Page 8 of Sworn to Defend
She leaned her head against the side of the couch, eyelids fluttering, momentarily blocking those unique golden eyes with a fringe of amber lashes. “Dallas Fort Worth International.” She spoke the quiet words.
He ran his hand over her temple and cheek. “If that’s anything, it’s being brave,” he said, giving the words back to her.
“Bravest together,” she murmured as her eyes closed.
He smiled and shook his head. In less than a second, Hannah was out cold. The woman was going to work herself to death. He gently released her hand and stood, looping one arm around her waist and another behind her legs. His doctor would be having a shit fit right now, but lifting Hannah into his arms felt right, even if his leg disagreed. She mumbled something incoherent and burrowed into his chest. Fuck, that felt nice. Having her lean in to him in sleep. Completely trusting she was safe with him.
He padded slowly down the dark hall and pushed her partially open bedroom door with the tip of his foot. The room still smelled like that god-awful flower perfume, but it had faded significantly. If the room was on a second floor he might’ve opened a window, but he wouldn’t leave her vulnerable. He just hoped she wouldn’t have a headache when she woke. He laid her on the bed, once again grinning at all the cheery yellow ruffles. Hunter pulled back the sheets and comforter and tucked her in, then went to the kitchen and got her a glass of water in case she was like him and woke up in the night thirsty. She was adorable with her cheek plastered to the pillow, hair piled atop her head, and lips parted.
“Night, Hannah.” After one more long look, he made his way to the door and told her Alexa to lock it, like he’d done once when he picked Collin up from school when Hannah was stuck at an emergency call. He stepped outside and waited for the dead bolt to slide into place. His wounds made themselves known as he descended the steps of the drive.
Once he was inside his truck, he plugged in his cell phone and made a call to Ransom, then winced when he noticed the time on the dashboard.
“Everything okay?” Ransom’s voice was alert, even though he’d likely been sleeping moments ago.
“Yeah. I need your help finding a tux,” he said, starting the engine.
“You’ve got to be shitting me. I jumped out of bed. Yanked on pants. Thought I was going to be driving you back to the hospital, but what do you need? Fashion advice. Maybe you should’ve listened to the doctor and stayed another night.”
He started to protest before static filled the line. There was a rustle of sheets. “Honey, is that Branch? Poor thing just got out of the hospital and you’re barking at him.”
He smiled at his teammate’s fiancée. “Yes, it’s Branch. Calling after midnight to ask for help buying a goddamn suit, when I should be sound asleep with my arms around you.”
“Tell Branch I’ll round up the girls and help him pick out something tomorrow.”
Ransom got incredibly lucky to find Brynn and his brother, Jacob, at the same time. He smiled and cleared his throat. His friends’ women were a welcome addition to their family. “I can hear you, sweetheart, and I’d really appreciate it.”
Ransom muttered something. Branch smiled when Brynn shushed him and told him to hand over the phone. He was happy for his friend, if not a bit envious of the point he was at in his relationship. Brynn adored Ransom and would go toe-to-toe to call him on his bullshit, just like Sam did to Joker. Both couples were ridiculously happy. He wanted that with Hannah.
Brynn’s cheerful Irish lilt filled the receiver. “Trading the hospital johnny for a tux, are we?”
“I checked on Hannah and Collin when I got out of the hospital today. She told me about her sister’s wedding. Sounds god-awful. I want to be there to have her back.” And Collin’s. He didn’t know her family aside from what he’d heard, but if they were anything but warm and welcoming to him, just because he didn’t fit the mold of their pretentious family, they were going to have problems. Knowing Hannah, though, she’d never step foot in an environment where Collin wouldn’t be accepted.
“Did you hear that, Neo?” Brynn squealed. “Branch is taking Hannah to the wedding in Texas.”
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought Ransom grumbled that it was damn time he made a move. His friend wasn’t wrong. He’d been pining over Hannah since they first met.
“I like her. A lot,” he admitted.
“I know that.” Brynn chuckled. “And I second my grumpy fiancé that it’s about time. He needs his full eight hours of beauty rest. I’ll see who is available tomorrow and you can model for us. By the sounds of things, her family is exhausting and I couldn’t be happier that she’ll have some support.”
“Yeah. Incredibly wealthy, too. I don’t have the first clue about fashion or what’s popular. Fatigues or jeans and a T-shirt are usually it for me.” He put the car in reverse and backed out of Hannah’s driveway.
“Don’t fret, we’ll get it all sorted tomorrow.”
“You have no idea how much I appreciate that.”
“It’s no problem. I’m sure Jacob would be more than happy to come along and add his two cents.”
Branch could hear the affection in Brynn’s tone. It wasn’t long ago that it was her and Jacob against the world. That was before Ransom had called on all of his contacts to help locate the brother he’d never met.
“If by that you mean he’d love to come along to rib me, you’re probably right. I’ll let you go. Thanks for helping me out and sorry it’s so late. Panicked there for a second.”
“It’s no trouble at all, that’s what family is for.”
Brynn’s words felt good. They had become a family unit over the past year.
He hung up the call, and slowed at the red light. Axel Rose’s voice filled the speakers where he left off with his playlist. The drive to his house was only ten minutes from Hannah’s place. The small suburban neighborhood was quiet and set back from any main roads. It was a safe place for kids to ride their bikes or take their dogs for a walk. As he turned right onto his street, a spark of something new and exciting swirled in his gut. Hannah hadn’t shut him down outright. God knew he couldn’t wait to spend an entire week with her, even if it was to shield her from her own blood relatives. While she was busy with wedding stuff, he could take Collin swimming or to the zoo. They could run errands for Hannah and make the best of an uncomfortable situation. She was clearly not looking forward to the trip.