Even though I technically didn’t have to work today, I didn’t want to sit around and stew in the lingering smell of Brooks while he was out and about. I didn’t want to watch the clock all damn day and painfully count down the seconds until he came back to me. So, I made my way upstairs after feeding Archer and decided to work a half-day at the daycare.
“He’s loved you for a while, you know,” Archer said.
I paused at the staircase and peered over my shoulder, watching him shovel eggs into his mouth.
“What was that?” I asked.
He swallowed hard. “Brooks has loved you from afar for a long time. Don’t hurt him.”
I shook my head. “I don’t plan on it.”
He picked up his coffee. “No one plans on hurting someone else. But sometimes it happens. Make sure it doesn’t happen to him.”
I swallowed hard. “You have my word.”
“Good.”
When silence fell between us, I raced up the steps. I locked myself in my bathroom and took a quick shower, reluctant to wash Brooks off my skin. I had to put on extra makeup around my neck to cover up the massive hickey he left behind. But I still wore it like a badge of pride.
I won’t ever hurt you, Brooks. I promise.
I decided to put on my favorite sundress and matching flats. It was pale yellow with blue and white flowers cascading around the entire dress. It was spaghetti-strapped, which meant I could wear one of my nicer cardigans and still not get too hot. I slid my pale yellow one over my shoulders and buttoned it right in the middle, accentuating the dip in my waist. And after finding some matching dangling earrings and piling my hair on top of my head into a neat little bun, I slipped into my shoes.
Before making my way back downstairs.
“You ready?” I asked.
Archer stood from his empty plate. “Ready when you are.”
“Are you going to be at work the entire time I’m there?”
He nodded. “I’ll be where you are at all times until Brooks gets back tonight.”
I sighed. “That’s good, because I can’t take any of my guns on the daycare campus. So, you’ll be the only one armed out of the two of us.”
He blinked. “Any of your guns?”
I nodded, pointing to the hutch. “There’s two pistols in there, a shotgun taped on the underside of the kitchen table. I’ve got a glock in my bedside drawer, a set of knives hidden all around the guest bedroom, and the kitchen is full of things I can pick up and crash into someone.”
He blinked. “Remind me not to fuck with you.”
I giggled. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
The entire drive over to my place of work, I kept peeking in my rearview mirror. And every single time I did, I saw Archer four car lengths behind me. Whether there were vehicles in front of us or not, he kept a safe distance while following me to work. And when he perched outside of my small office, I took comfort in the fact that he was there watching over me.
Though, I wished it was Brooks out there instead.
It was hard to focus on work. Every time I took two steps forward, I had something that dragged me one step back. But I didn’t feel as weighed down as I usually did. I didn’t feel as burdened as I usually felt. And when I leaned back in my chair to check in with my body, I noticed something.
I don’t feel guilty anymore.
For years, I’d always felt guilty about my feelings for Brooks. For years, I carried this secret around like the horrible wife I felt some days. Crushing on my husband’s best friend. And now, I didn’t feel guilty anymore.
Now that Brooks knew, I felt more relieved than anything else.
Did I love Gage? Yes. With everything inside of me. But a small part of my soul had been given to Brooks the first time I gazed into his eyes. He captivated me like that, but so did Gage. Just in a different way. And when Gage made the first move, I took that as a sign. A sign that I was lucky enough to have two wonderful, handsome, incredible men in my life that cared for me. Just in different ways.
At least, I thought it was in different ways.
And I knew Gage would want me to be happy. I knew he’d want me to feel safe. I knew he’d want me to be protected, so in many ways I’d like to think he was smiling down on me. Maybe this was the kind of protection he meant for me after all. Maybe the pact him and Brooks had wasn’t broken.
Maybe—just maybe—Brooks and I being together was my ultimate protection.
Which I knew would’ve made Gage elated.
I will always love you, Gage.
The wind whipped around outside and I turned to look out the window. I watched Archer as he looked up at the sky, probably seeing if a storm was rolling through or something. There wasn’t a dark cloud in the sky, though. Just wind kicking up out of nowhere and whistling through the draft window in my cramped office.
Then, I heard it.
The softest, most delicate sound on the tails of the wind filtering through my office.
“Be happy.”
It sounded so clear and so real that I leapt out of my chair. I looked around the room to see who had slipped in here without my noticing. My eyes watered and my breathing became panicked. The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end as my eyes trailed across my office.
Then, my office door burst open.
“What is it? What’s happening?” Archer asked.
He peeked around the door and searched my small office before he stood to face me.
“Raven!”
I jumped at the sound of his voice. “Sorry, sorry. I, uh…”
“I saw you hop up in a panic. Are you okay?”
I swallowed hard. “Do you think he’d be happy for me?”
Archer blinked. “What?”
“Gage. For me and Brooks. Do you think he’d be happy? Or do you think he’d hate me?”
