they could even have a double wedding, walk down the aisle together.
Absently cuddling into Brett’s cooling chest, she considered the possibility, only to discard it. Knowing Langley’s parents and the circles they moved in, that particular wedding would be anything but intimate. And while there was no doubt that Langley would badger her parents into including Sarah and Brett in the ceremony, the thought of the huge guest list and unfamiliar faces in the crowd sent shivers of revulsion coiling down her spine.
Best to stick with their current plan of private and small.
“How soon do you want to do this?” Sarah asked.
“As soon as you can get Langley out here. Tram and Rio won’t be a problem. They can show up on a dime.”
“Okay,” she paused. “Do you want to invite anyone else? Anyone from your team.”
She knew he’d been an only child, and his parents were long gone. But his team was his family, now. Although the thought of standing up in front of the same men who’d known her as Mitch’s fiancée was uncomfortable in the extreme. But if he wanted that, she’d grit her teeth and give it to him. She’d do anything for him.
He was quiet for a moment. His hands falling still on her cooling back.
“Maybe Aiden…if he hasn’t gone wheels up. Other than that, nah.” His shrug rocked them both. “Truth is, I’m thinking of putting in my papers.” His eyes were sober as they caught and held hers. “Things haven’t been the same since Tram bailed.”
Her throat tightened and ached at the echo of loss she saw in his eyes. She knew, from what Lucas had said while Brett was in the hospital, that Mitch had turned a bunch of their teammates against them. And from the look in his eyes, this betrayal by the men he’d trusted was still raw and sharp inside him.
She cast aside the guilt and sorrow and set her jaw with pure determination.
Mitch wasn’t going to take one more thing from them. Not one more damn thing. He was behind them now. Their past.
The future was what they needed to concentrate on.
A new life stretched before them. One full of love and hope. She cuddled into the chest of the man who’d held her heart so tightly, even when he hadn’t been beside her, that he’d stopped her from breaking. Brett didn’t believe her, but she knew he’d gotten her through the past two years. Kept her sane. Kept her safe. Helped her keep Mitch at bay.
And now they were going to step forward, into their future—hand in hand.
Together.
Chapter Twenty-Five
(Five months later)
“Langley mentioned the sweetest thing while we were getting her ready for her wedding,” Sarah said.
Tag frowned. There was something in his wife’s voice that sent suspicion flaring. “By we, I assume you mean that gaggle of chirpy women she was surrounded by.”
Sarah rolled her eyes at him. “If by gaggle you mean her mother, mother-in-law, three bridesmaids and me—then yes.” Undeterred by his disinterest, her voice gained steam. “She said that Ryder proposed to her while she was in the hospital. He even went down on one knee and everything.” She paused to cock an inquisitive eyebrow at him. “Isn’t that the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard?”
The suspicion jumped straight to alarm. Hell no. This comparisonitis needed to be shut down ASAP.
“Good for Pienkowski.” He leaned heavy on his drawl. “Just curious. Did he take a bullet for her too?”
His wife’s jaw tensed. Her pale, freckle-stamped forehead knitted beneath her scowl. “You did not take a bullet for me.”
“The hell I didn’t.” His drawl thickened. “Pretty sure a bullet trumps a knee.”
He smirked, not that it was a competition…but if it had been one, he would have won.
And yeah, he had taken a bullet for her. If he hadn’t been so focused on getting her to safety, Mitch would never have taken him down. At least that’s what he told himself on a regular basis. Even now, months later, it still stung that the bastard had gotten the jump on him.
Sarah harrumphed and reached up to remove one of the earrings he’d given her for Christmas. The jewelry was top grade emeralds and sapphires and came with a matching necklace. The set had cost him several months’ pay, but hell—the condo had sold for a lot more than he’d expected, and he loved seeing her decked out in his gifts.
Jewelry was a great way of marking your woman, and without looking like an asshole. He