“Be nice,” Abigail warns while June and I are holding onto the counter, laughing.
“That was quite possibly one of the funniest moments I’ve had yet,” I say, dropping my hands to my knees, trying to catch my breath.
“He’s so protective,” June says as she wipes the tears away. “It’s so sweet.”
“It is.” Abigail nods, downing her drink. “Okay.” She stands and runs her hands over the skirt of her dress. “Come on, ladies.”
“I need to finish up, so you go on. I’ll be there shortly,” I say, filling June’s glass before they head off toward the living room.
I set the timer and pop the potatoes in. When I stand back up, I feel a pair of hands wrap around my waist. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Cole says, resting his chin on my shoulder. “You look nice, and you smell like dessert.” I can tell he is stressed; he sounds tired.
“Are you okay?” I fold my arms over his, holding him closer to me.
“Not really,” he admits, “but we’ll get to all that later.” He kisses my shoulder. “I needed this.” He sighs and nuzzles my neck.
“Happy to help.” I lean back and give him a peck on the lips. “Doc’s here, and Mark is freaking out.” I laugh. “It was really funny when he found out why he’s here.”
“Ha, I bet.”
Cole grimaces when Derek’s voice booms through the house.
“What happened between you guys?”
He groans. “About five years ago, he was trying to be a hero and didn’t have my back when we were clearing a house. I nearly got my throat slashed by a Cartel member who had a knife tied to the end of his rifle.”
I gasp and cover my mouth.
“It wasn’t even what actually happened, it was how he was afterward—like we look out for ourselves instead of as a unit. That’s why he’ll never be in Blackstone. I don’t trust him.”
“I understand.”
Derek’s voice is getting closer, so I start to move, but Cole doesn’t let me go.
“Cole?”
“I’m not ready yet.”
I smile. “How about you hold me tonight?”
I feel his chest rise and fall heavily, then he kisses my shoulder again and steps back.
“Hey ya, Savi,” Derek says, entering the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?”
I turn to the fridge and pull out the chicken breasts. “Chicken stuffed with feta and roasted red peppers.”
“Mmm, sounds good.” He leans over to take a look.
“I should get these on the barbecue.” I reach for the dish, but Cole takes it and says he’ll do it.
“He’s in quite the mood,” Derek comments as he takes a seat at the island.
“Well, I can’t imagine you’d be happy having to deal with what he does in the course of a day.” I go to pour myself some wine, but his hand grabs the bottle before mine does.
“Allow me.” He smiles. “So, tell me something, Savi. Were you dating anyone before…” He pauses.
“No,” I answer truthfully. I know where this is going.