sideline them for one more night. Tomorrow will be a different day. But I can let those worries roll off my shoulders for a handful more hours.
As wedding guests leave the gardens and trickle back into the stone mansion, creating a slow-moving line through the stained-glass double-doors, I find Banks saying goodbye to an uncle at a dessert table. Nothing but crumbs and half-eaten coffee cake left.
Once his uncle leaves, I tell Banks, “I’m taking Sulli back to her place.”
She’s currently hugging her parents one last time, and I left a temp to watch her for a minute.
Banks glances to her, and he downs a glass of sparkling water, which I know he hates. “She choose you, then?” Pain already grips his voice.
My muscles tighten. “No.” I laugh under my breath. “Almost the opposite, actually.” I spread out my arms. “She asked me if I thought you’d want to come with us back to Philly.”
So there’s that.
Back in the city, Banks is more of a floater than her 24/7 bodyguard, and it’s more unclear to Sulli when Banks will follow her around. I make those decisions.
Surprise reaches his eyes. “What’d you say?”
I lick my dried lips. “I told her I’d ask you.”
His brows knot into a harder frown. “This was your one shot to get her alone and you fucked it?”
I nod slowly. “I guess so.”
What I don’t tell Banks is that I want him to come along. That maybe, after all of this, the thought of leaving Banks here, alone, in a hotel room tonight sounds like an asshole move.
I’m cutthroat, but not when it comes to him. I’ve accepted the fact that he’s my exception, and I don’t want to be an asshole to him. Ever.
We’re the only humans at the penthouse where Sulli lives.
Two fluffy Newfoundland dogs and a few cats greet us at the front door. “Hey there, Orion.” Sulli hugs Luna’s dog and rubs behind his ears.
Banks grabs Arkham by the collar before he darts out, and I shoo a few cats away to shut the door behind us.
Once the door closes, the weight of the past 48-hours descends heavy on my muscles. We’ve all traveled across the world before, but this expedition was layered differently. Delayed flights, the car breaking down, the plane ride, and socializing at a wedding causes aches and weight, but so does the sheer emotional toll.
That part of our journey is unlike anything I’ve felt in a long time.
Like we’ve all jumped in a washing machine of happiness, heartache. Hurt, laughter. Joy, pain.
Loss.
After my dad passed, I’ve fought so hard not to lose the things that matter to me. My gym. My job as a bodyguard. My position as a lead, my own security firm, Sulli’s friendship.
And the trip to Yellowstone has been a crash course in Hanging On.
Hanging on to the people I love.
Hanging on to what I want out of this life.
I’m afraid of an ending more than I’ve ever been afraid of a beginning.
Sulli rises to her feet, rubbing a knot in her shoulder.
I fix the tangled cord to my mic. “Banks and I are going to do a quick sweep of the penthouse.” I want to switch-on a different, less serious setting, but safety first.
Usually I wouldn’t feel the need to check every inch of the 9,000 square foot penthouse, but Jane’s wedding date is public knowledge. If someone were to attempt a break-in, it’d be tonight. It’d take some bribery and incredible Mission Impossible shit for them to sneak past the building’s security, but I’m not taking any chances.
Sulli nods. “I’ll feed the animals and meet you both in the bathroom. We can wash off the travel stink.” She’s already gone for the pantry before either of us can point out that we have our own bathroom in our own apartment three-floors down.
I think even if I weren’t dating Sulli, I’d still find a way to stay. To walk that blurry line between friends and her bodyguard like a pro.
The difference now is that I want to wash off with her.
“Take the kitchen first,” I tell Banks, and then I leave them to cover the east side of the penthouse. Checking rooms mostly. Opening doors and closets. I’m quick about the sweep. Every step feels weighted, energy draining.
So by the time I enter Sulli’s bedroom, the rushing water from the bath is the sweetest sound I’ve heard all night.