Twenty-four

TWENTY-FOUR

Huck

"I'm a phone call and a few minutes away."

Josie smiled, leaning her weight into me as my back was resting against the door of my truck. We were in the parking lot of Betty's, and Josie was about to start her first shift back at work.

While she seemed excited now, I had the events from the middle of the night lingering in the back of my mind. For that reason, I wanted to be sure Josie knew that if anything happened, or if she simply needed reassurance, all she had to do was call me.

"Not that I don't enjoy talking to you, but I'm hoping I don't need to call you," she said.

Returning her smile, I replied, "Me, too. Just relax, get yourself back into the groove, and enjoy your first day back. And if I don't hear from you before then, I'll be here at four o'clock to pick you up at the end of your shift."

"Are you sure you don't mind doing that? I feel bad that you're going to be leaving work early."

"Honey, I love my job and doing what I do to help people there, but you are my number one priority, so no, I don't mind leaving work early," I assured her.

Somehow, she seemed to melt deeper into me, her mouth coming close to mine. "You make me feel so lucky."

My hands were resting on her hips, and with her pressing in like she was, I had to admit I was struggling not to get turned on. "You do the same for me."

"Do you really mean that?" she asked.

"Why would I make it up?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm still trying to come to grips with the fact that I can give you the same feeling you give me."

"I don't know why that is. Do you not know just how incredible you are?"

She shook her head slightly. "Now I'm wishing I didn't have to go in to work, so I could stand here and have you tell me what makes that so. But I guess I'll have to wait until another time."

I could tell by her tone that Josie was simply teasing and being playful. Sure, she might have had some questions she wanted to ask to clarify how I felt, but it was safe to say she'd reached a point with me that led to her taking my word as the truth.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know later," I promised. "How about you use these last thirty seconds you have with me to kiss me? This is my first day having to spend hours away from you, so I'm going to need something to last me.

She beamed at me, the smile lighting up her beautiful face. "I can totally do that."

God, I loved it.

I loved seeing her so happy. After having watched her for so long when we were in high school and after several weeks of being so beaten down and broken, any time she allowed me to see this side of her, I always wanted more.

As content as I would have been to stand here all morning and afternoon looking at her just like that, I didn't have the chance to even get started. Because no sooner had I taken that look in, she touched her lips to mine.

Then it was a matter of seconds before I forgot about how she looked and focused on the way she tasted.

One of my hands drifted up her back and into her hair, while the other gripped her hip firmly. I didn't trust myself to allow that hand to roam. I'd been trying to do right by Josie, and although she seemed more than content to kiss and cuddle, she hadn't indicated she was okay with anything beyond that. The last thing I needed to do was put myself in a position to be even more worked up than I already was. So, until she gave me the signal, I was going to do my best to hold myself back. And given how much I enjoyed kissing her, it wasn't as though I felt like I was missing out.

When the time was right, I knew things would happen for us.

When Josie pulled her mouth from mine, she asked, "How was that? Do you think you'll make it until later?"

"It's going to be a struggle, but I'm going to do my best," I asserted.

She let out a laugh. "You're crazy. It's only going to be a few hours. I'm sure time is going to fly by for both of us today."

"I hope you're right."

"I am."

She said those two words with such confidence, I had no choice but to believe her. With that, I pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek and whispered, "Have a great day today, honey."

"Thanks, Huck. I hope your day is just as wonderful."

"You want me to walk you inside?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. As much as I love that you offered and the sentiment behind it, I think I should do this on my own."

Everything in me hated not walking her to the door, but I realized how important and necessary it was for me to allow her to set the pace and boundaries for everything. So, I gave her a nod of approval and one final squeeze before I released her.

Then I stood beside my truck and watched her as she crossed the lot and made her way to the front door of the diner. With one hand on the handle, she looked back at me, smiled, and waved.

I returned the smile and the wave, feeling myself falling harder for her.

And only after she opened the door and stepped inside did I get back in my truck and pull out of the lot.

Today was not only Josie's first day back at work; it was mine, too.

Weeks.

I'd been gone for several weeks, and I still had a job to come back to. If I hadn't already felt grateful for the place I worked and the people I worked with, this situation would have made me see things clearly.

When a crisis arose and my only concern was Josie, I didn't have to think twice about taking the time I needed to help her through. The rest of the team stepped up and took over the load, knowing that if and when the roles were ever reversed, I'd do the same for them.

Though I hadn't received regular visits at my house from the guys over the last few weeks, they'd all reached out to me, offering to help in any way they could. And that was more than enough.

