“Any more excuses?” Ryder asked.
“No.”
“Good, so it’s settled.”
“You think you’re pretty clever don’t you?”
“Yep,” Ryder agreed cheerfully.
“Why do you enjoy torturing me?” she groaned, but had to fight back a smile. One of the things she had loved the most about her relationship with Ryder was that it had been so fun and easygoing. They had teased each other, their arguments had never lasted long, they’d laughed and joked and had fun driving each other crazy.
“Because deep down you know you love it.”
Abigail just harrumphed at that making Ryder laugh.
They sat in companionable silence while they drank their smoothies. Ryder hadn’t just remembered that she liked smoothies, he had remembered exactly which were her favorite fruits and made it with mangoes, strawberries, and kiwi fruit.
Her resolve was weakening.
Both she and Ryder were older now, wiser, maybe they had reached a place where they could consider the idea of being together and actually make it work.
Was it stupid to hope that could be true?
Was she being naïve?
Was she being an idiot to even consider taking him back after he’d already broken her heart twice?
She wanted to ask him why he had left, maybe if she could understand then she would know what the future held for them, but she was already tired again.
“You’re pretty cocky aren’t you? So sure that I’ll take you back,” she said.
“No, I’m not,” Ryder said simply.
Shocked, she stared at him, searching his eyes, which were now full of a vulnerability she had never seen Ryder Flynn show.
Maybe he really wasn’t so sure that she would take him back. Somehow that made him harder to resist, it was one thing to push away the cocky SEAL who had broken her heart twice before, but another to push away the vulnerable man sitting at her table watching her like he needed her to live.
“Why don’t we go and sit on the couch and you can rest,” Ryder said, obviously picking up on the fact that she was exhausted again.
“I hate being so weak,” she said, letting her head fall into her hands.
“I know, honey, but it’s not for forever, your body just needs time to heal. Here, take your antibiotics and we’ll watch another of your Disney movies.” He set the pills on the table beside her, and when she lifted her head he gave her one of his winning smiles. “I’ll even sweeten the deal.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll give you a massage.”
Abigail groaned. Ryder’s massages were heaven. Another piece of the wall she’d erected to protect herself from him crumbled.
12:13 P.M.
If it was possible to freeze time just for a moment Spider would stop the world right now.
They were sitting on the sofa in Abigail’s apartment, the heat from the fire was too much but he’d take it because Abigail was stretched out, her head propped up on a pillow, her legs draped across his lap. She’d fallen asleep halfway through his massage, and since he hadn’t wanted to disturb her he’d been sitting here, The Little Mermaid playing in the background, enjoying being able to touch Abby again.
When they were together they often spent their evenings like this, curled up together watching TV, usually whatever Abigail wanted since he wasn’t much of a viewer. What he’d loved was the intimacy, the simple enjoyment of just being together, that had always been enough and the complete opposite of what his life had been growing up.
Abigail had saved him in a way he hadn’t even known he’d needed saving. She’d healed his heart, something he hadn’t thought could ever happen, and showed him what it was like to fall in love when he had been resigned to spending his life alone.
Someone knocked on the newly fitted front door, and he put his hand on his gun. The people installing the security system would be on their lunch break and wouldn’t return for another forty-five minutes, and while he assumed it was his team he preferred to be cautious given the threat hanging over Abigail’s head.
His cell buzzed with a text, and when he saw it was from Night he carefully eased out from under Abigail to open the door. Just because he had decided that he would fight for Abby didn’t mean he wanted Night to know about them yet.
Especially given what happened last time.
“What are you doing?” Abigail asked sleepily as she stretched and sat up.
“Your brother is here,” he told her as he opened the front door.
Night rushed through it and headed straight for his sister who he hauled up off the couch and into an awkward hug.
“Let me look at you,” Night said, holding her at arm’s length.
“I’m fine, Eric,” Abigail said, brushing his hands off.
“Fine? You were gone for fourteen months. What did they do to you?” Night demanded.
“I thought Ryder would have filled you in,” Abigail replied as she moved closer to him. He didn’t know if she did it on purpose but when she was stressed or scared her subconscious mind sought him out.
“He said that you said no one hurt you, but you were gone for so long, Abs,” Night ran his hands through his hair as he stalked around the apartment, freezing when he saw the bags sitting by the door. “What’s this?”
“Ryder’s bags,” Abigail told him.
“And they’re here because?” From the sudden tightness in his face and body, Spider knew that his friend already knew the answer to that question.
“Ryder and the guys thought that maybe something happened to me that I can’t remember, and we think that maybe someone came after me on purpose,” Abigail explained.
Night’s gaze snapped to his, fear and horror on his face.
“Ryder is just staying here in case whoever it was comes back,” Abigail added.
“So this is just what … friends? I didn’t know you two were so friendly.” Night had inherited his father’s silvery gray eyes which were now narrowed and focused like he was ready to pounce on them if he thought they were lying.
“Yes, friends,” Abigail said firmly, but not before she snuck a quick look his way to see if he would contradict her.
It was now or never.
He could go along with what Abigail said and pretend he was here because he was solely concerned with her safety, or he could tell the truth.
For once he wanted to fight for what he wanted instead of letting someone dictate to him what his life should look like.
“No, not as friends,” he said, looking his friend squarely in the eye. “I’ve already told Abigail that I want her back and that this time I’m not walking away from her. I don’t want to lose your friendship, Eric,” he said, addressing his friend by his given name because this went beyond the SEALs and the bond they shared because of it. “But I will if it means keeping Abigail. I’m in love with her, and I should never have walked away.”
Both siblings gasped as they looked at him. Then Night began to pace the room, running his hands through his short dark hair.
Finally, he stopped and dropped into one of the armchairs, indicating that they should sit as well. “Look, Ryder, you’re not going to lose my friendship if you want to date my sister.”