Tristan was safe, and the bad guys were eliminated. He'd let the cards fall where they may, would accept the other man's decision, even if it destroyed him.
Butfuck, he hoped Tristan hadn't changed his mind.
Leaving Annabeth with her codes and encryptions, Cade moved to the chair next to Hamm, who had just put down his phone.
"Glad you're back. I understand everything went according to plan," Hamm said.
"Yeah, no complications. What happened with the drop?"
"They brought Rodriguez out in the wig, hoping they could fool the courier from a distance, but Taylor said the driver was fidgety, so either that spooked them, or they could tell Rodriguez wasn't Tristan. The pickup never happened. They waited for a while, then gave up. They're on their way back now."
"Shit, I was hoping we'd get the Gem Collector too."
"Me too. We'll continue to search and hopefully find the intel to take him down. How are you doing?"
Cade couldn't help but search for the now familiar shock of red hair, and was pleased to see Tristan sitting beside Natalie, holding her hand as she lay her head on his shoulder.
"Good, I guess."Now that he's safe.
"I'm glad we found him, not just for them," Hamm inclined his head toward the pair, "but also for you."
"Thanks. I... " Cade faltered. His words came out stilted and slow, but he managed to say them. "I wanted to thank you... I mean, everyone really, for helping find him."
Jesus, he was bad at this shit.
Hamm smiled and crow's feet popped up at the corners of his eyes. "No need to thank us. We're all just doing the job." After a brief pause, he added, "I'm proud of you, you know that?"
"Over the job?" Cade asked, confused by what Hamm meant. This case hadn't required him to do anything he hadn't already done dozens of times.
"No, not for the job." Hamm glanced at Tristan, then back at Cade, and continued, "For putting yourself out there, for letting yourself care for someone. I hoped it would happen sooner or later. I'm glad it finally did."
Something squirmed in Cade's belly, maybe discomfort, maybe pleasure, maybe pride. It was hard to tell.
Frowning, Cade asked. "Why does that make you proud?"
"It takes courage to break away from what you know, to take risks with your heart when you've been hurt badly before. You've been brave, and I'm proud of you."
The fondness Cade saw in Hamm's expression proved too much for him. Stifling tears, he swiveled his eyes toward Tristan, unable to keep his gaze away for long. He'd felt a lot of foreign emotions in the last week, but bravery wasn't one of them.
"I don't feel brave," Cade confessed, his voice low and raspy.
"I know. But that won't stop you, will it? From going after what you want?"
Cade had no clue about relationships, how to be someone's significant other, how to make someone happy, but he'd try.
For Tristan, he'd do anything.
"No."
Hamm smiled and patted him on the back, so much like a father figure that Cade nearly lost it again.
"Like I said, I'm proud of you."
Cade sat with that sentiment for a moment, flooded with a strange mix of embarrassment and happiness. It occurred to him that he only remembered hearing those words once before, from Marshall.
They'd sat at the kitchen table, practicing long division for what seemed like hours. He remembered wanting to give up, to scream with frustration, but Marshall had been patient and helpful. When he'd come back from school the next day with a B minus and a shy smile, Marshall had high-fived him, hung the paper on the fridge, and told him he was proud of him.
That had been a good day.