I wouldn't have wanted to overwhelm Josie with a steady stream of visitors she didn't even know before she was ready for it, so I assured my friends that the best way for them to help me would be to cover for me at work.

And they did, which gave me the opportunity to focus all my effort and energy on getting her through the worst parts of her recovery—both physical and emotional—without having to worry about my job.

Although Josie was still my priority, I had to admit it felt good to be heading back to work. It had been a long time away, and I missed being able to do my job with my friends.

Fortunately, they knew I was coming back today, because I'd kept in touch with them regarding Josie's progress, and they were all willing to help accommodate a revised schedule.

Finally, after spending so many weeks away, I was finally walking through the Harper Security Ops building to where the self-defense and tactical training team and rooms were located. And on my way there, I realized a class must have just ended, because I saw several familiar faces. A couple of the regulars in the group classes had stopped to greet me and welcome me back.

The closer I got to where I was going, the crowd had thinned. And when I turned the second to last corner to walk down the long hallway toward the room we used most frequently for group classes, Kane happened to be at the opposite end. "Well, look who it is. He's back!"

I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. "Hey, Kane. How's it going?"

"Good. Jake and I just finished up with a class this morning," he answered as I came to within a few feet of where he was standing.

I tossed my thumb over my shoulder. "Yeah, I saw a bunch of students leaving as I was making my way here. How's it been going these days?"

He shrugged indifferently, tossed an arm over my shoulders, and urged me toward the self-defense room. "It's been alright. It's good to have you back, though. Come on in and catch up with everyone."

Kane yanked the door open, peeked his head inside, and shouted, "Hey, guys. Look who I found."

He urged me forward ahead of him into the room, where I found Greyson, Jake, and Brix all standing around. Or, well, Greyson and Brix were standing. Jake had been lounging on his back on the mat until he saw me stride into the room.

"Huck, man, how's it going?" Brix greeted me after he moved in my direction and offered a handshake.

"Good. It feels good to be back."

Jake walked up and slapped a hand on my shoulder. "It's good to see you, Huck."

"Yeah. Same here."

Greyson greeted me with a one-armed hug and asked, "How's Josie doing?"

Nodding, I replied, "Really great. She's doing so much better now. We had a rough time in the beginning, but she's improved tremendously, so I'm happy for her. Today was her first day back at work, too."

"That's awesome. Any word from the ex-boyfriend?"

"Ex-fiancé," I corrected him. "And no. He hasn't attempted to reach out to her once. Josie felt some uneasiness going back to work today, wondering if he might try something, but it's not like the guy knows this is her first day back anyway, so I think she's going to be alright. Plus, with me dropping her off and picking her up, the only opportunity he'd have to approach her would be if he decided to go into the diner."

"That'd be pretty bold," Greyson declared.

"Agreed."

"You know what I think is fantastic?" Jake asked.

"What?"

He grinned. "I love how I called this. Barring what happened to her, which is obviously horrific, I love how I just knew you were going to go to the diner that day and meet your girl."

For the second time since returning to work, I rolled my eyes and corrected him. "I didn't meet her at the diner. I've known Josie since high school."

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me you're officially with this woman now?" Kane pressed, disbelief in his tone.

My lips twitched. "Things might have taken a turn in the right direction for us yesterday."

"That's awesome," Brix said. "Maybe we'll all have to grab lunch at the diner one day so we can meet her."

That wasn't a bad idea. "Well, she's planning to start taking some self-defense lessons, so you guys can all meet her then, too. Unfortunately, we still have to wait for her shoulder to be fully healed. Right now, she's been cleared to return to work, as long as she's mindful of what her shoulder can do. I think we're going to give her a few weeks before we push for self-defense classes and training. So, maybe a visit to the diner one of these days wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Speaking of training," Jake interjected. "Kane and I are running a tactical training class with some law enforcement guys this morning, so we need to make sure everything's all set with that."

"Yeah, and if you're good to go this morning, Huck, I'm going to go check on Liv," Brix said. "We've just entered the third trimester, and I'm trying to stay on top of making sure she's eating and drinking enough."

I'd been so removed from everything happening at Harper Security Ops for the last few weeks that until he said it, I completely forgot that he and Liv were expecting their first baby. Smiling, offering a nod, I said, "You're in the home stretch now."

"I can't wait for this baby to get here. I'm constantly worrying."

Josie and I had shared a handful of kisses, and I was already constantly worrying about her, so I understood Brix's sentiment completely. "Well, go take care of your wife. Greyson and I have this next class covered."

