Page 46 of No Regrets

Dex’s mouth was dry. He couldn’t speak. He felt a little shock, a little hurt that she’d called Ryan and not him.

“Kelly has nothing to feel bad or guilty about,” Tyler said.

“I reassured her of that. She also asked that I pass her along her thanks for us getting her out of there. She misses us and I let her know we miss her and that when she’s ready we’re all here for her. That’s it.”

Mackie stood up, raising his beer. “She’s on her way back to us. To Kelly.”

“To Kelly.” Dex joined the others in chorus, and then took a swig of beer, still feeling...fuck, he didn’t know what he was feeling. Ryan nudged him and they moved away from the others.

“She was worried you’d be mad that she reached out to me, not you.”

“I’m not mad, maybe a little hurt, upset,” Dex admitted.

“Don’t be. It took a lot for her to make that call. I’m a brother to her. You are much more. See this as a step in the right direction. She was worried about you, really worried.”

Dex leaned on the deck railing, facing away from the boys. “How did she sound?”

“Upset, nervous. Relieved you got off reasonably unscathed. I get the feeling she wants to reach out but is not quite there yet.”

Dex glanced down the street toward her house. “It’s unreal to think she’s right there a few doors down and I can’t speak to her.”

“You will. Now that she’s spoken to me and I didn’t frighten her off, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. Don’t go knocking on her door yet, got it?”

“Got it. And I'm glad it was you she called. If she couldn’t call me, you are a brother to both of us. Thanks, man.”

Ryan slapped him on the back. “Mackie’s right. She’s on her way back. Be happy.”

“Yeah. It’s a start and I’ll take it.”

IT WAS MIDNIGHT BEFORE the team finally left. Dex and his dad finished clearing up the last few glasses. Dex knew he’d been a little quiet the rest of the evening, lost in thought.

“How are you feeling about everything?”

Dex set the glasses in the sink, then leaned against it. “Glad it’s over, and it’s good to be back with the boys.”

“I’m pretty sure they feel the same way.” Pops smiled. “It was great that Kelly called.”

“Yeah, it was. I wished she’d called me, but I get why she didn’t.” She still cared and that’s all that mattered. He’d hang on to that for now.

“Are you going to go and see her?”

“No. I’m going to listen to you and Ryan and stay away.” Dex chuckled at the surprise on Pop’s face. “Come on, I do listen to you sometimes.”

“About time! Well, I’m beat, so I’m heading to bed. Now that this is over, I’ll be going back on the road in a couple of days. Unless you need some help getting through desk duty?” He arched an eyebrow.

“I think I can handle that, Pops.” Dex grinned before going back outside on the deck and getting comfy in his hammock. Sometimes he liked to sleep here under the stars. He and Kelly had done it more times than he could remember. Looking at his phone from his pocket, a red star glared at him announcing he had a voicemail. He hit the play button.

“Commander Dawson, it’s Captain Harrison. I heard what happened. I’m not pushing you for an answer yet, but if you want to chat in between pushing paper next week, you have my number. I want you leading my team, Commander.”

Dex went to call him, to tell him that he didn’t want to leave his team, then he remembered the time.

I want you to lead my team, Commander.

A big smile spread across his face. The Sam Harrison wanted him. Oh yeah, his ego was soaring on that one. But how could he walk away from Alpha right now? He couldn’t. They had unfinished business with Lazir. He planned on talking to Joe about that next week. He wanted to know what was happening about getting a target package together for that son of a bitch.

Perhaps there would be another opportunity to work with Sam. Have a bit more time with Alpha first. He made a mental note to call and talk to him about it. It was a fantastic opportunity, just bad timing.

He scrolled through his phone and opened up a text message to Kelly.

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