“Duncan.”
Scrubbing his hand down his face, he continued, “Anyway, I got us away from the car, but then there was an explosion. That’s where the burns came from.”
“You got hurt saving me.”
“I’m the one who put us in danger, Sloane.”
We’d have to agree to disagree. His job put us in danger. The people he worked for put us in danger. Duncan saved me, and not just in the accident. He came into my life at a time when I was questioning my purpose and he gave me hope. That’s why I knew he’d come back to me. The universe wouldn’t be that cruel.
“What happened after the explosion?”
“Up until yesterday, I would’ve said I didn't have a clue.”
“But you do now?”
“When Waverly was going through my medical reports, something she found triggered the memory of being shot. That’s why you found the team and I sparring in the gym.”
“Do you guys do that often? Beat the crap out of each other?”
“Being in the ring helps me focus. I needed it after finding out I’d been shot.” He moved my hand from the middle of his chest to a place a few inches below his heart.
I pushed against the mattress with my other arm, half sitting up. “Do you know who it was?”
“So vicious,” he teased, threading our fingers together. “I couldn’t see their face in my memory, however my suspect list is fairly short.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Wearen’t doing anything. My team and I will handle it. The only thing I need is for you to be more cautious when I’m not here. Lock the doors, don’t go anywhere alone, and keep your phone with you at all times.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Now we should get some sleep. I want to talk to you tomorrow about an idea I had for the twins' birthday present.”
“About that…”
9RALPH
Duncan
When Sloane told me two weeks ago she’d gotten the kids a puppy for their birthday, I was skeptical at first. Neither she nor I ever had a pet growing up, so what the hell did we know about taking care of an animal? My skepticism turned to horror when she and I picked up the twins’ “puppy” yesterday afternoon. This beast was not a puppy. In fact, I was pretty sure he ate our puppy. I know for a fact he chewed a hole in my sock last night.
“Stop it, Duncan,” she scolded. “Mastiffs are gentle giants.”
The damn thing was cute, I’d give him that much. He was light in color––almost a pale yellow––with black on his muzzle and around his eyes. He also had the biggest fucking paws I’d ever seen, and he was only eleven weeks old. The breeder told Sloane he could weigh upward of a hundred fifty pounds. What the hell did you feed a dog that size? On the bright side, we could charge for pony rides.
Rogan and Reagan had stayed the night with Finn and Waverly. The party was being held at my house in a fewhours. Everyone from my team would be there, as well as a few of the kids' friends from school. For entertainment, we rented one of those gigantic bouncy houses, which took up a third of the side yard. I’d be manning the grill, cooking up burgers and hotdogs, while Henley and Jade took care of the rest of the food. They’d insisted, saying it was good practice for later on down the road. The only thing not up for negotiation was the cake. That was all Sloane.
“Come down here and play with him. You won’t have the chance once the kids get home.”
Home.
We’d been spending more and more time at my house, well, our house technically, since I’d already added her name to the deed. The first time I brought her here, Sloane recognized the significance. It was almost a perfect replica of her dream home, the one we’d talked about building way back when. The only thing missing was my family, but that would change sooner rather than later. It had already begun.
Sloane was lying in the middle of my living room floor, letting the pup pounce all over her. It was the most carefree I’d seen her since the kidnapping. She needed more days like this, we all did. There hadn’t been any more movement in the investigation into the accident. Something had to give.
“Sunshine, don’t let him lick your face. He just licked his dick.”
“Oh my God, you’re ridiculous.” She burst out laughing.