Chapter One
Cullen looked around at the job that his construction company was doing. He figured they’d have another condo done next week for Lacey and Cason’s building. They started a business that helped find and care for survivors of human trafficking. They bought this one down the street from the security building and government-contract buildings they’d been working for. They had jobs set up in the three-block area for several months, and he and his partners couldn’t be more pleased.
The business he and his four friends started a year ago had grown swiftly after meeting Darian, a successful businessman in the area. He’d recommended Hawk Construction to Travis and Kane, who were building a security business down the road, and that was what started it.
There was so much work to do that he and his friends had to hire several men to help, and it didn’t seem like this wave of success was going away any time soon.
His life would be perfect if he knew what was happening with Hannah. When she left, it was only supposed to be for a week. Instead, three months had passed. The more time she’d been away, the farther they grew apart. He’d told himself so many times he needed to move on, but he couldn’t do that until he knew the reason.
“Yo, man, how about a few beers after work? We’re not working this weekend, so we don’t have to worry about having one too many,” Daniel, one of his partners, said.
Cullen rolled his shoulders. Yeah, he’d been working such long hours that a night out with his friends drinking beer sounded pretty good.
“Yeah, I’m in if we can get pizza.”
Daniel chuckled. “Already on it.”
The partners were giving their employees the weekend off. It would be a long one since Labor Day hit the next Monday, but they all worked so hard. They all deserved a break. It helped that they were ahead of schedule on the project, too.
Cullen put his tools away and locked his toolbox. One thing the guys insisted on was that each worker had their own box with a lock on it and their tools put away every night. If they hired a guy who didn’t have one, Cullen and his friends would buy him one and take it out of the next few checks. So far, it had worked out well, and the area under construction at the time looked organized, and the men didn’t waste time in the morning trying to find what they needed.
The men cleaned up the area and headed out to a place they liked to go where there was good beer and great pizza. Within an hour, the men were eating their way through several jumbo pizzas in front of them at the long table they sat at.
Cullen was standing by the bar and laughing at a joke one of the guys had told when Zain, one of his partners, elbowed him in the side hard.
“Fuck, man, what?” Cullen asked.
Zain pointed at the door. “Hannah’s here. Why didn’t you tell me she was coming back?”
Cullen felt like the world around him darkened until all he saw was Hannah. The only woman he’d ever loved and the only one who had broken his heart.
“I didn’t know,” Cullen murmured.
“You guys have talked lately, right?”
Cullen shrugged. “There have been phone calls over the last several months, but our conversations got farther apart and more strained.”
He knew the exact moment her gaze finally settled on him. A huge smile broke across her face, and she started for him.
She stopped a few feet in front of him. “Hi,” she said breathlessly.
“Hey. I didn’t know you were back,” Cullen said. The shock of having her in front of him was fucking up any reason or thoughts in his head. How could she look so happy to see him when the last call had ended badly? He couldn’t decide if she was messing with him or not.
He saw the scowls on his friend and her brother’s face at the tone of his voice.
Her smile wavered. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“When you weren’t at home, she wanted to look here for you,” Rhys, her brother. “We haven’t even been to the house. She wanted to see you first.”
Cullen gritted his teeth at the hopeful look on Hannah’s face. He wanted more than anything to pull her into his arms and never let go, but with the way she distanced herself for the last several months, he’d pretty much thought they were over and he had been trying to get over her.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “We didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Zain stepped forward and hugged her. “I’m glad your back, sunshine.”
Hannah smiled. “Thank you. It’s good to be back, finally.” Her gaze settled on him again. “Is there a time we can get together and talk? There is so much I want to tell you.”
Cullen cleared his voice. When he saw one of the waitresses walk their way, he grabbed her and put his arm around her waist. “Hannah, this is Tracy.” She was probably the last one he would have picked if he’d had the choice, but she was the only one around.