“She doesn’t need to talk to you,” Gunnar said. Concern flashed in those icy eyes.
Adam stepped forward, likely reacting to his wife’s growing anxiety. “Zaila gets to decide that.”
I nodded, because she did. Zaila also nodded. This young woman was no wallflower. She appeared to be feisty as well as smart. Possibly just what Gunnar needed in his life.
Gunnar’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. “You think I’d hurt her?”
“You just did,” Lennon said, his hands fisting. “By telling her what to think or do.”
I shot Ida Jane a panicked glance. This was our wedding, and Lennon thought his boss had just made the entire situation awkward at best, concerning at worst.
But Ida Jane was fully engrossed in the play-by-play. Great, she isn’t going to be any help.
“Oh, he won’t hurt me,” Zaila said with breezy confidence before I could come up with a response to break the tension.
“For fuck’s sake, I’d never hurt her,” Gunnar said. He was somewhere between flabbergasted and offended.
“It’s true,” Zaila said. “He won’t hurt me. At least not physically.”
That had Adam, Maxim, and Cormac growling with adorable fierceness. They’d protect this woman they barely knew against a man who could disrupt their lives. I felt even more in love with Lennon in that moment, something I would never have believed possible.
Zaila looked at the guys, eyes wide. She offered them an impish smile and a faint shake of her head. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant he has broken my heart because he doesn’t want you to know we’ve secretly been dating and sleeping together for the past six weeks.” With that, Zaila turned back to Gunnar, who looked both shocked and annoyed.
Ida Jane and I shared a smile.
Bingo.
We stepped toward her, offering her our silent support. “So, now that I’ve spilled the tea and am no longer Gunnar’s dirty little secret, I’m going to go—before I totally ruin the vibe.” She met Gunnar’s gaze and offered him a sad smile. “Goodbye.”
She turned to me and squeezed my fingers. “Sorry, but not that sorry.” With a last smile at Naomi and Ida Jane, Zaila hurried off.
Gunnar seemed rooted to his spot, staring after her. When Lennon stepped forward, Gunnar held up a hand. “It’s none of your fucking business.”
Well. Naomi, Ida Jane, and I looked at each other with wide eyes.
The guys might have helped Lennon and me find our happy ever after, but the women now had our next matchmaking project. And it was already in full swing.
