Page 1 of Shea's Hero

CHAPTER 1

SHEA

It shouldn’t be so nerve-wracking to be here.

This is supposed to be a fun night, after all. Not something to get anxious about.

I get to spend time with my best friend and my brother, who I miss desperately since they both moved to Texas. Not that I’d ever tell them that; it would make them worry about me even more than they already do. But as soon as Niall and Jade suggested coming to New York for a visit, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

Niall and Jade. No longer two people living separate lives, trying to deny the connection they’ve had for over a decade, but married. In love. Deliriously happy. And I couldn’t be more thrilled for them.

I’d secretly hoped they’d get together for years, constantly dropping hints and trying to orchestrate times for them to be together. But it took Jade ending up in danger and Niall coming to her aid for them to finally realize what I’d known all along. That the two people I love most in the world were meant for each other.

So if their new life means they live halfway across the country from me, I’ll deal with it.

But when they’re visiting, I’ll spend as much time with them as I can. Which is why we’re all out at the Hop-less Horseman—a cozy pub in downtown Sleepy Hollow—enjoying a relaxing night of craft beer, overflowing plates of wings, and watching the most competitive dart competition I’ve ever seen.

It makes sense, though. Because I’m not just out with Jade and Niall, but my brother’s old Army buddies, too. Not just Army, but Green Berets, all of them highly trained marksmen. And in the case of my brother, a sniper who can hit pretty much anything.

Me, on the other hand? I’m about as uncoordinated as they come. After some urging, I agreed to play one round of darts, quickly demonstrating justhowdifferent I am from my brother.

After I flung three darts into the floor, one into the ceiling, and the fifth narrowly missed my own foot, the rest of the group lost it. I could tell they were trying not to laugh, afraid of making me feel bad, but when I burst out laughing, they immediately followed suit.

Sweet Elle, who’s married to Zane, one of Niall’s friends, tried to comfort me through her giggles. “Don’t feel bad,” she said as she tried to school her expression. “You should have seen me when I tried playing darts with these guys. They were practically on the floor laughing.”

But I didn’t mind. That’s not the part of the evening I’m stressed about. Making a fool of myself at darts and almost impaling my foot? I’ve been through much worse.

Possibly running into my ex-boyfriend, though? After not seeing him for four years? And remembering how badly I handled things at the end?

That’sthe part I’m worried about.

Before we came out tonight, Jade reassured me he wouldn’t be here. That there’s nothing to worry about. “He’s on duty,” she told me. “Niall asked Cole, and Cole asked Maya. She said he’s working the night shift. There’s no chance of him showing up tonight.”

Given that Cole is technically Niall’s boss—though they served together and are more friends than anything else—and his wife, Maya, is my ex’s sister, I feel a little funny that they were all discussing whether it was safe for me to come out tonight.

I hate that it even has to be an issue. I hate that Niall and Jade still think I’m too fragile to handle seeing my ex, even though I’ve been fine for almost four years now and haven’t come close to a relapse.

Then again. I’m sitting at the table with butterflies in my stomach and I’ve been pushing around the same wing on my plate for at least five minutes. My gaze keeps sliding towards the entrance, like he’s about to waltz through it despite Jade’s reassurance. And in my paranoid imagination, I envision him walking through the doors, his handsome face creasing in anger as he sees me, then turning to make an immediate exit.

Ugh.

I thought I was over him. But being here, right in the town where he lives, is bringing all the old memories back with a vengeance.

Not just the painful ones either, but the earlier ones, when I thought I might have found the man I wanted to be with forever. The man who made my heart do things it never had before. And the man I loved?—

Shit.

Stop thinking about him. Just stop.

I’m not here to mope at the table, frowning into my untouched beer and ignoring the people I came here to spendtime with. This is supposed to be a fun night. A chance not only to be with Niall and Jade, but to get to know the people who work for his company. Because the other men here, they’re not just old friends, but a part of Blade and Arrow Security, an elite security company with headquarters here in Sleepy Hollow and in San Antonio, which is where Niall works.

“You know I want to spend time with you, Shea,” Niall told me when he brought up the idea of making the fifteen minute drive from my house in White Plains to Sleepy Hollow. “But I think it would be nice to see the guys, just for a night. Plus, they’re all married and their wives—or husband, in Nora’s case—are great. I think you’ll really like them. Maybe you’ll even become friends, since you live so close.”

So I agreed. What was I supposed to say?I’m a big chicken and I’ve intentionally stayed away from Sleepy Hollow from the second I heard my ex moved there? That I’m terrified I’ll see him and the reminder of the loss will crush me, despite all my proclamations of being fine?

Not so much.

“Shea.” Jade touches my arm, drawing my attention away from the mug I’ve been staring at for the last several minutes. Her eyes are soft with concern, a little line of worry etched between them.

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