"Sounds good. Glad to have you back, man."

"Thanks."

Brix, Kane, and Jake all left the room as I moved to the wall to check the board where we put the schedule and confirm what class to expect this morning. Once I did that, I turned toward my best friend and asked, "So, has it really been okay here?"

Greyson dipped his chin and confirmed, "Yeah, we've been doing alright. Obviously, it's extra hours for everyone to cover you, but it hasn't really been a problem. Even if it had been awful for us, nobody would be here complaining. Because you know as well as I do that a few extra hours of work here are nothing compared to what Josie went through. She needed you, and we were all happy to cover for you, so you could be there for her."

Weeks ago, Josie had asked me about how it was possible for me to take off from work and be there with her. I didn't hesitate to tell her what Greyson had just communicated to me. Even if I knew that was how things were, there was something about hearing him say it to me that hit me square in the chest.

I had good people in my life.

Josie had struggled all her life and hadn't found it.

As time passed, I intended to bring her fully into the fold and give her what she never had, but always deserved.

"Thanks, Grey. I really appreciate you saying that."

"It's no sweat, Huck. If the roles were reversed, you'd do it for me," he said.

"Any chance of that happening any time soon for you?" I joked.

He shook his head. "You've just barely gotten things settled with Josie. Let's give it some time before we have another crisis."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Do you think it's crazy that I'm now spoken for?"

My best friend continued to shake his head. "Not at all. I had a feeling weeks ago when I saw you with her on the floor in that kitchen, how you were in the hospital waiting for news about her, and the way you reacted with her ex. There was no question in my mind that you were going to wind up right where you are with her."

I let out a laugh. "I didn't really leave much room for debate, did I?"

"Nope."

"You up for some sparring before this class starts?" I asked.

He cocked a brow. "I think the better question is, are you? I've been at this consistently for weeks. You're the one who's taken the break."

"I guess we'll just have to see."

The next thing I knew, Greyson and I were sparring. And though he might have been a little quicker than I was, I still gave him a run for his money.

Then I taught a couple of classes with him, caught up with some other coworkers I hadn't seen in weeks, and eventually left a little early to head back to the diner to pick up Josie.

As soon as I arrived, I got out of my truck and leaned against it like I had when I dropped her off that morning. Within three minutes of me pulling into the lot, Josie had pushed the door open and stepped outside. Her eyes immediately met mine, and there was a smile plastered on her face, an indication she'd either had a great day or was happy to see me. Maybe it was both.

But fuck, that look sealed the deal for me.

I was in love with this woman, and I was willing to do anything to make sure she continued to smile like that forever.

Josie bounded over to me, the pep in her step making me feel even more relief about how her day had gone. And once she was close enough to touch, I reached my arms out to her.

She threw her arms over my shoulders, planted a kiss on my lips, and said, "Hi."

Smiling back at her, I replied, "Hi. Did you have a good day?"

"I had a great day. I got to see my coworkers again. Everyone was so nice to me, and I even shared some details with them about what happened. It felt good to share, which surprised me. And, bonus, I'm making money again. The best part about it is that it's all mine."

I squeezed my arms around her a little tighter, feeling so proud of her. "I'm so happy for you, honey."

"How was your day?"

"Great. It was nice to see everybody again. They all asked about you, too, and they're happy to hear you're getting back on your feet."

Josie tipped her head to the side. "That's sweet of them."

"A couple of the guys I work with want to stop in for lunch one day when you're working," I shared.

Her eyes rounded in surprise. "Really? That would be nice."

"You're okay with it?"

She nodded. "Of course. I mean, they helped to make it possible for you to be home all those weeks with me. I'd love to meet them sometime."

"I'll make that happen soon, then. How are you feeling? Tired?"

Josie exhaled deeply. "I certainly did a lot more with myself today than I've done in a long time."

"And the shoulder?"

"It feels good. No issues."

"Good. Do you want to go home, grab showers, and go out for dinner, or did you want a quiet, lazy night in?"

Josie hesitated briefly, something strange washing over her face. I was just about to ask her what that look was about when she said, "You choose. I'll do whatever you want to do."

"I want to take you out to celebrate your first day back to work being a success."

"I feel like you like to find reasons to celebrate with me," she noted.

I shrugged. "Can you blame me? Come on."

After giving her another kiss, I took her by the hand, walked around to the other side of the truck, and helped her in. Then I drove us home so we could shower and get ourselves ready to go out for dinner.