Page 34 of Liv Parrish

“Wow, how did we get from you leaving to my love life?”

“Because I know you. You believe you’re better off alone, or at least you used to. Heath looks good on you, so don’t mess it up. He won’t hurt you. You just need to accept it.”

“Okay, okay. Jeez, hour’s up doctor. Time to go.”

“You’re chasing me away now? Nice! So much for considering your feelings. I’ll just leave then. See you never.” He turns away but I grab him by the arm, pulling him back to me which is when I notice the smile on his face.

“Come here, you.” I don’t even think about it, just give him a hug, hoping that I can somehow convey just how grateful I am for his friendship, for everything he’s done for me since we met.

“That’s more like it.” He holds me tightly to him, before letting go and stepping back. “You take care of yourself, okay?”

“You too, Wyatt. Drop me a message every once in a while, okay? Let me know you’re still alive.” He doesn’t reply to that, just winks at me and then walks away.

The rest of the day drags and when the time comes, I’m genuinely happy to be done so that I can go home, which isn’t normal for me, but then the last few days have been anything but normal. I find Heath already busy in the kitchen preparing what looks like a curry, which smells amazing.

“Hey, baby, I’ve been waiting for you to get home.” He gives me a sexy smile, which drops when he rounds the counter to meet me by the door. “Hey, what’s wrong? Anything happen at work?”

“No, work is fine. Wyatt came to see me this afternoon. To say goodbye. It was just unexpected, that’s all.” Heath doesn’t say anything, just takes me in his arms and gives me his special brand of comfort, warmth, and safety.

“I’m sorry, baby. He told us today as well. It’s all last minute and hush-hush, but he’ll be okay. You don’t have to worry about him.”

“I know, I’m just being silly, but it feels like I’m losing someone I’ve known for years rather than just a few months. And we weren’t even that close.”

“Hey, it’s not silly. You care about people, so when they leave, you feel that just as strongly as you would a close friend. It’s not a bad thing. And besides that, the bond you guys have formed under unusual circumstances, which makes it different and no less important.” He holds me tighter for a moment before letting go. “Come, dinner’s almost ready. Have a seat for a few minutes while I finish up.” He leads me to the sofa and gently pushes down on my shoulder until I’m sitting down before walking back to the kitchen.

“The food smells amazing. You’re spoiling me. I might never let you go.”

“Don’t you know that’s the plan? The last thing I want is to be away from you. You’re stuck with me now.” And I don’t mind one little bit.

The meal is delicious. Afterwards I clean up the kitchen while Heath plays around on his phone and when I’m done, I take a seat next to him on the sofa, feeling relaxed and content.

“I meant to ask you; how did your meeting go this morning?” He stops playing with the phone, reaches to place it on the coffee table and then turns his attention to me.

“It wasn’t so much a meeting as an update for everyone involved in the operation and the raid. Our involvement was kind of limited, so we didn’t get much of the information besides what was pertinent to the raid itself, but it seems they didn’t quite get everyone they hoped to. The head of the syndicate’s oldest son, Sergei Reznikov got away somehow, but that’s the Feds’ problem. We got Melissa back, and the syndicate itself has been shut down, or at least crippled to such an extent, it will take Sergei years to rebuild.”

“That must still be concerning, though. Aren’t they worried he might retaliate?”

“We don’t see how, unless he gets help from some other group, but like I said that’s the Feds’ problem now. Obviously if they ask for help, we won’t say no, but we no longer have a direct interest in the matter.”

“Speaking of, how is Melissa doing? Things felt a little tense this morning between her and Aaron. I imagine they still have a lot to work out.”

“Absolutely, but she seems okay. It was a surprise to find out she’d become an agent in the years we were in the Navy. She infiltrated the syndicate as an accountant, obviously all orchestrated by the FBI, and became one of Sergei’s confidants, seeing as he was the money guy and they worked closely together. The Feds are trying to establish whether her cover is still intact and if there’s a chance he might reach out to her. Aaron is not thrilled, but she’s as serious about her work as we are about ours, so that’s going to be something for them to hash out. In the meantime, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you. You remember Aaron’s son Jacob?” At my nod, he continues: “Well, it seems he’s having some trouble with his math work at school, and we were thinking, if you’re up for it, you could maybe tutor him?” I smile at this, happy that there is something I can do to help.

“Of course! You can let Aaron know I’m happy to help whenever. It would probably be easier for him if I went there, rather than carting Jacob all over the city.”

“I’ll see what he says, but thanks, baby. It will be one less thing for him to worry about while all this other stuff is going on.”

“Anytime, and Jacob’s a cool kid. It will be fun.”

“You think hanging out and trying to teach someone math is fun?”

“It can be. If you look at it as this giant obstacle in your way, that’s what it’s going to be. You’re not even going to try because you’ve already convinced yourself you don’t understand and it’s going to be hard. I just have to show Jacob that it’s merely a pebble and not a rock. Obviously, he’s going to have to do the work, but the mindset is half the battle.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” His adoration is almost palpable. I can’t believe I ever doubted his feelings for me.

“I think someone told me once, a long time ago. You’re welcome to say it again if you want. I don’t mind.” I smirk at him. He sits quietly for a moment, and then he’s on top of me, tickling my sides while shoving his face in my neck. When we finally come up for air, he looks at me with an intensity I haven’t seen from him before.

“You are amazing, Liv and I love you so fucking much. If I said it every day for the rest of my life it still wouldn’t express how deep this feeling goes.” And I feel it, the moment to say the words back to him. I take a deep breath, open my mouth and … his phone rings. “Hold that thought,” he says as he leans over to pick it up from the coffee table. I try to wriggle my way out from under him to give him some space, but he just tightens his grip with his free hand on my hip and hangs on. After the shortest conversation consisting of monosyllable answers, he confirms that that was Aaron and that we’re going over to his place tomorrow night for dinner and a tutoring session.

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