Page 16 of Under Fire

“And the exercise program?”

“Swimming.” She flashed him a smile. “I thought I would grow gills I spent so much time in the water.”

“How long did it take you to lose weight?”

“Four long years. As a present to myself, I saved up enough money to have surgery to remove the extra skin.”

Understanding slammed into Matt. He’d wondered why Delilah always wore long-sleeved shirts and pants, never shorts or short sleeves even on the hottest days. “You have scars from the surgery.”

She raised her chin. “Small price to pay for being healthy.”

Matt pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “You amaze me, sweetheart. The scents in the bakery set off sugar cravings?”

Delilah nodded. “I’m addicted to sugar. Indulging too much starts the cravings all over again and I fought too hard to conquer that addiction.”

“I understand. I’m proud of your accomplishment.”

Her lips curved. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

“You still swim, don’t you?”

“I use the swim spa every day.” Another soft laugh. “I can’t afford the alarm system because I’m paying for a spa that costs as much as my car. I know you’re worried about my safety, especially after the attack, but I made a choice to keep healthy.”

She was incredible. “You haven’t told anyone else about the weight gain and loss?”

“My family doesn’t even know. You probably think I’m horrible, but after what they did to me, I couldn’t make myself go home and face them or the memory of what I was in those years.”

“You’ll go home when you’re ready, Delilah.” He squeezed her hand. “When you go, I’m going with you.”

Delilah stared at him. “You are?”

“I won’t let you face your family or those memories alone. Promise me you won’t go while I’m deployed.”

“I don’t understand why you want to accompany me, but I promise to wait for you. I don’t intend to go anytime soon, anyway.”

From her expression, her first choice would be to never return home. But plans had a way of changing when you least expected. “Do you want to save the bagel and egg for later?”

“I’d better not. I still don’t eat processed food much. In fact, that’s the only processed item I’ve eaten this year.”

He extended his hand to her, then gathered their trash, and dumped the remnants of their breakfast into the receptacle. “Can Piper handle the shop alone today?”

“Sure. Why?”

“Take the day off. If you feel up to it, you can go to work tomorrow.” He’d work out a security arrangement to keep her and Piper safe at Wicks.

“I slept more than you did last night.”

“I’m used to sleeping three or four hours a night. You aren’t. You also had nurses waking you every two hours to ask you questions. Not only that, your body is healing. Give yourself a break for today.” Matt unlocked the SUV and tucked Delilah inside.

When he climbed behind the wheel, Delilah pulled out her phone and sent a text. A moment later, a chime indicated a response. “Piper had already heard about the intruder and was expecting me to take the day off.”

He drove to Delilah’s neighborhood and parked in the driveway a few houses away from hers. Liam’s SUV was parked in front of Matt’s house. When Matt turned off the engine, his front door opened and his teammate stepped out on the porch with a soft drink in his hand. He signaled Matt that all was clear. Excellent.

Matt opened Delilah’s door. With her bag in hand, he led her inside his home.

“Wow. This is…nice,” she said, glancing around.

Liam burst into laughter. “A bachelor’s paradise, you mean.”

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