Page 25 of Saved by my Baby Daddy Spy
Brodie shakes his head. “We’re never going to be done talking about this.”
“Well, if you want more of a reason to feel better, I asked Hannah’s sister for her number and her sister told me I would only get the number over her dead body.”
“She does know what you do for a living, right?” Brodie asks, laughing as he shuffles around against his pillow.
“I would never use my connections against her wishes. She’s family. I just didn’t think I would get such a harsh reaction out of her.”
“So, you take off, out of the blue, after being with a woman that you couldn’t stop talking about. Not to mention she got shot in the arm when she was with you. Then, you expect her sister to welcome you back with open arms. Holden, you’re smarter than that.”
“I know. I know. I was initially surprised myself that Audrey hasn’t tried to have me killed or at least be more mad at me than she was. I expected her to have Preston punch me or something for putting Hannah in danger the way I did. But, a few days ago, Preston thanked me for taking Hannah to the hospital on the last day I saw her. Apparently Hannah told Preston and her sister that she was passing by an alley and gang members were shooting at each other and she somehow got in the crossfire and got shot. She said that I happened to come by and saw her and took her to the hospital. She made me sound like some kind of hero to them. She’s too good to me.”
“I just want to call and officially apologize for everything that happened. But her sister is acting weird, like there is more going on that I didn’t know about.”
Brodie shrugs, letting out a breath as he closes his eyes for a moment. “What are you even planning on doing now that you’re back here? I don’t need you here to take care of me. I’ll be going home soon, and I really won’t need you.”
“You’re full of shit. You’re going to need someone. Even once you get home, you’re going to need someone for a little while, at least. I have no problem with helping you.”
“Did you ever think that maybe I have a problem with it?” Brodie smiles, but he looks like he’s still in pain.
Though he could call the nurse for more pain medication, I know he’s going to tough it out.
It’s hard to leave the Navy SEAL mindset behind once it has been ingrained into your life.
“We’re done talking about me,” Brodie says, reaching for the glass of water beside his bed. “When are you finally going to ask that woman out on a real date? Apologize to her for leaving things the way you did.”
“I’m not sure what to say.”
“Don’t you? I know for a fact that you had your phone for a week. That’s a week that you could have told her what was going on after you put her life in danger. You could have taken the time to explain everything to her, but you didn’t.”
I groan and run my hands down my face. “Alright, maybe you are right about that. I should have said something to her. But, how do I apologize for something like that? Hi. Just wanted to let you know I had a great time with you. Sorry I couldn’t protect you and let you get shot at and for leaving you at the hospital to recover from a bullet wound. Just wanted to let you know that I really liked you a lot but I stayed away cause you weren’t safe around me. But now that I’m back, do you want to go out on a date with me?”
“Good, so now that you know what you’re apologizing for, do it. And definitely ask her out, but hold off on the sarcasm and make it sound more sincere. You’ve spent too much of your life missing out on everything because of your dedication to your country and to others. It’s time to be dedicated to yourself.”
I glance around the hospital room, taking in the sterile white walls and the tubes hooked up to Brodie, trying to think of what to say. I hate that he’s hit the nail on the head when it comes to what I’ve done with my life.
“Alright. Maybe once I leave here, I might go talk to her.”
“No. You will go talk to her. You haven’t stopped talking about her for days. If you don’t ask this woman out and I have to hear about what a mistake that was again, I’m going to go insane.”
I chuckle and cross one leg over the other. “Fine. I’ll talk to her.”
“Now that we’ve got that figured out, what are you going to do about work? It’s not fair to get close to this woman and her child if you’re only going to up and disappear on them again and again.”
“You know, you made it sound like it was going to be so simple until you said that.”
Brodie laughs. “Well, life isn’t simple, Holden. You’ve spent a lot of it focusing on your career, and helping others, but now it’s time for you to decide if you’re ready to settle down.”
As he speaks, Hannah’s face comes to mind. If there is anyone that I want to try to have a future with, it’s her. Meeting her two years ago was the eye-opener I needed for my future.
I swore to myself during my time in witness protection that I was going to start spending more time with family. I didn’t want to keep being taken away from them. Especially when I didn’t need to be.
“I’m going to spend more time in San Francisco. I figure that growing Gould Security will be the best way to keep me here.”
“As if you need more money.”
“No,” I say, shifting in my seat at the mention of the money my family is amply supplied with. “I don’t, but we both know I would lose my mind if I couldn’t keep busy.”
He nods. “I know. Now, I need some sleep and you running your mouth isn’t going to help. Go talk to Hannah.”
