Cole watched as the couples glowed with love. Knight leaned over and kissed Claire’s cheek. “Congratulations, sweetheart. You’ll make a great mother.”
“Congratulations, Knight. Kassie did the calculations, we’re due around the same time,” she said, beaming.
“Promise me, Claire. You’ll go into labor first, right? I can’t let Knight see his kid before me. He already has one. We need to house hunt right away. I won’t be able to handle him singing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow to two kids. I’ll even paint the house God awful pink.”
Claire laughed. “I’ll see what I can do about the whole labor part, but we’re not moving. I’ll buy you a nice pair of earplugs on your nights off from diaper and feeding duty.”
“We gotta get married. Can we do it tonight?” he asked, growing more excited by the minute.
Kassie rolled her eyes and motioned for Knight to follow. “Come on, let’s give them some time alone.”
Cole laughed as he watched his new buddies turn to mush and followed Kassie from the room. He congratulated the couple again before walking to the parking lot. His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out.
Can you come and get me? Hannah texted.
I’m on my way. He replied.
A vision of Hannah carrying their child with Brody at her feet popped into his head. He didn’t know if she even wanted children. Cole only knew he wanted to experience what he witnessed between his new teammates and their wives. It didn’t matter if it took months or years, he’d wait for the woman who stayed on his mind and brought him to the mountain.
CHAPTER 28
Hannah sliddinner into the oven and set the table. Nine stayed in the kitchen, hoping she might drop a few tidbits her way. Brody sat in the doorway, watching Cole and Hannah at the same time.
“You don’t have to make dinner,” he said, starting the fireplace. “Let’s eat in here tonight. There’s a chill in the air.”
“I hardly call it making dinner when I’m warming up a freezer meal. Plus, it has mashed potatoes and broccoli,” she called as she returned the plates to the stove.
“Did you enjoy your time with Scarlett today? You didn’t say much about your visit,” he said, watching her. Her movements slowed, and she licked her lips nervously.
“We chatted. I like her. She’s exactly as I imagined. I’m looking forward to working with her,” she said.
“But…”
“It feels weird having a job again,” she confessed. “A few weeks ago, I watched the world go by through my hospital window. Now I have a position at a securities facility.”
“As I said, unpredictable as a storm.” He winked at her, making her feel warm inside.
“Leo gave me a bonus. I’m thinking of putting it toward a vehicle. Gosh, I haven’t driven in forever. I hope cars haven’t changed much and I recall how to operate it.”
“After dinner, you can borrow my truck, and we can reacquaint you,” he offered.
The timer on the stove went off, and she pulled out the food and set it on the counter. Her hand touched the corner of the tray, and she hissed, clutching her hand.
Cole seemed to appear from nowhere and held her hand under the faucet, letting the cool water soothe her skin. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her hand, gently drying it. Inspecting the wound, he said, “It doesn’t appear too bad.”
“No. It surprised me,” she murmured, staring at the towel. They clasped hands several times over the last few days and it felt safe. His touch seemed to send a jolt of warm current to her belly, making butterflies. Scarlett’s advice seemed to whisper inside her head as her gaze roamed to his face.
He smiled slightly and slowly let her go. “I’ll dish out the food. Why don’t you take traitor one and traitor two to their kennels? I placed their food and fresh water in them.”
“Do they have to stay in them? It feels like a prison sentence,” Hannah said, turning her nose up in disdain at the metal cages.
“Brody has always used a kennel and finds it a safe place. Sometimes he uses it to have some alone time. Nine needs to learn how to behave in hers. After they eat, I’ll take them outside. Brody uses the bathroom on command. Nine likes to smell everything in a ten-foot radius. When they’re working, they don’t always have the luxury to sniff for half an hour. She’s the youngest in the group, and I want to train her myself. Leo didn’t pay for her. I did.”
“Then why does she have to train with all those other big dogs?” Hannah came to Nine’s rescue. “She’s a baby.”
“The military uses dogs for missions, and I learned their techniques in Texas. I want to train her differently. Did Kassie talk about getting a service dog?” he asked.
“Yes, she and Claire mentioned it. Maybe when I’m feeling less overwhelmed, I’ll entertain the idea. I can only perform one miracle at a time, ya know. I’m organizing all of Leo’s invoices. His and Whiskey’s filing system needs work. Leo has stuff under pain in my ass, heart attack waiting to happen, Whiskey’s screwups, and what the fuck. It’s taking me a while to decipher Whiskeys. He has notations such as, ask Leo about this, tell Samantha, remember to call, and I don’t know what to do with this. Leo gave me carte blanche to do whatever, but so far everything keeps going into the ‘what the fuck’ pile,” she said, placing the dogs inside the crates and making a face.
