I joined Kat at the snack tray and nearly moaned at the bounty spread out before me. Crab cakes, mini egg rolls, some kind of cream puffs. Slices of chocolate cake, apple and cinnamon scones.
Only the Ankhs could create such a feast on such short notice.
For once, I was going to let myself sponge. I ate my fill, and as my stomach rejoiced, a sense of fatigue began to plague me. I yawned, and maybe even swayed as my head lolled forward.
“Come on,” Kat said, leading me toward the couch. “You look dead on your feet.”
I sprawled out, and Reeve appeared to cover me with a blanket.
“How’d the conversation with your dad go?” I asked after another yawn.
“He’s decided not to ground me for the rest of my life.”
“Oh...good....” After that, I dozed on and off, the rest of the gang continuing to celebrate around me.
“Finally! They’re here,” Kat said minutes...hours...days...later, clapping with excitement.
I sat up with a jolt, and as I peered through the window, I saw Cole, Frosty and Gavin exit Mr. Holland’s dark SUV and enter the night. Morning hadn’t yet come. When they reached the porch, I lost sight of them.
Heart beating wildly, I eased to my feet. My knees held steady. Good. The fatigue had left me, too. I waited. And waited. And then Gavin strode through the game-room door, tall and strong, a commanding presence that drew the eye. But his clothes were dirtier than when he’d left, and he had a scrape on his cheek he hadn’t had before.
I’d find out why. First, I owed him a big, fat thank-you. He’d saved my life tonight.
I raced over and threw my arms around him, hugging him and planting a grateful kiss right smack on his mouth. “You,” I said. For some reason, that was all I could manage.
Knowing what I meant, he hugged me back, kissed my cheek. “My pleasure, Blondie.”
I found my wits and added, “You’re a better man than I ever gave you credit for.” I frowned, the words familiar to me somehow.
“I know.”
“And you’re so modest.”
He chuckled.
“You...went to him first,” Cole said, an odd note in his voice as he stepped up beside us.
Seeing him, I grinned and threw myself at him. “You’re back.”
“You went to him first,” he repeated.
I pulled back and blinked, a little unsure now. “I didn’t see you.”
“I came in right behind him.”
“Cole?” I asked, a lot unsure now.
“The vision,” he said, and I noticed he, too, had a few extra scrapes.
Like me, Gavin blinked. “Yeah. That was it. The one we had. Part of it anyway.”
And there’d been nothing romantic about it. “He saved my life. I owed him. I was just saying thank you.”
“I know. Now.” Cole massaged the back of his neck. “I broke up with you for nothing,” he said softly.
“That wasn’t the only reason. You were afraid I’d—”
“Don’t make excuses for me. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He grabbed me up and meshed his lips onto mine.
Cheers quickly abounded, soon joined by whistles. I didn’t care. I took and gave and took some more. All that he was. All that I was. The past, the present and the future.
When he lifted his head, I could only sag into him.
“I missed you,” he said, rubbing his nose against mine.
“I missed you, too.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Better now.”
He chuckled softly, but the spurt of humor didn’t last long. “I’m sorry for everything, Ali.”
“Hey. It’s done. It’s over. We’re here now. But why are you and Gavin sporting new injuries?”
“The guy who shot and bombed your Dr. Bendari showed up and tried to take Ethan away from us. He must not have realized we were letting the guy go. Anyway, he was back on his feet, and stronger than he should have been, so there was a fight. We won, but he got away again.”
The cheers seeped back into my awareness, and I looked around.
“Sweet fancy,” Nana said, fanning herself. When had she gotten here? “The hormones in this room.”