Chicks, Man

My heart stops for a moment when the first round of guilty praises my ears. Shit, I actually thought…

My fist clenches tight. I turn to Jim as we embrace. I slap him on the back and reach over, heartily shaking Justin’s hand. “Good work.”

Justin nods. “Thank you, Mr. Dent. Coming from you, that’s quite a compliment.”

I heave a sigh of relief, finally feeling the weight of this nightmare start to dissipate. We can finally put this behind us and move on. There’s so damn much I want to do with Hannah, experience with her. She needs time to heal, but one day, I’ll put a ring on her finger and make her completely mine. The only thing I want now is to get her home and naked. The thought of having her all to myself stirs a need in me so strong, I may throw her over my shoulder and run out of here.

A deafening uproar of chaos breaks out.

A gunshot blasts through the courtroom.

My heart seizes as the world around me slows. Like molasses, I fight my body to shift toward Hannah. Our eyes collide like magnets, and I hold her stare as time speeds up. I jump into action, throwing my body over the barrier between us and tackle her to the ground. My hands are quick, brushing up and down her quivering body. The courtroom erupts into panic, screaming wails coming from the front of the room. I pull up, searching her raw, tear-filled eyes.

“I’m fine. It wasn’t me.”

Thank Christ. I pull her off the ground, my attention to the back of the courtroom where two officers restrain Gregory Hill to his wheelchair. My eyes wide, I cock my head to the defense table. Connor Miller lays across the table, a bullet lodged between his dead eyes.

Levi

Two weeks later…

“Stop! I swear to God, I’ll give you another whooping if you throw me in!” Hannah squeals, dodging Chase’s attempt to toss her in the pool.

“For the record, I hardly call that a whooping. You’re a little girl. I’m a man,” Chase argues, attempting another lunge and missing.

Kipley, who’s sitting next to me outside on the lounge chair of his parents’ pool, laughs, shaking his head. “Chase really has a death wish today I see.”

If he gets my girl in that water, he’s as good as dead. “You’d think he’d learn his lesson, since he’s still limping from their last go-around.” We both bust out laughing. The day had finally come for Hannah to get her revenge on Chase and the years of torment he’s bestowed on her. Ever since Hannah, in her amazing, fierce way, put Chase in his place, their relationship has been quite entertaining. Him still trying to poke. Her always getting the upper hand—or upper cut, as the case may be.

We watch as Hannah jumps over a float, her smile radiating as bright as the summer day. Her cheeks are already flushed from the heat, and I shake my head, knowing how horrible she is about putting on enough sun block. She runs past Ben, bends down to pick up a noodle, and twists around. “Told you not to mess with me anymore. And for the last time, I’m not little.” Then she whacks Chase in the face.

“Ouch.” We both wince as Chase stumbles and loses his balance, falling into the pool.

Her vibrant laughter echoes across the pool, filling my soul with promise. Her hands grab at her belly, unashamed of the white scar that illuminates in the sun as she barrels over, fat tears racing down her sun-kissed cheeks. I love seeing her happy and carefree again.

Chase pops back up from under the water and whips his head around like a wet dog, throwing his hair out of his face. “Jesus, woman!”

Hannah’s eyes shine with triumph. With her hands on her hips, she continues in short gasps of unstoppable giggles. Her eyes finally search out mine, and she steals my breath.

“How’s she doin’?”

Kip’s voice grabs my attention, and I unwillingly pull my eyes away from hers. I had imagined many different scenarios on how Kip would learn about Hannah and I. Each one resulted in him kicking my ass, but they all ended with uncertainty of where it would leave our friendship. Kip’s not just my best friend, he’s my brother, my family. And even though it did end with him cleaning the floor with me, what followed was nothing I could fathom.

It was shortly after Hannah had been released from the hospital. We’d been keeping a low profile, mainly because I was too obsessed with monitoring her every emotion. I needed her to know I was there for her. Kip had come by asking to speak to me privately. After swearing to Hannah I’d be alive when she got back, she left and let us be. That’s when he handed me the worn, rolled up piece of paper, throwing me back to when we were twelve.