Page 68 of Collision of Winters
Chris smirked faintly and looked between us, then back at Wade. “Would this have been your decision before y’all started fuckin’ too?”
Oh my God. My mouth popped open, and shock tore through me.
Wade was much better at hiding his expression than I would ever be. He merely folded his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow.
“How did you find out?” he asked.
Chris snorted. “I do this for a goddamn living, Doc.” He jerked a thumb my way. “I’ve known about his infatuation for years, and he’s always been special to you. Yeah, the thought reentered my mind when I dropped him off at the cabin. Then I talked to Declan last night, and he mentioned you seemed happier.”
I chanced a glance at Wade, and he shifted his gaze to me too.
“I am,” he said. “Very much.”
A breath gusted out of me, and I didn’t know I’d been so tense until I felt my shoulders slump.
“I thought I’d hidden my feelings well,” I grumbled.
Chris chuckled and draped an arm around my shoulders. “Not one bit—but don’t feel bad. It just clued me in to the possibility that it was serious. A crush is easier to hide. My guess? You struggled so hard to hide it from Wade that you didn’t have much energy left to hide it from me. Soon as he left the room, you deflated and went into recovery mode.”
Jesus Christ, maybe he was right. I sure remembered how tough it’d been to be in the same room as Wade. In retrospect, it made perfect sense if Chris had seen some lingering looks or my mood tanking after a day with the family.
Wade came over to me and gathered me in his arms, and it felt so good. I needed a tight hug from him.
“Has Quin suspected anything?” he asked Chris.
“Doubt it,” Chris responded. “Kayden’s too close to him. I mentioned it to Quin once—like a theory—and he just laughed and shook his head.”
“Makes sense,” Wade said. “So, moving on. Where are we doing this?”
Chris rolled with the punches like a pro, though I suspected we’d circle back to the topic later on. Chris wasn’t Chris without some good-natured ribbing and teasing.
“Well, I wanted a location with plenty of parking around and a place Kayden and I have met up before, so we settled on Silver Diner.”
I nodded as Wade released me. “A good place to die if this goes south,” I noted.
“That was my second reason for pickin’ the place,” Chris said, not missing a beat.
“Don’t even joke about that.” Wade’s sense of humor was different.
“Can you slow down?” Wade asked irritably. “You’re gonna run someone over.”
“Who’s out walkin’ on the Beltway?” Chris hollered.
I kept my amusement to myself and met Chris’s gaze in the rearview. He found Wade funny too.
Chris wasn’t even driving that fast. “Anyway. How’s the Kevlar, kid?”
“Almost on,” I announced. Wade was busy fastening the vest. It was the two of us in the back seat of a badass SUV that belonged to Hillcroft. “I can’t wait to get to know your company cars. This one’s cool.”
Chris switched lanes and took a swig of his coffee. “I’m afraid a nice exterior only exists on a few of them. What you’ll come to learn about Hillcroft is that we always aim to blend in. Granted, we have a few upscale SUVs and sedans, which we mainly usefor escorting clients in the private sector or in politics. But the vehicles you will work with have been knocked down to never stand out. You’ll be impressed by what’s under the hood, but the exterior will make you believe we found the car in an alley.”
I didn’t mind that at all, actually. It made sense.
Any tidbit they shared only made me more eager to start.
“There.” Wade was done, so I pulled on my tee and hoodie again. “How are the nerves, sweetheart?”
“Aw, ain’t that cute. Sweetheart.” Chris smirked.
