Chapter 10

TEN

Falcon hit the gas as he drove away from the beach, flexing his hands on the steering wheel.

He felt weird. Good, weird. Bad, weird.

Good because he’d been able to do something heroic by walking away from Bella. He was impressed as hell with himself.

And shitty as hell because he’d walked away from Bella.

He could have pressed her. When she’d told him how she used to fantasize about him, he’d seen in her eyes that the attraction was still there. He was a temptation for her, and it wouldn’t have been that difficult to work his way around her defenses. He could have fought for her.

But when he’d stared into those eyes he’d dreamed of, he’d known he had to be the hero she needed, which meant letting Bella be her own hero.

He let out his breath as he drove.

What the fuck was he going to do now?

The ranch no longer held such an appeal for him, because the ranch had been intertwined with Bella.

So, what now? He had no fucking idea.

The man he’d hunted was dead.

The woman he loved was no longer his to dream of.

The home he’d planned to build was no longer something he wanted in the same way. Live in that house without her? Live in that house alone?

He got to a stoplight and paused. Where was he driving?

No idea.

Literally none.

For the first time in twenty years, he had zero idea of what was next. He didn’t even know which way to turn at the stoplight. He didn’t even know the next step to take.

He could get gas. Fill up the tank to drive wherever.

That was a step.

He put on his blinker, took the corner, and pulled into a no-name brand gas station that was cash only. Not many of those left on the Cape, he would bet.

He pulled the truck in, started the pump, then leaned back against the side of the truck and clasped his hands on his head, watching the cars go by.

Lots of cars filled with families headed to the beach. Pink inflatables crushed up against the rear window. Screaming kids. Laughter.

He’d had dreams of that. Of crafting that life for kids who thought they’d never have it. Of him and Bella finally learning what it would be like to have a family, learning how to be the parents they’d never had.

He still wanted it.

He absolutely wanted it.

With another woman?

No. He couldn’t imagine that.

Without a woman? What if he just fostered some kids and figured it out on his own as a single dad?

Maybe.

Then at least he’d have a purpose. He’d be able to change the trajectory of someone else’s life.

The Stocktons had a bunch of foster and adopted kids. Maybe he’d talk to them. Get some advice. Yeah. He nodded. Yeah, he could do that. He could?—

His phone rang, and he contemplated ignoring it.

But he wasn’t a man on a quest anymore. He was a man trying to figure out how to become a dad, and dads answered the phone.

It was good practice.

His phone rang again, and he pulled it out of his pocket. His gut dropped when he saw Bella’s name on his screen. What the fuck? He answered immediately. “Hi.”

“I want to hire you.”

Hire him? “I’m pretty sure my answer is going to be no.” He kept his voice gentle, but he knew collecting a paycheck from her to cart tables around at events wasn’t the path he needed.

“Brody said my house got broken into last night by professionals. They were clearly looking for me, and when they didn’t find me, they left.”

Falcon swore and stood up straight. “Who was it?”

“They don’t know. He told me I have to go home until they solve it. He’s sending the plane for me. He doesn’t think I’m safe enough with my gun and my attitude.”

Fuck. Had he brought this on her? “I think he’s right.” Hell. He was going to have to find out if this was connected with the man who’d ended his quest for him, wasn’t he? Back on the road again?

The thought was numbing. He didn’t want to go back to that life. He fucking didn’t .

“If I go back to the ranch, I’ll never leave,” Bella said. “It’s too safe. It’s too comfortable. And then my soul will die.”

He finished filling his truck, already thinking about what he was going to do first. He’d have to go back to the cabin and look around for?—

“Falcon. I want to hire you to be my bodyguard. Brody will trust your ability to keep me safe, and then I can stay out here.”

He froze, his hand on the door handle. “Bodyguard?”

“Yes. You’re the only one I trust to keep me alive but also not let me betray myself by running home to hide.”

He swore again and got in the truck. “I need to find out who’s after you.”

“Dylan’s on it. He’s got his whole team. It’s what he does. You won’t know more than he does.”

Falcon hit his fist on the steering wheel. “I’m the one who has to do it. It’s my fault?—”

“Your fault? You don’t even know if it has anything to do with you. You’re just making stuff up because you have a hero complex.”

He blinked. “A hero complex?”

“Yes. You spent twenty years hunting down one man. Was it worth it? To give up your life? And now you want to do it again, when you don’t even know if it has anything to do with you, and Dylan is working on it?”

He gripped the steering wheel. “I don’t want to go hunting again?—”

“Then don’t. Start living, Falcon. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“If something happened to you?—”

“Because you didn’t run off to the mountains and look for some shadow? How about if something happens to me because you did run off, and I refused to go home and I got chopped up by Freddie or Jason or a vampire?”

He started laughing. He couldn’t help it. “Freddie?”

“You think I can fend off Freddie myself? He’s literally been in a thousand horror movies. He never dies.”

“I do think you could handle Freddie, actually. You’re a badass.”

She paused. “All right, I do, too, but Brody doesn’t. I honestly think he’ll kidnap me. Will you help me?”

He sighed. Who was he trying to lie to? The thought of being invited to be by Bella’s side 24/7 was… hell, yeah. But it was a loaded situation. He stared at the cars of families headed to the beach. “I have to be honest, Bella, first.”

She paused. “What?”

“I haven’t fallen out of my ten-year obsession with you in the last five minutes. If I’m your bodyguard, I need to be within protector reach of you 24/7. And that’s going to be tempting as hell.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, for me, too. Now that it’s out on the table, it’s harder to ignore.”

He let out his breath. “Hell, Bella.”

He heard her take a deep breath. “It’s fine. We can do it. Neither of us want to be broken for the rest of our lives. I’ll pay you, and we’ll keep it professional. What do you say?”

Bella believed that if they got together, it would leave them both broken for life? Wow. That was a statement. Was she right?

“Falcon? Can I call Brody back and tell him you’ll be my bodyguard? Please?”

He heard the desperation in her voice, and something inside him softened. She couldn’t go back to the ranch right now, and she knew it. Maybe, just maybe, if she took her space now, if she found her identity now, there could be a ranch in her future. Kids.

If Falcon walked away now, there would never be a future for them, because this was their window. He knew it.

If he stayed…maybe there was a chance.

He’d give anything for a chance. Not to leave her broken for life, but for the happiness neither of them had ever found, and they both deserved.

Being by her side would be tempting as hell, for both of them. He wouldn’t break her trust…but what if trust could be healed? It was worth everything to take this chance that he’d been given. He had to know what could have been, and if there was anything to fight for now.

“Falcon?”

“Call Brody and tell him I’ll do it.”