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“Who exactly do you think hired me?” Micah asked, his head tilting as he looked at me. Jeremy’s boss was an extremely handsome man, but I could see the soldier beneath the surface. He had a protective air about him that I’d seen on Jeremy and I suddenly felt more at ease.
“The only person I can think of that would want me found. My father,” I answered. Micah’s brows dipped in confusion as he stared at me.
“It wasn’t your father who hired me,” he said.
“It wasn’t?” Jeremy asked. We shared a look and I could see the confusion I felt mirrored in his eyes.
“Who was it then?” I turned my attention back to Micah.
“I think it would be better if I showed you,” he answered cryptically. He turned to his husband. “Would you mind calling…”
“I’m on it,” Landon answered, obviously reading his husband’s thoughts.
“What’s going on?” Jeremy demanded. He sounded exasperated and I put my hand on his arm. I didn’t want my situation causing trouble between him and his boss. Micah didn’t look angry though as he walked around his desk, coming to stand in front of us.
“I know this seems really confusing to both of you, but I honestly don’t have all the answers. That’s why I think it would be best if we went to the person who hired me. He can explain everything.” His eyes moved back and forth between the two of us and finally settled on Jeremy. “Trust me, Jeremy. I know just enough about the situation that I can promise you that no one wants to hurt Zane.”
Jeremy released a loud breath beside me and I could feel him relax. Still, he turned and looked at me. “Micah is a good man, Zane, and I trust him with my life, but this is your decision. I’ll stand beside you, whatever you want to do.”
My eyes darted to Micah, wondering if he would be angry that his employee was willing to defy him just to stand by me. There was no anger on Micah’s face though. Instead he was smiling at Jeremy. Jeremy didn’t notice though because his focus was trained on me.
“Well, I’m even more curious now that I know it wasn’t my father looking for me. Let’s go see who it is, then,” I told him. Jeremy smiled at me and the pride I saw in his eyes made me feel as if I were ten feet tall.
The three of us left the office then. Jeremy and I followed Micah as he led us out of the city and into a neighborhood along the outskirts. The houses there looked expensive and were spaced far apart. I squinted out the windshield as we drove down a long driveway to a beautiful English Tudor-style home. It was made of gray and tan bricks interspersed in an intricate pattern. Flower boxes hung from the large upper level windows and the front door was made of a rich mahogany wood which curved along the top.
“Do you know who lives here?” Jeremy asked.
“Not a clue,” I told him. “The neighborhood I grew up in was nowhere near as nice as all of this.”
Micah parked his Jeep and Jeremy pulled up alongside him, shutting off the engine. The front door swung open as we walked up to the house and a very tall, good-looking black man stood in the archway, his broad shoulders filling the entire doorway. He was dressed in gray slacks and a plum-colored dress shirt as if he’d just arrived home from an office job.
“Hudson, how’ve you been?” Micah said, reaching out and shaking the man’s hand.
“I’m good. We’re good,” he said with a grin then his eyes landed on me and he tilted his head. “I’ll be damned,” he mumbled. I looked over at Jeremy who shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m sorry, where are my manners,” Micah said. He placed one hand on the man’s arm and then gestured to me and Jeremy with the other. “Guys, this is a very close friend of mine, Dr. Hudson Westley. Hudson, this is my friend and employee, Jeremy O’Brien, and this is Zane Wilkinson.”
The doctor’s eyes darted to Micah. “Are you absolutely sure? I mean, I think I can tell already, but are you sure?”
Micah smiled at his friend. “Jeremy is positive so that means I am too,” he answered. I looked back and forth between the two men, trying to figure out what they were talking about, but it was as if they were speaking in riddles.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but would someone mind telling me what the hell is going on here?” I nearly shouted.
I’d been patient about as long as I could, but I’d reached the end of my rope. I’d spent most of the day thinking I was going to be coming face-to-face with my father, only to find out it wasn’t him looking for me after all. Since then it seemed as if I’d been running around in circles with everyone understanding what was going on except for me. Well, and Jeremy because he seemed just as confused and annoyed as I was.
“I’m sorry. I know you must have a million questions and I didn’t mean to make this more stressful on you. I just needed to see you, to be sure of who you were first,” Dr. Westley said.
“What do you mean first? Before what, Dr. Westley?” I asked.
His brown eyes softened, and he gave me a warm smile that made it seem as if he already knew me. “Please, call me Hudson. And I meant that I needed to see you for myself first before I brought you to see my husband. Well, one of them anyway.” His smile grew as he opened the door and held it for us.
“One of them?” I mouthed to Jeremy. He shrugged his shoulders at me again.
Micah didn’t hesitate to follow the man inside his house so with a deep breath, Jeremy and I made our way in as well. The interior of the house was something out of a magazine. Original hardwood floors, cream-colored walls decorated with original pieces of art and beautiful archways in every doorway. It was sophisticated and elegant, yet it had that comfortable lived-in feel to it too. It was obvious that while this place looked like it could be on a movie set, it was a home to the people who lived there.
Hudson led us into a large living room and told us to have a seat then he shuffled off to get drinks for everyone. Micah moved to one of the single leather chairs and Jeremy and I sat down next to each other on the matching leather couch.
Jeremy’s palm went to the small of my back. I could feel the warmth of his hand, seeping through my shirt and I gave him a grateful look. I hadn’t realized how adrift I’d been feeling until he reached out and tethered me. Jeremy always seemed to know what I needed without me even asking. It was part of the connection we’d always shared, and I was relieved to see that it hadn’t disappeared.
