreet protection for them through Last Refuge. But as for the rest of what Dean and I were up to, she had no clue. It wouldn’t be right to ask her to lie for me or drag her into this revenge plan.
“I am,” I said. “You’re right. I’ve been really stressed. But doesn’t that mean I should slow down with Dean?”
“Let me ask you this. Are you happy with him?”
How could I answer that question with a straight face? How could I lie to one of my closest friends about something like this?
“I want to be,” I said.
Her face scrunched. “Okay. That’s not very specific. Is he treating you well? Telling you how crazy he is about you? And do you feel the same about him? Does kissing him make you dizzy in the best possible way?”
“All of the above.” My chest was clenching so hard I could barely breathe.
“Then that’s all you need for now. It makes sense for you to stay with someone given the danger still out there, and if Dean’s being the ideal guy, why not him? If it doesn’t work out, everyone will go on with their lives. But maybe you’ll look back someday, and there’ll be an incredible happy ending to all you’ve gone through. Like Cole and me.”
“You and Cole do have an enviable HEA.”
She shrugged. “I know. It’s like we’re made for each other or something.” We started walking again to catch up to the others. “And speaking of my handsome guy, Cole needs me back in Mexico. Now that you’re spending all your time with Dean in your new love nest, I can probably head back.”
Shit, how selfish was I? “Absolutely. Book your flight. Just know, I couldn’t have made it through the last few weeks without you. I’m so grateful for everything.”
She winked. “I’ve loved being here with you. I hope I don’t need you to return the favor, but if I do, I know you’ll be there.”
When we caught up to Mom, Stephie, and Dean, he gave me a warm grin and reached for my hand. We shopped around, enjoying Main Street, but my mind was on everything Brynn had said.
Mom and Stephie would take it hard when Dean and I eventually “broke up.” But they’d survive.
I had to figure out howIwas going to survive this.
It wasn’t even about me or my heartache. Not anymore. Now, I knew that Dean had been hurting too.
Maybe it wasn’t true at all that he’d broken my heart two years ago. I’d broken my own heart by expecting something that Dean wasn’t able to give me. And that just made me sad forhim.
Where Dean was concerned, it was time to finally let my romantic hopes go.
He had come back to Colorado for me. So I was going to be here for him, too. As a partner in this mission. A friend.
That was all I could ever be.
“We’ll start with the basics.”
Dean set a long, narrow case on the floor, using a smallkey to unlock it. Then opened the lid, unveiling the disassembled pieces of dark metal nestled into custom-cut foam.
My gaze moved eagerly over the barrel and the scope. I crossed my arms, feeling a slight twinge in my shoulder, but I was free of the sling now. Thank goodness.
I nodded. “Let’s do it.”
He looked up at me from where he was kneeling, a hint of a smile pulling at his lips.
In the last two weeks, I’d settled into a new routine as Dean’s roommate, strange as that sounded. The armoire in the bedroom was full of my clothes and belongings. The downstairs bathroom had shelves laden with my hair and skin products, and I’d been putting my mark on the rest of the house too.
I refused to live in a place with nowhere to sit in the living room and no table to eat. It had actually been fun picking out a few items at secondhand stores. Another glimpse into the friendship Dean and I had shared before, when things had been so easy between us.
Also, Mom and Stephie hadlovedhelping. I swear, they liked Dean even more than they liked me.
