Then I look at Indy, wondering what his response will be.
An immediate denial, like Ace and Yara?
Maybe an admission of the possibility?
But it’s neither.
Instead, he shifts closer to me. His features soften. “You’re right,” he tells Rhiannon. “Sometimes it does come along when you least expect it.”
“Did you have a good time?”
As we approach my bedroom door, disappointment creeps in. I had a great time, in fact, and I’m not eager for the night to end. Turning to Indy, I answer, “Yes. I really did. And I don’t know why I was so nervous. Rhi and Hawk are great. Plus, I got to know Yara better, and Ace and Tyler…”
“I’m glad.” We stop outside the closed door, and Indy turns to face me. “I know you’ve been under a lot of stress, and I just thought it might be a good distraction.”
“It was. Especially Extreme Jenga.”
Indy chuckles. “Extreme Jenga is always good for taking your mind off things. That’s one of the reasons everyone liked it so much. Even when things seem like they’re going to shit—” He stops. “Anyway. I’m glad you had fun.”
“I really enjoyed hearing some of the stories about you,” I say. “I can’t believe some of the dares you took, though. Rappelling down a five-story building? Jumping off a waterfall?”
“Shhh.”Indy casts a furtive look up and down the empty hallway. “Eden still doesn’t know about that one. She’ll be pissed if she finds out.”
“What waterfall?” I give him an innocent look. “I never heard anything about a waterfall.”
He flashes me a conspiratorial smile. “Exactly.”
“It sounds like you had some good times, though.”
“I did.” A wistful expression moves across his face. “Not all good, of course. There were a lot of times when things werepretty dire. When we didn’t have time to do anything but focus on the mission. But during the in-between times, yeah. I really loved it.”
Suddenly this doesn’t feel like a conversation I want to be having in the hallway, with Yara asleep at the other end of it, and Ace and Tyler getting ready for bed downstairs. “Do you want to come in?” I ask as I twist open the bedroom doorknob. “I’m not really ready to go to sleep yet. Maybe we could talk? Watch a movie? Or…”
“Sure.” Indy holds the door open for me, then follows me inside and shuts the door after us. “I’m not tired either.”
Since the only place to sit is the bed, we both head over to it. I hop up onto one side, pushing the pillows up against the headboard, watching Indy as he does the same on his.
But on the queen-sized bed, that leaves us too far apart. So I scoot closer, and he wraps his arm around my shoulder and hugs me against him.
Instead of speaking, he’s carefully silent. Like he’s debating whether to tell me something. And rather than push, I just rest my head on his shoulder and wait.
Finally, he says quietly, “I’m not the same person I used to be. The guy they served with? That guy was funny. Easy-going. Never one to turn down a dare.”
He goes silent again before adding, “The guy you met in the hospital—he wasn’t anything like how I was. Back then… I was angry. Depressed. I lashed out at people for no reason. I had so much support—Eden, you, Rafe, all my old teammates, really—and I didn’t appreciate any of it.”
“I don’t think that’s true.” I lift my head to meet his gaze. “You were hurting. Which was understandable. And at the time, nothing anyone said could make things feel better. Only time could do that.”
He stares at me, his eyes darkening with emotion. “I guess. But… I still hate that I put the people I care about through that. Eden… And you…”
I could tell him it was my job to support him no matter how angry he got. And honestly, it would be true. But I also know it wasn’t just that. I cared about Indy even then. Even at his crankiest, there was just something that drew me to him. That made me want to do whatever it took to help him feel better.
“Things are better now,” Indy says. “I’m not as much of an asshole. At least—” His lips quirk. “I try not to be.”
“You’re not.”
“I can be. And I don’t like talking about certain things. My hand. The accident. Getting booted from the Army. Those years when I wasn’t sure?—”
“Indy.”
