28. Hannah #2
“I’m guessing it didn’t work out like that?”
I take another swipe at my ice cream. “Not at all. I married my professor. Very cliché. He was older, obviously. I thought it was this grand love affair.” I shake my head.
God, I was so na?ve. “He wanted me to drop out of school so we could start a family right away. It’s funny, because I went to school not really caring about the actual education, but once I was there, I fell in love with it.
My dreams were bigger than just being his wife, and well…
” I shrug. “We fought a lot, but I figured that was normal for people who were just settling into marriage. I didn’t expect to end up divorced so quickly.
But when my mom called me about her fourth divorce, I planned a have a day trip with her.
I booked a couple of nights at a hotel, and Mom planned to come to town.
Rafe, apparently, took that as his get out of jail free card . ”
He growls, his whole body going rigid.
All I can do is shrug. “My mother was supposed to meet me at the hotel, but she texted a couple of hours after she planned to arrive to tell me she’d met someone at a bar and that I was off the hook for the night.
I went back to my house and—” I squeeze my eyes shut; this part is hard to admit.
“I don’t want you to hate my mother, because even I don’t hate her. ”
Daniel winces. “Fuck, please tell me she wasn’t at your house.”
“I wish I could.” With a deep inhale, I force myself to get the rest of it out.
“She’d never met my husband or been to my house.
I’d gotten married on a whim that semester.
It was this big, fun, secret love affair, and it was all mine.
” I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Until it wasn’t.
She still doesn’t know she slept with her daughter’s husband.
The second I saw them in bed, I turned around and walked out of the house. I never said a word.”
“That asshole.” Daniel holds me tighter, his eyes burning with anger. “Please tell me he had a heart attack and died. Or that you stabbed him. Yes, that. Tell me you stabbed him and he’s rotting in the basement of your old house.”
I bow my head and bite back a grin. This man.
“No. I told him I knew he’d slept with another woman—I didn’t tell him she was my mother, because once again, how fucking embarrassing is that?
He tried to gaslight me, telling me it was my fault for gallivanting around town with my mother when I should have been at home working on our marriage.
Whatever. He’s a dick, and no, I have no idea whether he’s alive or dead.
I signed the divorce papers and never looked back. ”
Daniel sighs, probably realizing just how uphill his battle is if he really wants to keep pursuing me.
I can’t blame him. I don’t trust easily.
Though I do trust him. He’s proven time and again that I can, and it’s not in my nature to hold the sins of another person over his head.
I give people the opportunity to show me who they are.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not still tending to emotional scars.
I’m wary, yeah, but I can give this a chance.
I’ll let Daniel decide whether this is something he can truly handle.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.” He pulls me to a stop in front of a small restaurant.
A handful of small tables are scattered around the patio out front. The ambient lighting and the music from the solo guitarist make for the perfect low-key spot.
“I’m not,” I say, chin lifted. “Because if he hadn’t screwed up all those years ago, I wouldn’t be standing here with you. And Daniel?”
He presses his hand to my cheek, his eyes warm with adoration. “Yes?”
I one-up him and cup both his cheeks. “I’m really happy I’m here with you.
And I’m really happy we’re having this baby.
” I swallow down the emotion bubbling up inside me.
“What you said last night about this being the best thing to happen to you? Well, same . I can’t say I ever would have written this into my own story, but I know now that I’d have been missing out.
So thank you for giving me the time to get here.
And thank you for this.” I peer around us.
“This place, these past few days, they’ve meant everything to me. ”
He leans down and kisses me gently.
When he pulls back, I smile up at him. “Seriously, how did you find such a perfect spot?”
Hands at my hips, he turns me so I’m facing the restaurant. “You can actually thank your brothers for this one.”
That’s when I realize I recognize two faces on the patio. Riggs and Ash are sitting across from one another, grinning at me.
With a squeal, I charge toward them excited to spend the evening laughing and talking with two of my favorite people. All thanks to the man who is climbing the ranks and not so slowly unseating everyone else for that title.
“I still can’t believe you’re both sitting here with me,” I say to my brothers, still in shock.
Ash gives me that knowing smirk that he’s so famous for.
He’s cocky in a way most people simply cannot be, because his cockiness is backed up by years of experience as a Navy SEAL.
The man has seen and done things that I know have left him both scarred and a bit weary of the world, but somehow, he never manages to let it affect the people around him.
He’s aware of the darkness in the world, not grumpy.
And I’m a hell of a lot happier that he’s now on this side of the globe, even if I still rarely see him because of his demanding job.
“We couldn’t leave it up to Noah to let your boy know he better behave. ”
I roll my eyes, even as Daniel chuckles easily.
For as much as he shouldn’t be comfortable around my brothers—two men who are trained to kill in more ways than I’d like to imagine—he is completely at ease.
“Like I told you on the phone, I’d cut off my own hand if I hurt her.
” He lifts our hands, which are joined on his lap and brings it to his lips, his eyes never leaving mine. “She’s safe with me.”
“We’ll be the ones to decide that,” Riggs says, dragging an annoyed sigh from me.
“Everyone can stop with the I’ve got her thing.” I arch an unimpressed eyebrow at both of my brothers. “You all know that I’ve got myself. I don’t need a man to protect me.” I dart a glance at Daniel, and the tension in my body releases. “But I like this one, so be nice.”
Daniel squeezes my fingers, and Ash blows out a breath. “Fuck, never thought I’d see the day that Hannah was nice .”
I think Daniel is about to tear Ash’s head off—even if he is a dangerous motherfucker who’s not to be messed with—but when I bark out a loud laugh, he relaxes and shakes his head. “You guys are all brutal,” he mutters.
Riggs chuckles. “You’re part of the family now. Get used to it.”
I bite down on my lip hard as a realization hits.
I want it. I want it so bad I can taste it.
But I’m scared to want it at the same time, so I change the subject before I can focus on the way Daniel’s cheeks have gone a warm red, like he’s both surprised and pleased with that idea.
“Speaking of family, how are my nephews?”
Riggs pulls out his phone and gives us a play-by-play of all the sports the boys are now involved in and how Pierce—their father—is already itching to teach them how to shoot.
I shake my head. I hate guns, but I know it’s a big part of life in rural Vermont.
Especially for my brothers, who work in security.
“How’s Teddy?” I ask Ash.
My brother’s fists clench slightly, a tick that most would have missed, but I know him too well.
When we were kids, he had a crush on the middle Berkshire girl, and I don’t know that it ever faded.
I’m not sure if anything ever happened between the two of them, but she was married by the time he left the SEALs, and I’ve never seen him date or even mention another woman.
“She’s fine. Her daughter’s first birthday is this week and they’re doing some big celebration at the estate. Whole family is going to be in town. That’s how I knew we could make tonight work.”
I smile. “Give her my love.”
I’ve met Teddy a time or two over the years, but I feel like I know her far better than those limited interactions allowed because Ash has always talked about her, even if he never realizes it. It’s sad to think that they never got their chance.
That thought has me turning my focus back to Daniel.
I’m glad we’re getting this chance. I’m glad he’s giving it to us.
Not just for our child, but because I’m starting to realize I could see a future with him.
And I don’t want to look back years from now and wonder what would have happened if I’d spoken up, or what would have happened if I’d been brave enough to try.
As if he somehow knows precisely what I need, he wraps an arm around my chair and tugs me closer, pressing a kiss to my forehead. Then he turns back and answers question after question, acing the interrogation my brothers have thrown together.
I don’t bother to try to shut them down. I know better. Plus, I know that, to him, I’m worth it.