The man cared—of that, there was no doubt.
And I have something to prove, so leaving Jameson isn’t an option.
“Fine,” I reluctantly agree. I push out of the chair, even extending my hand to him. Kynan shakes it, an expression of what looks like pride shadowing his face.
“I know it’s difficult to face this shit,” Kynan says after we release hands. When he turns for the door, I follow him there as he continues talking. “But trust me… you need to process this and the healthiest way to do it is by talking to a professional.”
“Understood,” I say.
“See you tomorrow morning for the debriefing,” he says, then clasps my shoulder. “I’m really glad to have you back with us, Malik. You’re a vital member to our team.”
After Kynan leaves and I lock the door behind him, I lean against it and think about Corinne Ellery. She’s a savvy woman. An excellent doctor. How much can I get away with while talking to her?
Or, in other words, how little can I say while still getting declared fit for duty?CHAPTER 4AnnaThere’s a sharp knock at my door. With a quick glance over at Avery’s bassinet, which I’d rolled into the kitchen, I move through the connecting living area to answer it.
As expected, Cage stands there with a six-pack of beer in one hand and a stuffed pink teddy bear in the other. He offers me a quick smile before his gaze moves past me to the kitchen where he spots the bassinet.
“There’s my girl,” he drawls, eyes sparkling. When he shoves the beer my way, I grab it as he makes a beeline for Avery.
Many women would be offended when a man comes to their apartment for dinner, but then proceeds to ignore them in favor of a cute baby.
But that’s not how it is between Cage and me. We are nothing more than friends, and it’s all we’ll ever be.
Good friends, though.
We’ve become amazingly close, and I don’t quite know the rhyme or reason of it. He has his buds… mostly the guys at Jameson—in particular, his best friend Bodie, who works in Jameson’s Vegas office. I have my girls, including my closest friend Delaney from high school who still lives in the Pittsburgh area. We get together a few times a month for drinks to catch up, and she was an amazing source of support when Jimmy died. I was put on bed rest after his death, the stress of what happened causing some cramping and bleeding. Between my mom and Delaney, I had almost constant companionship to help me through my grieving and the remainder of my pregnancy.
So yeah… we have our own peeps, but we also have each other.
Maybe it’s because I was in the Army that he feels some kinship to me. Cage was Navy. I’ve always been able to forge really good friendships with men, probably because I’m not an overly girly girl. I mean, I can get dressed to the nines with the best, but I’m also happy hanging in jeans and flannel while drinking beer. I can shoot a gun, which is a plus to a male-female bond for some reason.
Who knows for sure, but Cage and I have been hanging out a lot over the past five months and we’ve become close. Additionally, Cage has become quite enamored of Avery. I can tell he’ll be a positive male role model in her life.
We try to have dinner together once a week if we can swing it. We’ll sneak out somewhere in downtown Pittsburgh before I pick Avery up from my mom, but since my dishwasher is leaking, I’ve asked Cage to take a look at it in exchange for a home-cooked meal.
I’m a genuinely good cook, so it’s a fair exchange.
“Whatever you’re making smells amazing,” Cage tosses over his shoulder. He’s bent over the bassinet. Without hesitation, he lifts Avery into his arms. Pressing his nose to her head, he inhales. “Goddamn… she smells amazing, too. Why do babies always smell so good?”
Laughing, I move to the oven where I bend for a quick peek at my enchiladas. They have about ten more minutes, so I pull two beers out of the six-pack Cage brought before putting the rest in the fridge.
As I open them, I remind Cage, “She just had her bath. Of course she smells good. Why is it you’re never around when she poops her diaper? If you were, you’d realize babies don’t smell good all the time.”
Cage peers down at Avery, who’s nestled in the crook of his arm. She gazes at him curiously with her big blue eyes. He grins. “Your mom is making stuff up, isn’t she? I bet your poop smells like lollipops and rainbows, doesn’t it?”
Rolling my eyes hard, I hand him one of the beers. “Oh, Lord. Don’t be feeding her stuff like that.”