“Yes.” He wasn’t sure why they were being such pricks, probably because they’d been drinking and they thought it was funny. That really wasn’t their MO, though.
Trying a different approach he calmly said. “There’s somewhere I need to be, so if one of you could just take this and sign the damn received slip that would be fan-fucking-tastic!”
Well, he’d tried to be calm. He’d definitely screamed that last expletive but hey, the music was kind of loud. Actually, it was at a fairly decent level to hold conversations, but he didn’t give a shit about this music, his smug bosses or the manila envelope that he held in his hand. If he lost his security clearance over this, he was honestly getting to the point where he didn’t care.
Riley casually leaned back against the bar and the asshole actually crossed his arms and he even had the nerve to smirk. “You seem a little tense. Is everything all right, man?”
“Is everything all rig…” Dax let out a harsh laugh and dropped his head. He took in a deep breath and then exhaled because if he didn’t take a moment he was afraid his head might explode. He knew that he was on the edge and it had nothing to do with Seth and Riley, but they sure as hell weren’t making things better. Looking back up he decided to let them know just how not all right everything was.
“No, Riley. You know, actually everything is not all right, because three weeks ago I was a world class jackass and let the love of my fucking life walk out my door and I haven’t been able to do anything about it because I have been thousands of miles away on a mission that won’t be complete until you sign this fucking paper.”
Riley’s grin grew wider and he looked over Dax’s shoulder at what he was sure was the audience that had grown to watch his mental breakdown. Hell, there were probably people recording the whole scene on their phones, but he didn’t care at this point.
“Okay.” Riley tried to take the envelope out of his hands but the train had left the station and whether they liked it or not they were on board.
“Okay?!” Dax snatched it back and shook his head. “No. No. It’s not okay because you think this is funny, but you are going to go home tonight with your wife. The mother of your child. You are going to go to bed with her, wake up with her and you know what I’m going to be doing? I’m going to be at an airport and then on a plane and then knocking on every fucking door in Nashville if I have to, to find the woman that I want to by my wife, the woman that I told Ace I was going to marry the first time I saw her, the woman that I want to have my children. And while you’re watching football and playing with your kid tomorrow, if I’m lucky I’ll be on my knees apologizing and begging her to give me a second chance and promising her that if she does I’ll spend every single day of my life making it up to her because my life doesn’t make sense without her smile, without her laugh, without her toothbrush in my fucking bathroom. So no, no Riley it’s not okay.”
His face was deadpan, which was not unusual for Riley, as he said, “You’re not going to the airport tonight. And you’re not going to be on a pl—”
“Don’t try and talk me out of this.” Dax said as calmly as possible so they would see that he hadn’t lost his mind. He hadn’t. He didn’t think. He just wasn’t used to feeling things and obviously he needed a little practice reining it in. “Just please,” he begged, “please, sign the paper.”
Riley shrugged and took it out of his hand and as he signed he said, “I would say okay but we saw where that went.”
When he handed it back to him, Dax took it and didn’t even give him shit for being a smartass. He just sincerely said, “Thank you.”
As he turned to go he was already growing aware that his behavior had probably been a little much, but he’d deal with it after he found… He froze when he saw what he thought was a dream.
Ginny was standing in front of him, wearing a red dress that he wanted to lick off her and tears were falling down her face.
Okay, damn, maybe he had lost his mind.
“Told you you wouldn’t be getting on a plane,” Riley said from behind him and he knew she was not a dream.
“Ginny.” He stepped forward at the same time she launched herself into his arms and buried her face his neck. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her and held on so tight he was pretty sure they’d have to call in the Jaws of Life to get him to let go.
“Did you hear that?” he asked against her ear.
She nodded. “It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
Romantic wasn’t how he would have classified it but hell, he wasn’t going to argue.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” he repeated as he held her even tighter.
She was shaking her head no.
“Yes I am,” he insisted. Now that he held her again he knew there was no way he could handle all that open-relationship shit, so he really needed her to know how sorry he was.
“No.” She lifted her head and he saw her red-rimmed blue eyes staring back at him and his entire world righted again. “I’m sorry. I should have said something. I shouldn’t have left. I should have told you that I love you. That you are the only one—”
He crushed his mouth to hers, not able to wait another second to kiss her, to taste her. Applause erupted around them as well as several suggestions to get a room. He ignored it and kissed her so that he branded her as his, ’cause he sure as hell was hers.
When they finally came up for air he peppered her with light kisses and told her he loved her again and again.
“I love you, too.” She held onto him tightly. “I came here and I had a whole speech planned.”
“A speech planned?” He shifted back so he could see her beautiful face.
“Yes!” Her eyes widened. “It was going to be just like the end of Runaway Bride.”