Page 22 of Dad Bods and Blizzards

“We left the truck keys out there.” Woody opens the blinds so we can see the truck in the driveway. “Do you think she trusts us?”

“I don’t think she’ll try to escape.” But do I know that? My heart does.

Griz takes a small box out of the desk drawer and removes the keychain we had made for Naomi. It has our real initials above a nightingale. “Do we have a spare house key in here?”

“There’s one in the closet.” Woody disappears for a second then returns, and I toss the keychain to him.

Thirty minutes have passed when Naomi knocks lightly on the door. “You passed the test. You can come out.”

When Griz opens the door, her smile means everything. “The test?”

Her grin turns sheepish. “That friend I called… her name is Lilia. She married two secret agents.”

We’re familiar with Lilia’s story and how the agents helped her escape the Solonik Bratva.

Naomi continues, “I asked her to have them confirm that you three are the good guys.”

Woody says, “I’m so proud of you for doing that, Nightin—”

She grins. “It’s okay. I figured out that was my codename when I went through your files.”

“It’s more than a codename. It’s my nickname for you. You’re small but powerful and beautiful. You bring joy to everyone around you.”

“My father might disagree.” Her sweet voice saddens.

“That’s on him.” Woody pulls her in for a hug. “When I used Nightingale as your codename, I had no idea we’d be able to get close to you. I hated spying on you. I hated that your father put you near danger. But I knew I could never let anyone hurt you.”

She snuggles into his chest. The relief in her expression allows me to breathe easier. I’m about to join the embrace when Woody creates a few intimate inches of space between them. He takes her small hand and places the keychain in it.

“A nightingale keychain?”

“A while back we had this made for you. Our hope was always to get you away from your father. It was clear to us you were innocent, but we had to play by the rules long enough to get sufficient evidence on him.”

She studies the gift curiously. “What doesO.U.R.stand for?”

“Here’s where it gets real.” I point at Griz. “He’s Otto.” Then Woody. “Ulysses. And I’m Ryan. You’re our sweet nightingale who got us through what we thought was going to be the most miserable assignment ever.”

She smiles at the reveal of our real names. “Why was this assignment so miserable?”

Woody explains. “We each had to put on fifty pounds, learn to heat our home with fires, and move to the middle of a forest.”

Her smile fades. “You’re city boys?”

“Not anymore, Princess. We’re your boys.”

Griz coughs. “Boys? Maybe you are, but I’m her man.”

“Caveman,” I joke, slapping Griz’s belly.

“I happen to like your dad bods, but seriously? What about your jobs? Will you have to leave?”

Griz laughs. “We’ve had a lot of free time on our hands out here in the middle of nowhere so we’ve been learning how to investigate cybercrimes. As long as we have computers, we can stay home. And you can quit your job at the diner.”

“Hold on. This is all still weird to me. But I want to be in control of my life. I even talked to one of the other women in the auction about working for her as a bikini barista. I’m not opposed to working.”

“Can I respectfully veto the idea of you being a bikini barista?” Woody asks.

“I’ll consider your veto.”

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