Page 33 of Anything But Convenient

Would that be so bad though?

I didn’t have a clue.

Everyone made it seem like this was going to be a temporary solution to our problems. I was told we didn’t have to stay married forever. Just long enough for me to get to stay here and for Takeshi to learn sign language with his team. After that I’d be free to do as I pleased.

But what if what I wanted was to keep my husband? Would that be allowed?

CHAPTER 12

TAKESHI

Archie wasa temptation I hadn’t been prepared for.

My little husband was a delight to have around. Our first week together flew by. We’d shared meals, slept side by side, and even hung out when I wasn’t trying to make sense of paperwork for the guys in the office.

I hadn’t been allowed to catch up on all the material Memphis had gathered while I was bedridden and recovering. It wasn’t much, but that along with the details of their raid to save the trafficking victims it kept me plenty busy in the week since our wedding day.

Tank told me I couldn’t come in until I had one more week to recover and to get to know my husband.

There was no need to further recover. I felt a good as I knew I’d get. There was only a twinge of pain every now and then when I overexerted myself.

My husband was a different matter. Getting to know him was becoming an addiction. I wanted every moment with him I could get. There would never be enough.

I’d even picked up a bit of the sign language he’d begun to show me. They were little things here and there. He would be telling a story, and his hands would move about as he spoke. Itwas in short bursts, making it obvious he was describing a single word or an expression.

Part of me knew it was him trying to make it seem like less of a big deal for him to teach me. Like it wasn’t an entire scheme that we’d ended up together, so my team had an excuse to bring me back to life.

Because that’s really what it boiled down to.

They were trying to revive me from the state I’d entered after getting shot. I’d been morose, far beyond just my quiet nature from before. None of them knew what to do to cheer me up.

And then Archie showed up with his adorable floppy hair and eager smile wanting to help in any way he could.

He had no clue how just his presence alone fought back the darkness that often tried to overtake me. Seeing his smile made me feel like I could actually get back in the field with the team without feeling like a burden to them.

“You ready for your first day back?” Archie asked as he came up beside me in the bathroom. His grin in the reflection of the mirror sent my pulse racing.

He was so fucking beautiful.

And he was all mine.

For now,an unhelpful voice echoed through my mind.

Shutting down those negative thoughts, I turned to face him and motioned toward the door. It was all the indication he needed to know I would follow.

As we made our way to the office, Archie sang along to the radio. It was some upbeat pop hit about being treated like a girl. It didn’t make much sense to me, though I didn’t really care with the way my husband belted out each word.

It was one of the many things I’d come to love about him. He’d fill the quiet space around me with sound. I didn’t have to be alone with my thoughts anymore. Archie took up residence inmy mind, filling every void with visions of him, the sound of his voice, and the feel of his touch.

I took his hand after exiting the car. His touch grounded me, and I knew I’d need it with the day ahead of me. The guys were sure to walk on eggshells around me. I didn’t want that, but I saw no way of preventing it.

While Archie had read everything that happened to me, these men had lived it. They’d watched my body become a broken shell of what it once was. They witnessed the recovery and the toll it took on my emotional wellbeing.

For them, me coming back was both a blessing and a worry. They wanted me to be part of the team; however, they weren’t sure I was ready.

I had no clue how I’d make it clear to them I was. Maybe my husband could help. He’d already done so much in such a short time to improve how I viewed things. Surely he could help them see it all too.

With our fingers linked together, I felt that sense of calm that always came with Archie close. Jared’s wide eyes greeted us as we got off the elevator.

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