Page 93 of Escape

“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.”