He sighed, his face softening. “I think Gage would want you protected, happy, and cared for.”
“So, you don’t think he’d—”
He shook his head. “I think that if he trusted anyone to give you those things, it would be Brooks.”
I nodded. “Okay, okay. Yeah. Yeah, I-I think that, too.”
He walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Gage thought the world of Brooks. I’ve never seen any two guys closer than those two. And I think that if you were to strike up a relationship with anyone, he’d be happy it was someone he already knew was honorable.”
A tear slipped down my cheek. “Yeah, me too.”
He brushed it away. “Now, how much longer do you have to work?”
I sniffled and looked down at my desk clock. “Uh, two more hours.”
His hand fell away. “Sounds good. Brooks should be back by then, anyway.”
I wiped away the rest of my tears. “All right, yeah, yeah. Give me two hours and we’ll head out.”
“You take your time. I just want to make sure I keep him in the loop.”
“Oh, definitely.”
Archer offered me a hug and I took it. I drew in a deep, steady breath and felt the rest of my panic and shock fall away from my body. But when he released me and made his way out of my office I turned around, gazing back out the window at the swaying trees.
And I waved to the voice in the wind that had come to comfort me.
“I promise, I won’t hurt him,” I whispered.
I eased myself back down into my chair, feeling more secure about this thing between me and Brooks. I didn’t know how I knew, but I knew that voice was Gage. I knew he had come out of wherever he ended up in his afterlife to let me know he was okay and to be happy, and my heart clung to that moment. I closed my eyes and replayed it. I relived it as many times as I needed to for my soul to settle down.
Then, I opened my eyes and got back to work.
The two hours flew by like lightning, and soon I was packing up for the day. I checked my schedule just to make sure I had things right in my phone calendar, then I headed out to my car. Archer revved his engine, making me smile as I slipped into my car. And after driving through a little fast food pizza joint to get all of us something to munch on once we got home, I got back out onto the road.
Before I couldn’t hear Archer any longer.
“What the—”
I peeked into my rearview mirror but didn’t see him behind me. There was some dumbass eighteen-wheeler blocking my view, and the engine on that thing alone swallowed the man whole. I put on my turn signal and got over into the left-hand lane, ready to slow down and match myself up with Archer.
But when the truck pulled ahead of me, I still didn’t see him.
Oh, boy.
I got back into the right-hand lane and rummaged around for my phone. Had he stopped to pick up something and I didn’t see him pull off? I came to a stop at a stoplight and checked my phone, but all I had was a missed text from Brooks. I cleared my notifications and searched my phone, wondering if on the off chance I might have had Archer’s number.
I didn’t see it, though. And when the car behind me started honking at me to go, I slammed on the gas.
With Archer still not in sight.
“Come on, what are you doing?” I murmured.
I kept one eye on my side mirror and another eye on my rearview mirror as I slowed to ten under the speed limit. People passed me as if I were standing still while flipping me the bird and screaming all sorts of obscenities at me, but I didn’t give a shit. I was officially worried about Archer, and I had no way of getting in contact with him.
Call Brooks. He’ll know what to do.
I fumbled around with my phone and opened his text on accident, but as I read the words my mind came to a grinding halt. It wasn’t the cutesy little text I expected from him after our admission earlier this morning, and it only made me more worried for Archer’s safety.
Brooks: Found Black Flags casing the clubhouse. Get home and stay there. I’m coming over.
Just before I could press the button to call him, I heard an engine revving behind me. It filled me with a relief that shook me to my core and I put my phone in my lap. Finally, Archer was back. I wasn’t sure where the hell he had gotten off to, but I suddenly wanted him closer.
However, when I looked into my rearview mirror to navigate closer to his bike, I didn’t see him behind me.
What I did see, though, were three separate bikes.
And men seated on top of them with stark black leather jackets on.
Oh, no.
I kicked things up a notch and got back into the left-hand lane. I watched as the bikes swerved with me, almost running someone off the road in the process. I leaned forward and white-knuckled the steering wheel, focusing on the pathway ahead. And as my mind carved out a swerving pattern to get me through the stoplight ahead, I pressed my gas pedal all the way to the floorboard.
And weaved in and out the way Gage taught me.
“Come on, try me, you fuckers,” I murmured.
If I could just get back to my place before they ganged up on me, Brooks would be there to help. And hopefully, he’d have more help alongside him. I focused on the road and tried not to let the revving of the bike engines rattle me, but I couldn’t help but notice how they kept creeping closer. I blazed through the yellow light, listening as people honked their horns and continued to curse out their windows.
And while I thought those Black Flag asshats would get caught at the red light, I should’ve known pathetic little boys like themselves wouldn’t give a shit about the color of some dumbass light.
Just get to Brooks. Just get to Brooks. Just get to Brooks.
