Page 47 of Silver Secrets

“Oh, Gage. Did she not handle it well?”

“No. She was incredible. I shouldn’t have unloaded on her like that. But it was like I was right back there. Getting pulled into my command’s office. The flight home being so fucking numb. Seeing them…” His voice caught and he cleared his throat. “Gunner and I went after her. By the time we got there, she was already sitting in an ambulance, but fuck. My mind just wouldn’t quiet down. It kept screaming at me that I was going to lose her too.”

“So all these feelings bubbling up to the surface isn’t because you’re feeling guilty about moving on?”

“No. It’s not that. Things with Sloane feel right.”

Emma reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m happy for you, and for Sloane. You deserve to be happy again, Gage. You do know that, right?”

“Emma…”

“Oh, don’t ‘Emma’ me.”

“You’re about to use my own words against me, aren’t you?”

“You bet your fine Navy SEAL ass I am. When I was losing it over telling Seb about Luna, who was there to remind me that everything was going to work out? Who was there telling me that even with everything that happened to me, I still deserved happiness, and love? That’s right… It was you. And now I’m going to say the same exact thing. You are still here, Gage. And your life isn’t meant to just go on, giving so much of yourself to the world, being a stable rock for your friends, protecting the community, without ever taking something for yourself.”

“There’s a price I have to pay for still being here without them, Em.”

“Oh, bullshit. You know the price you’re paying? Carrying around those two holes in your soul that will never be filled until the day,” she squeezed her eyes shut and pointed her finger at him, “in the very far off future, when you see them again. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t more love in this life meant for you. I love you, Gage. The guys all love you. Mae and Lily and Sage and Addie all love you. But what’s growing between you and Sloane is special. Don’t close yourself off from it before it’s even had a chance to take root and bloom.”

Twelve

The key slid into her front door lock with no resistance. Sloane’s body immediately reacted as if a cold bucket of water had been dumped over her head, which was an image and a feeling she absolutely hated. She turned the knob, her heart pounding as the door slowly pushed open and revealed her house.

That was the second time she’d come home to find her door unlocked since her accident. The first time, she had been distracted. She was sure of it. But Sloane was meticulous about locking her doors. Not that she felt she needed to because the community of Silver Springs was unsafe. In fact, she did it despite how safe her little town felt. There was no way she would have forgotten to lock it twice.

She waited, trying to decide if she should call Gage and ask him to come look things over for her. But that would mean she needed to admit that she wasn’t truly safe. And he’d be either moving her into his apartment or refusing to leave her home after he heard those words come out of her mouth.

But maybe it had just been an innocent mistake again. Her whole day had started off frazzled when she woke up to Lily calling her from the office. Somehow, her alarm hadn’t gone off, and Sloane’s body took the opportunity to oversleep. Then she’d rushed out the door so quickly she’d forgotten her notebook and her laptop. Not her finest moment showing up late to a session with none of the necessary materials.

Which was why she was back home at lunchtime in the first place. Because she needed to grab her equipment and hightail it back to the office. She pulled her phone out of her pocket.

“Hey, Red. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she asked as she walked through her living room, trying to remember the last place she’d set her laptop down. She’d done some work the night before in bed. It was probably on her nightstand.

“No. And even if you were, I wouldn’t mind. What’s going on?”

“I, uh, oh, thank god.” Her laptop was right where she left it.

“You sound a little frazzled, Sloane. Are you at work?”

“No. I had to run home. It’s been a weird morning. Uh, I wanted to ask…”

“Yes. The answer is yes.”

She laughed. “You don’t even know what I was going to say!”

“Oh, I definitely assumed you were going to ask me out.”

“Hate to burst your bubble…”

“Damn. Well, in that case, do you want to go to dinner with me tonight? We can go after you’re done working out.”

She smiled. There was something ridiculously adorable about him knowing her schedule.

“I’ll be all sweaty.”

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