Page 67 of Red Hunt

I shook my head. “He’s an EMT.”

“That too.”

They both looked at me expectantly, waiting for what?

“He’s one of the good ones,” Blake said.

Slowly, the words trickled deeper into my consciousness. It was his job. He wasn’t one of those perverts. There was no gray area. This was a black-and-white situation. And I’d come to the wrong conclusions.

He wasn’t a monster.

The realization settled in, but somehow, making sense of it all was difficult. At least some of the tension clutching at my body eased substantially. “But why?”

“Evidence,” Blake said and grabbed my other hand. “They’re gathering incriminating evidence, Milli.”

I looked from Blake to Peter. They both looked at me with pity in their eyes. They’d seen. They knew. Did Max know?

Soon everybody would know.

I groaned, then hid my face in my hands.

But Peter grabbed my shoulder, and I looked back up at him. “Don’t,” was all he said, shaking his head.

I nodded. I would not be ashamed. I would not go back to hiding. Max wasn’t one of those bastards, wasn’t a monster. He was one of the good guys. Doing the same thing my friends and I were doing. I sagged back into the cushions and briefly closed my eyes. I didn’t care if anybody knew. Moon Lake had accepted me with open arms. My friends were good people. They’d understand. And I wasn’t at fault. I’d worked hard in therapy for years to get there, and I wouldn’t allow myself to slide back into feeling helpless and weak.

“He’s downstairs,” Blake said. “Anxious to see you.”

My breath caught. Was I ready to see him?

“Is there anything else we need to discuss, Milli?” Peter asked and squeezed my hand. “Did something happen last night we need to talk about?” He looked sincere but slightly uncomfortable. Lisa and Claire always complained about their men’s over-the-top protectiveness. Now I could feel it directed at me. I smiled. Time to ease the tension a little. “You mean we should talk about Max and I having sex?” I suppressed the chuckle at his tortured expression. “We used protection. He was the perfect gentleman, so I don’t think there’s anything we need to talk about. Thank you very much.”

Peter groaned and looked down at his feet.

Blake just chuckled. “I see you feel better. Guess I’ll go let our boy out of his misery.” With that, he stood and walked out.

Peter stayed and looked at me. It was as if he was trying to figure me out. Well, good luck with that. I hardly recognized myself these days.

“Sassy suits you,” he said.

I grinned and nodded. I liked being sassy a lot better than being scared. I liked being bold, no matter if someone was shocked by it or not. Like telling Max I wanted to have sex with him.

I guess having such amazing women around me these last few years had rubbed off on me. Like Lisa and Claire, who managed their Inn and their families like it was a piece of cake. Like Sharon, who was such a great single mother. Like Julie managing her physical therapy practice and her high-profile husband. Jessie, who was the perfect doctor’s wife and mother without ever stopping to work on her own projects.

Like Belinda, who was just as brave and capable as any guy I’d ever met. Like my sister, strong and fierce and determined to make her dreams a reality.

Peter shook his head, then a sly grin transformed his features. “You’re spending too much time with my wife.”

“She’s a good influence,” I replied, and he nodded.

Then he got up when we heard bounding steps on the stairs, leaned down, and kissed the top of my head. “I’m proud of you.”

I choked and nodded. I was strong. I would need to be to face Max. Because I needed to tell him of my past. All of it. The ugly and the scary, the dark and the crazy.

And I had no clue if I could do it or how he would take it.

41

MAX

---