Page 108 of Tough Justice

“Hi.”

Deck stood in the doorway, holding a giant potted orchid brimming with magenta flowers. His face was covered with light bruises. Beside him, Thor wagged his tail, his long tongue hanging from the side of his mouth.

A warm, soothing calm surrounded her, and in that instant, she knew. Living without Deck wouldn’t be living at all. If things went the way she hoped they would, she was staring at her future.

…

“Gotta go.” Brett stood and headed for the door. “Those fires are really kicking up again in the Springs.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Evan took Brett’s cue. “I gotta go do…something. Later, Tori.”

Both men smacked Deck affectionately on his good shoulder on their way out the door. They were the best friends a guy could ask for. Good friends knew when to get lost.

He searched Tori’s face, taking in her weary eyes. Her hair draped past her shoulders, glinting dark red in the sunlight. She’d been through hell but was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

There were so many things to be said. Too bad his tongue was tied in knots. One look at her, and the heartfelt speech he’d prepared went right out the window.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me all day?” she asked.

I could easily do just that.

He set the orchid next to the plant he’d instructed Brett to pick up then realized his mistake. Now, he had nothing to do with his hands. A tactical blunder. Leading a team of federal agents into an op with armed bad guys was a piece of cake, but this… He shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Hi, Thor.” She held out her hand to scratch his ears but couldn’t quite reach them over the bed rail.

Deck found the release lever on the bed. “Up,” he said to Thor, who rose gracefully on his hind legs, resting his paws gently on the bed then landing wet kisses on Tori’s cheek. Deck was jealous because he wanted to be the one to kiss her cheeks. Dogs had it easy. Unconditional love was their thing. If only human relationships were that straightforward.

She nuzzled the side of Thor’s face, laughing as he continued licking her chin. “I missed you, too, Thor.” The sound of her laughter did all kinds of mushy things to his heart.

“How are you feeling?” In reality, he already knew her complete medical condition and prognosis. Since the moment she’d been rolled into the ER, he’d been tracking her treatment, meds, and recovery, much to the annoyance of the hospital staff.

“Better. Thanks to you, I’m told.”

He shrugged. “If it weren’t for Thor, I never would have gotten you out of that cell in time. He went into that hole and found the key.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope. Ladders are his thing.”

“In that case”—she kissed the top of Thor’s head—“thank you, too.”

Thor woofed.

“How’s your shoulder?” Her expression had turned to one of worry. “I heard you got it banged up. Along with your face.”

“Good.” When he tugged the small plastic bottle of ibuprofen from his pocket, her brows rose. “I don’t go anywhere without these. At least, not for a while. Go figure.”

“Go figure.” She smiled. At least they were talking.

He stuffed the bottle back into his pocket. “I guess this is a compromise.”

“Compromise can be good.” She bit her lower lip. “Don’t you think?”

He nodded, sensing the undercurrent of the conversation. They weren’t really talking about pills anymore. “I’ll admit that with proper oversight and due caution, even opioids have an important place in medicine.” When her jaw dropped, he held up his hand. “Bet you never thought you’d hear me say that.”

Her eyes glimmered with amusement before sobering. “And I have to admit that some doctors are too liberal in prescribing them, especially without adequate follow-up.”

For a long moment, they looked at each other, absorbing the implication of their admissions. Deck hadn’t thought it possible for them to find a way back to each other, but this was a solid step in the right direction. It was a compromise, each of them admitting that the other was right and wrong.