Page 37 of Wild Hearts

I give him a small smile as he pulls me into a hug.

We break apart as the timer for dinner goes off. I pull it out of the oven as Mick makes his way into the kitchen.

“Is everything alright?” I ask him.

He nods. “Sorry she worried you. Seems Montgomery has been trying to get a hold of me. I’ve been a little preoccupied, so I haven’t called him back.”

“Yeah?” Josh asks. “What did he want?”

“You remember that job he mentioned out near him?”

“Yeah.” Josh grabs plates and starts handing them out.

“I guess he told them about me and they wanted to offer me a position.”

My heart stills.

“That’s great, man. You going to take it?”

He shrugs. “Probably not. Not really my thing.”

“Yeah, okay. It’s been your life since you turned eighteen.”

“Maybe that’s the point. I’m retiring for a reason, Striker. Besides, I’ve already made plans for retirement.”

Mick smiles at me, but I frown. I set my plate down and rush out of the room, barely able to hold the tears in.

Before I can close the door to my room, Mick slides in.

“Baby girl. What’s wrong?” He holds my face in his hands.

“Do you want to take the job?”

He swipes the tears falling from my face. “No. Absolutely not. Where is this coming from? You know I want to be here with you.”

“We just happened so quick. I don’t want you turning down a job you want because of me. I mean, who’s to say you will want me in six months still?”

He sighs. “Shane, I will still want you in a million years. You don’t get it, but that’s not your fault. You’ve been conditioned to think you are less than, but you’re not. I’m not giving anything up by being with you. If anything, I’d be giving up the best thing in my life if I took that job. I meant what I said down there. I’m retiring for a reason. I served my country, and I served it well. I never once complained about what I had to do, but now? Now I want to be happy. You make me happy. Do you hear that, Shane?You make me happy.Be happy with me.”

“I don’t want you to regret us. That would kill me.”

He leans in, kissing me gently. “The only regret I would have is if I wasn’t with you. I know you have some deep-rooted issues caused by the guys around here being too stupid to find a diamond in the rough, but I will spend every day until the day I die showing you, you are worthy of this. That you deserve to be happy. That I love you with every fiber of my being and I will never,everregret you.”

“Okay,” I murmur, letting out a sigh.

“Okay, now let’s go eat that amazing dinner you made me and then maybe I’ll eat you for dessert if you’re good.”

I chuckle. “You’re such a perve.”

“Only for you, baby girl.”

Chapter 10

Mick

Ifinish packing up my stuff so I won’t have to do it later.

The last thing I want to do is leave Shane, but the sooner I do, the quicker I can get back here. Get back to her. Something about Shane makes me forget about everything else, forget about real life and responsibilities. I throw my last shirt in and zip-up my bag.

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