“Good for you,” Kat said. “If he doesn’t tell you everything you want to hear, I’ll have Frosty beat him up.”
“But...” Reeve shifted from one bare foot to the other. “What if he doesn’t want me? What if he liked having an excuse to stay away from me?”
“Please tell me I don’t get silly ideas like this,” I said to Kat.
“Well, do you want me to lie?” she replied.
I fought a grin. “He wants you,” I said to Reeve. “There’s no question about that. I mean, you weren’t there the night we discovered you sneaking out to meet Ethan. Wait. You were there, you just didn’t know we were. He freaked out. Like, hard-core.”
“Really?” she asked hopefully.
“Really.”
“Ali-Kat Bell,” Kat said, putting her hands on her hips. “You caught Reeve sneaking out and you never thought to share the information with me?”
“Or me,” Mr. Ankh said from behind us, and we all stiffened. “I brought up a tray of snacks. Ali, why don’t you and Kat go eat and give me a few moments alone with Miss Prison Break?”
I mouthed an apology and headed to the table, Kat at my side.
I smacked into Veronica.
We both ricocheted a few steps back. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Yeah,” she replied. Neither of us moved away.
Kat hadn’t noticed the interruption and rooted around the tray Mr. Ankh had brought.
“I’m not sure what Cole sees in you,” Veronica said softly.
Cole and I hadn’t made anything official yet, but he was committed to me. I could tell her to stay away from him, but I didn’t want to be that girl. If I couldn’t trust him with Veronica, even if she came sniffing around, I shouldn’t be with him.
“It’s safe to say he sees something he likes.” I tried to step around her, but she moved with me. “Do you really want to do this here, now, and ruin everyone’s night?”
“You’re right,” she said, and I could tell she was fighting tears. “I’ve finally accepted that’s not going to change. I guess I’m sorry I made a play for him.”
I...wasn’t sure how to respond. Gee, thanks seemed like a mistake.
“Cole and I wouldn’t have lasted long anyway.”
Was this a trick? This had to be a trick? “Why do you say that?”
“Other than his massive obsession with you?” she said, and my heart fluttered. “I’ve never argued with him. I’ve always acquiesced. But you...you beat him up and call him names, and he can’t stop panting for more. I want no part of that kind of relationship.”
Poor girl had no idea what she was missing.
“Well, I hope you find what you do want,” I said, and that was about as gracious as I could manage considering the circumstances.
She closed her eyes for a moment. When she refocused, her vulnerability was replaced by anger. “Just don’t hurt him, or I’ll do more than make another play for him. I’ll reveal my ace and bury you.” With that, she was gone.
Her ace? What was her ace?
Why did I even care? He’d tattooed my name on his chest. He was mine, period.
I joined Kat at the snack tray and nearly moaned at the bounty spread out before me. Crab cakes, mini egg rolls, some kind of cream puffs. Slices of chocolate cake, apple and cinnamon scones.
Only the Ankhs could create such a feast on such short notice.
For once, I was going to let myself sponge. I ate my fill, and as my stomach rejoiced, a sense of fatigue began to plague me. I yawned, and maybe even swayed as my head lolled forward.
“Come on,” Kat said, leading me toward the couch. “You look dead on your feet.”
I sprawled out, and Reeve appeared to cover me with a blanket.
“How’d the conversation with your dad go?” I asked after another yawn.
“He’s decided not to ground me for the rest of my life.”
“Oh...good....” After that, I dozed on and off, the rest of the gang continuing to celebrate around me.
“Finally! They’re here,” Kat said minutes...hours...days...later, clapping with excitement.
I sat up with a jolt, and as I peered through the window, I saw Cole, Frosty and Gavin exit Mr. Holland’s dark SUV and enter the night. Morning hadn’t yet come. When they reached the porch, I lost sight of them.
Heart beating wildly, I eased to my feet. My knees held steady. Good. The fatigue had left me, too. I waited. And waited. And then Gavin strode through the game-room door, tall and strong, a commanding presence that drew the eye. But his clothes were dirtier than when he’d left, and he had a scrape on his cheek he hadn’t had before.
I’d find out why. First, I owed him a big, fat thank-you. He’d saved my life tonight.
I raced over and threw my arms around him, hugging him and planting a grateful kiss right smack on his mouth. “You,” I said. For some reason, that was all I could manage.
Knowing what I meant, he hugged me back, kissed my cheek. “My pleasure, Blondie.”
I found my wits and added, “You’re a better man than I ever gave you credit for.” I frowned, the words familiar to me somehow.
“I know.”
“And you’re so modest.”
He chuckled.
“You...went to him first,” Cole said, an odd note in his voice as he stepped up beside us.
Seeing him, I grinned and threw myself at him. “You’re back.”
“You went to him first,” he repeated.
I pulled back and blinked, a little unsure now. “I didn’t see you.”
“I came in right behind him.”
“Cole?” I asked, a lot unsure now.
“The vision,” he said, and I noticed he, too, had a few extra scrapes.
Like me, Gavin blinked. “Yeah. That was it. The one we had. Part of it anyway.”
And there’d been nothing romantic about it. “He saved my life. I owed him. I was just saying thank you.”
“I know. Now.” Cole massaged the back of his neck. “I broke up with you for nothing,” he said softly.
“That wasn’t the only reason. You were afraid I’d—”
“Don’t make excuses for me. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He grabbed me up and meshed his lips onto mine.
Cheers quickly abounded, soon joined by whistles. I didn’t care. I took and gave and took some more. All that he was. All that I was. The past, the present and the future.
When he lifted his head, I could only sag into him.
“I missed you,” he said, rubbing his nose against mine.
“I missed you, too.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Better now.”
He chuckled softly, but the spurt of humor didn’t last long. “I’m sorry for everything, Ali.”
“Hey. It’s done. It’s over. We’re here now. But why are you and Gavin sporting new injuries?”
“The guy who shot and bombed your Dr. Bendari showed up and tried to take Ethan away from us. He must not have realized we were letting the guy go. Anyway, he was back on his feet, and stronger than he should have been, so there was a fight. We won, but he got away again.”
The cheers seeped back into my awareness, and I looked around.
“Sweet fancy,” Nana said, fanning herself. When had she gotten here? “The hormones in this room.”
Frosty and Kat were engaged in a similar kiss. Bronx and Reeve had claimed the couch and were talking softly. Everyone else watched us unabashedly and grinned.
“Give me five minutes to check on everyone,” Cole whispered to me, “and then I want some time alone with you.”