“It’s important the new team members see us all in action.”
Reese nodded, but Brantley could tell he wasn’t in agreement.
Knowing his explanation wasn’t going to penetrate Reese’s thick skull, he told Reese he’d meet them back at HQ. He’d made the decision and he was not going to change it now. Not for himself and not for Reese.
Brantley forced a smile, tried to lighten the mood. “And when I get there, I’m gonna be in the mood for a break.”
“We’ll see,” Reese retorted, his tone flat.
“Reese.” Christ Almighty, did he really need to explain this now?
Before he even had the chance, Reese stepped back, calling for Tesha to follow. “We’ll see you at HQ later.”
Brantley watched as Reese headed to Trey’s truck, got himself and the dog inside. Not once did Reese look back at him, and Brantley felt that same insecurity he’d felt before shift through him.
He had to remind himself that this was his call, not Reese’s. He was the one who’d decided to split the teams, so he had no right to worry about Reese’s reaction. And as he walked to his own truck, he did his best not to think about the information he’d dug up on the woman Reese had, at one time, wanted to marry.
Brantley clicked the button to unlock the truck, schooled his expression, and got behind the wheel. Slade slid into the passenger seat, silent for a moment.
He had a sort of tunnel vision as he started the truck, put it in gear, headed for the exit out of the parking lot.
“Where’s the car?”
Brantley glanced over at Slade. “What?”
“Hawkins’s car?”
Right. Car.
Pushing his personal life out of his thoughts, Brantley steered the truck onto the main road heading to the toll road that would take them to Austin.
“They found it at a convenience store just a few blocks from his office.”
“He what? Just left it there? Took a walk?”
“At this point, we have no idea, but it’s worth a look.”
Brantley was grateful when Slade left it at that, the two of them riding in silence for the thirty-minute trip. Every single minute of that Brantley spent thinking about Reese, about the things he didn’t know about that man.
It was stupid to ponder such nonsense, but he couldn’t help it. Maybe it was the case that had his thoughts going awry. Having met the wife of a man who’d gone missing, and another wife of a dead man, both of whom didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact their husbands weren’t coming home, Brantley had begun second-guessing relationships. More specifically marriage.
Then again, if he thought about his family, his parents having been married for as long as they had, aunts and uncles the same, he knew it wasn’t all bad. It worked for some. Others it was a means of getting what they wanted, whatever that might be.
Had he actually thought about marrying Reese? Simple answer was yes. He’d thought about it.
Hell, when it came to Reese, Brantley’d even dared a peek at what the future might hold for them. That wasn’t something he’d ever done before. Day to day was his motto, and until he met Reese, it had worked for him. Now, going to bed and waking up with the man he loved every morning … he found he didn’t want it any other way.
The problem was, he wasn’t sure Reese felt the same.
And that was the blasted insecurity eating him from the inside out.
Chapter Twelve
“So, how long’ve you and Brantley beentogether?”
Doing his best to keep his expression bland, Reese peered over at his passenger, considered his answer. Not because he would deny the fact he and Brantley were together. These past few months, he’d come to terms with what he wanted, and he didn’t feel the need to pretend otherwise. No, it wasn’t exactly easy to open up about it, but that had more to do with the fact he was a private man than because he was in love with a man.
Or so he wanted to believe, anyway.
